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So you think you’re funny? Funny enough to take your act to the stage and on the road?

Too many aspiring comedians assume that, just because they can keep their buddies in stitches every time they open their mouths, getting up on stage and sending a poker-faced audience into fits of laughter would be a piece of cake. Regrettably, the ability to make your friends and family laugh does not necessarily translate to a hilarious stand-up act.

There is a world of difference between telling jokes to your buddies over beer at a downtown joint and delivering punch lines on stage to a roomful of strangers. With the former, all you need is a couple of jokes and an ounce of bluster. With stand-up comedy, you need plenty of good material, excellent showmanship, impeccable comic timing, nerves of steel, quick wit, and a healthy dose of ego. You also need to realize that it might take years of bad gigs, unappreciative audiences, and flat jokes before you could earn a guest spot on the David Letterman show or have your own sitcom. Clearly, the life of a stand-up comic is not for the faint of heart.

Still think you’ve got what it takes to be the next Jerry Seinfeld or Ellen DeGeneres? If the rigors of being a stand-up comedian do not dampen your desire to be one, you may already have the heart for it.

A burning passion to follow your heart and instincts is essential towards achieving success as a stand-up comedian. Once you start to believe that making people laugh is your true calling, it becomes difficult to resist the pull of the stage. But how do you go about turning your stand-up dreams into reality? You can start by studying as much as you can about the craft, from different styles of stand-up comedy to microphone techniques. There are comedy schools and coaches that can teach you the ropes of stand-up comedy, as well as ebooks that provides straightforward information and no-nonsense advice on making it as a stand-up comedian.

Before you can learn to do something, you must see first how it’s done by an expert or professional. Watching stand-up comedians perform their routines will give you an overview of all the elements involved in an act. There are several ways by which you can study stand-up comedians at work. You could catch live performances at comedy clubs or watch recordings of live stand-up performances on DVD. You could also listen to sound recordings of live stand-up acts. Late-night talk show hosts open their shows by reciting comedy monologues that play out like mini stand-up routines. Many talk show hosts used to be professional stand-up comedians, so tuning in to various late-night programs every night would be like being treated to a stand-up comedy sampler in your living room.

What do you hope to accomplish by watching the pros do their schtick? For one thing, it’s a good way to learn about how to work the stage. You could pick up a few pointers on effective joke delivery, comic timing, and microphone techniques. Also, you might be able to see how the pros deal with bombing (that’s when the jokes are getting few or no laughs) and hecklers in the audience. In addition, studying the pros will introduce you to different styles of stand-up comedy. Acquainting yourself with different comedic styles could help you identify which style best suits your brand of comedy.

Covering topics ranging from writing your own material to finding coveted gigs, an amazing ebook will explain in detail what you should do and what to expect while seeking your rightful place in this tough business. Just go to www.TheInfoSource.com for details.

Have you ever noticed that certain people are always being asked to “M.C.” the company staff party or their friend’s wedding? They have funny comments to make about various topics during a conversation. They make you see things in ways that you never imagined; ways that make you see the funny side of life. They’re usually the life of the party. They make you laugh, or at least chuckle inside.

Being a humorous person allows you establish some relationships better and faster than other people. You will become more outgoing in a crowd and may be able to set people at ease in various situations.

If you aspire to be this type of person, then you most likely have a mad streak in your personality that is making you stoop low enough to actually learn how to be funny. You’re the perfect candidate for the task.

While humor is an art form that seems to develop from within, it’s definitely something that can also be learned. However, it takes a lot of demented practice sessions and some real-life trial and error to master it. At first, you may see a lot of blank faces but keep persisting. The more you practice this art, the more natural you will be. Funny gestures, facial expressions, and comments will become second nature.

Being funny though is not the enough. Knowing when to be funny is paramount, and this comes only with experience – and maybe from a few weird looks from others. Obviously there are times that are appropriate and times that are not.

Humor takes on different faces in different settings and groups. There is a style of humor for wedding receptions, for large and small groups, for staff rooms, parties, friends, church, individuals, committee meetings, and even seemingly “staunch” boardroom meetings.

While the actual “learning the art” of humor is too big to fit this small article, here are ten keys to great humor:

1) Be bold. There’s nothing that kills humor more than being shy. If you are using discretion, there’s room for humor almost anywhere, including your Bible study group or corporate boardroom.

2) Humor is, in part, about telling people what they want hear but would never actually say. For example, very few people would talk about light-hearted public bathroom embarrassments. It is amazing how far you can go, even at a church function, and remain “Family Rated”.

3) Learn from others. Know someone who’s really funny? Watch them carefully. Also, check out the sitcoms on TV. There, you will find both well scripted and improvised humor, including exaggerated facial expressions and body movements that reinforce the words or theme being used.

