It is possible to learn standup comedy in as fast as you could if you are a genuinely funny person. You just need to embrace several new concepts, which could go against ineffective and antiquated joke writing strategies that are common today.
It would help if you would look at several conventional and useless strategies that some people use when they learn standup comedy. It would be beneficial if you would take note and practice the better strategies for such obsolete techniques.
Useless strategy: Writing funny jokes and performing them as is on stage.
It is a good practice to write your materials based on observations and fresh ideas. However, be aware that some jokes could be funny only when read from paper. Some could be boring and dull when performed on stage. Delivery could be an important factor in this regard. Also take note of your body language, tone impact, and voice inflection as such factors also affect delivery of jokes.
Better strategy: Use paper only as one of the tools that would aid in the structuring and formatting of a standup comedy act. Try not to just read the material. Deliver it as if you are speaking naturally, not reading a written memo.
Useless strategy: Using old standup comedy techniques to make people laugh.
Being a naturally funny person, you could use standup comedy strategies to make people laugh. This could be a misleading and false statement. Identifying a specific comedy technique (exaggeration, double entendre, etc.) could not possibly help any funny person do well on stage. Instead, it is more advisable to be natural.
Better strategy: Do not focus on specific joke techniques.
You should strive to focus on determining what you like to deliver or talk about on stage. React to what you say and see how the audience reacts. Act as if you are talking comfortably to your own circle of friends.
Useless strategy: Everyone could learn standup comedy and perform on stage.
Acknowledge the fact that some people are naturally born with good sense of humor. It is not possible for anyone to learn standup comedy techniques and become magically funny in an instant. There is one good news about this though: most people have ideal sense of humor that only needs developing to be adapted or performed on stage.
Better strategy: Be yourself so you could appropriately apply your sense of humor when performing on stage.
You do not need to assume the personality of another comedian. Trust or have confidence in yourself and in your natural sense of humor. It is more ideal to be unique. Do not worry that the audience might not appreciate your humor. Instead, be confident to make people laugh.
It may take years to master the art of making an audience laugh. Learn standup comedy now if you have the interest in making other people laugh. Do not go into the endeavor just because you have nothing else to do. You have to be passionate about standup comedy to be able to do well in it.
