“I had to wear a helmet in PE during elementary school, and I was made fun of for it, incessantly, in the cruel way only children can really do. But the moment I tackled those incidents on stage and got a laugh — not at me, but with me — a lot of the residual pain disappeared.”

My legs visibly shaking, I walked to the stage and immediately bumped my face on the mic. “My first crush as a child was Levar Burton. He set a high bar… He knew how to read…” and when the audience laughed, my brain filled with the most incredible adrenaline rush. I think I almost started crying, which wasn’t the look I was going for.

Almost a decade later, I’m still performing all the time and loving it.

I’d been wanting to try stand-up for years but was scared to be on stage alone, so I ventured into improv comedy for a year. I quickly realized improv requires teamwork and allowing other people to get the punchline. I really wanted complete control. So finally, I got the nerve to stand on stage by myself and be judged for my ability to make people laugh.

When people find out I do stand-up, the two most common responses I hear are “I’ve always wanted to do that!” or “My friends tell me I should be on SNL,” though, that last one might not necessarily be a compliment. Because you know, most of the time, SNL really isn’t funny.

But here’s the thing about stand-up: anyone can try it. And it’s important to remember that tragedy, plus time, equals comedy. That’s where the whole “too soon?” cliche comes from, after all. Sometimes, our biggest fears make the greatest comedy because they’re really powerful emotionally. For example? I had to wear a helmet in PE during elementary school because of a vision issue and was made fun of for it, incessantly, in the cruel way only children can really do. So because I I waited a long time to talk about it because I was embarrassed. But the moment I said something on stage, and I got a laugh — not at me, but with me — a lot of the residual pain disappeared. It was incredibly cathartic.

So if you’re carrying around some residual pain, and want to try stand-up comedy? I have a few tips.

1. Write some jokes. No seriously. Write some jokes. If you can make them funny, even better? Try to stay away from tired tropes that involve violence, sexism and racism. It’s been done. Be original. Be you. Figure out what your point of view is. What do you notice that other people don’t?

2. Do not tell other people’s jokes. This should be obvious, but don’t steal other people’s material. You will get busted, and no one in the community will trust you again.

3. Go watch a few open mics to see how it works. No matter what city you’re in, if you google comedy open mics, there’s likely one near you. Introduce yourself to the person running the show. Be respectful and watch the show. Notice how the performers use the microphone. Do they hold it in their hand or keep it in the mic stand? Do they lean on it? How you use the space and objects around you can add or take away from what you’re saying. Pay attention to how they use movements or act-outs to create a bigger reaction.

4. Get on stage. There is absolutely no substitute for being on stage. The more you do it, the better you get, the more comfortable you’ll be. Open mics work in numerous ways. Some you need to sign up for in advance, some you sign up when you arrive at the venue. The best way to find out is to talk to someone involved. Many cities have Facebook comedy groups and many have listings of all the local open mics.

“Comedy exists in every crevice of the human experience, from birth to death. Mine your memories and make your dreams come true.”

5. Don’t worry about your “image” or “brand” or business cards at the beginning. I’ve seen many people get too caught up in the dream of worldwide success without having any content to back it up. Write, perform, revise, repeat.

My favorite part about doing stand-up is the moment a joke really works and the audience laughs at all the right spots. It’s an emotional high and motivates me to keep writing so I can keep getting those laughs.

So, what do you have to lose? Get a notebook and start writing down some of your best jokes or observations and head out to an open mic.Comedy exists in every crevice of the human experience, from birth to death. Mine your memories and make your dreams come true.

The post The Time is Now: Here’s How to Get Started Doing Stand-Up appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Improv comedy has a few golden tenants, and one of them is the theory of “Yes, and…” Basically, you are never supposed to say “no,” shut down, or otherwise redirect your partner from whatever scene or scenario they are constructing. Instead, you are to embrace it and build upon that world – “Yes, and…” Think about your past awkward conversations with strangers and all those times the momentum suddenly just stopped and neither of you knew what to say next. “Yes, and…” is designed exactly to fix this for comics, and it shouldn’t have any problem rescuing your Friday night. Start the conversation (“What are you doing this weekend?”), and whatever the response make sure not to derail it to something you want to talk about, or just say “sounds like fun,” or god forbid disagree. Simply accept the flow of the conversation, then build on it with your own story or even better more questions for them.

The next tool from the Improv toolkit is to be specific. To quote – “Details are the lifeblood of moving a scene forward. Each detail provides clues to what is important. Details help provide beat objectives and flesh out characters.” It is not nearly enough to tell your flirting partner that you are grabbing brunch with friends on Sunday. Tell where you are going, why you chose that location (are you excited about it?), and why those friends. All this detail is meant to give your target at least one item to latch onto and further the conversation.

These rule goes triple for when the flirting is going well and you have progressed your way to exchanges of innuendo. “Yes, and” your way in gradual steps to overt and blatant flirting and/or invitations…whether that be for dinner or for breakfast (if you catch my drift). Being specific with your flirting lets your partner know that these aren’t recycled lines and that you are paying attention to no one but them.

Comedians might not be our society’s paragon for dating prowess, but that doesn’t mean we can’t dip into their toolbox and pick any number of tactics and tips that they rely on to practice their craft. After all, few things get the heart racing faster than flirting, but being on stage is certainly one of them.

The post How to Flirt Like an Improv Comic appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.