Public Speaking Course:

How to Deliver a Punch Line

During my public speaking course, I teach on the best way to deliver a punch line. The term 'punch line' got its name because of how it's delivered. You have to punch the line out a little harder and with a slightly different tone than the rest of the joke. Try leaning into the microphone and saying it louder and clearer than you said the other lines of the joke. If the audience does not hear the punch line of your joke, they are not going to laugh. Just before delivering the punch line, pause slightly (see Timing article on this website) to emphasize and draw special attention to what you are going to say. Learning how to deliver a punch line well should be mastered in your public speaking course.

After you deliver the punch line, be quiet for a moment. The urge will be strong to say something but give the audience a chance to laugh. Words or phrases added after the climax of the punch line tend to delay or interrupt the laughter. Until you get some experience, it is really tough to wait. Beginners tend to be afraid that no laughter will come, so they keep on talking. If you keep talking during this period, you will easily cut off the laughter. As your confidence builds, pausing will become easier and easier. Sometimes waiting the audience out will actually give them a cue to laugh even if the joke wasn't that great.
In your public speaking course you will learn emphasis, timing, and silence.

Deliver the line to one person.

When you deliver your punch line, look at one person in the audience and deliver it directly to them. It doesn't matter how large the crowd is, you can still look one person right in the eye and say your punch line to them.

As you master what you have been taught in your public speaking course, you learn the person to whom you deliver the punch line is NOT randomly chosen. I deliver punch lines only to someone I know is going to laugh. How do I know? I pay attention. It all starts with my pre-program research. If I have spoken to any of the audience members and they were laughing with me on the phone, I'll seek them out before the program so I know where they are sitting. That way I can look directly at them during the program. Before the program starts, I interact with the attendees, not only to meet them, but to see who is and who is not in fun, mingling with them helps to put them in fun (see the "in fun" article on this website).

Also I like to watch the audience while the emcee or program coordinator
is talking. This gives me a mental note of the people who are not only
having fun, but are also paying close attention to the person speaking.

Watch out for alcohol

Don't be taken by an audience who appears to be having great fun. It could very likely have been induced by alcohol at their social hour. They may be oblivious to what's actually happening on-stage.

Head nods

Another way to tell who to deliver your punch line too is by closely watching the audience during your presentation. Some audience members who are really in tune with what you are saying will nod their head gently in approval. You should have great success delivering your punch line to these people. Your skills from your public speaking course should include seeing who is most receptive to your message, to help you lead the others in the audience.

Why deliver to the laughers?

There are two reasons to deliver your punch line to someone you
know is going to laugh. The most important is that you want that person to be
a good example for the rest of the audience. If you direct a punch line
or comment to a person in the audience, the other members of the
audience will naturally look in that direction. If they see someone
laughing, then usually they will laugh too. If you deliver your line to some sourpuss that hasn't laughed for 20 years, the rest of the audience will see an example of someone NOT laughing
and they will be influenced in a bad way.

A 1976 study by Antony Chapman and D. S. Wright supports the notion
that the lack of laughter or inappropriate laughter (the kind of
laughter you would get if you pick on someone or some group
inappropriately and they laugh to save face) are inhibitors of
laughter. You will learn about this study and more during your public speaking course.

The second reason has to do with the fact that there is little chance that you
will get old sourpuss to laugh no matter what you do. If you kill
yourself trying and fail, as you probably will, it will knock your
confidence level and affect the rest of your performance. Combine this
with the fact that you will be ignoring the rest of the audience, who
will be watching this person not laugh, and you'll be quickly swinging
in the wind. Deliver to the ones that appreciate you!