Talking of laughing.…everybody wants to be funny. Funny equals popular. We all want to make others laugh and if we do…we become super popular. Humour has a special ability to uplift an audience and create connections. With humour you can take your audience on a journey into your heart, your life and get them loving you, as well as laughing with you.
The healthiest response to life is laughter – Deepak Chopra –
To find humour you have to look into your cave of stories. All the things you did in your life where you slipped up, put your foot in, made a mistake or made some really dumb faux pas. These are the treasures where you will find your ingredients for the funny cake.
We can all relate to these personal stories because we all have made the same or similar mistakes in our lives.
It is all about digging out the goofs, gaffes and boo-boo’s you have enacted in your life and crafting it into a funny script or speech.
Let’s face it, we have all made blunders, so lighten up and recognise that when you are self-effacing and admit your flaws, people will connect with you …and laugh with you. Hey, and the bonus is that it is also good therapy.
To self-mock is a kind of art form and people identify with a person who can see the funny side of their blind spots, loop holes and slip-ups. Watch some British comedy shows to highlight this point. The British comedy writers slide gloriously in self depreciating humour. ( I love the timeless ‘Only Fools and Horses’ TV series which depicts an endless stream of mistakes and mishaps with extraordinary humour.)
You would be surprised how many excellent stories you could create by looking honestly at the blunders in your life.
Okay, now you have the ingredients, you have to sculpt it into a fine and funny speech. Describe your mistakes in beautiful, full technicolor detail. Get into the nitty-gritty as to how you made that boo-boo and the outcome.
Showing your delightful dumbness in a situation can really make your audience empathise with you. So let go, laugh at yourself and you will see how others will follow.
Remember that once your cake has risen and the audience has tasted its sublime flavours, not every one laughs with their belly. A smiling and happy reaction is equally good. Some people laugh quietly, giggling or nodding and enjoying just as much as loud boisterous cracking up.
Now, if you find it hard to laugh, join the school of yoga laughter with Dr. Madan Katari. Apparently, it is a contagious experience, here is his web page. http://laughteryoga.org/
Talking of laughing…it is all in the Writing, Rehearsing and then the Performing. At Step Up & Stand Out we show you how to define and refine your W.R.P. Your Writing, Rehearsing and Performing.
This week, I leave you with this quote which will make you smile!
When we are listening , we can hear LIFE is actually full with various kinds of laughter.
“If you wish to glimpse inside a human soul and get to know a man, don’t bother analyzing his ways of being silent, of talking, of weeping, of seeing how much he is moved by noble ideas; you will get better results if you just watch him laugh. If he laughs well, he’s a good man.”
– Fyodor Dostoyevsky-
I couldn,t agree more . Laughing is the salt of life. And life is too short to be taken too much seriously.
The more we laugh…the happier we are! Thanks for you comments X
Laughter is the key! You’re quite right, Georgia. It lightens a heavy subject or overlong speech and relaxes an audience, making them more receptive to your words and to you as a person..
When young, my most vivid memories are of parties where my many uncles played silly tricks, told jokes, played games and were fully of bon homie. Luckily, we as a family, like nothing better than having a jolly good laugh. It is the medicine of life.
Yes Joy, it is true nothing like a dose of laughter to make you feel good.