Kolom Humor

Pelatihan Humor untuk Eksekutif

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 14:03:00 +0700

Pelatihan Humor untuk Eksekutif

Silabus Pelatihan

Tujuan Instruksional Umum:

Tujuan pelatihan humor ini adalah tercapainya kemampuan praktis membangun rasa humor dan pembelajaran dasar menulis one-liner (opini pendek lucu) dengan baik dan benar.

Tujuan Instruksional Khusus:

1. Peserta ajar memahami cara mengapresiasi karya humor secara mendalam

2. Peserta ajar memahami cara observasi/riset karya humor (kartun dan one-liner) secara mendalam sehingga dapat membedakan karya (berkualitas, sedang dan kurang berkualitas).

3. Peserta ajar akan dilatih berkreasi untuk menghasilkan karya humor yang berkualitas dan dapat diterima publik.

Program Satuan Pelajaran:

APRESIASI

1. Pengajar memberikan rangkaian karya-karya humor (khususnya dalam bentuk gambar kartun teks dan one-liner) sebagai bahan ajar.

2. Pengajar memberikan waktu kepada peserta ajar untuk menikmati karya-karya humor.

3. Setelah waktu yang ditentukan selesai, seluruh peserta ajar akan diajak berdiskusi oleh pengajar.

OBSERVASI/RISET

1. Pengajar memberi tugas kepada peserta ajar untuk mengumpulkan sedikitnya 10 kartun teks dan tulisan 10 one-liner terbaik, terlucu, setidaknya menurut versi peserta ajar.

2. Pengajar meminta kepada seluruh peserta ajar secara bergantian mempresentasikan hasil risetnya dan membahasnya. Pembahasan meliputi: mengapa, bagaimana dan apanya yang lucu?

3. Pengajar juga memberikan ruang diskusi interaktif antar peserta ajar.

4. Dalam situasi ini, pengajar juga memberikan analisis berdasarkan pengalaman dan pengetahuan yang dimiliki.

KREASI

1. Pengajar memberi tugas kepada peserta ajar untuk memberikan teks lucu pada kartun bisu (tanpa dialog) dan menulis one-liner.

2. Setelah tugas membuat kreasi karya humor sendiri, sudah selesai, para peserta ajar diminta mempresentasikan karyanya dan bila situasi berkembang dinamis, pengajar diharapkan dapat memberikan ruang diskusi interaktif antarpeserta ajar.

Spesifikasi Peserta Pelatihan:

1. Memiliki kualifikasi yang memadai dalam membaca buku Bahasa Inggris.

2. Menyukai humor.

3. Berjiwa aktif dan progresif.

4. Bervisi maju dan tak jera berusaha agar sukses.

5. Sadar, untuk mencapai cita-cita, perlu sabar dan proses waktu.

Bahan Ajar:

Bahan ajar akan dipilihkan dari koleksi yang dimiliki dari www.ihik3.com. Peserta ajar boleh mengajukan permohonan buku-buku yang koleksinya dimiliki oleh www.ihik3.com untuk dibahas di dalam kelas. Bahan ajar akan disesuaikan dengan latar belakang pengetahuan dan praktik peserta ajar.

Breakdown Teknis Pelatihan:

1. Jumlah peserta maksimal 10 orang.

2. Pertemuan: 1 x

3. Jam 09.30-12.00 dan 13.00-15.30

4. Partisipasi/peserta: Rp1.000.000 (satu juta rupiah)

(untuk pengganti transportasi dan akomodasi pengajar dari luar kota, makan siang, snack, penggunaan ruang kelas & toilet yang nyaman dan bersih di lokasi gedung perkantoran daerah Kelapa Gading Jakarta).

5. Kontak/info/pendaftaran: Silakan kirim email ke ihik3@yahoo.com lalu SMS ke 085100794589 sebagai pemberitahuan.

6. Ruang pelatihan: (lihat gambar di bawah)

7. Lokasi: Gedung Menara Satu, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta (lihat gambar bawah)

Ruang pelatihan

Lokasi: Gedung Menara Satu, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta

Berdasarkan Google Map

Mini CV Pengajar

Majalah HumOr Disambut Hangat Pembacanya

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Tue, 4 Sep 2012 05:48:00 +0700

HumOr edisi 1-5

Sungguh. Ini evaluasi setelah melihat bagaimana respon publik peminat humor selama tak kurang dari setengah tahun terus-menerus menyimak isyu mutakhir dunia humor kita; khususnya di tingkat elit kekuasaan. Di sisi lain, dari aspek respon pihak yang dijadikan obyek humor, tampak tak ada gejolak yang menonjol. Ini kalau tak bisa dikatakan reaktif atau gampang marah dan tersinggung. Atau...atau barangkali justru mereka masa bodoh, tak mau peduli dan sudah sangat imun.
Para kreator humor (kolomnis, joke writer, political cartoonist, caricaturist, penyeminar humoris, pelawak dan komentator koplak) tak henti-hentinya berkarya; memeras otak, memeras seluruh energi untuk menghasilkan lelucon-lelucon cerdas dan bermutu, sementara masyarakat penikmat menyantap semua produksi itu dengan lahap dan tanpa sisa. Begitu hausnya mereka terhadap humor-humor tersebut, tetapi tentu tak setiap hari, tak setiap saat mereka bisa mendapatkannya. Karena semua tahu, lelucon yang cerdas dan bermutu sungguh tak mudah membuatnya. Kadang ia bagai hujan, deras mengucur, kadang bagai kemarau, yang kering kerontang karena air begitu sulit didapatkan.
Uji coba melempar majalah HumOr online, ternyata mendapat sambutan masyarakat demikian besar, indikator itu dapat dilihat dari "pagesview" yang terus meningkat dari hari ke hari. Itulah bukti dinamika traffic yang dapat dilihat dengan mata telanjang.
Keseimbangan dunia akan terus terjaga bila kreator humor tak berhenti berkarya, penikmat humor tak pernah terpuaskan kehausannya, dan obyek humor, tetap menyikapi bahwa konsekuensi dari kata-kata dan tindakannya tak pernah dapat lepas dari sorotan siapapun. Ketiga sudut itu menjadi pos utama terbentuknya lelucon dan termasuk tentu saja, kelestariannya. Lelucon memang tak akan dapat hidup tanpa memakan "korban". Selamat menikmati lelucon di Majalah HumOr, semoga Anda menderita kebahagiaan!

Kartun M Najib tentang Isyu yang lagi hangat,

Kartun karya Rw Mulyadi tentang Pilkada DKI yang penuh kontroversi.

Sources of Material (Part 6 - The End)

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Sun, 20 May 2012 09:33:00 +0700

by Anthony L. Audrieth

By now you may be wondering where you can find good, clean humor that you can use in your talks. The answer is everywhere. To start, listen in on conversations when you are in public. Sitting in a restaurant, a bar, going to a store, wherever you are, listen to people around you. You would be amazed at how much humorous material surrounds you every day. Listen for comments that make people laugh. Again, ask yourself why. Take the germ of what was said, study the meaning and the punchline, look for applications in your own field of interest. Watch for humorous situations; simply be aware of material. The humor that is the most effective is humor that you have experienced yourself. Personal situations that no one else knows about or can copy. Look for personal stories that have an element of self-effacing humor. Remember the definition of humor? A painful thing told playfully. Once you are attuned to the search for new material, you'll find it everywhere. Don't all talks that use humor rely on jokes? If they did, how would you know if your audience had already been exposed to humor you were planning to use? The answer is simple, you wouldn't. And here is another important point. As long as you rely on jokes as the raw material for humor in your talk, you are at a disadvantage. You may have heard that there is nothing new under the sun, well that applies equally to jokes. If you draw your materials from current sources, you may end up presenting jokes that are known and consequently, not funny for those who have heard them already. There are two things you can do to alleviate this problem. First, look for material in places that are dated several years prior. You may well find an appropriate gem that can be polished and presented that is likely "new" to your audience. Second, you can use situational humor.
Printed sources. One of the best is the Readers Digest. Not the new issues, but old issues that have had time to be forgotten. The material is excellent, clean and likely can be adapted to your needs.
Joke books. You have to skim the cream. You may read 100 jokes and only find one that really fits your style or subject. Write that one down. Then there are publications like Orben's Current Comedy Corner that offer new humor on current events. You'll often hear his work presented by the likes of Paul Harvey.
Internet. Today, perhaps the best source of material, organized by subject matter is the world wide web. Search for humor and you will find thousands of possible sites and sources. They are often organized by subject matter. This can be a great way to find humor for your own unique field of application.
So, once you have found the materials, what then? Well, look at the following example and consider how the humor was revised. Bennett Cerf was a collector of humor. Dr. Jarvis was a humorous speaker who spent a lot of time really looking for good materials. When he found humor in Bennett Cerf's books, he had to adapt it to his own style. The first below is directly from Bennett Cerf's Bumper Crop, the second as presented by Dr. Jarvis:
A group of tourists stood spellbound looking into the depths of the Grand Canyon. "And this wonder is all the more impressive," the guide droned on, "when you realize that it took millions and millions of years to carve out this great abyss." "Well, well!" exclaimed a plain citizen, "I'd never have suspected that this was a government project."
Man's looking at the Grand Canyon. Park ranger saw him, thought he looked interested. Went over to him and said, "Yes, Sir, you know it took a million years to make this place." He said, "Government job?"
Notice that the second flows smoothly with out any excess words or descriptions. Charlie is a master at turning dry written humor into crisp effective humor that sounds more like conversation. You will need to revise the material you find to be more easily delivered.

