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Someone once asked legendary
comic George Burns what the difference was between a humorist and a
comedian. With his usual wit and wisdom Burns replied, “If I get big
laughs, I’m a comedian. If I get small laughs, I’m a humorist.” After a
slight pause he added, “If I get no laughs, I’m a singer.”
曾經有人問漫畫界的傳奇人物喬治伯恩斯(George
Burns)，幽默作家和喜劇演員之間有何區別。伯恩斯以一貫的機智和智慧，回答說：「如果我令人大笑，我就是個喜劇演員。如果我令人微笑，我便是個幽默大師。」在輕微停頓後，他補充道，「如果我沒有獲得笑聲，我就是個歌手。」
The pros know there are not
only degrees of funniness, but there are also tricks that can enhance
the effectiveness of a comedy line. As a speaker who uses humor to
support your presentations, you can often settle for those “little
laughs” that George Burns spoke of. You can be content to be a
“humorist.” However, when you do use a touch of comedy, why not go for
the “big laughs”? Here are a few tricks that the pros use to enhance
their humor:
了解幽默優勢，不僅僅在於趣味程度上的差異，而且其中包含技巧，可提高喜劇路線的效益。對於一個用幽默加強演說的演講者而言，你可時常安排這些「小笑點」，喬治伯恩斯說道。你能因內容而成為「幽默大師」。但是，當你真正接觸到喜劇，為什麼朝著「令人捧腹」邁進？這裡有一些技巧，擅用優勢，提高幽默感的影響力：
1.
Truth.
事實
At a roast I attended, the
guest of honor sat at a table with several of his children. Afraid that
they might not understand the friendly nature of the harmless insult
humor we used at these events, the emcee said to them, “Please don’t be
offended by anything we say about your dad tonight. We’re just kidding
and it’s all done with love. Besides, many of the nice things we’ll say
about your dad tonight aren’t true either.”
我曾聽過一段戲謔致詞，客人很榮幸地，和幾個他的孩子，坐在同一張桌子。但唯恐孩子們無法了解到，當我們敘述這些事件，是出自友好且無心的諷刺玩笑，主持人對他們說：「請不要介意，今晚我們對你爸爸所說的種種壞事，那都不是真的。我們只是在開玩笑，這一切都源自於愛。此外，今晚提到你們爸爸所做的許多好事，也不是真的。」
That line
not only served a useful purpose, but it got a generous laugh from the
family and the audience – because it had that element of truth to it.
最後一句話不僅有其用處，而且它從家庭成員和觀眾中，得到了慷慨的笑聲
-
因為它以事實作為元素。
2. Relax
Tension.
釋放壓力。
I once emceed a banquet and
each time I approached the microphone, it whistled loudly. I had to back
off several times, because the shrill noise was almost unbearable for
the audience. Finally, someone who worked at the club adjusted the
controls backstage and resolved the problem. Now I could safely approach
the microphone. My first comment was, “Sometimes when they hold these
banquets too early, I don’t always get time to run home from work and
shower.”
我曾經主持一個晚宴，每次我走近麥克風，麥克風就產生高頻迴音。我不得不退後好幾次，因為觀眾幾乎無法忍受刺耳的噪音。最後，某個曾在俱樂部工作的人，調整了後台的音響控制，解決了問題。於是我可以放心地接近麥克風。我開口的第一句話是：「有時後，當他們宴會開席太早，我並不總是有時間跑回家淋浴後再來工作。」
The line
got a huge response. Not so much because it was a clever line, but
because it relaxed the tension. It put the audience at ease. In their
minds – and in mine – the problem was adjusted and dismissed. We could
now go on with the show.
這句話獲得了很大迴響。與其說因為這句話說得巧，倒不如說，是因為它放釋放了緊張氣氛。它讓觀眾放下心。在他們的心中的被放置了一顆地雷
- 問題是如何調整和拆除它。緊接下來我們就可以繼續進行表演。
This
device works so well that comics often create their own tension. I once
saw a comedian who played guitar and sang a few songs as part of his
act. In the middle of one of his songs, he began choking. He called
offstage for a glass of water. It didn’t come immediately. He continued
to cough and said, “I swallowed a bug and it’s stuck in my throat. Can I
get a glass of water?” Still no one brought water. Finally, he said, “Oh
never mind, I’ll just let him walk down.”
