A Tapestry of Storytellers’ Tips and Tales

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Take yourself lightly.
Third time’s the charm: introduce the bit, repeat the bit, twist the bit.
Take risks. Make mistakes. Comedian Martin Short claims 30% or more of his material is horrendous – a sacrifice in the search for humor.
Unexpected gifts are found along new paths.
Stretch your face before performance. Like vocal warm-ups, stretching makes it more flexible and expressive.
Find a different way to say the same old thing. Jack Benny was praised as one “who says things funny, as opposed to a comic, who says funny things.”
Watch old comedy films & TV variety shows. Trained in vaudeville, these comics adapted classic material, tailoring it to their speech rhythms & personas, and considered it an honor to be emulated but not copied.
Include loving-kindness when poking fun at anyone including oneself.