Inability to tell jokes or stories...

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I know this is a problem for a lot of people on here as it requires abilities we just don't have... But I was wondering if anyone has perfected coping skills or developed the skill of story telling and joke telling and can share some advice?

I just can't tell a joke or story to save my life. Even if it all works out in my head and I badly want to share a joke I heard or a funny experience that happened to me... I can't tell it right and the crickets erupt. I end up just getting an "Ha oh yeah" or "Nice" response instead of the gut busting laughter I was expecting...

Screw you NT's and your effortless ability to tell an amazing story...

It takes social skills to do that, as you remark yourself.

The best way for me to get into a more "social mode" is for me to ask "how well are you doing?!" in a sort of "evil" way to myself (i.e. bullying myself). I mean be critical/cool/over smart to yourself in a social way.

Also, a good way to get into a more social mode is to use body language consciously, i.e. pointing at things, making "big arms", etc.


This kind of mode will make me better able to for instance tell stories or jokes, thereby not making it particularly easy.

Personal tests for whether you are in a social mode or not:

- If you pity instead of laugh at people who do badly/are involved in not too serious accidents, you are not in a social mode (i.e. "I feel bad more him!"= not social mode, "HAHAHA! Did you see that guy! Damn, that must have hurt like hell, thank god that wasn't me xD" = social mode).
- If social status does not mean a lot to you, you are not truly in a social mode.
- If you value your individuality over the group, you are not in social mode.
- If you would rather be alone than want company, you are not in social mode.
- If your focus is not mainly on people, you are not in social mode.
- If you are not ready to take and give personal insults/offensive comments (bullying) with a smile, you are not truly in social mode.

I have found jokes are best received when I pay attention to the tone and pace of my delivery, and especially to the timing of the "punch line", or whatever the climax is.

I have heard and read interviews with comedians, and they rather consistently note timing as keenly important. In his day, Jack Benny was known and respected as the King of Comic Timing.

Click here for a wiki page about comic timing.

I don't have any problem telling real-life stories, like recounting an outrageous incident that I experienced or witnessed, provided I'm relaxed enough with the present company to engage in the conversation to begin with. Same thing with making sarcastic remarks or tossing out puns and so on. One-liners I can handle, NP. I was kind of obsessed with comedians and comedy albums as a kid, so I learned timing by mimicry, from Bill Cosby, George Carlin, Flip Wilson, Jonathan Winters, et al.

"Story Jokes," OTOH, like "A priest, a rabbi and a politician walk into a bar..." I have a hard time remembering them and especially under the pressure of being looked at, I get discombobulated and leave out crucial details, have to backtrack and by then it's not funny anymore. On the air, if I had a bit that had to be set up just right in order for the punch line to work, I would write it down word-for-word on a cue card and at least keep it in front of me for reference, so I wouldn't wander off point or botch it. Of course, notes kind of spoil the effect when your audience is in the same room.

I have a friend with Schizophrenia, however, who is a very quiet personality, but a walking human jokebook. He literally has got a million of 'em, and remembers every one in perfect detail off the top of his head. I've never seen him without a new joke to tell.

I have been able to write in a humorous way but generally I don't do well when trying to tell jokes in person.

I don't really know how to do jokes, while people tell me I have a good sense of humor but I really don't understand. what they mean.
I do make jokes but they're not for the general populace. I have an easier time with jokes that hurt people or just majority inappropriate than proper jokes that anyone can laugh about. I don't like doing inappropriate jokes especially the ones that are racist, sexist, or demeans someone, but the hurtful jokes are fun. But i don't want to appear anti-social so I refrain from those unless whoever I'm with likes that kind of thing too. the hurtful ones are the easiest for me because it's just observing a stranger and telling a truth, and my friends would laugh and I'd laugh because i successfully made them laugh. I try not to be sadistic about it, but I think i am sadistic because alot of the times we'd be in earshot of the person being hurt.
I suppose I can get the hang of real jokes if I was to observe and mimic, just like how i learned storytelling. but the good jokes are the stand up comedy kind and those are not so readily mimicked because it requires an understanding of life and humor greater than I can mimic or learn. I think you'd have to be naturally a comedian to pull it off.

As for story telling, I'm very good at storytelling because
1, I have plenty of examples to mimic or draw examples from. I spent most of my childhood reading books and these days I still read, although it's almost entirely fanfics.
2, I have lots of practice, in school and online on forums.
3, I understand alot of things and know just a bit of everything so the story is balanced and has depth, like a real story, it does not focus on small details.
4, I'm good with imagination and whatever I can't imagine I'll just make up, I'm pretty good at making up things.
The downside is that I can't think and speak at the same time, so if I'm speaking rather than typing I'd have to draft and write it out ahead of time.
Over the years of living with autism I've developed a socio personality and i think storytelling comes easy for socio's.

I don't even know any jokes.

I used to be quite the comedian and kept people in stitches all the time. I might have even been successful at performing stand up.

I pull out my penis if I want to keep people entertained .

I seldom tell jokes. Have a hard time remembering them.

I can tell about incidents and situations, but often I am interrupted, - probably because:
1. I don´t get to the point fast enough.
2: I am boring.
or
3. People are so absorbed by the stories they themselves want to tell.

I'm terrible at coming up with jokes and stories. I used to be able to memorize a whole load of dirty jokes and share them with my friends when I was younger, but as time went on I just kind of lost that ability. As well, now that I'm no longer in school doing creative writing assignments or anything, I've found that my ability to come up with stories of any sort has severely dwindled. I tried writing a short piece of fantasy prose not too long ago, and when I read it it just came out dry and boring. The strange thing is, when I originally imagined it it was much more compelling. I tend to have a really hard time putting ideas I have into words.