Hot take: Is it better to tell a joke fast and land it or slow down and watch them squirm?

I was at a family barbecue last Saturday and told my classic 'why did the scarecrow win an award' joke (because he was outstanding in his field, obviously). I delivered it fast and nobody even groaned, they just looked confused. Then my cousin told the same joke but dragged it out over 15 seconds with pauses, and everyone laughed. So which is the right way for a dad joke? I've always been a speed talker myself but maybe I need to slow things down. Has anyone else tested both speeds and found one works better?

3 comments

3 Comments

luna51922d ago

Wait @fox.jesse, does stretching it out make people laugh or just more uncomfortable first?

fox.jesse22d ago

My uncle's the same way, fast talker through everything, but last year at Christmas I timed his punchline delivery and it was under four seconds flat, nobody even cracked a smile. I used to think speed was key for comedy but watching my sister stretch a knock-knock joke into a whole awkward silence made me realize the pause is where the laugh actually lives. Now I slow down on purpose, let the confusion build for a beat or two, and honestly it works way better than my old machine gun style lol.

river19022d ago

Yeah exactly, the pause is everything. I used to rush through my punchlines too, thinking speed was the whole trick. Once I tried telling a joke about a slow elevator at work, and I deliberately held the silence after the setup for like three seconds. People started looking around like something was wrong, then the punchline hit and everybody lost it. It's wild how that awkward hesitation builds the tension. @luna519, you gotta try it with something simple like a pun, just wait until people almost give up on you.