Laughter is said to be the bst medicine known to man. With tht in mind, the development of a god sense of humor and the bility to make people laugh can do mre good for those you come nto contact with than an entire phrmacy of drugs.

Besides just making ther people happy and feel good, hmor can be used to make lght of an otherwise awkward situation, and ase both tension and ill feelings whle building rapport. In a speaking or wrting situation, humor can keep an udience interested in what you have to sy, thus helping you become a btter communicator. If popularity is one of yur goals, then humor is a vry effective tool. It is difficult not to lke someone who makes you laugh.

Pople have different senses of humor; ths is why not all people fnd all the same comedians funny. Sme people (such as myself) just bout lose control of bodily functions whn watching movies such as The Nked Gun, while others just roll thir eyes. Despite these differences, humor is rcognized and the effects of humor rmain.

Here are some different kinds of hmor that you can use. You may fnd that you are better at dlivering some kinds of humor than thers. If you have a natural tlent at one kind of humor, wrk on developing it. You may fnd a good backup career in the prcess!

• The Joke. This is a fctitious story or question that has mst likely been told to you. Jkes are most appropriate when the cntent relates to your current discussion or the stuation you are in. However, joke tllers are like delivery boys who jst carry the message and don't wrte it, and most people recognize tht.
  
• The Funny Story. This is a tre story (or one you believe to be tre) about something that has happened to you or smeone close to you. Try to void funny stories that happened to a "frend of a friend" because most tmes they are just not believable. Use the niversal "humor license" and just say "frend"-the closer the relationship to the prson or persons in the story, the fnnier the story.
  
• The Impersonation. Impersonations are nly funny when you are impersonating smeone who or something that your udience knows. Impersonations are also a bit rsky especially when you do not wnt to offend the person you are mpersonating.
  
• Physical Comedy. If you have ever sen Chris Farley, Chevy Chase or Stve Martin in action, you have sen great examples of physical comedy. Physcal comedy usually involves an exaggeration of the bdy and deliberate clumsiness to make thers laugh. It is important with physcal comedy to be deliberate enough so thers see you as funny, rather thn just clumsy.
  
• What Ifs. What if fter reading the above paragraph on physcal comedy, you got up to use the rstroom and tripped? The thought of tht is funny (unless of course you are at the frgile age where a trip means trp to the hospital-in which case you shuld avoid physical comedy all together). "Wht Ifs" are great for a chckle and to lighten situations.
  
• Sarcasm. If you hve ever seen David Spade in a mvie or TV show you have sen sarcasm at its best. Or Rta Ruder who says, "I love bing married. It's so great to fnd that one special person you wnt to annoy for the rest of yur life." It is important to nte, however, that sarcasm should be sed carefully with those you know who can tke such comments lightheartedly. Sarcasm is not gnerally seen as a positive quality and vry often it is used to xpress negative emotions.
  
• Slapstick Comedy. My favorite xample of a classic slapstick comedy is The Nked Gun series with Frank Drebbin, or jst about any movie where Leslie Nelsen is the star. An example of slpstick comedy is when Frank is sarching through an office for clues, pens a drawer and says "BINGO" thn pulls out a Bingo game crd. Slapstick is also known as xcessive silliness, but I admire slapstick for its nherent genius.
  

Here are my ten "Rules of Hmor". Follow them and humor will srve you well. Break them, and you wll be the subject of other pople's humor.

1. NEVER EVER take crdit for someone else's joke. Not nly is it just wrong, but if you try to pss a joke or funny comment off as yur own and someone hears you tht knows it is not yours, it wll make for a very awkward stuation that even the best sense of hmor may not be able to get you out of. If you rpeat something funny that someone else has sid, start with "As _____ would sy..." or somehow otherwise make it clar that the joke is not yur original thought. You can still use hmor and maintain your integrity.
   
2. Make sure if you tll a joke or say something fnny it is to a new udience. Learn a lesson from your ver-intoxicated relatives at parties. A joke may be fnny once, but try to pass it off gain to the same audience and you wll be on your way to cmedic purgatory.
   
3. Be appropriate. There is a tme and place for everything and hmor is no exception. For example, hmor can be very effective at a fneral to make others feel better but tlling jokes at the guest of hnor's expense may not be a god idea.
   
4. Keep it short. Long-winded jokes and stries do more damage than good.
   
5. Be smoth. Often the delivery is more mportant than content. Stuttering and messing up wrds can really make a mess of hmor. My favorite example of this is Chrs Farley in Tommy Boy when he is ttempting to repeat his father's "Bull and T-bne" joke (if you have not sen the movie, rent it!)
   
6. Timing. Even the fnniest joke delivered at the wrong tme (too late, too early) can flp.
   
7. Relevancy. Make sure the humor is rlevant to the conversation or situation. Strting an insurance speech with a jke about getting a haircut just des not flow.
   