Bibliography
The best place to locate the hard-to-find books is at used books stores. Sometimes it is like finding a needle in a haystack, but well worth the effort. For a complete listing, including books In Print and available through Amazon.com, Out-of-Print and Direct from the Source, visit Resources. Books I consider classics are in bold print.
???????????. The Algonquin Wits. Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press.
Allen, Steve. Funny People. New York: Stein and Day.
The Funny Men. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Arnold, Oren. Wild West Joke Book. New York: Frederick Fell, Inc., 1956
Bassindale, Bob. How Speakers Make People Laugh. West Nyack, NY; Parker Publishing Co. 1977
Blakely, James "Doc". Doc Blakely's Handbook of Wit and Pungent Humor. West Nyack, NY: Parker Publishing Co., Inc.
Braude, Jacob M. Handbook of Humor for all Occasions. Englewood Cliffs NJ,Prentice Hall 1958
Cousins, Norman. Anatomy of an Illness. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Day, J. Edward. Humor in Public Speaking. New York: Prentice Hall
Droke, Maxwell. The Speaker's Handbook of Humor. NY. Harper & Bros 1956
Eastman, Max. Enjoyment of Laughter. New York, Simon & Schuster, 1936
Esar, Evan.The Sense of Humor. New York, C. Scribner's Sons 1921
Esar, Evan. Dictionary of Humorous Quotations. New York: Horizon ress. 1949
Esar, Evan.Comic Dictionary. New York: Horizon Press. 1951
Esar, Evan. Humor of Humor. New York: Horizon Press. 1952
Friedman, Edward L. Speechmaker's Complete Handbook. New York: Harper & Row, 1966.
Toastmasters Treasury. New York: Harper & Row. 1965
Gerler, William R., ed. Executive's Treasury of Humor for Every Occasion. New York: Prentice-Hall, 1965
Goldstein & McGhee. Psychology of Humor (Brigance Books?)
Harral, Stewart. When its Laughter your After. Univ. of OK Press, Norman OK.
Iapoce, Michael Using Humor in Public Speaking.
Johnson, Lyndon B. The Johnson Humor, ed. Bill Adler. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1965
Leacock, Stephen. Humor, Its Theory and Technique. New York. Dodd, Mead and Co. 1935
McGhee. Humor, Its Origin and Development.
Moody, R. A., M.D. Laugh After Laugh. Jacksonville, FL: Headwaters Press.
Murdock, Clyde. A Treasury of Humor. (paperback) Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Orben, Robert. The Joke-Tellers Handbook or 1,999 Belly Laughs. New York: Bell Publishing Co.
Orben, Robert. Comedy Technique. New York. Lewis Tannen, 1951
The Ad-Libber's Handbook, 2000 New Laughs for Speakers. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co.
The Encyclopedia of One-Liner Comedy. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co.
Parish, James R. The Funsters. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House Publishers.
Perret, Gene. How to Hold Your Audience with Humor. Writers Digest 1981
Phillips, Bob. A Time To Laugh. (paperback) Irvine, CA: Harvest House Publishers.
Prochnow, Herbert V. The Successful Toastmaster. New York: Harper & Row, 1966
New Speaker's Treasury of Wit and Wisdom. New York, Harper & Row, 1958
Rapp, Albert. The Origins of Wit and Humor. New York, Dutton, 1951
Rosten, Leo. Giant Book of Laughter. New York, Crown Publishers, 1985
Schindler, John A. How to Live 365 Days a Year. Prentice Hall, Inc. NY
Tidwell, James A Treasury of American Folk Humor. New York, Crown Publishers.
True, Dr. Herb. Humor Power. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & co.
Webster, Gary. Laughter in the Bible. St. Louis: Bethany Press, 1960
Wells, Carolyn. An Outline of Humor. New York, G.P. Putnams Sons 1923
Whiting, Percy H. How to Speak and Write with Humor. New York, McGraw-Hill. 1959
Wilde, Larry. The Great Comedians. Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press.
Wilde, Larry. How the Great Comedy Writers Create Laughter. Chicago, IL: Nelson Hall.

Know Your Audience (Part 5)

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Sun, 20 May 2012 09:11:00 +0700

by Anthony L. Audrieth

If you are going to use humor in your speaking, it is critical to know your audience. Find out all you can about their demographics, their interests, their political leanings, their favorite sports teams, everything. This will prevent you from putting your foot in your mouth by accident. It will also give you a good base from which to draw your materials. Service clubs will have histories that should be studied. They will have famous members that all members will know. They will have procedures, rituals and idiosyncrasies that can be fertile ground for humor. Are they hostile or friendly towards your position? Is your presentation to be given on an occasion special to the group. The more you know about your audience, the better you will serve their needs and be able to relate to their strongly held feelings. As a humorous speaker, you must be acutely aware of subject matter and the psychology of the audience. If you inject a bit of humor that the audience definitely does not receive "in fun", you are asking for trouble. A sensitivity to their background, interests, political leanings, mores and beliefs is vital if you are to entertain with humor without insulting your audience. As we proceed through this introduction to humor, I will provide you with a several rules; guidelines that are essential and must be followed.
An inappropriate reference can take them out of "in fun" instantly! The study of humor is complex and its components tightly intertwined, so we may well return to these key rules again and again, in different contexts and situations throughout this tape.
Another consideration is topical humor related to the group that you are speaking to. Find out all you can about the group. Investigate well known individuals, customs, history and special observances of the group. This falls into the "know your audience" category. Talk to the program chair, look over the organizations publications, talk to long-time members. In my home town, a long time member of Kiwanis was well known for his humorous quips that appeared in their newsletter. They were collected and published as a fund raiser. What made the collection so interesting was that many quips used the names of well known local business leaders and Kiwanis members.
As with any presentation, it must be said again, that humor must be used with good taste. As a professional you can not afford to make any blunders or use questionable humor. You'll need a general message that can be a substantial framework in which your humor can reside. The humor you use will be drawn from jokes (raw material adapted to your situation) and situational humor that presents a humorous picture. Dr. Jarvis is a master at this, using his incredible repertoire of humorous stories to support a strong message of hope, happiness and the need for responsibility. If he does tell a joke, he tells you he is going to do so. Your use of humor will depend in large part on the occasion. How you will use humor will be based on the nature of the event. An awards ceremony for example, with a serious purpose to recognize those who have accomplish great things, might not be well served by a humorous presentation of awards. A technical paper presentation might not seem a place for humor, but considering the potential for inducing sleep in the audience, might well be a place to inject some humor, as long as it fits in well and does not seem to be tagged on. In such a situation it may be difficult to find appropriate materials. One place to look is in the trade magazines and technical journals in your field. And don't just look in current issues. Go back several years to find "fresh" humor. Changing times may cause some items to lose their edge, but may also share a unique perspective as to the changing knowledge of the field.

To be continued on Part 6.

Delivery Jokes (Part 4)

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:27:00 +0700

google.com

by Anthony L. Audrieth

One question that comes up most often when discussing humor is delivery. Delivery could be defined as the ability of the speaker to present the humorous material in the most effective way. How many times have you heard a person tell a long, labored, complicated joke, only to swallow the ending and leave everyone frustrated? You may have heard that anyone can tell a joke. Well, perhaps. But a joke is only the raw material; it must be crafted to fit smoothly into your talk, without telegraphing to your audience that a zinger is on the way. You are not there to tell jokes.

Professional Humorous speakers do not just tell jokes.
They use humor to effectively illustrate their message.

You are likely there to educate and/or entertain. If you are there to educate, a judicious use of humor in your talk will keep the audience with you, always waiting for the next gem. Their attention will be to you and your message. If you are there strictly to entertain, then a string of jokes will not be the way to go either.
How many jokes can you stand at one sitting? If you listen to Dr. Jarvis, you will hear how he smoothly intertwines humorous stories, jokes and other material seamlessly and effortlessly. He is a humorist. His approach to presenting humor however, can provide excellent training for speakers who wish to incorporate humor to make a point during a relatively serious presentation.
A look at the definition of a joke will have direct bearing on your ability to "deliver" humor. Consider the definition: A joke is a brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist. Within that simple definition lies two critical points you must know to use humor successfully. First of all, it is BRIEF. Second, it has a climactic twist. For humor to work, it must spring upon the mind in an unexpected way, without a long drawn out set-up. When you incorporate humor into your talk, it should slide in naturally. The setup must be direct and to the point, without too much embellishment. If you throw in all of the bells and whistles, going to extremes to paint the picture, you may telegraph the existence of the humor, thereby reducing its effectiveness. As for the climactic twist, make every effort to put it at the very end of the story.
The closer the twist is to the very end, the more effective the surprise. What you are delivering is the setup of the humor followed by the climactic humorous twist. In today's quick paced environment, people don't like to hear jokes that are too "built up". They like things to be brief, concise and neat. And the same goes for the climactic humorous twist. It must be neat, absolutely clear and sudden. An excellent discussion of the elements of successful delivery is presented in Eastmans, Enjoyment of Laughter. He presents in detail his Ten Commandments of the Comic Arts; all relate to delivery and the type of humor used.
You can improve your delivery through regular practice. One thing you can control is the length of the pause before delivering the punchline. Jack Benny was famous for his ability to use the pause to heighten the impact of the punchline. One of the most common questions asked about humor relates to timing and delivery. Timing can make the difference between a joke that is extremely effective and one that flops. Usually, timing relates to the delivery of the punchline. Jack Benny was a master at timing when he delivered his punchlines. Timing is concerned with the amount of time delay between the end of the setup of the joke and the delivery of a punchline. Too short a time and the impact is lessened by the abrupt end of the joke. It is your task to listen to the delivery of punchlines by professionals and to see how they wait until just the right amount of time has passed before they deliver the punchline. In your practice, notice how you can vary the delay to achieve the most effective results.
To use humor effectively, your materials need to be practiced and perfected. How do you do that? The answer is simple. Once you have found material that looks promising, work on it in your mind. Roll it over. Massage it. Look for ways to make it appear spontaneous. Connect it to the important points of your message, weaving it in as a seamless part of your patter. Make it yours. Earlier I mentioned that long jokes were not appreciated. To clarify, I should say that jokes with too much "hair" are not appreciated. Have you ever heard someone say, "He's carrying it to far"? What is being carried too far? Humorous stories are an exception and Charlie's "The Bird" story is one. He is famous in speaking circles for his delivery of this gem. Not only can you learn delivery by practicing this humorous story, but if done right, you will create gales of hearty laughter in the process. But, if you are going to tell it, be sure you have the time. You can hear it on his "Things are more like they are now than they ever were" cassette tape. This one story is a classic for learning delivery, timing and style.
It has been said that anyone can tell a joke. Mark Twain said, "The humorous story is strictly a work of art -- high and delicate art -- and only and artist can tell it; but no art is necessary in telling the comic and witty story; anybody can do it". Perhaps, but even telling jokes takes some skill. I have heard however, "The Bird" story ruined by several well-meaning speakers. Learn it word for word and practice it so that each separate part generates its own laughter. Pace, intonation, pauses all are critical elements that can be used to make this bird story fly or flop. It is a long humorous story with many details. Don't try it out until you can do it well. Then, tell it as often as possible, practicing your delivery. If you need to illustrate the importance of being detail oriented in customer service, you may find that you can use this in a public speaking situation. But for now, practice this on friends, once you have it down well.
When you present this humorous story, have fun doing it, but be diligent in your observations of the responses of listeners. Every time you present your material, look for ways to improve it. Here is the story, verbatim as spoken by Dr. Jarvis.
(A few notes about the below transcription. When humorous story is told, the phrases such as "he said", "he replied", etc., nearly fade from the verbal presentation. Use of voice and gestures often assists in the presentation, not all of the "he said" and "he replied" items are actually spoken or heard. Dr. Jarvis pointed this out to me recently and suggested we find a better way to indicate who is speaking. Although not perfect, I have tried to differentiate by using ALL CAPS for the buyer and ITALICIZED ALL CAPS for the salesman. Read it through several times to get the feel for the two parts. In addition, each BOLDED line is a point at which Dr. Jarvis increases the humorous impact through vocal emphasis/intonation. The below transcription is verbatim, so everything printed below is spoken...)

