I think some of my professors need to work on their sense of humor, because yet another professor's failed attempt to elicit laughter has made its way to this blog. This (also nameless) professor often tries to get students to laugh in class: most of the time she'll get a few chuckles, sometimes even hearty laughter when she cracks a good joke. But one "joke" in particular stands out as not necessarily a bad joke, but one that was poorly delivered.
As the professor lectured, students sat dully, hoping for class to end soon. The professor, noticing our boredom and inattentiveness, tried to engage us and awaken the room by making small jokes, but to no avail. However, none compared to her failed attempt to make a joke out of her response to a student's question.
This inquiry wasn't anything out of the ordinary or particularly memorable. But a strange air seemed to come over the professor as she prepared to answer. Her eyes darted from side to side as she glanced at the student. Nervousness seemed to overcome her, yet she seemed to be attempting to control it and act at ease by speaking in a level, unemotional tone. As a result, I certainly didn't expect a joke to ensue.
While the exact wording of the question and response escapes me, essentially the professor compared the student's girlfriend to a dog. Rather than beaming confidently, however, the professor bore a wavering half-smile while she stared out at the class almost questioningly, as if she wanted to gage our response. The "joke" itself wasn't a knee-slapper, but it definitely had potential if properly delivered.
The professor's lack of confidence, as well as her reliance on the audience's response to validate the funniness of her joke, explain why it failed to elicit even mildly amused chuckles among the students. Instead, the class remained unresponsive and uncomfortable because we could sense that not even the professor believed that her joke was funny. We were more struck by the inappropriateness of the joke (a professor commenting on a student's relationship) than by its potential comedy. Had she delivered the joke with confidence – a strong voice, direct gaze, and, most importantly, a sure smile – students would have been more inclined to interpret her comment as a joke. These signals would've clearly indicated the professor's intent, allowing students to overlook the potential awkwardness and inappropriateness rather than focus on the fact that the comment crossed normal lines between a professor and students. Furthermore, the contrast between the joking intent of the professor's response and her serious delivery made it difficult for students to decide how to respond to the joke – laugh or silently sit in uneasiness. Because our professor didn't even seem to be sure that the joke was funny, we were much less inclined to laugh. Instead, we focused our attention on the poor delivery and her obvious discomfort.
Clearly, it's not just what you say, but how you say it. The joke itself isn't the only factor in determining whether or not an audience will laugh; its delivery is at least equally important. A confident delivery can make your audience laugh even if not even you think the joke is funny.
