by Bill Stainton
9. Thou shalt develop thy own styleThis is something that only comes with practice and experience. The way it normally happens is that you start off by emulating the style of those you admire (not by taking their actual material, however - see Commandment #8!). You emulate their speech patterns, their phrasing, maybe even their clothing style. Eventually though, pieces of your own personality start creeping in, almost without your knowing it. You’ll find you’re more comfortable with a certain delivery, and with a certain type of humor. Your audiences will respond better to some things than to others. Your job as a speaker is to listen to all of this internal and external feedback, and to let the changes happen. Eventually you’ll discover that you’ve developed your own unique style. And then, if you’re really good, you can bet there will be somebody new out their listening, who’s emulating you!
10. Thou shalt exercise thy comedic filter
What do I mean by “filter”? I mean the way you look at the world. And by “exercising your comedy filter,” I mean opening yourself up to see the comedy that is always present in the world. Have you ever known somebody to whom funny things just seem to happen naturally? This is the person who’s always rushing in saying, “You’ll never believe what happened to me this morning,” and it’s always something hilarious. In my experience, the things that are happening to this person happen to all of us; it’s just that this person notices them, remembers them, and tells us about them! This is what professional comedy writers do all the time. Since their livelihood depends on funny stuff, they become naturally attuned to it. It’s like when you buy a new car, and all of a sudden you notice that on the road there are now hundreds of the exact same car you just bought! Has this ever happened to you? Well I’ve got news for you: those cars were always there! You just didn’t notice them before, because you didn’t have that particular filter activated. It became activated when you actually bought the car. It was fresh in your mind, and you were open to it. It’s the same thing with comedy. If you’re actively looking for humorous personal stories, you will start to notice the funny things happening all around—and to—you! And when you do notice them, please, please, please record them! Either on an actual voice recorder (I carry a digital one with me all the time!) or in a notebook. Otherwise, you will forget them, I promise. And when you're doing this for a living, you can't afford to let the good stuff get away!
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