The Bird Story

A man just wants to buy a bird. That's all. Goes into a bird store. Hundreds of Birds. Little yellow birds. He's trying to make a wise choice. They all look the same. They are all $4.95. You can tell because there is a little yellow tag hanging from their legs. He's going round. He's going around, trying to make a wise choice, reading all of these tags. Goes over in the corner. $136.50 He goes back up to the proprietor.
YOU TRYING TO PULL A FAST ONE ON ME? TRYING TO MAKE A WISE CHOICE HERE, SELECT A BIRD, THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME. EXCEPT, YOU'VE GOT ONE KINDA HIDDEN BACK OVER THERE IN THE CORNER, MUST BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE HE'S $136.50, NOT $4.95.
The proprietor says,
"YOU'RE PRETTY SHARP AREN'T YOU? YOU DEVIL YOU, I'LL BET IT DIDN'T TAKE YOU 5 MINUTES TO FIND HIM. THAT BIRD IS DIFFERENT. HE NOT ONLY SINGS, HE TALKS."
WELL THAT'S THE ONE I WANT, WRAP HIM UP.
So he takes him home. The next day he brings him back.
HE DIDN'T SING, HE DIDN'T TALK EITHER.
HMMMMM, WELL HE DID DOWN HERE.
HE DIDN'T AT MY HOUSE.
He says, WELL, DID HE PECK ON HIS LITTLE BELL?
He said, BELL?
OH WELL, YOU DIDN'T BUY A BELL, YOU NEED A BELL. THEY NEED MUSIC YOU'VE GOT MUSIC, STEREO, TELEVISION, EVERYTHING ELSE. THEY NEED A BELL, HAPPY BIRD, PECKS ON THE BELL, STARTS SINGING, TALKING.
WELL HOW MUCH IS A BELL?
6 DOLLARS
WELL, THAT MAKES SENSE, I BELIEVE I'LL TAKE A BELL.
He goes home, he comes back the next day, he doesn't bring the bird this time, but he says
THE BIRD DIDN'T SING. HE DIDN'T TALK, HE DID PECK ON HIS BELL.
He said, DID HE CLIMB HIS LITTLE LADDER?
I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT A LADDER.
He said, DON'T BLAME YOURSELF. THAT'S MY BUSINESS. I'M THE SALEPERSON DOWN HERE. I'M SUPPOSED TO OFFER THESE THINGS THAT BENEFIT YOU. OF COURSE THE BIRD NEEDS A LADDER. UP AND DOWN THE LADDER. YOU JOG, YOU GET YOUR EXCERCISE, THE BIRD NEEDS EXERCISE. HEALTHY BIRD, SING, TALK, HAPPY, PECK ON THE BELL.
Well he said, I'VE GOT TO ADMIT, THERE'S A LOT OF LOGIC THERE. HOW MUCH IS A LADDER?
11 DOLLARS
Well he said, ALRIGHT I'M GOING TO TAKE THE LADDER.
He comes back the next day.
HE DIDN'T SING, HE DIDN'T TALK, HE DID PECK ON HIS LITTLE BELL AND HE CLIMBED HIS LITTLE LADDER.
DID HE LOOK IN HIS LITTLE MIRROR?
He said, NOW YOU ARE GOING TO TELL ME I NEED A MIRROR.
NO I'M NOT, YOU'VE GOT A MIRROR. THE BIRD NEEDS A MIRROR. YOU'VE GOT A MIRROR, YOU PREEN IN YOUR MIRROR. THE BIRD WANTS TO PREEN. THE BIRD GETS TO LOOKING IN THAT MIRROR THINKS THERE'S ANOTHER BIRD AND TRIES TO CARRY ON A CONVERSATION, STARTS TALKING.
Well he said, HOW MUCH IS A MIRROR?
16 DOLLARS.
He says, OK BUSTER, I TELL YA, I'M GOING TO SEE THIS THING THROUGH, RIGHT TO THE BITTER END. I'M TAKING A MIRROR.
He comes back the next day. He said, HE DID NOT SING, HE DID NOT TALK, HE DID LOOK IN HIS LITTLE MIRROR, HE CLIMBED HIS LITTLE LADDER AND HE PECKED HIS LITTLE BELL. AND I KNOW BECAUSE I DRAGGED A CHAIR UP THERE, I DIDN'T EVEN GO TO WORK AND I WATCHED HIM ALL DAY.
He said, DID HE SWING ON HIS LITTLE SWING?
He said, GIMME A SWING.
He came back the next day, he said, THE BIRDS DEAD!
THE BIRDS DEAD?
That's what I said, THE BIRDS DEAD, I CAN TELL A LITTLE DEAD BIRD CAN'T I? FEET UP.
WELL, DID HE EVER SING?
NO, BUT YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD OF THAT BIRD. THIS MORNING WHEN I TOOK HIS COVER OFF HE LOOKED HAPPY AND HEALTHY. HE LOOKED DIRECTLY AT ME AND THEN HE WENT OVER THERE AND PECKED ON THAT LITTLE BELL, HOPPED OVER TO THE LADDER AND WENT ABOUT HALF WAY UP, AND I PUT THE MIRROR ABOUT HALF WAY UP AND I'M NOT SAYING A BIRD CAN SMILE, BUT HE LOOKED LIKE HE DID. WENT ON UP TO THE TOP OF THE LADDER, JUMPED OVER TO THE SWING, HE'S SWINGING, SWINGING, RIGHT BEFORE HE TOPPLED OFF, HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, THEY DIDN'T SELL BIRD SEED?.

Now. Think about that humorous story. Look at all of the different humorous points. Write it out word for word. Notice that it is a conversation between two people. It is written to sound like conversation that is spoken, not written. It builds. Each trip back to the store increases the humorous tension building for the punchline, yet each trip has its own opportunities for humor. Make this joke your own. Polish it to perfection; it is a gem that you do not want to squander. Work it through carefully and give it with confidence.

To be continued on Part 5.

Types of Humor, A-Z (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:07:00 +0700

by Anthony L. Audrieth

brideheaven.com

The type of humor you will use depends on your speaking style and the situation. What is your style? Are you more comfortable with a quiet understated type of humor , subtle wit or are you more likely to deliver jokes for belly-laughs or long humorous stories to entertain? Depending on how you plan to use humor, occasionally to illustrate messages in a presentation or as the foundation for a humorous motivational talk similar to Charlie's type of presentation, certain forms will be better than others depending on what you want to accomplish.

Remember, this article is aimed at using humor in public speaking,
not delivering humor as a humorist or comedian.
Or are you not sure what type of humor would best fit your personal style? Knowing your style is important because there are many different types of humor that you can use. Because of that we will start with the TYPES OF HUMOR. Take a look at this list of types of humor. Remember, you are looking for humor with which you will feel comfortable, humor that fits your presentational style and can be used effectively in your talk. Many types relate and overlap; it is your job to become familiar with them and to choose those which best suit your needs. I would like to recommend another book for your library. One of the best books to explain the types and techniques of humor is "The Humor of Humor" by Evan Esar, copyright 1952. Evan Esar wrote and published several books on humor including Esar's Comic Dictionary and The Dictionary of Humorous Quotations which he edited. A great source for these and other books on humor are used book sales put on by libraries. Watch for such sales and check out the humor sections in used book stores. Here is a short list of the types of humor found in "The Humor of Humor".

Adviser
Anecdotes
Antonymism
Aside
Banter
Biogram
Blendword
Blue Humor
Blunder
Blunting
Bonehead
Boners
Bon Mot
Bull
Burlesque
Caricature
The Catch Tale
Chain
Confucian Saying
Conundrum
Cumulative
Double Blunder
Epigram
Exaggerism
Extended Proverb
Fool's Query
Freudian Slip
Gag
Goldwynism
The Hecklerism
Hyperbole
Irony
Joke
The Little Willie
Malapropism
Marshallism
Mistaken Identity
Nonsensism
Parkerism
Parody
Pendulum
The Personifier
The Practical Joke
Pun
Recovery
The Relapse
Repartee
Repeatism
Reversible
Round
Sarcasm
Satire
Situational Humor
Slanting
Spoonerism
Switching
Tall Tale
Twist-Wit
The Typographical Error
Understatement
Wellerism
Wisecrack
Wit
Wordplay

To be continued on Part 4

Psychology of Humor (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Sun, 20 May 2012 07:59:00 +0700

ehow.com

by Anthony L. Audrieth

Because humor is such a powerful emotion, it is a good idea to understand (if that is possible), the psychological basis of humor. More specifically, what makes laughter and the humorous situation "work". Your assignment, from now on, is, when you hear people laugh, to ask yourself, "Why did they laugh"? This attention will sharpen your skills at recognizing possible material for your own use and help you get a feeling for what makes humor work.
The response of laughter is based on two general situations. Humor either plays a trick on the mind or it paints a picture which is ludicrous or incongruous. Jokes are the 1st type; they play a pleasant trick on your mind. When something is ludicrous, you visualize a situation in which the elements are in some way incongruous. A word of warning here. The minute you try to dissect a joke, or explain it, it ceases to be funny. You can study humor down to the most tenuous theories, reading what scientists have discovered about it through the years to the point where it may ruin your enjoyment of laughter. I recommend that you do read several books on the subject. The 1st should be "The Enjoyment of Laughter" by Max Eastman. He spends a fair amount of time on the psychology of humor, but leaves it up to the reader to delve further into the subject.....at their own risk. "The Enjoyment of Laughter" is a practical book as well as a serious study of humor and serves well as a starting point for your studies; a definite must for your new library. While it is out of print, you can find copies at used bookstores or on the Internet for around $30.00.
Dr. Jarvis shares two definitions of humor with us. The 1st is "a painful thing told playfully". The second is "tragedy separated by time and space". Note that both definitions treat humor as a serious thought viewed in a light manner. Ever heard someone say, "I laughed so hard I nearly cried"? Humor deals with serious subjects and is close to pathos: an emotion of sympathetic pity. Think about the old gag of someone slipping on a banana peel. Such an accident usually elicits a laugh. We might giggle or snicker when someone else takes a flyer. Perhaps though not when we ourselves are the victim. The laugh would be stopped mid-snort though if the person was hurt in the fall. Why? Because the playful element has been lost. Buster Keaton does a pratfall. Down he goes, but he must get up. Eastman talks about this at length, referring to the absolute necessity for the participants to be "in fun". Charlie talks at length about the feeling of being "in fun" so I've included Eastman's four laws of humor at this point. Understanding this concept and being able to perceive if an audience is "in fun" has a direct bearing on your use of humor.
Max Eastman presents four laws of humor, all related to the concept of being "in fun". My observations are in italics.
1. The first law is that things can be funny only when we are "in fun". There may be a serious thought or motive lurking underneath our humor. We may be only "half in fun" and still perceive things as funny. Ask yourself, "Is this audience "in fun"; do I dare use humor; can they be moved into "in fun""?

