It’s in the Delivery

Back when I had a sense of humor, this was intuitive.   A slight pause, a turn of the head, the tone of voice, a small gesture of face or hands to set off the moment right before the laugh.   There’s probably no way it can be taught, people we know are either funny or say “I suck at telling jokes.”

I was reminded of this recently watching somebody coach somebody else on how to read a line so it would be funny.   The line was OK, I thought to myself, but if you have to coach somebody on how to deliver it to make it as funny as you wrote it, maybe the line should have been written better in the first place.  This is a touchy subject and I didn’t touch it, although I got my greasy fingerprints all over it just now.   Vhoops.

But delivery doesn’t just go for jokes.  Skillful delivery is crucial in getting any message across.  People, as a rule, don’t give a rat’s ass about anything that’s not already on their mind.   We are a self-involved species.  So how a thing is delivered to us will decide whether we hear it or not.  Also how the message will make you feel to receive it.  Compare:

I don’t mean to bring you down, and a lot of people, I know, have been doggin’ you and criticizing where they should either be quiet or praising you, but I couldn’t help thinking that your last post, even though it was pretty good, I mean, I thought it was good, well…. a lot of people could say it was kind of preachy and superior.  I’m just telling you this so you won’t think these people are right, I didn’t find it very preachy and superior, only a little bit, and it really didn’t bother me that much.

and

I like your recent post.  You’re surely aware that some could be put off by what they will consider preachiness or superiority, but for my money– preach away, my brother.  As for the more priggish in the congregation, let the dead bury themselves.  In fact, I’ve got shovels in the trunk.

Then again, what the hell am I doing here, preaching to the choir?