1. 10-31-2009Copyrighted. Re-use with Permission Hubert Lin Humor Cookbook Bon-appetit

2. Recipe for Humorous Speech Know the basics Grocery shopping—Mine your stories Fresh ingredients—Novel ideas Sichuan or Cantonese dish?—find your 范儿。 Add some spice—setup and punch lines Cook it just right: the delivery

3. Basic Structure Topic + Attitude + Premise Dialogue it (Use your imagination)

4. Childhood Relationships Challenges Hobbies Luncheons/Dinners Outings/Vacations Stories about people Things you read ANYTHING!!! Grocery Shopping: Mine Your Topics Grocery Shopping Fresh ingredients Sichuan or Cantonese dish? Add some spice Cook it just right

5. What’s Funny? What’s Weird? What’s Scary? What’s Hard (Difficult)? What’s Stupid?

6. Authentic and Relatable Topic Grocery Shopping Fresh ingredients Sichuan or Cantonese dish? Add some spice Cook it just right Your own world Topics of the world Relatable Topics

7. Share your Pain: Self-Deprecation Physical Psychological Personality Quirks Life-Challenges

9. Exercise 1 (10 mins) Group of 5 “Childhood” Writing “Challenges” Writing Hard, Weird, Scary, Stupid? Grocery Shopping Fresh ingredients Sichuan or Cantonese dish? Add some spice Cook it just right

10. Make it ……….……… Kill the Clichés –If it’s been done to death, let it die Your new interpretation explaining the story –Premise Grocery Shopping Fresh ingredients Sichuan or Cantonese dish? Add some spice Cook it just right

11. Example Wife always asks, do you love me? It is so stupid to ask this in a relationship. –Men don’t say it much. Premise (my spin) The person who says “I love you” loses power. The more you say it, the more power you lose What’s so weird about wedding vows? –The priest never ask the real practical questions. It’s so hard for a man to put down his remote control –My wife takes care of the house, the food, the bank accounts…This is the only thing men have left.

12. Example At the gym, it is so disturbing how those bodybuilders look in the mirror. –It’s as if each muscle is a lover. It’s a bit weird how the guys scream when they exercise. –It sounds the same, when they feel excited, or happy, or hurt It is weird to see two or three workout buddies at the gym –They’re more like lovers than buddies

13. Formula Continued Reality Premise Premise 2

14. Formula, Part 1 Humor = A + B + C A = Reality Time Un-real Humor-ness

15. Exercise 2 (10 mins) Go through the previous list Brainstorm some ‘fresh’ premise Grocery Shopping Fresh ingredients Sichuan or Cantonese dish? Add some spice Cook it just right

17. What is your 范儿？ Imitation is Limitation ‘Funny’ while not trying Grocery Shopping Fresh ingredients Sichuan or Cantonese dish? Add some spice Cook it just right

18. Spice it up: Humor time Joke = Setup + Punch Line Premise Attitude Background Story Clarify Emotion Expectation Grocery Shopping Fresh ingredients Sichuan or Cantonese dish? Add some spice Cook it just right

19. Spice it up: Humor time Joke = Setup + Punch Line

20. Surprise-Humor Paradox Unexpected-ness Impact on Audience Emotional Intellectual Grocery Shopping Fresh ingredients Sichuan or Cantonese dish? Add some spice Cook it just right

21. Put it in dialogue 2 characters work best. Three is a crowd –Anyone or Anything can talk Say it, don’t write it. Grocery Shopping Fresh ingredients Sichuan or Cantonese dish? Add some spice Cook it just right

22. Reality Extend it! Humor = A + B + C + D A = Reality, B = PREMISE C = Totally Different Situation Reality Premise Premise 2

23. Example It is weird to see two or three workout buddies at the gym –They’re more like lovers than buddies –What if we have ‘at work’ buddies or ‘Toastmasters buddies’? At the gym, it is so disturbing how those bodybuilders look in the mirror. –It’s as if each muscle is a lover. –What if a Toastmaster does that?

24. Delivery It Just Right Exaggerate the emotions and attitude Make it conversational Pregnant Pause Don’t step on your punch line Grocery Shopping Fresh ingredients Sichuan or Cantonese dish? Add some spice Cook it just right