When an audience is "in fun", they will take your humor and words in a playful way and enjoy them as well. When however, they are "dead earnest" it is humor that is dead. Faced with an audience in such a mood, humor may require an extremely delicate and practiced application. Better to not try to get a laugh than have one flop in such a situation. You must be able to read your audience accurately.
2. The second law is that when we are "in fun", a peculiar shift of values takes place. Pleasant things are still pleasant, but disagreeable things, so long as they are not disagreeable enough to "spoil the fun", tend to acquire a pleasant emotional flavor and provoke a laugh. Someone who can think funny has the natural ability to see the humor in the painful lessons of life.
3. The third law is that being "in fun" is a condition most natural to childhood, and that children at play reveal the humorous laugh in its simplest and most omnivorous form. To them every untoward, unprepared for, unmanageable, inauspicious, ugly, disgusting, puzzling, startling, deceiving, shaking, blinding, jolting, deafening, banging, bumping, or otherwise shocking and disturbing thing, unless it be calamitous enough to force them out of the mood of play, is enjoyable as funny. Can something be said carelessly by a speaker that can move an audience out of "in fun"? A speaker must be aware of the mood of the audience at all times.
4. The fourth law is that grown-up people retain in varying degrees this aptitude for being in fun and thus enjoying unpleasant things as funny. But those not richly endowed with humor manage to feel a very comic feeling only when within, or behind or beyond, or suggested by, the playfully unpleasant thing, there is a pleasant one. Only then do they laugh uproariously like playing children. And they call this complicated thing or combination of things at which they laugh, a joke. Audiences made up of individuals who have retained in varying degrees the aptitude for being "in fun" provide the humorous speaker with a great challenge; that of reaching all present. Like Charlie says, some members of the audience are thinking, "OK Buster, lets see if you can make me laugh....... "
In regards to being "in fun", never were more illuminating words spoken about humor than those spoken by the hero of the Virginian. He said, "Smile when you say that!" In that case the difference between being "in fun" and not being "in fun" might have been a well-placed bullet. Eastman relates the feeling to the experience of wrestling around with a dog. You are rough-housing, wrestling, playing and all the while the dog's tail is wagging wildly; you know the dog is "in fun". Compare that to the demeanor of a strange dog guarding a strangers yard. That dog is not "in fun".
But, back to the psychology of humor. Considering that humor is a painful thing told playfully, we see that discomfort is a key element in the makeup of a joke. Often the discomfort of others. We may feel superior due to a momentary instance where others are placed in an embarrassing situation. For the speaker, that simple fact has important ramifications. You certainly do not want to make your audience or any particular member of the group feel inferior.
In breaking the ice and becoming a welcome speaker, there is no better way than to make yourself the butt of the joke. Self-effacing humor is always safe in that you appear human to your audience and you do not risk offending them in any way. So an excellent rule of thumb to follow is:

Play it safe, use self effacing humor.

To be continued on Part 3.

The Art of Using Humor in Public Speaking (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:39:00 +0700

by Anthony L. Audrieth

Introduction to the Art of Using Humor in Public Speaking

The Art of Using Humor in Public Speaking is just that. It is an art, not to be taken lightly, but to be applied with great care. Your audience will judge your presentation, regardless of your use of humor. If you can entertain while teaching, then all the better. If you use humor poorly however, you can do irreparable damage to your cause. In other words, poorly handled humor in a presentation can damage or destroy your credibility.
Using humor in public speaking can be very beneficial, both for the audience and the presenter. Heaven knows how deeply rooted cynicism is today in our culture. We are bombarded by negatives at every turn. A speaker who can effectively use humor to engage and entertain their audience possesses a valuable gift. You will be appreciated for providing heartfelt laughter; laughter that has therapeutic effects on listeners. And you will be remembered, talked about; your reputation as a truly great speaker will be enhanced and spread about.

This article is dedicated to Dr. Charles Jarvis, a man who spent a good part of his life entertaining people with good clean quality humor; humor with a message. Dr. Jarvis is retired now. Over his lifetime as a humorist he studied humor and its nuances. If you have not heard of Dr. Jarvis, then you have missed much when it comes to using humor to educate and entertain. After a successful career as dentist, he left the dental office behind and headed for the podium in 1965 as a professional humorous speaker, entertaining audiences for over 30 years.
Never one to do anything half-way, he studied humor intently and applied his skills nationwide. This dedication to making people laugh brought him membership in the International Speaker's Hall of Fame, Toastmasters International's Golden Gavel Award and the prestigious International Platform Association's Mark Twain Award for Humor. The Silver Bowl presented for the Mark Twain Award for Humor is engraved as follows, "To Charles W. Jarvis, Mark Twain's Successor As America's Most Delightful Depictor of the Virtues and Weaknesses of Humanity with Humor's Paintbrush". His colleagues in the speaking profession include Dr. Kenneth McFarland, Bill Gove and Cavett Robert; they recognize his skills and excellence in the field. I'll refer to Dr. Jarvis' ideas regularly; any serious student of humor should own his entire collection of speeches and workshops cassettes.
One other important point about Dr. Jarvis and his skills. Dr. Jarvis is a humorist, a humorous speaker. not a comedian. The information here is aimed at speakers who want to use humor in public speaking. The skills that Dr. Jarvis demonstrates on his tapes and the information presented in his workshops, while aimed at those interested in being a humorous speaker on the circuit, are still applicable to public speaking. While the purposes are different, the skills apply equally to both types of speaking.

Who is THE ART OF USING HUMOR IN PUBLIC SPEAKING for?
For any person who must speak in public or private, to business or pleasure groups, humor is an invaluable indispensable tool for getting your message across. Why Use Humor? There are several reasons. As already mentioned, people will enjoy what you have to say if it is presented with humor. But more importantly, if you are in a situation where important and perhaps controversial ideas must be presented to less than open minds, humor allows those ideas to be presented in a non-threatening manner. Abraham Lincoln was famous for his ability to relate humorous stories to make a point. Humor used carefully throughout a presentation will keep listener's interest high.
This short monograph is not meant to be a primer for budding stand-up comedians whose goal is 100% entertainment. While they may find valuable information and insights here, stand-up comedy is only one way humor can be used. I would like to see individuals learn to use humor to bolster arguments, support interesting presentations and most of all, entertain in a positive and uplifting way.

The use of off-color, risque or blue humor, humor which derives its "effectiveness" from shock value, sexual content, or relation to bodily functions has no place in the repertoire of the professional speaker.
While popular culture may well embrace questionable humor, it has no place in presentations that are designed to educate and uplift audiences. If your goal is to become a professional stand-up comedian, then you may well be able to use some of the reference materials presented here to expand your skills and sources of humor. To that end I welcome your participation in this study of humor. Hopefully, you will come to appreciate the exceptional difficulty of entertaining an audience with good clean humor.

What exactly is humor?
Humor is defined as "the mental faculty of discovering, expressing or appreciating the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous". Ludicrous is an adjective meaning amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration or eccentricity. What is incongruous? It is something lacking congruity, inconsistent within itself. Well, now that you know what humor is, let's just say simply that humor is a form of expression intended to arouse amusement. Wit is defined as, "the power to evoke laughter by remarks showing verbal felicity or ingenuity and swift perception, especially of the incongruous". Synonymous with wit are, humor, irony, sarcasm, satire and repartee, which are all modes of expression intended to arouse amusement. But there is another element to wit which Dr. Jarvis explains by saying, "Wit punctures, humor pictures." A person with wit delivers witticisms which are defined as cleverly witty and often biting or ironic remarks with the ability to relate seemingly disparate things so as to illuminate or amuse.
Who should use humor?
Anyone whose job it is to communicate to groups of individuals, to share information or to motivate, could use humor to invigorate their message and improve the reception of their audience. But on an individual basis, who should use humor? That depends on several things. Does the situation lend itself to a humorous approach? Would humor detract from your credibility with the audience? Perhaps most importantly, can you use humor effectively? I am sure you have met people who could not tell a joke if their lives depended on it. The person who will do well with humor will most likely be a person who sees things in a humorous light. Some people may use props to get a laugh, but the ability to see the humor in life is one of the most important assets you may have as a professional speaker. It takes great skill and not a little natural talent to really apply humor effectively. While you can learn to use humor and do a fairly good job at it, the use of humor is not for everyone.

If deep, deep down, you know that you are a klutz when it comes to delivering the punch line, if you can't seem to get jokes right, then consider carefully your decision to use humor.

I believe that everyone can use humor effectively, once they find the type of humor which fits their speaking style. Remember, we are not necessarily looking for future stand-up comedians here, but for individuals who are willing to study and learn to apply humor in their public speaking. Great damage can be done if you try to use humor in an important situation and fail. Again, your credibility as an expert in whatever field you may be in, may be questioned if you deliver a really dumb joke to an intelligent audience. They may not suffer fools gladly. So, take this material seriously. Practice religiously, overlearn your material and be absolutely sure that your humor is relevant to your subject and appropriate for your audience.
In the following pages I am going to introduce you to the basics. You may get a few laughs out of it, but that is not the purpose. Humor is too serious to be taken lightly, that is why I have put together this primer. You will learn about the psychology of humor, the types of humor, how to apply them and where to find materials. Throughout I will give you the names of different books and different humorists so that you can expand your study to encompass the knowledge of true scholars and experts in the field. I'll cover a lot of ground fairly quickly, leaving you with the basics and enough reference information to give you years of future work to do as you become an outstanding humorous speaker.

to be continued (part 2 and so on)

Republik Hedonesia Raya

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:49:00 +0700

Cartoon by Jitet Koestana

O ya, perkenalkan nama saya Adygank Adigoonk Adygoenha! Orang sering menyebut saya A3, Mr. A3! Pekerjaan saya politikus; iya, ini sejujurnya. Bodo amat orang bilang politikus itu bukan pekerjaan tapi media aktualisasi diri. Yang jelas saya masuk partai politik, pake modal. Mencalonkan diri jadi anggota parlemen juga pake modal; jadi bila dikorelasikan dengan hukum ekonomi, pas toh? Barangsiapa berkegiatan di suatu bidang tertentu yang di dalamnya memerlukan modal uang, maka di situlah kaidah bisnis berlaku. Bahkan kalau perlu, dengan modal sekecil-kecilnya bisa mendapatkan untung sebesar-besarnya.

Bukannya nyombong, sebagai anggota parlemen yang bertugas di Komisi X (baca: eks; bukan sepuluh), saya berhak mendapatkan advantage sebagai warga kelas terhormat; itulah makanya saya lebih suka pake istilah parlemen bukan wakil rakyat, karena de facto, kerja saya memang tidak harus berkaitan dengan kepentingan rakyat. Itu fakta konkret yang perlu dipahami dulu, soal terminologi itu perlu tuntas dulu sebelum ada suara-suara berisik yang selalu memojokkan kami, eh saya, wakil rakyat kok nggak pernah nyambung sama aspirasi rakyat. Jelas dong mereka kan tidak tahu apa yang ada di kepala dan hati saya, visi, misi, dan motivasi saya bergerak di bisnis ini.

Di Republik Hedonesia Raya -- negeri ini kalau dilihat dari satelit atau foto udara selalu samar karena tertutup kabut putih yang berasal dari asap cerutu para bandar, cukong, dan sekutunya dan cerutu itu simbol establisme abadi soal positioning, segmen dan kelas mereka – saya merasa hidup nyaman; karena filosofinya jelas: siapa kuat dia yang dapat. Di negara ini kita semua dipacu untuk terus berkompetisi. Para pemenang, tak peduli gimana trik dan etika, dipuja dan diapresiasi tinggi sekali; sementara para pecundang, harus tahu diri, menyingkir ke pinggir. Atau kalau masih punya kehormatan, bunuh diri!

Kompetisi itu bagi saya seperti ladang kurusetra, tempat para satria dan musuh bertarung. Seperti halnya di ruang sidang, kami, saya khususnya, tak beda pengacara yang harus membela klien sehebat-hebatnya. Tak penting apakah klien itu benar atau salah, pengacara yang tahu artinya profesi di kepalanya hanya ada kata: menang, menang dan menang! Kompetisi itu juga persis ideologi bisnis yang paling primitif sekalipun, targetnya hanya satu: profit! Kalau ingat ini semua, saya sering sedih melihat orang-orang romantikus, mereka yang sering menyebut kaum idealis, yang menjustifikasi kami, khususnya saya, sebagai mahluk yang tidak tahu artinya idealisme. Bagaimana bisa? Semua langkah dan sepakterjang saya di posisi saya adalah karena idealisme. Masalahnya saja, idealisme kita yang berbeda!

