Everybody likes to be around someone who makes us laugh. Laughter reduces stress and gives a sense of euphoria that is not found any other way.

Here we will analyze the way the top comics and clowns add humor to their acts.

To create original humor you need a sense of humor and you can develop your sense of humor to make you more humorous.

A lot of people think you’re either born with a sense of humor or not but actually great humor writers and comedians all I have worked their entire lives to develop and hone that skill.

The Ringling Brothers clown college took many people who had a good sense of humor and helped them improve it to the point where they could write very very funny skits for Clowning.

If you are a birthday party clown or face painter you can add humor to what you do and make you in higher demand.

Clowns should be funny so we got to find ways to be funny and comical like Charlie Chaplin or Stan Laurel. We want the audience to laugh out loud at our crazy zany efforts to manage the things we deal with in life.

The key is to think outside the box – way outside the box – so far that your comedy mind should be thinking that it is in another county.

The clown finds oneself in a situation- and comedy comes from the clown’s reaction to the situation.

Situation Comedy

One starter for a situation is that there are two clowns and one has just made a small mistake and the second clown is now going to show the proper way to do it however, the second clown ends up making a bigger mistake in the process. This is classic Laurel and Hardy. Or circus whiteface and Auguste.

Exercise: take an object and use it the wrong way. Then think of a wronger way to use the object. Spatula, broom, duster. Just pick an object and watch a skit develop as you attempt to seriously use it but fail. Kids love it. Fail again and again in different ways and you are on your way.

Try to make a rabbit magically come out of a hat but instead other objects appear. How does the clown react?

Does the clown try to pet the object or offer it a carrot? Then try again with the other clown then demonstrating the proper way and then again a funny consequence that surprises and the reaction to this unexpected occurrence is where the real comedy builds.

Do this exercise with friends or alone and watch your humor skills expand. It’s serious fun.

Norman is a comedy guy from Minnesota and likes pie. Google: Norman the Clown