Laughter is said to be the best medicine known to man. With that in mind, developing a good sense of humor and the ability to make people laugh can do more good to those you come in contact with than an entire drug store.

In addition to making other people happy and feel good, humor can be used to de-emphasize an otherwise uncomfortable situation and ease both tension and bad feelings while building rapport. In a speaking or writing situation, humor can keep your audience interested in what you have to say, thus helping you become a better communicator. If popularity is one of your goals, humor is a very effective tool. It’s hard not to like someone who makes you laugh.

People have different senses of humor; that’s why not all people find the same comedians funny. Some people (like me) almost lose control of their bodily functions when watching movies like The Naked Gun, while others just roll their eyes. Despite these differences, humor is recognized and the effects of humor remain.

Here are some different types of humor that you can use. You may find that you are better at delivering some types of humor than others. If you have a natural talent for a type of humor, work to develop it. You may find a good endorsement career in the process!

• The joke. This is a fictional story or question that most likely was told to you. Jokes are most appropriate when the content relates to the current discussion or situation you are in. However, joke tellers are like delivery men who only carry the message and don’t write it, and most people recognize it.
• The funny story. This is a true story (or one you believe to be true) about something that happened to you or someone close to you. Try to avoid funny stories that happened to a “friend of a friend” because most of the time they are not believable. Use the universal “humor license” and just say “friend” – the closer you are related to the person(s) in the story, the funnier the story will be.
• The Impersonation. Impersonations are only funny when you’re impersonating someone or something your audience knows. Impersonations are also a bit risky, especially when you don’t want to offend the person you are impersonating.
• Physical comedy. If you’ve ever seen Chris Farley, Chevy Chase, or Steve Martin in action, you’ve seen great examples of physical comedy. Physical comedy often involves exaggeration of the body and deliberate clumsiness to make others laugh. With physical comedy, it’s important to be deliberate enough so that others see you as funny, rather than just awkward.
• What if What if after reading the above paragraph about physical comedy, you got up to go to the bathroom and tripped? The idea of ​​that is funny (unless, of course, you’re at the fragile age where a trip means a trip to the hospital, in which case you should avoid physical comedy altogether). “What Ifs” are great for a laugh and to lighten situations.
• Sarcasm. If you’ve ever seen David Spade in a movie or TV show, you’ve seen sarcasm at its finest. Or Rita Ruder, who says, “I love being married. It’s great to find that special someone you want to bother with for the rest of your life.” However, it’s important to note that sarcasm should be used carefully with those you know who may take these types of comments lightly. Sarcasm is generally not seen as a positive quality and is very often used to express negative emotions.
• Slapstick comedy. My favorite example of classic slapstick comedy is The Naked Gun with Frank Drebbin, or almost any movie that stars Leslie Nielsen. An example of slapstick comedy is when Frank is searching an office for clues, he opens a drawer and says “BINGO” and then pulls out a Bingo playing card. Slapstick is also known as excessive silliness, but I admire slapstick for its inherent awesomeness.

Here are my ten “Rules of Humor.” Follow them and the humor will serve you well. Break them and you will be the object of other people’s humor.

1. NEVER EVER take credit for someone else’s prank. Not only is it wrong, but if you try to pass off a joke or funny comment as your own and someone overhears you and knows it’s not yours, it will create a very awkward situation that even the best sense of humor may not have. be able to get you out If you repeat something funny that someone else has said, start with “As I would say _____…” or in some other way make it clear that the joke is not your original thought. You can still use humor and maintain your integrity.
2. If you tell a joke or say something funny, make sure it’s for a new audience. Take a lesson from your overly intoxicated relatives at parties. A joke may be funny once, but try to pass it on to the same audience again and you’re on your way to comedic purgatory.
3. Be appropriate. There is a time and a place for everything and humor is no exception. For example, humor can be very effective at a funeral in making others feel better, but telling jokes at the expense of the guest of honor may not be a good idea.
4. Let it be brief. Jokes and long-winded stories do more harm than good.
5. Be soft. Often the delivery is more important than the content. Stuttering and messing up words can really make a mess of humor. My favorite example of this is Chris Farley in Tommy Boy when he tries to repeat his father’s “Bull and T-bone” joke (if you haven’t seen the movie, rent it!).
6. Moment. Even the funniest joke delivered at the wrong time (too late, too early) can backfire.
7. Relevance. Make sure the humor is relevant to the conversation or situation. Starting an insurance pitch with a joke about cutting your hair just doesn’t flow.
8. Don’t make jokes at other people’s expense. This can be very tempting at times, especially with “easy targets”. Bite yourself and use your creativity to redirect your humor elsewhere.
9. Don’t overdo it. Be funny, have a good sense of humor, but don’t be a comedian. This is true of everyone except comedians who make a living making people laugh. In everyday life, and especially in business, you want people to take you seriously. Know when to be serious.
10. Do not be corny. Unless your audience members are frequent “Chuck E. Cheese” customers, steer clear of the corny jokes. If you want to know what I mean by cheesy, pick up a pack of kids’ Dixie cups, the ones with “jokes,” and read the cups.

Realize that even professional comedians make jokes that fail. We don’t often see them because their televised jokes are collections of their best jokes that have been tested. If you know how to respond appropriately to a failed joke, you may end up with a funnier situation than if the joke had succeeded. Here are some things you can do when people don’t find humor in your joke:

• Imagine that you have a microphone in one hand, and while touching the hand with the two fingers of the other hand, say: “Hi, is it on?”
• Quickly cover yourself by asking a question.
• Don’t laugh at your own jokes, and people may not think you’re trying to be funny.

Using humor effectively takes practice and self-belief. Remember, with every joke that doesn’t go down well, your art of humor will improve.