Isu soal kemanusiaan, empati, solidaritas sosial, keberpihakan pada kaum lemah, apa urusannya dengan saya? Bagaimana saya harus memberi peluang pada itu, sementara di posisi saya adanya hanya perang. Perang adalah di mana kalau kita tidak membunuh akan terbunuh. To be or not to be. Untuk survive, saya harus menyingkirkan semua potensi musuh yang setiap saat bakal menumbangkan saya. Jadi terus terang saja pintu saya tutup rapat-rapat untuk urusan melonkolia di atas. Saya harus kekeuh pegang prinsip, dengan menjadi pemenang, maka saya mendapatkan kehormatan. Dengan mendapatkan kehormatan maka saya akan mendapatkan keistimewaan; dengan keistimewaan saya layak mendapatkan gelar warga teladan dari negara. Dengan demikian segala fasilitas kemudahan dan kemewahan melekat secara otomatis ke dalam diri saya.

Hedonisme, sebagai way of life, itu suci bagi kami, khususnya bagi saya; sama saja dengan pandangan hidup negeri tetangga, kalau tidak salah sebut Pancasila, bagi Indonesia. Untuk bisa hidup hedonis secara murni dan konsekuen, kami harus berjuang mati-matian. Maksdunya, harus tampil secara high profile, tak punya malu, membunuh hati nurani sendiri, egois -- baik individu maupun kelompok (partai) -- piawai berbohong (sampai mesin lie detector, takluk), pandai berakting (hingga rakyat ikut menitikkan air mata saat kita curhat), suka berderma (orang-orang sinis mengatakan kami melakukan money politic), lihai dalam persekongkolan alias konspirasi dan masih banyak lagi strategi dan teknik yang orang-orang iri sering menyebutnya: busuk dan jahat.

Tetapi kami (saya dan teman-teman yang sepaham) sadar betul bahwa posisi di parlemen ini memang sangat istimewa. Kewenangan untuk melegislasi atau tidak melegislasi suatu RUU menjadi UU ternyata kini berharga sangat mahal. Kalau novelis kondang Ernest Hemmingway pernah bangga satu kata dari novelnya dihargai sekian dollar AS oleh penerbit, kami hanya ketawa. Karena satu kalimat bahkan satu kata yang masuk atau harus dihilangkan di alinea atau pasal rancangan undang-undang saja, orang mau bayar hingga miliaran rupiah. Di muka lagi. Belum lagi gaji dalam bentuk THP, take home pay, dan kejutan-kejutan lain yang tak pernah saya bayangkan sebelumnya.

Mengapa ini nyaman bagi kami, saya khususnya, karena institusi atau lembaga lain yang ada seperti eksekutif, yudikatif, bahkan pers, sudah satu nada dan irama dengan filosofi kami semua. Kalau toh ada kasus-kasus mencolok yang terkait di lembaga kami atau lembaga setingkat di eksekutif maupun yudikatif, pers sudah tahu apa yang harus mereka lakukan; ya, mereka segera menyajikan berita-berita kecil seperti orang mencuri buah coklat, sandal jepit, kapuk dan sebagainya menjadi berita besar dan dramatis sehingga orang berpaling ke sana. Bagaimana tidak? Pencuri sandal jepit dituntut jaksa dengan hukuman 5 tahun penjara, kan itu langsung membuat orang bergunjing penuh semangat. Beda dengan negeri tetangga Indonesia; negeri hebat itu lewat lembaga yang disebut KPK, sekarang sedang konsen memburu penjahat di balik kasus-kasus besar yang merugikan negara.

Indonesia, biarlah berjaya dengan komitmen dan supremasi hukumnya; negara saya, Hedonesia Raya, biarlah tetap sebagai negara saya. The right or wrong is my country. Hidup Hedonesia!!!

(kolom-001/smg/24/12/2011)

Best Stand Up Comedy Ever! Mitch Fatel.

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:13:00 +0700

Julia's Sexy Smart Stand-Up Set

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:09:00 +0700

Rowan Atkinson as pizzaman

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:04:00 +0700

Rowan Atkinson: Tom, Dick & Harry

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:59:00 +0700

A seed ascends around the turntable

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Mon, 23 May 2011 22:17:00 +0700

Relation between Humor and Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Sun, 22 May 2011 23:40:00 +0700

Lose Weight & Incrase Energy

Burn your "spirit" to get high stamina

Have you ever tried to Caralluma Actives?

What about Hoodia Gordonii Plus?

Do you think this is a real MEN? XtremeNO!

Think straight! Look at the before and the after!

Jokes Are Better In Context

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:47:00 +0700

By Julie Hopkins

Cartoon by Jitet Koestana

Have you ever attempted to give some kind of a joke, for example at the beginning of a presentation, only to have it fall on what seems like terribly deaf ears? You are not alone. Depending on the context or the particular audience to which the humor is directed, very different results can occur.

Suppose you are in a very stuffy business meeting with very formal attire and a strict adherence to the protocol of the day. In this instance, you would be shooting yourself in the foot if you were to attempt any kind of low-brow or slapstick jokes of any kind. It simply will not work because of the fact that everyone in the audience is already in a very tense frame of mind and nobody will want to seem unprofessional by laughing or encouraging the joke teller.

On the other hand, let's assume you are giving a talk to members of a kindergarten class. Would this be the appropriate time to try out some of your most sophisticated, dry humor? Of course not. Instead try to relate to the children with some jokes about toys, food, or parents. That will have those little kids rolling on the ground laughing in no time flat. And you'll get a superb ego boost as well.

What about in the middle of the spectrum? Balance is the key. Don't forget to judge for yourself whether or not your particular audience is right for lower or higher kinds of jokes and comedy.

Julie Hopkins enjoys research.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Hopkins

What is the definition of happiness anyway?

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Fri, 7 Jan 2011 23:38:00 +0700

So many ways to define happiness. Here are some definitions of happiness to inspire you.

Painting by Suroso

Finding happiness is like finding yourself. You don't find happiness, you make happiness. You choose happiness. Self-actualization is a process of discovering who you are, who you want to be and paving the way to happiness by doing what brings YOU the most meaning and contentment to your life over the long run.
This definition of happiness by David Leonhardt, The Happy Guy

True happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.
This definition of happiness by Helen Keller

You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation.
This definition of happiness by Bette Davis

Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords.
This definition of happiness by Samuel Johnson

Happiness is man's greatest aim in life. Tranquility and rationality are the cornerstones of happiness.
This definition of happiness by Epicurus

How do you define happiness?
Send us your happy thought or definition of happiness,
and we just might publish it.

Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.
This definition of happiness by Og Mandino

Happiness is contagious...when you reflect happiness, then all others around you catch the happy bug and are happy, too.
This definition of happiness by Jennifer Leese

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
This definition of happiness by Mahatma Gandhi

Happiness is an inner state of well being. A state of well being enables you to profit from your highest: thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values in your life.
This definition of happiness by Lionel Ketchian

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
This definition of happiness by Thich Nhat Hanh

A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.
This definition of happiness by Hugh Downs

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.
This definition of happiness by Aristotle

There is a French proverb: To live happy, live hidden. Where can Brigitte Bardot hide?
This definition of happiness by Brigitte Bardot

Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.
This definition of happiness by Spike Milligan

Happiness ain't a thing in itself--it's only a contrast with something that ain't pleasant.
This definition of happiness by Mark Twain

Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half sorrow.
This definition of happiness is a Swedish proverb

Happiness is the only sanction of life; where happiness fails, existence remains a mad and lamentable experiment.
This definition of happiness by George Santayana

I give thanks for the joy and happiness in life and trust that God does indeed want me to be happy.
This definition of happiness by Marty Varnadoe Dow

Happiness comes only from appreciating what you have right now. You can even be happy by appreciating your troubles because they are helping to build your character.
This definition of happiness by Harriet Meyerson

It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.
This definition of happiness by Agnes Rippler

Happiness is mostly a by-product of doing what makes us feel fulfilled.
This definition of happiness by Dr. Benjamin Spock

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, And the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
This definition of happiness by Buddha

Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so.
This definition of happiness by Robert G. Ingersoll

Happiness: An agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another.
This definition of happiness by Ambrose Bierce

Life can be divided into the horrible and miserable.
This definition of happiness by Woody Allen

There is work that is work and there is play that is play; there is play that is work and work that is play. And in only one of these lie happiness.
This definition of happiness by by Gelett Burgess

There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness.
This definition of happiness by the Countess of Blessington

Happiness is not merely a life lived by accumulating moments of pleasure. On the contrary, happiness is a long lasting enduring enjoyment of life, it is being in love with living. It is your reward for achieving a good character and personal rational values in life. Some important values are a productive career, romance, friendship and hobbies.
This definition of happiness by Dr. Ellen Kenner.

By all means marry: If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
This definition of happiness by Socrates.

Happiness is not in having or being—it is in the doing.
This definition of happiness by Lillian Watson.

Happiness is living in a state of freely choosing to create and exchange one's rational values with others.
This definition of happiness by John Roberts.

But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads.
This definition of happiness by Albert Camus

The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances.
This definition of happiness by Martha Washington.

Happiness is a thing to be practiced, like the violin.
This definition of happiness by John Lubbock

Happiness... is not a destination: it is a manner of traveling. Happiness is not an end in itself. It is a by-product of working, playing, loving and living.
This definition of happiness by Haim Ginott.

Happiness for me is to know that my life has meaning and purpose, and that every day my life touches others in a positive way--whether to make them laugh or learn or both at once!
This definition of happiness by Deanna Mascle

To be truly happy and contented, you must let go of what it means to be happy or content.
This definition of happiness by Confucius

The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure.
This definition of happiness by Francoise de Motteville

Happiness is something you get as a by-product in the process of making something else.
This definition of happiness by Aldous Huxley

What's the use of happiness? It can't buy you money.
This definition of happiness by Henny Youngman

Happiness is when your mind is thinking through your heart.
This definition of happiness by Judi Singleton

Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.
This definition of happiness by Albert Schweitzer.

Whoever is happy will make others happy, too.
This definition of happiness by Mark Twain

Happiness can be defined, in part at least, as the fruit of the desire and ability to sacrifice what we want now for what we want eventually.
This definition of happiness by Stephen Covey

David Leonhardt is author of a self-help happiness book. He also runs a this happiness website.

Kartunis Indonesia Melukis?

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 20:20:00 +0700

Oleh Darminto M Sudarmo

Bukti bahwa kartunis Indonesia, khususnya para kartunis lepas, gelisah, sudah terlihat sejak tahun 1980-an. Maka ketika terjadi “Pertemuan Kartunis Nasional” yang bertempat di Balai Wartawan – Semarang, Jawa Tengah (sekarang: Hotel Ciputra-Simpang Lima) pada 1984-an, dengan agenda besar yang diusung: upaya pemberdayaan kartunis terkait dengan posisinya sebagai profesi, mudah ditebak apa yang terjadi kemudian: kartunis Indonesia “menggugat”. Menggugat pada siapa? Tentu saja menggugat pada pihak pemegang otoritas rubrik kartun di media atau redaktur penjaga gawang, supaya porsi pemuatan untuk karya kartun lebih diseriusi (kuantitasnya, diperbanyak). Salah satu rekomendasi yang dicuatkan saat itu adalah mengimbau media massa (koran dan majalah) memberikan peluang selayak-layaknya lewat penyediaan rubrik yang di dalamnya memuat gambar kartun sebagai menu rutin media tersebut.

