I have seen a lot of new comics over the years and heard a lot of discussions about comedy in general, so I though why not cover what goes into a good comic? The obvious and most important one to me is material. Good, funny material will cover up and hide a lot of flaws, but there’s still a ton that goes into it other than the content of the words.
Stage presence. This is a mix of confidence and practice. Most good comics I see are very comfortable onstage (although a few portray the nervous side because it fits their act). I have seen a lot of comics power through new or untested jokes better than nervous, jittery comics doing great material. The audience wants to believe you think the joke is funny. Projection of voice is part of this, some comics are funny, but you can’t hear them. That sometimes helps, I have found.
Timing. Man did I suck at this at first. I used to stomp all over laughs because “dead” air is brutal. No one wants to be stuck up there in silence so I used to hurry up and start the next joke while people were laughing. Recording your set and stage time will help with this to hear the cues and get more comfortable. Once you get past nerves, you can actually pay attention to the crowd onstage and pick up on things. This is such an important thing, I think every comic gets good at this fast or quits.
Crowd work. That leads me to crowd work. I still think this is the most overrated and overblown part of stand up. EVERYONE I talk to that hasn’t seen comedy in a while asks me if I pick on people. No. Unless they are really, really asking for it. Crowd work just has to be a quick acknowledgment of something dumb and addressing the awkwardness or maybe just taking a response to a question that leads into a great joke you didn’t have planned on telling. Hecklers are really rare and usually best ignored. Or you can just open carry a firearm. Then no one heckles.
Callbacks. Also not my primary strength, although having a flow to your set will also give this effect. It harkens back to a previous joke and plays off it, which shows good writing and uses the old joke to maximum effect. I don’t naturally write that way, but it’s a good skill to have. Oh and calling back doesn’t mean telling the same jokes over during your set, that’s called being drunk.
Audience awareness. What is the crowd? I still remember doing two shows one week a few years back. Art History Graduate Students and the Central Ohio Tractor Pullers Association. Different sets, by the way. Same with clean and dirty sets. My little secret is I do largely the same sets, I just use different words. Just takes a little discipline.
Preparedness. The better you know your set, the better off you’ll be onstage. I always marvel that people after a year still don’t memorize their five minute sets. I honestly think this, over anything else, helped me when I started. I used to time my sets and practice with a TV remote as a microphone. I felt like a psycho, but was able to go from not remembering a five minute set to doing 20 plus minutes within a very short amount of time. Then I had two kids, so I’m glad I did that a while back. Now I just chug coffee and hope for the best.
Using who you are onstage. I have seen a lot of comics excel at this. The audience can see what you look like. Use it to your advantage. Fat people tell food jokes. (Note to self, diet or start writing food jokes.)
Of course, if your material sucks, then none of this matters and look for another joke site on how to write. I got nothing for ya. Except make that fart noise with your tongue sticking out at the end of every joke. That works with second graders.