Whether you're just trying to kill time with your fishing buddies or warm up a Congressional subcommittee, nothing wins over an audience better than a well told joke. Here are a few tips that can transform an Al Gore into a Bill Clinton.

Don't Forget to Memorize

It is absolutely essential that you've prepared adequately. Don't tell a joke unless you know it by heart. You wouldn't sing a song without knowing the lyrics, would you? Memorizing your joke will help you avoid the three words that can sabotage any joke: "Wait, I forgot." So think of a joke that made you laugh, learn it, and practice it.

Setting Up the Joke

There are essentially two parts to any joke: the setup and the punch line. Let's take a look at an example of a joke. It's not hilarious, but it provides a good illustration of a well-structured joke.

A movie theater usher came upon a man lying spread out over three seats of the theater. As the man lay there breathing heavily, the usher remarked, "Sir, it's quite rude of you to take up three seats. Don't you have any manners? Where did you come from?" The man looked up helplessly and said, "The balcony!"

Note that the setup (that is, everything before "the balcony") contains all of the necessary information. It establishes the setting (a movie theater), the players (the usher and the man), and the situation (the usher finding a man lying on the seats). A good setup contains enough clues for the punch line to be satisfying, details that make perfect sense once the punch line is revealed. Thus, the man's "breathing heavily," at first an unsettling image, becomes clear when we understand why. He's in pain!