Apakah imbauan dari para kartunis tersebut mendapatkan sambutan dari media cetak yang ada saat itu? Secara langsung, tidak. Namun bila dicermati secara bertahap, ada progresi yang terlihat. Bahkan secara kasar dapat dipersentasekan: media massa yang memuat kartun kurang lebih 70% dan yang tidak memuat sekitar 20%, sedangkan yang 10% kadang memuat kadang tidak.
Paradoks dengan fakta di atas, sepuluh tahun terakhir (sejak reformasi bergulir), tumbuh begitu banyak dan beraneka media cetak. Ada yang sekali terbit selanjutnya tidak ada kabarnya, alias gim. Ada pula yang terbit tiga/enam bulan sekali. Dan yang tak kalah menghebohkan, khususnya media cetak daerah: baru terbit kalau ada pengangkatan pejabat baru. Ibarat kata, media massa di era reformasi, banyak yang berguguran; itu terjadi lantaran tidak disambut baik oleh konsumen; namun tak kurang pula yang dapat bertahan dan tumbuh menjadi media cetak cukup tangguh dan membayangi beberapa media cetak yang tergolong establish. Dan kondisi yang terjadi saat ini bila dihubungkan dengan uraian di atas dapat ditemukan perbandingan penyediaan rubrik kartun/humor di media dimaksud dengan komposisi kuang lebih: 30% media yang konsisten dan sustain menyediakan rubrik kartun; 60%, media yang sama sekali tidak menyediakan rubrik kartun, dan 10% yang kadang memuat/tidak memuat kartun.
Orientasi Baru
Simpul persoalan sederhana yang dapat kita tarik korelasinya adalah: pada tahun 1980-an saja sudah ada kegelisahan kartunis semacam itu, apalagi pada tahun-tahun terakhir ini. Kegelisahan itu memang layak muncul terutama bila dikaitkan dengan posisi kartunis sebagai profesi. Tidak heran, bila kegelisahan yang semula lebih tertuju pada faktor media (gambar kartun di kertas/grafis) dan pilihan publikasi (koran atau majalah) namun karena secara obyektif tak banyak yang dapat diharapkan lagi, kini tumbuh wacana baru, katakanlah semacam gugatan, bahwa kartunis dalam berekspresi tak seharusnya bergantung pada media cetak semata. Perlu ada upaya lain dan orientasi baru.
Pilihan media ekspresi nya pun akhirnya dibentangkan selebar mungkin. Dari animasi, buku, batik, kanvas (cartoon painting/oil), keramik, sablon (t-shirt, mug, tas, dompet dan lain-ain), kartu ucapan, hingga ke alat bantu presentasi (slide show, jpeg, dan lain-lainnya). Pilihan-pilihan media ini ada yang sebagian lebih cocok ke ranah industri (produk massal), ada pula (tidak banyak) yang cocok untuk diaktualisasikan lewat sentuhan personal. Salah satunya adalah penggunaan media kanvas dalam bentuk lukisan kartun (cartoon painting/oil). Kalau pilihan ini bermotifkan “logis’-nya prospek sebagaimana yang terjadi pada seni rupa (seni lukis), wallahu alam. Istilah lukisan kartun atau cartoon painting/oil ini sendiri sebenarnya masih sangat spekulatif. Dalam literatur seni kartun, belum ada yang secara eksplisit menyebut istilah cartoon painting atau cartoon oil, dalam konteks aliran seni kartun atau kredo. Bahkan satiris Inggris, John Leech (1817-1864), yang di kemudian hari karya-karyanya banyak digolongkan pengamat sebagai bercorak kartunal/karikatural, mulanya lebih dikenal sebagai karikaturis (pelukis wajah yang berisi sindiran) dan ilustrator. Salah satu karya karikaturnya yang sangat popular berjudul Substance and Shadow dimuat di Majalah Punch pada 1843, majalah humor terkemuka pada zamannya yang terbit di Inggris. Sebagai illustrator, karya Leech juga menghiasi buku Charles Dickens; salah satu di antaranya A Christmas Carol.
Masih di tahun 1843, pelukis Inggris John Callcott Horsley (29 Januari 1817-18 Oktober 1903) dikenal pula sebagai pencipta Kartu Natal pertama di dunia yang ilustrasi kartunya mengundang kontroversi karena menggambarkan anak kecil sedang meminum anggur, lewat karyanya yang berjudul St Augustine Preaching memenangi sayembara Westminster Hall. Karya lukisnya ini disebut orang sebagai karya kartun. Itu terjadi lantaran muatan sindiriannya yang sangat kuat. Setahun kemudian Horsley terpilih sebagai salah satu dari enam pelukis yang ditugaskan untuk membuat lukisan dinding di Gedung Parlemen Inggris. Ada pertanyaan yang muncul, mengapa (bahkan) para pelukis pun berkecenderungan untuk menyindir atau mengkritik setiap berurusan dengan Parlemen Inggris ketika itu? Jangan-jangan jawabannya performance Parlemen Inggris ketika itu tak jauh berbeda dengan parlemen kita di zaman Orde Baru atau sepuluh tahun terakhir ini?
Kartunis Melukis
Satu hal yang menarik untuk disimak, berkaitan dengan semangat kartunis Indonesia yang juga mau melukis selain mengartun rutin di media massa (cetak) sepertinya secara sadar atau tidak sadar mereka sedang berupaya “back to basic”. Bagaimana tidak? Sebelum seni gambar/grafis lucu yang bernama kartun ditemukan atau disepakati termoniloginya, sebenarnya sebagian pelukis Eropa khususnya, telah melakukannya. Mereka melukis (tentu dengan media dan alat lukis sebagaimana yang kita pahami saat ini) baik wajah seseorang (dikenal masyarakat luas) atau peristiwa tertentu yang menjadi pusat perhatian masyarakat luas, dengan menyelipkan sindiran atau kritik di dalamnya. Apakah itu artinya para kartunis Indonesia akan melakukan re-aktualisasi warisan “seni” terdahulu karena “gawat”-nya media cetak yang mulai terancam eksistensinya atau ada strategi lain yang diam-diam telah mereka siapkan?
Namun bila dicermati lebih arif, sebenarnya “gerakan” yang bertumpu pada titik gelisah para kartunis Indonesia itu lebih tampak sebagai interval budaya yang penuh tantangan baru. Berubahnya disiplin dari pensil, pena/tinta, cat air dan kertas menuju kanvas, kuas, cat minyak/akrilik adalah revolusi media dan bahan; khususnya bagi yang baru pertama kali memulainya. Oleh karena itu, pilihan yang cukup ekstrem ini bukannya tanpa risiko. Pertanyaannya, benarkah ada kartunis yang belum gaul sama sekali pada media dan bahan seni lukis? Bukankah tak kurang pula pelukis Indonesia yang juga cukup mahir bekerja dan berpikir bak seorang kartunis? Lihat saja lukisan-lukisan karya Heri Dono, Eddie Hara, Erica, dan I Nyoman Masriadi, sekadar menyebut nama. Bukankah karya-karya mereka juga cukup mengandung “ruh” kartun atau setidaknya bernuansa kritik dan sedikit berbumbu humor.
Sekali layar terkembang, pantang untuk surut kembali. Begitu setidaknya semangat yang merayapi sejumlah kartunis Indonesia yang melakukan uji coba menampilkan karyanya di Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta pada 12-22 Agustus 2010 silam. Dan menurut kritikus seni rupa Kuss Indarto masih banyak kelemahan dalam pengkurasian maupun kualitas kekaryaannya itu sendiri. Kegagalan itu tentu bukan akhir segala-galanya. Keinginan sejumlah kartunis untuk melakukan “piknik” atau penjelajahan media, di luar media lazim yang biasa mereka lakukan bukan sesuatu yang menyimpang atau menyalahi adat. Para kartunis juga punya hak untuk melakukan napak tilas estetika (karena nenek moyang mereka juga para pelukis bengal atau badung), sambil menjaring “mimpi” tentang kemungkinan peluang menjajaki “pasar” seni rupa yang selama ini belum menyentuh karya seni kartun secara terbuka dan legitimated.

Darminto M Sudarmo, peminat seni kartun dan seni lukis.

Catatan:
Keterangan gambar sebagai referensi atau untuk dimuat, bila dirasa perlu:
1. Silvester Stalone, karya Sebastian Kruger, akrilik di atas kanvas (sumber: google.com)
2. Substance and Shadow, karya John Leech (sumber: google.com)
3. Caricature on Canvas karya Djoko Susilo (sumber: Document djokosusilo@2009)

4. Lelucon Pejabat karya Ifoed, cat minyak di atas kanvas (Sumber: Dok. Ifoed)

Pengalaman Kocak Jitet Koestana

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 01:32:00 +0700

Tidak Ada yang Ujug-ujug

Langsung Berhasil

Perkenalkan nama saya Jitet Koestana. Saya lahir di Semarang, Jawa Tengah, 4 Januari 1967. Kata orang sih, nama saya Koestana saja. Tetapi kata saya, ada tambahannya Jitet. Kalau nama pop artis-artis biasanya serba glamor dan keren, nama pop saya justru Jitet. Anda tahu apa artinya Jitet? Dalam bahasa Jawa jitet artinya mlithut. Kalau ada baju atau celana yang lobang atau sobek, karena tak ada kain lain yang mirip, maka karena tak sabar, biasanya langsung ambil jarum dan benang untuk dijahit secara militer, eh, paksa, maka hasilnya baju atau celana itu jadi mlithut karena dijitet.

Beda dengan para artis yang memang dibuatkan nama pop oleh produser, saya justru memakai nama Jitet memang sejak dari awal berlatih menggambar kartun. Biar Jitet artinya rada katro seperti di atas, tetapi saya sangat cocok dengan nama ini. Bahkan mungkin justru dengan nama ini pula Tuhan memberikan banyak anugerah dan kemudahan bagi saya. Maka saya sangat bersyukur dengan nama yang sederhana tersebut.

Berbeda dengan banyak kartunis lain, memulai segalanya dengan bekal pengetahuan yang memadai, saya justru memulai dari keadaan yang serba kurang. Kurang secara pengetahuan, biaya, apalagi jaringan. Meskipun demikian saya sama sekali tidak menyesal.

Saya bersyukur berlatih menggambar kartun secara otodidak, menambah pengetahuan secara otodidak, bergaul dan menempa diri secara otodidak, ternyata Tuhan memberikan jalan yang lapang, meskipun pada awalnya sangat berat dan banyak sekali tantangannya.

Saya ingat sekali, pada suatu ketika salah seorang senior saya memberi saran, untuk dapat membedah dan membuka rahasia dunia dan alam semesta sehingga kita jadi tahu siapa kita dan di mana kita, lalu mau apa kita, ke mana kita menuju, caranya tidak sulit, cukup dengan membaca buku. Khususnya buku-buku filsafat. Karena kata para ahli, filsafatlah yang akan membongkar kontruksi ilmu pengetahuan di dunia secara radikal. Mempertanyakan segala teka-teki secara menyeluruh dan tanpa ampun.

