What do Tim Urban, Sir Ken Robinson and Amy Cuddy all have in common. First, they are the most watched presenters on TED, having each been watched by over 60 million! And second, they all include humour in their presentations. And since close to 50,000 talks have been given at 10,000 events since TED launched in 2009, it’s fair to …
A misconception is that you have to be born funny to be a stand-up comedian. Certainly you have a sense of humour, just like you need a sense of smell to be a chef, or sense of tone to be a musician, but you don’t have to be the centre of attention or the class clown to be a stand-up …
In Australia, we love a good laugh. We’re known for our dry wit and our ability to find the funny side of even the most difficult situations. So it’s no surprise that humour is often used in our presentations. A presentation with humour can help to break the ice and make the audience feel more relaxed and increase attention, which …
If you work for a pub, sports club, RSL or events company then you how difficult it can be to book a stand-up comedian. Searching for suitable comedian, and then coordinating schedules is difficult enough if you’re working with someone famous, like Jeff Green, Bev Killick or Lehmo. But what if your budget only allows for a mid-level comedian. That’s …
It’s the worst kept secret, women love humour. So why don’t men invest more in improving their skill in humour. Here’s 10 ways to win her over using humour: Here’s the first five to win her over using humour. Go test it out. Unlock the next five by sharing your email address here.
Creating new jokes from scratch is one of the hardest parts of stand-up comedy. Our brains are hardwired for repetition, patterns, and habits. If I ask you to think of a number, colour or city, it’s likely that your answers are related to past experiences – a limiter to comedy This is where random words can help. Using a random …
Starting out in stand-up comedy in Australia is tough. Open mic gigs are in the evenings, often on a weekday, and the audience is usually comprised of other comedians with zero interest in your gags. It’s therefore important to learn the ropes, and the mistakes, as soon as possible so you can move up the ranks quickly, and start getting …
Since January 2021, stand-up comedy students at the School of Hard Knock Knocks will each receive a photography package as part of the standard comedy course. Photographer and former graduate of the School of Hard Knock Knocks, Adam Sparnon, has been shooting headshots and body shot photos at each course which are vital for comedy posters, particularly with the comedy …
“YES, AND…” is the rule-of-thumb response in improv comedy. It’s also a great way to lead. The ‘yes’ immediately encourages the acceptance of the contributions added by others, rather than shutting down the views of others, and the ‘and’ opens the contribution for further positive refinement. The words ‘no’ and ‘but’ are the polar opposites. Listening to others is a valuable leadership skill. Comedy can …
