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!

The Punch Line

A joke is a lot like a movie with a twist ending. Think about the first time you saw The Usual Suspects, and how shocked you were when you found out who Keyser Soze was. Yet when you watch the movie again, it all makes sense. The movie was giving you clues the entire time, but not enough to give it all away.

A joke works the same way. If, while you were telling the joke, you mentioned that the man was lying in seats just beneath the balcony, the audience will probably be able to guess what happened, and the surprise will be ruined. It may seem like cheating to avoid mentioning the balcony until the punch line. It's not. A lot of movie theaters have balconies, and the revelation that this theater is one of them provides the surprise.The punch line to this joke works because it instantly switches the perspective of the audience. Like the usher, the audience believes that the man is rude, or creepy, and that's why he's taking up several seats. But when we hear the man's perspective, an entirely new picture is revealed.

Timing Is Everything

Here's where things get really tricky: timing. There's a reason the phrase "punch line" contains the word "punch." There's a reason the phrase punch line includes the word punch. Like a prizefighter, a joke teller should know exactly when to deliver the coup de tat, closing the joke at just the right moment.

Determining the perfect time to spill the punch line isn't easy, and worse, timing will differ from joke to joke. This takes practice. There are clues in every joke, however.

Let's take another look at the example. Just before the punch line, there's the phrase "The man looked up helplessly and said..." This brief bit is immensely important. Keep in mind, then, that it's not your job to let the audience know the punch line is coming. The joke should take care of that on its own. That's what's happening in this line. No need to overdo it.

Keep it Short

Brevity really is the soul of wit. A too-long joke isn't just unfunny. It's also annoying. Our example joke is stripped down to the bare essentials. There is absolutely no unnecessary information. What movie is showing? Is the usher sweeping up popcorn? What color are the seats? Who cares? You've likely heard someone tell a joke and insist on including details like these. It wasn't funny, was it? Information like this can really damage a joke. Too many details can distract the audience - or worse, the joke-teller - from the important pieces of the story.

Remember, the shorter your jokes, the more time you'll have to tell other jokes.

A Few More Tips

Never laugh at your own joke, especially while you're telling it. Let the audience do the laughing for you. Also, never, ever say: "This is a good one." If a joke is funny, it speaks for itself.

Study the experts. There's a reason famous comics are funny. It's because they're good at what they do.

If you think you are funny, you probably aren't. Funny people know they're funny, and never worry about it.

If you're trying to hard, it will show. Sweating and telling jokes do not go together. Nothing makes an audience more uncomfortable, and less inclined to laugh, than someone who's obviously having difficulty. Confidence is key. That's why practicing is important. Keep in mind, though, that over-rehearsing can kill the necessary spontaneity of a joke.

The Story of Tim

Finally, always remember the story of Tim.

It was Tim's first day at the job, and on the first day he heard someone yell out the number "63," and everyone begin to laugh. Tim was puzzled. Later, someone called out, "48," and again everyone laughed. This continued for quite some time, until Tim asked his new co-worker Frank what was going on.

Handing Tim a book, Frank replied, "We're so busy, we got this book of jokes. We've memorized them all, and to save time, we just yell out the number."

That night Tim went home and memorized the entire book. The next day, he confidently strode into the office and called out "37," only to be met with blank stares from his co-workers. Confused, he sat down at his desk.

Later, he heard someone else call out the number, "67," and the entire office broke into hysterics. Emboldened, Tim yelled "88!" but again, everyone looked at him strangely. He resumed work.

At lunch, he asked Frank, "I don't get it. Why didn't anybody laugh when I yelled out a number?"

Frank looked at him and shrugged, "You know how it is. There are just some people who can't tell a joke."