Buku-buku itu pada akhirnya membuat mata saya terbuka. Betapa benar ungkapan yang mengatakan buku itu jendela dunia. Senior saya itu sering mengatakan, apa sih sebenarnya yang dilakukan orang-orang sekolahan? Mereka disuruh membaca, menghafal atau menganalisa buku-buku yang wajib dibacanya kemudian meringkas atau menjalani test sampai seberapa jauh mereka memahami isi yang ada dalam buku itu? Begitulah ritualnya. Dari zaman baheula sampai sekarang. Tradisi itu tidak pernah berubah. Kalau hanya menjalani itu, mengapa harus melewati upacara masuk sekolah dulu, sesuai jenjang dan sekian banyak barikade, sehingga banyak waktu terbuang. Mengapa bila orang sudah dapat membaca dan menulis tidak boleh memilih sendiri buku-buku yang ingin dibacanya?

Dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, kaitannya dengan tekanan batas waktu dalam pekerjaan bagi ilustrator atau kartunis yang harus selalu segar dalam gagasan, buku-buku, apalagi ilmu filsafat yang pernah kita cerna, kontribusinya sangat besar. Bahan-bahan itu seperti sebuah deposit, seperti tabungan, ketika kita dalam keadaan terdesak dan membutuhkannya, dengan sangat refleks mereka datang sendiri memberi bantuan bagi gagasan kita. Seperti situasi yang ajaib, tetapi sesungguhnya sangat wajar. Dalam hal ini, memang kita tak mungkin bisa memberi yang kita tidak punya. Begitu pula dengan ide. Jangan harap kalau kita tidak pernah nabung lalu enak-enak aja narik duit dari ATM pada saat kehabisan duit padahal saldo kita kosong. Begitulah, kehidupan ternyata sangat adil dan rasional!

Setiap ditanya bagaimana semua ini bisa terjadi, saya selalu menjawab dengan bahasa saya, “Tidak ada yang sulapan dan ujug-ujug langsung menjadi kartunis berhasil. Semua dimulai dari kerja keras dan semangat juang tak kenal menyerah!”

Begitulah, ternyata omongan saya kamso banget, ya? Tak apa. Mau cerita yang lebih kamso? Saya punya. Ini dia.
Wah, menyebut-nyebut kata kamso rasanya bikin malu aja. Sepertinya kok saya sibuk memuji diri sendiri. Tapi apa boleh buat; nyatanya kamso itu memang indah he he he. Begini. Pada tahun yang telah lewat, saya pernah bekerja sebagai pengrajin fibreglass. Tugas saya membentuk gantungan kunci atau plakat yang sebelumnya masih kasar (ketika dikeluarkan dari cetakan) untuk kemudian dihaluskan. Memang untuk dapat mewujudkan itu diperlukan ketelitian dan ketekunan. Setelah proses penghalusan selesai, akan diperoleh sebuah kreasi indah meski hanya sebuah gantungan kunci. Proses penghalusan itu dimulai dari menggerenda, mengamplas, dan memoles dari sebuah resin cetakan yang tadinya cuma kotak. Pada saat melakukan penggerendaan selalu keluar debu yang kadang tampak seperti kabut, kalau menempel di kulit susah sekali menghilangkannya. Ini yang bikin pusing; padahal sudah mandi dan pakai sabun segala ( seperti orang luluran dengan kapur).

Dari debu yang menempel di kulit itulah yang sekarang memberi kenangan begitu mendalam bagi saya.

Suatu hari saya dan teman sekerja hendak makan siang karena perut sudah tak bisa ditahan lagi. Saya sekadarnya saja membersihkan debu fiber yang menempel di tubuh. Kami pun berangkat dan mampir di sebuah rumah yang mirip warung nasi. Dari dalam rumah muncul seorang wanita yang lalu nyeletuk, “Wah sanese mawon, Mas.” (Tempat lain aja, Mas) ucapan yang umum digunakan di Semarang untuk mengusir pengemis.

He he he.....kami pun maklum karena memang penampilkan kami yang terlihat kumuh dan berdebu, jadi wajar kalau dikira pengemis.

Dengan malu-malu laper kami pun ngeloyor pergi, karena rumah itu pun ternyata juga bukan rumah makan! Juga pernah suatu hari saya sangat mengharapkan kehadiran wesel hasil dari menggambar kartun yang telah dimuat di sebuah media; tapi harapan itu tak terpenuhi, karena dari pagi hingga sore, tak ada pak pos yang nongol.Akibatnya, dari pagi hingga sore hari tak sebatang rokok pun terisap. Karena tak tahan dengan asamnya mulut, maka saya pun melakukan apa yang paling mungkin saya lakukan. Kebetulan di rumah ada gitar; kebetulan pula saya bisa nyanyi walau tak merdu-merdu amat; dan kebetulannya lagi, saya dianugerahi nyali.

Maka pada sore itu saya jadi penyanyi. Bukan jadi bintang Indonesian Idol, atau artis akademi fantasi, tapi jadi pengamen. Satu keinginan saya sederhana saja, yaitu sebungkus rokok. Dengan harapan kuat dan tekat bulat, saya pun nyanyi dari rumah ke rumah. Ada yang memberi, tapi ada yang tidak. ada yang memberi sedikit, ada pula yang banyak. Hasilnya? Tentu saja duit recehan. Tapi bukan itu saja, yang mengagetkan hasilnya lebih dari yang saya harapkan. Saya tak hanya mampu membeli rokok, tapi juga mie rebus dan makanan gorengan. Masih ada sedikit sisa uang lagi buat besoknya, ....asyiiik!

Darminto M. Sudarmo

Taking Your Humor To The Next Level

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Mon, 9 Aug 2010 17:34:00 +0700

Image via Wikipedia

A dozen ways to improv your humor talents.
Here are some specific things you can do to sharpen your humor skills: To see the humor around you and to deliver it from the platform with punch.

   1. Toastmasters clubs are the best place to work on your observational humor skills. They provide you a weekly laboratory to hone your skills helping you see the funny stuff around you. Give yourself the assignment of always creating at least one piece of observational humor by the end of every meeting. Through practice, I've found that I can normally create about 10 pieces of observational humor in a two-hour meeting.

   2. Volunteer to plan party skits. Nearly every organization you join needs someone to chair a planning committee for retirements, award presentations, going away parties, holiday functions, etc. Find someone who is funny to be your co-chair, and get to work creating fun things to share with the group. This is how I got started on my humor path thirty years ago.

   3. Improv classes are the single most exciting thing I've done for my humor and presentation skills. Look for an improv comedy class near you. Search the phone book for TheatreSports or ComedySportz troupes. Also contact the drama departments at your local college and your local community theatre group. They may be able to point you to an improv workshop nearby.

   4. Alexander Technique coaching will sharpen your delivery. Nearly all successful actors have studied the Alexander Technique. Body Learning by Michael Gelb will give you an explanation of the technique, however you really will need one-on-one coaching by a certified Alexander Teacher. Again, check your local theatre groups for a teacher. Or contact me. My teacher is the president of the North American Society of Alexander Teachers.

   5. Speech 101. That's right! Check your local college class offerings. Search for a teacher who has an extensive background in presentation skills, acting, etc. I did this after I had been speaking full-time for over 10 years and received some great coaching for a very minimal cost. Explain to the instructor that you're not the normal student and would like some special attention.

   6. Dance classes (jazz, modern, ballet, hip hop) are a great way to work on your expressive skills and to help you move with ease. Very highly recommended.

   7. Singing lessons are a great way to work on your vocal qualities. Much of your success in humor comes from the vocal variety (I like to call it vocal music) that you put into your delivery. Singing coaching improves your voice quality, projection, enunciation, and more. You can sing with a church choir, barbershop chorus or quartet. Of if you're really courageous, sing solo. Search for a group that's led by an exceptional director.

   8. Acting lessons will sharpen your ability to tell funny stories and develop characters. Search for a talented director and then commit yourself to the rehearsal and production schedule.

   9. Get professional coaching from a humor and presentation skills coach. The National Speakers Association is a good resource for coaches.

10. Visit a comedy club and study the style of the comics. How do they structure their material? How do they deliver it? What do they say and do in the first thirty seconds? Sit in the front row and you may be part of the act! If you really feel brave, take the stage on Open-Mike Night and try your own material in front of a live audience.

11. Sign language classes will add color to your delivery style. Take your classes from a deaf instructor. Watch a deaf person tell a joke and see their face light up. American Sign Language is very expressive.

12. Mime classes will help you focus on the magic of body language.

"Copyright by John Kinde, who is a humor specialist in the training and speaking business for over 30 years specializing in teambuilding, customer service and stress management. Free Special Reports: Show Me The Funny -- Tips for Adding Humor to Your Presentations and When They Don't Laugh -- What To Do When the Laughter Doesn't Come. Humor Power Tips newsletter, articles and blog are available at www.humorpower.com."

Humor and Diversity

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Mon, 9 Aug 2010 17:23:00 +0700

Image via Wikipedia

Things to consider when using humor touching on diversity and minority groups.

   1. When is it safe to use humor pointed at diverse groups? There is no clear cut answer. But here are some thoughts on the subject.

   2. Diversity is everywhere you look. Our society is abundantly diverse. And, normally, so are your audiences. Catholics, bi-sexuals, physically challenged, heavy people, tall people, old people, women, Southerners, rich people, Hispanics, blue collar workers. And then there are people who are none of the above. This list reflects only a small portion of the vast diversity in our society.

   3. What if you are an outsider, not a member of a group? Well, I generally recommend to a speaker presenting to nurses to avoid nursing jokes if the speaker is not a nurse. The reason? They have heard the jokes before. And you do not have the inside knowledge to judge whether the joke is truly funny or in good taste. So if you are speaking to a group of Republicans or doctors or Mormons or blacks, it is probably risky to target jokes toward their specific group if you are not one of them.

   4. Inside knowledge helps. Is it safe to tell a physically challenged joke, a black joke, a Jewish joke, gay joke, a joke about women? It's probably safe if you are a black Jewish Lesbian in a wheelchair. One of the safety factors is "are you part of the group?" Being blind, if you are telling a blind joke, may give you better insight on whether or not the joke is funny or in good taste. Being part of the group may also give you "permission" from the audience to tell the joke as someone who is not an outsider.

   5. A caveat is appropriate here. Let us say you are a Southern Baptist. And imagine you are speaking to Southern Baptists. Well then, Southern Baptist jokes should be OK? Probably. But good judgment is still called for. The world is so diverse. Not every Southern Baptist is just like you. Just when you think you are just like someone else and that you know what they are thinking...think again. We are all very unique.

   6. Where are you coming from? When telling a joke about a group, ask yourself: What is my motivation? Do you have negative feelings about the group? If so, the joke is probably not appropriate.

   7. Where did you hear the joke? Did an Asian tell you an Asian joke? If so, it may be safe to tell the joke quoting a third person who is part of the group. Note I said MAY be safe. Again good judgment is in order.

   8. When you are telling a joke, you might ask "Why am I telling it?" I hope you are using the humor to make a point. It is often safe to tell a joke if it makes an insightful learning point.

   9. The bottom line. There is no firm rule what is safe and what is not. Use good judgment. Remember, common wisdom says that good judgment comes from experience. And experience comes from bad judgment. Sometimes you just have to try something and see how it works, and then make corrections as necessary. But remember the sage advice, when in doubt, leave it out!

Copyright 2006 by John Kinde

"Copyright by John Kinde, who is a humor specialist in the training and speaking business for over 30 years specializing in teambuilding, customer service and stress management. Free Special Reports: Show Me The Funny -- Tips for Adding Humor to Your Presentations and When They Don't Laugh -- What To Do When the Laughter Doesn't Come. Humor Power Tips newsletter, articles and blog are available at www.humorpower.com."

