5 Sources of Humor

What if a hilarious moment or comment doesn’t appear in the next week now that I’m thinking like a comedian and ready to write it down?

Great question! You can always generate funny content by starting with a relatable premise, and then doing something with it that’s surprising.

In this clip I walk you through 5 sources of humor you can be considering when looking to generate a funny anecdote or idea to take through the S.T.E.P.S. process.

#1: Relatable: When people relate to you, they feel happy because you have something in common. When people remember something, they are happy to reconnect with that experience. When you make people happy, they associate that happiness with you, which sets them up to find whatever you’re saying funnier automatically.

Draw your starting point from a relatable experience or phase of life: being a teenager, moving to a new place, navigating a stressful time, etc.


#2: Surprise / Tension: Look for premises that have surprise or tension built into them.

What if your dog had to go to your job? What if you thought you were being really quiet, but you were actually being really loud? What if you thought you were being really subtle, but you were actually being really obvious?
#3 Perspective Shift: What if there was a piece of info you didn’t know that made you see the situation one way (and take action) and later find out the piece of information that changed your (or the listener’s) whole perspective on that same moment?
#4: Conflict: Creating tension allows us to relieve that same tension, which is how jokes work. Playful example of conflict: social awkwardness. People laugh primarily because they relate, and as an added bonus, they’re so glad it happened to you and not to them.
#5: Characters: Embody the character(s) in your story by using voices, capturing mannerisms or distinct personalities, and commit to it. Use yourself as a character. What if you almost said or did something that was embarrassing, but didn’t? Well, what if in the story you did do it? That would be a great story, wouldn’t it?