Humor is an art form that tries to provoke laughter or amusement.

Analyze your communication against elements of humor. In order to something to be funny, it has to have at least two of the six elements of humor. Elements of humor are:

1. Clever - using a thing in an unexpected way but it's working.
2. Cute - a puppy is playing with a ball.
3. Bizarre - a Mongolian herdsman with an iPod.
4. Cruel - Shish Kabob accident with his wife.
5. Naughty - anything to with sexuality.
6. Familiar - someone overslept to school or a Coca-cola bottle.

Keep your wording simple. Be smart but not academic.

It's hard to find humor in inanimate things. Use people or make inanimate objects feel alive.

Use pop culture references. When people recognize them, they can relate to the story more easily.

Be a caricature. Use voice, body language and speed to switch characters. It catches attention as you change your voice and tone. Always when telling a story, give all characters different personalities.

Yes And- approach. Take something other people say, accept it and build on top of it. Easiest to get the other people in sync with you. Good as you need to listen to the other people.

1. How can I amplify that?
2. What is the next logical conclusion?

The Fake Out. Set expectations that you think or feel one way and then right after act or say just the other way.

1. Set up a situation.
2. Realize what are people expecting me to say in this situation.
3. Say the opposite.

I promised that no gossip questions.
So no gossip questions.
But I will lead with one.

Out of Context Analysis. Change the context that people take for granted. Take something that is obvious and acts like you don't understand it and make jokes out of it.

You are presented with a "Happy Valentine's Day" bear plushy.
- I couldn't give this to my girlfriend.
- This is a bear that was born with his heart outside of his body.

Being specific. Specificity generally makes you funny.

BAD
Your clothes look like they are from the future.

GOOD
Your clothes look like a tuxedo from the year 3015.

Double down. Follow-up jokes on the same topic until you get a laugh. Every remark has to be more absurd. Good as you build upon remarks of other people so you need to listen.

Your reaction after a joke has a huge impact how listeners perceive you. If you laugh yourself, you seem honest and sincere. If you don't show any emotion, you seem cool and confident.

Sarcasm is strong in making you look cool. Just don't smile, not even a smirk.

A smile breaks the tension, so don't smile without a reason. If you want to keep the situation going, don't laugh, smirk or smile. And if you are the one that keeps the tension going, you are the "cool guy" as it seems like other people want to make themselves to like you. So you become the "the cool guy".

If you want to appear cool, don't laugh at other peoples jokes. You must focus on empowering yourself, not others.

1. Stay playful in all situations, even if you are afraid or stressed.
2. Makes you seem confident.
3. When you screw up, be transparent why you did it.
4. I cut out off by speeding because I'm in a hurry to the hospital.
5. Most interesting people are unpredictable.
6. It's OK to make other people feel angry, frustrated or angry.
7. Just make sure you have a lot of fun with the previous ones.

Sources

• Writing Funny