Nothing is more painful than telling your best “yo mama” joke and not getting even one of those unenthusiastic pity laughs. Telling jokes is not as simple as calling someone’s mother a fatty. Though there is no formula for humor, there are some general guidelines for execution.

Be casual

Someone who tries too hard to be funny is not funny. Act like you are not making an effort and do not laugh at your own jokes. It is crucial to keep a calm composure, much like a stone wall, but still be animated. Perhaps this stone wall has a Bugs Bunny cartoon drawn on it.

Do not dress jokes up in tuxedos by applying a lot of preparation. Worrying about hand gestures, tone inflections and build-ups is only going to detract from a performance. The best jokes are just thrown out off the top of someone’s head, and if no one laughs, act like it was not supposed to be funny.

Be spontaneous

Jokes are generally funny the first few times, but after that, they are annoying. Do not be “that guy” who rides off the same four jokes, and do not tell the same joke to the same group of people more than once. one must act much like a cigarette factory, serving up fresh jokes that will surely give the listener a head rush, if not the beginnings of a chronic addiction.

Have the guts

People laugh at the unexpected. So to get a laugh, be outlandish. Do something to startle people. Do something no one else would have the guts to do. For example, wear a lime green spandex “green man” costume to school, or streak through the quad.

It is okay to make people feel uncomfortable. in fact, that is the key. When people feel discomfort they often laugh it off.

Don’t steal

Nothing will make a comedian’s blood boil hotter than a joke thief. It is the unforgivable sin of joking, the lowest of lows and those convicted suffer dramatic blows to their reputation. Once a thief steals a joke, the thief may never be funny again. everyone may assume that every joke is ripped off from someone else, and the thief will likely always be frowned upon.

Last word

Do not be discouraged when people do not laugh. Just like anything else in life, joke telling takes practice and failure may precede success.

By keeping these points in mind and remembering to be creative, perhaps you will be putting smiles on other kids faces just like Ronald McDonald, but without being as creepy.