Do you think Seinfeld makes you laugh by accident? When your audience laughs it’s never an accident. Any laughter is triggered by a pattern of humor. One of the very few patterns of humor is the unexpected pattern. Saying the unexpected is what makes every joke funny. It’s the twist in the end, the punchline.
You too can take advantage of this humorous pattern in your speeches. I’ll share some examples with you.
[Important! The three dots … represent a pause. When you make a pause just before the twist of saying the unexpected you gain much more humorous impact.]
- Content is… overrated.
- What I admire most in life is… ants.
- We also have children… two dogs.
- And then my son Alvaro asked me, Papi, what’s faster, a car or… a taxi?
- Flying with Ryanair is like being completely wasted. The next day you always say… it was the last time.
The unexpected trait works even better when it follows the expected/expected/unexpected pattern.
- I live in a small village. We have cows; we have chicken and… my mother in law.
- She knows everything better; she never shuts up, she’s like… me.
- I’ll never forget that incredible scenery of Ibiza. The blue Mediterranean, the smell of fresh shrimps and… English hooligans.
- I dreamed of playing for F.C. Barcelona. I dreamed of playing for Manchester United. I played for… TSV Scheuerfeld.
- Germans are efficient. Germans are punctual. Germans are… alcoholics.
Humor will always be hard work. Yes, you can be spontaneous and harvest a random laughter here and there. In general, humor requires thorough preparation. Sit down, think, reflect and come up with an unexpected masterpiece of humor.
Say the unexpected in your speeches and just like with Seinfeld audience laughter will no longer be an accident!