你就是幽默大王！

How to Tell a Joke

Whether you're working a cocktail party or a comedy club， certain tactics will ensure that your stabs at humor aren't met with blank stares. First， you must have complete confidence in the joke you're telling. It will come across in your delivery， and even if the material's subpar， people will laugh. Or at the very least， smile and nod.

無論你是在雞尾酒會上還是在喜劇俱樂部里工作，你都需要一些策略來保證當你偶爾幽默一把時大家不會面面相覷。首先，你必須對自己講的笑話有充分的信心。即使笑話本身并不怎么樣，也能通過你的傳達而讓大家捧腹大笑或者至少讓人們點頭微笑。

Choose Wisely精挑細選

It's best to stick with a universal theme - for example， we all have mothers. I talk to mom every day， but she still ends every conversation with， \"keep in touch.\" Self-deprecating humor can get laughs， but avoid it at a work function; political humor can also get sticky. And never， ever tell an ethnic joke.

最好堅持一個普遍的主題——例如，每個人都有母親。我每天都會和我的母親談話，但每次談話結束她仍然會說：“保持聯系。”自我貶損的幽默能讓人們發笑，但是在工作場合應加以避免；政治幽默也有可能會讓人難堪尷尬。另外，千萬不要講和民族或種族有關的笑話。

Be Prepared萬事俱備

Always run the setup and the punch line through your head before you dive in to avoid the awkward， \"Hold on， that's not it.\"

不要魯莽行事，講笑話之前腦中首先要知道如何畫龍點睛地拋出笑料，以避免出現“等一下，好像不是這樣的”的尷尬場面。

Speak in Tongues使用方言

If the joke calls for an accent， fully commit to it. Your Scottish brogue might be terrible， but it'll still be funnier than not trying at all.

如果你講的笑話需要你使用方言，那就盡力模仿好了。也許你的蘇格蘭口音聽起來糟糕透頂，但是盡力模仿總比不模仿更有意思。

Keep it Short言簡意賅

A good joke lasts about a minute. Think of it like a first date - you don't want it to be longer than the relationship itself. If people are getting bored， wrap up. In a real emergency， faking a coughing fit or exclaiming， \"Oh my God， it's Brad Pitt!\" can also be an effective exit strategy.

好的笑話只持續一分鐘左右。把它當作第一次約會——你不會希望它比交往本身持續更長的時間。如果別人聽厭煩了，就此打住。真正“危急”的時候，假裝咳嗽或大聲尖叫“天哪，是布拉德#8226;皮特”也不失為“抽身而退”的有效策略。

Save Face挽回面子

If you bombed， you bombed. Laugh off the flop. Say， \"I wanted to see how you all would deal with a really awkward moment. I'm actually a sociologist.\" Then give a fake name and walk away.

如果你搞砸了，那只好將計就計了。對你的“砸鍋”一笑置之：“我只是想知道大家在真正尷尬的時刻如何應付。我實際上是個社會學家。”然后報個假名就溜之大吉。