How to Be Funny and Witty with Improv Comedy

(Video: How to Be Funny and Witty with Improv Comedy)

One of the toughest things for people to do – is comedy. Not just any comedic element, or performance, but improv comedy.

Yikes! That’s even worse working from no script, no preparation…nada.

On the surface, this may seen like something that will take years to master, but it can be easily done by anybody in a short time. You probably don’t think so, but if you’re on that side of the proverbial coin, then you are already a lost cause in your dream of becoming “last improv comic standing.”

Yet since you’re still reading, there is hope for you after all.

The best comics and witty people in the world just know exactly how to find the loopholes of what most people see as “dead-ends,” then jump into hoops of wit, without losing focus on the larger picture.

Yes, in some parts, improv does have to do with one’s creativity, but who says you don’t have an ounce of creativity within you. Surely, you had been creative at some points in your life (i.e., you once were a kid who picked up that crayon to draw or picked up that pen to write that expository essay for your English teacher who you swore was a witch for making you miserable); and that creativity never goes away, only needs for you to be inspired to come out and see things differently.

Whether you want to be a comic or you just want a better social life, follow these guidelines to your creative wit, and it starts with believing that you can. Don’t ever say you can’t, because that’s where people fail with improv comedy.

Accept The Surreal As Real

One of the most important things that you have to jump into immediately is acceptance. You have to accept things as true, then keep moving forward with what else could possibly be part of that universe.

Think about that. When it comes to improvisation, you have to be able to curve with the story, conversation, and ideas that are coming through. With that in mind, you can take control of your conversations and drive them into any arena.

Accept whatever is thrown as you as fact, then ask yourself what if, and run through that with a sense of specific reality.

Listen Then Find Loopholes and Twist, But Listen First

The first thing that you need to know is simple – listen. Listen very closely and dissect the things said, and then turn things around. If you don’t attentively listen, you cannot swerve improvisational comedy.

The key to being witty and saying something funny is finding the funny loopholes.

Example:

Jenny: “All I want is a man with a good heart.”

Tammy: “Yes Jenny, we all love to have a man who can outrun us on a treadmill. No wonder we have such bad luck with no brain meat-heads!”

Here you took what was said “good heart” and twisted it around creatively by figuring out the loopholes by interpreting it in a literal sense.

First you listen, but don’t listen to “what is being said” directly. Find the creative loopholes, because only then, can you really learn how to tangle things up.

TIP: To help you do all this, ask yourself: “How can I make what this person said funny?” Or “What is funny about what this person just said?”

Just Say “Yes!”

The one thing that comes up a lot in improv is the act of build-up and continuation. This is easily done using the “Yes, and…” formula. This is a matter of adding new elements to existing options. It goes back to the listen and react.

What you need to take here is to push the reality that you’re in and then believe it and move forward. You have to jump into scenarios and take the reins from time to time, simple as that.

Example:

Bob: “I like chicken.” (Random comment.)

Joe: “Yes, and we all love chicken. Chickens are the best thing since sliced bread. (Accept with “Yes, and…” then add upon.)

Bob: “Yes, sliced bread used to be the best until chicken came around. (Agreed with “Yes, and…” and add upon.)

Joe: “Totally, the chicken came before the egg.” (Agreed saying “Yes, and…” differently.)

Bob: “The eggs have always existed since the dawn of the ape man.” (Agreed this time without saying “Yes, and…”)

Joe: “I guess that would make us, men, come from eggs.”

Bob: “Yes, we came from eggs so that would make us reptilians.”

(Note: You don’t have to say the word “Yes, and…” every time, but say it in different ways to follow this structural approach. All you’re doing is AGREEING then ADDING stuffs for the person to work with next.)

Silly? Yes, it can be. Never disagree to disrupt the continuation. Continue to give information to bounce back-and-forth off of. Shut off your critical mind, and go imaginative make-believes.

If you want to master this, you need to be able to go with any flow, including conversations, dates, and more. These are things you have to be able to flow with, like water.

Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back, Ever!

Here is the last step. Simply put, you have to keep moving. When you’re in a situation that calls for any sort of improvisation, go with it. Allow yourself to flow through various means.

If you feel something stopping you because you’re nervous, or scared, push against it. Speak up, be willing to charge ahead when others don’t. Speak up, and try to find humor in things. Don’t ever let fear hold you back when you have a creative spark to improvise.

You’ll be fascinated by how your brain can trigger a lot of elements for you, if you just don’t stifle yourself, or stumble in thoughts, ideas, and creative thinking.