A Well-Done Roast

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Fri, 9 Jul 2010 17:59:00 +0700

How to prepare a Roast that will be a hit.

Here are some thoughts to ensure success when you're in charge of a roast:
1. Be sure that the guest of honor wants a roast. Don't make it a surprise! Talk to the honoree and ensure that he or she is as excited about the idea of a roast as you are.
The guest of honor needs to know in advance because he or she plays just as big a role as the roasters do.
2. Select a Roastmaster who can be consistently funny in good taste. The Roastmaster is the MC of the event who makes all the introductions.
3. The Roastmaster should coordinate the entire program. Talk to each presenter and, ideally, review their roast script. The Roastmaster can help the roasters to sharpen their lines. If you are the Roastmaster, you are also interested in eliminating duplicate jokes from one roaster to the next. Also, emphasize to the roasters that less is more. Usually two minutes of remarks have more impact than a five minute script. Never give the roasters a time allotment to fill. You want each roaster to speak only as long as they are good. If that happens to be only 60 seconds...great.
4. The Roastmaster needs to work with the guest of honor and provide help, as needed, in writing the counter-roast at the end of the roast. That is the part where the guest of honor gets his or her turn at the microphone. It is important that the guest of honor looks good and is funny. The guest of honor should have at least one roast line to throw back at each roaster AND at the Roastmaster. The Roastmaster's help with this "icing-on-the-cake" part of the program is critical. Never leave the guest of honor alone to write the counter-roast script, unless he or she is a talented humorous speaker or doesn't want help.
5. When opening the roast, remember that some members of the audience will be uncomfortable with the idea of poking fun at people. Remind them that roasts are held only for "people we like" and that it's truly an honor to be the roastee. Begin the roast with humor to warm up the audience. As the Roastmaster, poking fun at yourself at the beginning is very important.
6. As the Roastmaster, be prepared to throw a roast-like line at each roaster as you introduce them for their part of the program. You are using a stepping stone approach to ensure the acceptance of the roast lines pointed at the guest of honor. Poking fun at yourself as the Roastmaster gives you permission, in a sense, to poke fun at the roasters. And since they had a laugh line made at their expense, it gives them permission to roast the guest of honor. There's a bit of psychology involved in this structure.
7. The guest of honor then has a substantial part of the program, the counter-roast. The guest of honor has "the last word" you might say. As the Roastmaster, never try to top the counter-roast. Close the program with some brief, serious, testimonial remarks about how wonderful the guest of honor really is.
8. Follow these seven items and you'll likely have a roast that will be remembered for a long time.

Copyright 2006 by John Kinde

"Copyright by John Kinde, who is a humor specialist in the training and speaking business for over 30 years specializing in teambuilding, customer service and stress management. Free Special Reports: Show Me The Funny -- Tips for Adding Humor to Your Presentations and When They Don't Laugh -- What To Do When the Laughter Doesn't Come. Humor Power Tips newsletter, articles and blog are available at www.humorpower.com."

Why Spontaneous Humor Is Powerful

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Fri, 9 Jul 2010 17:55:00 +0700

How the magic of fresh humor grabs the audience.

If you have ever used an original piece of humor, something created from an observation in the present moment, you know how powerful that can be. Here are some quick tips on why spontaneous and observational humor has impact.

1. For the past 25 years I have scored the entertainment value of my programs and jokes. Here is what I've learned about audience response. Observational and spontaneous humor raises the humor value of your lines by two notches. On a scale of one-to-ten, a funny line written specifically for the audience will get a response two points higher than a generic joke. If a humor line's normal laugher response would rate a 7 (specifically your personal rating for the quality of the audience response to a joke), when that same line is custom-designed for the audience, it will receive a 9 response value.
2. The response of the audience for whom the line was specifically written will always be much higher than another audience to whom you repeat the joke later. This explains why you can repeat a funny customized line from a previous program (a line which had the audience rolling with laughter) to your friends afterwards and they just politely smile. Your reaction is likely to be, "well you had to be there!" Exactly. The power of observational humor is that the audience "is there." And hence the power of the customized humor. Here are some factors that help us understand why we experience the extra punch with observational and spontaneous humor.
3. It's fresh. The fact that they haven't heard it before adds to the element of surprise which is a major factor getting laughs with your funny lines.
4. The audience identifies with the joke. It's part of their common experience.
5. Audiences often think, "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." Sometimes they never realized something was funny until you pointed it out.
6. They laugh because they totally understand the premise and set-up of the joke. This relates to the superiority theory of humor. They laugh because they "get the joke."
7. A fresh piece of humor can add an element of freshness to your entire program. The audience will often feel like the whole presentation was created just for them. Surprisingly, using some fresh humor will often make your non-customized lines funnier too.
8. Observational humor is often a call-back or reference to something that got a laugh earlier. Call-backs and running gags are advanced techniques the humor experts use to get laughs. They're a natural when you sharpen your observation skills.
9. The skill of observational humor puts you in the present moment. This, by itself, gives you a magical connection with your audience. And this helps you have more fun as you present the program. An excellent study of the power of being in the present moment is to watch a Blue Man Group performance.
10. For more on Observational and Spontaneous Humor see the article at: www.humorpower.com/spontaneous_humor.html.
11. For more on writing Original Humor see the article at: www.humorpower.com/original_humor.html.
Copyright 2006 by John Kinde

"Copyright by John Kinde, who is a humor specialist in the training and speaking business for over 30 years specializing in teambuilding, customer service and stress management. Free Special Reports: Show Me The Funny -- Tips for Adding Humor to Your Presentations and When They Don't Laugh -- What To Do When the Laughter Doesn't Come. Humor Power Tips newsletter, articles and blog are available at www.humorpower.com."

Using Spontaneous and Observational Humor

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Fri, 9 Jul 2010 17:50:00 +0700

An impromptu quip will hit the target more often than a canned joke.
Imagine this. I arrive at a junior high school auditorium for a teacher inservice program. While setting up my session, I note two unrelated signs posted one above the other. Most of the 300 arriving faculty members had seen those signs many times. But probably none saw them as I did. In my opening remarks, I shared with them, "This is a unique facility. Look at the sign over the back door. 'Restroom_Capacity 475!'" That fresh and creative bit of humor helped me attract interest and build a relationship with the audience.

Spontaneous humor is a wonderful way to connect with an audience. An impromptu quip will hit the target more often than a canned joke. Audiences are flattered when the humor is created just for them. The teachers knew the comment about the signs was not a part of my script. And often, an improvised touch of humor lends a fresh appeal to your entire talk.
Here are four keys to the effective use of spontaneous humor:
1. Preparation
2. Observation
3. Courage
4. Practice
First, let's look at preparation.
What? Prepare to be spontaneous? Of course! Have you ever visited a comedy club and observed how the stand-up comic has an "off-the-cuff" ad lib for nearly anything that comes up? Think of those times when the comic chats with people in the front row and makes a witty remark if someone happens to be from Chicago, or works in the medical field, or is visiting the club with someone other than his or her own spouse. Such exchanges appear to be very spontaneous. But in reality, the comic is often making the "spontaneous" remark for the 50th or 100th time! The seasoned comic has prepared to be spontaneous.
In speaking situations, it's a good idea to be prepared with humor to handle unexpected events. For example, what will you do or say if the lights go out or the sound system fails? If you're armed with a humorous ad lib, the audience will be won over when they see the problem hasn't gotten the best of you.
Preparation should also include a study of your audience. If you circulate a preprogram questionnaire to obtain "inside information" about the group, you'll be able to customize your humor and make it seem much more spontaneous.

Here's another tip: carefully note any effective off-the-cuff humorous remark made by you or an audience member, then recycle it during your next talk. Although it may seem contradictory, being ready with a few humorous quips can actually create an illusion of spontaneity.
The second key is observation. Since most humor is based on relationships, the more observant you are, the more likely you'll be able to create humorous relationships and pictures in the minds of your audience.
"Restrooms_Capacity 475" is an example of being observant. It was a bit of humor that created a funny picture in the minds of the audience.
On another occasion, while attending a holiday luncheon, I noticed a gentleman wearing loud green and red plaid pants with a black sports coat. On my way up to the stage, I passed by his table and asked him to join me. Once in front of the audience I said, "Bob has started a new tradition today. To carry on this tradition, next year when you arrive at your holiday luncheon, you'll be required to exchange an article of clothing with someone seated next to you. Would the gentleman wearing the other half of Bob's suit please stand up." With only a simple gesture and without any advance coordination, a gentleman wearing a loud plaid sports coat with black pants stood up! It brought the house down.
It's also a good idea to listen and observe as other speakers make remarks and presentations before you speak. At a company awards luncheon it seemed as though nearly everyone receiving 5, 10 and 15-year service awards had started in the company's telemarketing department and had subsequently worked their way into other jobs. I added a new line to my opening monologue. "People call me a comedy magician because they laugh at my magic and they're mystified by my jokes. But I wasn't always a comedy magician. I used to work in telemarketing!" It was on target and received a great response. The audience appreciated the fresh, spontaneous nature of the remark.
Then there was the time I attended a function where a wide variety of recognition were being given for club service. During the course of the ceremony I noticed that some of the recipients were present and some were absent that evening. So one of my best lines came from a simple observation:
"This is my kind of club. You gave out perfect attendance awards to two people who weren't even here!" Simple? Of course. But highly effective.
After you've prepared and remembered to be observant, you'll need to exercise the third key...courage! There's no doubt about it: Trying out new jokes takes guts. But the more you do it, the more comfortable you'll become. It's worth the risk. Besides, if your audience doesn't laugh, just pretend you were serious!
The fourth key is practice. You learn humor and spontaneity only by exercising your skills. I recommend you set a goal of using some humor in every presentation you give. Your humor comfort zone will increase and so will your spontaneity as you gain confidence.
A great way to practice your use of spontaneous humor is to join a Toastmasters club. Their meetings help you hone your critical speaking skills. You have the opportunity to give prepared and impromptu speeches. Testing your humorous ideas, you'll sharpen your skills. When the opportunity comes to say a few words at the close of a meeting, for example, use a bit of observational humor created out of the circumstances of the meeting. Or, if you're assigned to present a joke during the meeting, bring a "hip-pocket" joke only as a backup. Then, during the meeting, attempt to create a fresh, new joke by exercising your observational skills. It's not as difficult as it might seem at first. You'll become more observant and will eventually be able to create five or six pieces of observational humor by the close of every meeting. You can practice this technique at any type of meeting.
By using these keys of preparation, observation, courage and practice you'll become more spontaneous. You'll add a freshness to your presentation as you customize humor to your audience and your environment. Your talk will hit the mark...and the funnybone!

Copyright 2006 by John Kinde
"Copyright by John Kinde, who is a humor specialist in the training and speaking business for over 30 years specializing in teambuilding, customer service and stress management. Free Special Reports: Show Me The Funny -- Tips for Adding Humor to Your Presentations and When They Don't Laugh -- What To Do When the Laughter Doesn't Come. Humor Power Tips newsletter, articles and blog are available at www.humorpower.com."

Ken Shimura Airport Metal Detector

noreply@blogger.com (kolomhumor) — Tue, 6 Jul 2010 12:10:00 +0700

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