音響設備運作得好，以致於喜劇演員有時會自己創造緊張情境。有一次，我看到了一個喜劇演員表演吉他，唱了幾首歌曲，做為他的表演的一部份。唱到中間一段時，他開始咳嗽。他向台下要求一杯水。水並沒有立即出現。他繼續咳嗽，說到：「我吞下了錯誤，它的卡在喉嚨。可以給我一杯水嗎？」仍然沒有人遞水。最後，他說：「哦！沒關係，我只是要把他吞下去。」
The
audience was at first concerned for him. Then they realized they’d been
put on, the anxiety was relieved and they laughed at his practical joke.
觀眾起初很關心他。然後，他們意識到，他們上當了，隨著焦慮解除，觀眾被他的玩笑逗笑了。
3. Shock.
衝擊
Audiences respond when they’re shocked. Blue humor – which I never
recommend – is basically shock humor. However, there are other valid
uses for shock humor. Even dignified comics get laughs when they kid
well-known people. That’s a form of shock comedy, too. Those of us in
the audience are aghast that anyone would say such a thing to a famous
person. As long as this is not done with malice, insults can be a
valuable tool for the humorist. But it’s a fine line: Be sure to add
boldness without being offensive.
觀眾在他們震驚時會做出回應。藍色幽默
- 那是我從來沒有建議的
-
基本上是衝擊幽默。然而，衝擊幽默有其他有效效果。即使莊嚴的喜劇演員，也會因嘲弄知名人士而獲得笑聲。這也是一個衝擊喜劇的形式。我們這些觀眾都嚇呆了，怎麼會有人會對一個知名人士說這種話。只要不是惡意，侮辱對幽默大師可以是一個有價值的工具。這是一個好方式：一定要用得大膽而不唐突。
4.
Attack Authority.
攻擊權威
The higher up the
totem pole you aim your humor, the bigger the resulting laughs will be.
The hoi polloi love gentle comedy aimed at the upper echelon.
你的幽默所描準的目標圖騰越高，將產生的笑聲將越大。觀眾都喜愛紳士般的喜劇演員，瞄準了高層開砲。
I once
watched a humorist tease the CEO of a company about his terrible golf
game. He said, “He never uses a golf cart when he plays. Where he hits
the ball, it’s cheaper to take public transportation.” He added, “And he
cheats, too. After dinner he had a cup of coffee. He took three lumps of
sugar, but he wrote down two.”
我曾經看到一個幽默大師，逗一個公司的執行長，是有關他可怕的高爾夫球比賽。他說：「當他打球時，他從不使用高爾夫球車。從他擊球的地方，可以搭乘公共交通工具較便宜。」他補充說：「“他也作弊。晚飯後，他喝了一杯咖啡。他用了三塊糖，但他只寫下了兩個。」
The more
he kidded the boss, the more the listeners enjoyed it. Finally, he
explained, “I only joke about people I really respect. I would only kid
a person I knew was big enough to take it. Your boss is, of course, and
it helps if he’s also a terrible golfer.”
他越是開老闆玩笑，觀眾更喜歡。最後，他解釋說：「我只有對我很尊敬的人開玩笑。我也只對一種人開玩笑，那種人是心胸寬大禁得起玩笑。你的老闆就是這樣的人，當然，如果他也是一個糟糕的高爾夫球選手，那就更具說服力了。」
That was
the final barb in a well-received routine.
最後話鋒一轉，套回一個完美結束的公式。
Aim some
of your material – gently – at those who are in a position of authority.
瞄準一些你的題材
– 和氣些
- 對待那些權威人士。
5.
Involve the Audience.
讓觀眾參與
The crowd loves
it when you make them part of your presentation. A comic I worked for
used to get laughs with a standard line in almost any city he worked in.
For example, in Philadelphia he would say, “It’s nice to be in
Philadelphia, gateway to Conshohocken.” It always got a big laugh.
Basically, it’s not that humorous a line, but the audience reacted
because they were mostly Philadelphians and just the mention of
“Conshohocken” drew a response. In other cities, this comic would use
the same line and simply substitute another funny-sounding suburb.
