How to Tell a Joke

Whether you're working a cocktail party or a comedy club， certain tactics will ensure that your stabs at humor aren't met with blank stares. First， you must have complete confidence in the joke you're telling. It will come across in your delivery， and even if the material's subpar， people will laugh. Or at the very least， smile and nod.

無(wú)論你是在雞尾酒會(huì)上還是在喜劇俱樂(lè)部里工作，你都需要一些策略來(lái)保證當(dāng)你偶爾幽默一把時(shí)大家不會(huì)面面相覷。首先，你必須對(duì)自己講的笑話有充分的信心。即使笑話本身并不怎么樣，也能通過(guò)你的傳達(dá)而讓大家捧腹大笑或者至少讓人們點(diǎn)頭微笑。

Choose Wisely精挑細(xì)選

It's best to stick with a universal theme - for example， we all have mothers. I talk to mom every day， but she still ends every conversation with， \"keep in touch.\" Self-deprecating humor can get laughs， but avoid it at a work function; political humor can also get sticky. And never， ever tell an ethnic joke.

最好堅(jiān)持一個(gè)普遍的主題——例如，每個(gè)人都有母親。我每天都會(huì)和我的母親談話，但每次談話結(jié)束她仍然會(huì)說(shuō)：“保持聯(lián)系?！弊晕屹H損的幽默能讓人們發(fā)笑，但是在工作場(chǎng)合應(yīng)加以避免；政治幽默也有可能會(huì)讓人難堪尷尬。另外，千萬(wàn)不要講和民族或種族有關(guān)的笑話。

Be Prepared萬(wàn)事俱備

Always run the setup and the punch line through your head before you dive in to avoid the awkward， \"Hold on， that's not it.\"

不要魯莽行事，講笑話之前腦中首先要知道如何畫(huà)龍點(diǎn)睛地拋出笑料，以避免出現(xiàn)“等一下，好像不是這樣的”的尷尬場(chǎng)面。

Speak in Tongues使用方言

If the joke calls for an accent， fully commit to it. Your Scottish brogue might be terrible， but it'll still be funnier than not trying at all.

如果你講的笑話需要你使用方言，那就盡力模仿好了。也許你的蘇格蘭口音聽(tīng)起來(lái)糟糕透頂，但是盡力模仿總比不模仿更有意思。

Keep it Short言簡(jiǎn)意賅

A good joke lasts about a minute. Think of it like a first date - you don't want it to be longer than the relationship itself. If people are getting bored， wrap up. In a real emergency， faking a coughing fit or exclaiming， \"Oh my God， it's Brad Pitt!\" can also be an effective exit strategy.

好的笑話只持續(xù)一分鐘左右。把它當(dāng)作第一次約會(huì)——你不會(huì)希望它比交往本身持續(xù)更長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間。如果別人聽(tīng)厭煩了，就此打住。真正“危急”的時(shí)候，假裝咳嗽或大聲尖叫“天哪，是布拉德#8226;皮特”也不失為“抽身而退”的有效策略。

Save Face挽回面子

If you bombed， you bombed. Laugh off the flop. Say， \"I wanted to see how you all would deal with a really awkward moment. I'm actually a sociologist.\" Then give a fake name and walk away.

如果你搞砸了，那只好將計(jì)就計(jì)了。對(duì)你的“砸鍋”一笑置之：“我只是想知道大家在真正尷尬的時(shí)刻如何應(yīng)付。我實(shí)際上是個(gè)社會(huì)學(xué)家。”然后報(bào)個(gè)假名就溜之大吉。