Sitcoms are great at turning life into something surreal and funny. They take minute details of life and blow them up until you can see how funny they are. Ever watched Mr. Bean?

4) Use a mirror. If you’re going to “M.C.” an event, or do anything in public, don’t be afraid to use a mirror to practice with. Many humorous movie stars use this technique. Even if you’re a school bus driver just making faces for the little kids in the bus parked in front of you, you’ll be amazed at how a mirror at home can help you get some laughs and some big cheesy grins from the kids.

5) Use discretion. Use appropriate humor for the appropriate crowd. Although you can stretch the border at a church function, like talking about boys turning their underwear inside out at camp to get another couples of days use out of them, you can’t use off-color language etc.

6) Take a fresh look at life situations. For example, what would a man do if his pants got wet in a “bad” spot after leaning on a sink counter in a public washroom? How would he get over the embarrassment? Hmm… How about using the hot air dryer meant for drying your hands? What would he do if someone walked in while he was drying them?

7) Stare at an object for ten minutes and see how many things you can use it for, or what misfit situations you can get into with it. What can you do with a pair of rubber gloves other than keep your hands dry while you wash dishes etc. with them? Or how about the retractable cup holder that you that you tried to use on your computer? You know, the one that you press the button and it comes out. It’s marked “CD” for “Cup Dispenser”.

8) Things that don’t fit together. A male pastor was asked to say grace at an all-women’s award banquet. After being introduced to say grace, he got up to the microphone and said, “I am totally honored to be here and to accept this award.” The ladies burst into laughter. He continued, “When I got the call yesterday, I thought it was just to say grace or something.” During the laughter, he pretended to listen to someone in his ear piece tell him that he was just called to say grace. Relaying this conversation out loud to the audience he became an instant “hit” in a very short period of time.

That is an example of something that doesn’t fit. A male would never receive an award at a woman’s award banquet, and yes he was just called to say grace and the audience obviously knew that.

9) Learn to imitate other personalities and language accents. Learn how to act like a nerd or speak like an East Indian or Scottish person. Even using an accent for a one-sentence answer to someone’s question can get a laugh.

10) Place yourself in situations that make you come out of your shell. Take chances and experiment.

It takes fewer muscles to smile than it does to frown and if you deliver honest and sincere humor to people, you’ll be placing smiles not only on faces but also in hearts.

You can be funny.

The rich cultural heritage of the Ottawa Valley is carefully sewn up in pockets. It is worthwhile to explore these pockets and examine from close-up what’s really in there. Some of the cultural background is slowly getting more prominence.

If you are planning to spend some time in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, Canada, consider a visit to the Bonnechere Caves and an evening at the Stone Fence Theatre. There are many timeshare locations throughout this area

This is an area that is still being discovered for its beauty and natural wonders. A mere fifty years ago the Bonnechere caves were just part of the landscape, flooded at that.

The way to the caves leads through a beautiful landscape. Homes, farms and barns dot the rolling landscape. The land has now been cultivated and one enjoys the fruits of the work of the early settlers. The fossils found at the Bonnechere Caves document that in far-away history the area enjoyed a tropical climate. At the guided tour at the caves, visitors can examine these and listen to a full historical background

The cave consists of several chambers and corridors. At the time of its discovery the cave was plunged in total darkness. Today visitors to the caves can relive this moment when they too are plunged in darkness to enhance their experience of the discovery, as it would have been at that time.

A trek through some of the narrow passageways shows vaulted walls, composed of various layers that glisten from the seeping water. As the water constantly cools the cave, the temperature is 10 degrees Celsius. Consequently, coming out of the cave on a summer day feels like stepping into a tropical forest,

A good meal and spirited entertainment at the Stone Fence Theatre in the picturesque town of Brudenell will transports you again to the earlier days of the pioneers who came from different countries to create a new future. Costumed musicians and dancers enact vignettes from the past with humor and verve.

In this area, from the past to the present is but a small step. The whole town gets involved. Today’s writers and performers participate. Families in the area prepare the meals. Modeled on the Ottawa Valley Supper tradition, these events provide fundraising, promote local artists and are supported by local businesses. Books, a directory, greeting cards, mugs and shirts are on exhibit and for sale at the performances, which are held during supper and include a great meal.

Located in Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Brudenell, close to Eaganville in Ontario, Canada, the Stone Fence Theatre, in their words, is “A nonprofit community theatre dedicated to Ottawa Valley Heritage”. Their website. http://www.StoneFence.ca, contains valuable information, including location map, seating plans and photos, as well as a mail-in order form for reservations with a choice of dates and prices.