觀眾喜歡你讓他們成為你演講的一部分。一個和我ㄧ起工作的喜劇演員，幾乎在他工作的任何一個城市，習慣用一套公式來獲得笑聲，舉例來說，在費城Philadelphia，他會說：「很高興來到費城，通往康舍霍肯Conshohocken的大門。」”它總是獲得很大的笑聲。實際上，這句話不是那麼幽默，但觀眾有反應，因為他們大多是費城人，只因提到「康舍霍肯」引起回應。在其他城市，這喜劇演員
使用相同的方式，並且簡單地換上另一個聽起來有趣的郊區地名。
People
enjoy being “insiders” on the gag. It’s as if they’re saying,
“Conshohocken! Yeah, we know that place.” Then they laugh. If you can
take a standard gag or comedy line and add some element that the folks
in the audience will recognize and associate with, you’ll get bigger
laughs than the line deserves.
人們喜歡玩認定是「自己人」的把戲。正如他們說：「康舍霍肯！是啊，我們知道這地方。」然後他們便笑了。如果你使用一個標準的把戲，或喜劇公式，添加一些元素，能讓在觀眾中的鄉親認同，你會獲得到比原先預估更大的笑聲。
Suppose
you have an anecdote that begins, “Two guys were sitting at the bar.”
That story will become funnier if you instead mention two gentlemen who
are well-known by the audience you’re addressing. Just beginning a joke
with the names of two people who the listeners recognize gets a laugh.
假定你有一個故事是這麼開始的，「兩個男人坐在酒吧。」如果你將兩位你要描述的故事主角名，換成底下觀眾所熟知人物的名字，這個故事將變得更有趣。當笑話一開始所提到的兩個主角的名字，是聽眾所認識，你就會聽得到笑聲。
If
possible, bring the audience into your routine. One comic I worked for
had good results with this routine:
如果可能的話，帶領觀眾到你的劇本。和我工作的一位喜劇演員，用這一套劇本總會有個很好的結果：
“I was
just reading the other day that one out of every four people in this
country is mentally unbalanced. One out of every four! Now here’s what I
want you to do – think of three of your best friends...”
「這些日子我察覺到了，在這個國家每四個人，就有一個人是心理不平衡。在每四個就有一個！現在，我所要讓你做的是
- 想想你三個最好的朋友...“
At this
point the laughter begins because folks in the audience look around the
table and laugh at one another.
就在這個時候，有人開始笑，因為人們環顧四周，觀眾圍著桌子，開始嘲笑對方。
“Do they
seem all right to you?”
「他們看起來沒事嗎？」
This gets
a much bigger laugh because they’re now laughing at each other.
這會兒得，到了更多的笑聲，因為他們正互相嘲笑對方。
The comic
goes on.
這喜劇仍在上演。
“Because
if they do... then you’re the one.”
「因為如果他們正環顧四週...那麼你就是那一個。」
This
short routine always worked well because the people were not only
listening to the gag, they were part of it.
這個小梗的效果總是很好，因為人們不僅聽笑話，他們也是主角之一。
6. Just
Be Funny.
就是有趣
This simple statement
deserves to be in the list of humor boosters to make the point that if
you have a line, a quote, an anecdote or a story that is flat-out funny,
use it. It doesn’t have to be categorized, explained or excused in any
way. If it gets a big laugh and doesn’t offend anyone, it’s worth being
a part of your presentation.
這個簡單的敘述，值得被標在幽默的催化劑的列表中，標記重點。如果你有個梗，一個引證，一段趣聞故事或令人捧腹大笑的故事，使用它。它無需被歸類、解釋，沒有任何藉口。如果它獲得一個很大地笑聲，並且不冒犯任何人，這是值得成為您演說文稿的一部分。
Remember,
audiences love to laugh and they especially love the speakers who bring
out their biggest laughs.
記住，觀眾很喜歡笑，他們特別喜歡那位令他們捧腹大笑的演說者。
Gene Perret is a three-time Emmy winner who has written for Carol Burnett and
Phyllis Diller, and was the head writer for Bob Hope. His latest book,
Tales from the Script, is a memoir about his career in TV comedy. To
learn more, visit
www.writingcomedy.com.
作者：琴．佩雷Gene Perret是三次艾美獎得主，他為卡羅爾伯內特Carol
Burnett和菲利斯．迪勒Phyllis
Diller工作，而且總編劇是鮑勃．霍普Bob
Hope。他的新書『劇本中的故事』，是對寫他電視喜劇職業生涯的回憶錄。要了解更多信息，請訪問
www.writingcomedy.com
譯者：陳建能
Jonathan Chen, ACB, ALS, ALE MAX Toastmasters Club |