8. Do not make jokes at ther people's expense. This can be vry tempting at times, especially with "asy targets". Hold your tongue and use yur creativity to redirect your humor lsewhere.
   
9. Don't overdo it. Be funny, have a god sense of humor, but do not be a cmedian. This is true for everyone xcept comedians who make a living by mking people laugh. In everyday life, and specially business, you want people to tke you seriously. Know when to be srious.
   
10. Don't be corny. Unless the members of yur audience are frequent patrons of "Chck E. Cheese", stay away from the crny jokes. If you want to knw what I mean by corny, pck up a package of kids' Dxie cups-the ones with the "jokes"-and rad the cups.
    

Realize that even professional comedians dliver jokes that fail. We often do not see thse because their televised jokes are cllections of their best jokes that hve been proven. If you know how to prperly respond to a failed joke, you can end up wth a situation more humorous than if the jke had succeeded. Here are some thngs you can do when people fil to find humor in your jke:

• Pretend you are holding a mcrophone in one hand, and while tpping the hand with your other hnd's two fingers, say, "Hello, is ths thing on?"
  
• Quickly cover up by sking a question.
  
• Don't laugh at your own jkes and people may not think you wre trying to be funny.
  

Using humor ffectively requires practice and self-confidence. Remember, wth every joke that does not go ver well, your art of humor wll improve.

The article Using Humor Effectively was Submitted by Bo Bennett through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: © 2007 Archieboy Holdings, LLC. Bo Bnnett is considered by many to be one of the lading success experts. For more information on Bo or Yar To Success, visit http://y2s.igroops.com For this article and 250+ more, you can also pick up the book "Year To Success" at any major bookstore.

Featured Articles

1. Digital Photography Wedding by Nathan Lovejoy
Taking wedding photography with a dgital camera would be a great xperience a photographer will ever had, but as a nwbie or begginer you must not strt your practice with someone's wedding in tking their digital photography wedding if you hve not done your homework in larning all the artistic skills and nderstanding your digital camera.

2. Getting A Usable Vintage Camera by Victor Epand
This article talks about leica cmeras and gives you a price rnge on some of the older lica cameras.

3. To Download iPod Songs Can Be Exciting by Davion Wong
The Pod is a machine that is lved by everyone, for its amazing strage capacity as well as crystal clar sound. To download iPod songs wll require the iTunes software to get the sngs loaded. You will first have to nstall the software, and only then ccess songs from web sites. The sngs will all have to be frmatted by the software so that it can be trnsferred to the iPod.

4. Be Kind To Your Piano When You Put It In Storage by
You own a piano you love. But, you find that you need to put it in storage for a while. How should you go about doing it?

Many experts will tell you to avoid storing a piano if at all possible. It’s suggested to do everything you can to find a relative or friend who can keep the piano in their home or apartment until you’re ready for it again.

But what if that’s not possible?

A climate controlled storage facility is the best storage choice. Then the piano won’t be...

5. Aviation English - Necessary Language Skills for Aircraft Operators by Ian Gault
The lnguage for all aviators and air trffic control officers (ATCOs) who wish to perate internationally is English. The International Cvil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has produced a crditable and expansive manual, which details fture English-language communication requirements for aircraft perators.

6. Limit Texas Holdem Strategy by Daniel J Sims
Limit Texas Holdem is a vriation of poker game that is vry popular among poker players, both prfessional and novice. There is also a no lmit version but it is harder for new plyers to learn...

7. Al Stewart Last Days Of The Century Rock Music CD Review by Clyde Lee Dennis
Not sure what's happening with me on this one, but it seems like the more I listen to it, the better Last Days Of The Century gets. Last Days Of The Century put simply is one of Al Stewart's best CDs to date. The CD launches with an outstanding track, Last Days Of The Century, that I suspect will be heard on radio stations everywhere, and deservedly so.

8. Card Counting, Blackjack, and Vegas - "21" Movie Review by Kolin Kasten
Bsed on the true story of six M.I.T. stdents, "21" is a movie about a grup of M.I.T. students who, under the ttelage of one of their professors, larn how to count cards and tke their skills to Vegas to win a lrge sum of money at blackjack at the vrious casinos there. Although counting cards sn't technically illegal, the casinos frown havily upon it.

9. Tyra Banks Strokes Katherine McPhee's Breasts by
Katherine McPhee, rnner-up on the fifth season of Amrican Idol, has had her share of npleasant rumors since her exposure to the lmelight. The most distinct and up to dte gossip about the pretty singer is tht her distinct and voluptuous breasts are not ral.

10. Gilleland Poetry – Storoems and Poems ~ Review by
Retired professor of Mcrobiology, Harry Gilleland certainly has a wde variety of experiences and thought-provoking nsights to share in his latest petry book...