This may come as a surprise, but when it comes to comedy timing…

You already have MOST of the comedy timing that you are ever going to have.

And I can promise this…

You won’t read that in any book on stand-up comedy.

The biggest piece of the puzzle that is missing for most new comedians when it comes to comedy timing is that they don’t pause long enough for an audience to laugh after a spoken word punchline has been delivered.

Comedy Pro Members should login to the membership site to review this featured article that explains comedy timing in detail:

Understanding Comedy Timing

Hint: Punchlines do NOT have to be just words.

There are a number of reasons that new comedians don’t pause enough to allow an audience to laugh:

1. Having a set that is too long for the time allotted—so there is no time built in for the audience to laugh.

2. Nervousness and increased adrenalin, causing the comedian to “barrel through” their act.

3. Lack of confidence in their comedy material.

4. Absence of proper preparation or improper preparation that doesn’t account for pauses for laughter.

Most new comedians don’t even really know when to start talking again when they do get a big laugh (Hint: You don’t wait until there’s complete silence to start talking again).

Here’s my stand-up comedy tip for today:

There are only two things that happen when a comedian is on stage—the comedian is talking or the audience is laughing.

Giving audiences adequate time to laugh is a HUGE part of comedy timing.

Cheers,
Steve Roye
The Professor of Funny for Money

About the Author/Founder of The Stand-up Comedy Tips Blog

Steve Roye is the author of the Killer Stand-up Comedy System and author of the content made available in the Comedy Pro Membership Program.

Over the past decade, Steve has established himself as a leading, globally recognized expert in the field of stand-up comedy material development, delivery and entertainment business strategies for comedy entertainers as well as speaking professionals.

For more information about Steve, please check out the About The Author section on this site.

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