The desire to show your originality and sophistication of thoughts is not always welcomed in society. Sometimes such people are called smart people who are not worthy of respect. We suggest you figure out when wit is appropriate and how to become a witty person.
What is wit?
Many dictionaries say that wit is a certain sophistication of thoughts, ingenuity, the ability to find successful and very bright, colorful or funny expressions, successful decisions and actions. A person with such a trait, in addition to the ability to be witty, must have one more quality - the ability to critically evaluate his own witticisms immediately after creation. If a person is not able to stop his unsuccessful joke in time, then he hardly falls into the category of those who are usually called witty.
Principles of Wit
It is customary to distinguish between the following methods of wit:
- Hint- indirect indication of what they want to say. A hint can be sharp if a person touches on something indecent or even forbidden. When a person masters the art of hinting, then communication with him will be deep and refined.
- Irony- often compared to ridicule. To varying degrees, it can be used to compare what is with what could be.
- Reverse comparison- it’s very funny if the figurative meaning of words is used in a different context.
- Comparison by implicit characteristics– objects and phenomena are sometimes compared, but according to implicit characteristics. The funny thing is that in different things common features are noted.
- Absurd– you can joke even with the help of an absurdly expressed thought. Here a short clause can completely change the whole meaning.
- Paradox- one of the intricate techniques of wit. It can appear from the most banal phrases about health, money and relationships.
Is wit good or bad?
If a person is witty, is that good or bad? Can we say that wit is? The answer is clear: being witty is commendable, but being clever is bad. Wit should be used when it is needed. This skill is not only good quality, but also an indicator of originality, originality of thinking. Such a person certainly knows how to navigate different situations and at the same time understands surrounding reality. Wit is often understood as the ability to think perfectly and, literally, to grasp the most important things on the fly.
Wit and sense of humor
For ordinary person sense of humor and wit are one and the same concept. However, it is no coincidence that they are referred to by different terms. Wit is understood as inventiveness and finding bright and very funny expressions, and a sense of humor is the ability not only to see, but also to understand what is funny. As paradoxical as it may sound, a witty person may not have a sense of humor, and one who has a sense of humor may be completely unwitty. Wit is often associated with the ability to create witty jokes, and with the ability to understand humor.
How to develop wit?
For anyone who is wondering how to develop wit in speech, we offer valuable tips:
- Read as many books as possible. Let it necessarily be the literature of a variety of satirists in variety of styles. Thanks to such books, the number of lexicon interesting allegories.
- Train constantly. Cut short jokes and practice lightning-fast reactions.
- Write down good phrases. You can keep a special notebook and write down all the most interesting jokes and sharp remarks in it.
- Study the humor of foreign satirists. For example, the English have excellent wit.
- Positive emotions. Make it a rule that wit is positive and such that it can bring smiles. Cruel jokes suppress and bring negative emotions. You can use the skill of wit as a way to get out of a difficult situation.
Exercises to develop wit
Simple and very interesting exercises will help you learn how to become witty:
- Linguistic pyramids– will help you understand the peculiarities of your own thinking and develop generalization skills. The essence of the exercise is that you need to take a certain object and tell what class it belongs to, draw analogies.
- How is a raven similar to a table?– the exercise will allow you to learn how to create analogies for different classes. There are three people involved here. One of them must name a living creature, the other an inanimate object, and the third must tell how they are similar to each other.
- What I see is what I sing about– develops ease and associativeness in speech. This exercise should be done in pairs. One must point to an object, and the other must talk about it for five minutes.
- Mindflow– develops the ability to start a conversation from absolutely any place and on any topic. Here you will need a mirror and one person. You need to stand in front of the mirror and talk about everything that comes to mind. In ten minutes it will be clear how easy it is.
Books for developing wit
To learn how to express your own thoughts wittily, it is important to read specialized literature. The following books will be excellent helpers:
- I. Ilf, E. Petrov. "The twelve Chairs. Golden calf".
- Jerome K. Jerome “Three in a Boat, Not Counting the Dog.” Stories. Stories".
- A. Griboyedov “Woe from Wit.”
- P. Wodehouse “Jeeves, you are a genius!”
- V. Dragunsky “Deniska’s stories.”
- G. Oster “Bad advice.”
Witty films
To everyone who is sure that wit is like aesthetic principle should take place in every society, you will like this selection of films:
- 99 francs (2007, France).
- Groundhog Day (1993, USA).
- Lost in Translation (2003, USA).
- Freaky Friday (2003, USA).
- Best man for rent (2015, USA).
- Horrible Bosses (2011, USA).
- We are the Millers (2015, USA).
- Promised Heaven (1991, USSR).
Wit is the ability to accurately use words and extinguish any negativity with them. Wit can be called the “muscle” of the sense of humor, which means that if it is not “pumped up”, no one will talk about you as a good joker or comedian. I want you to know how to develop wit, so I have selected useful tips and exercises for you to train this “muscle”.
To develop mental acuity, you will have to put in a lot of effort, but I am confident that you will succeed. A good helper Here are my helpful tips:
- Expand your horizons. Read as many books as possible by writers who introduced humor and irony into their works. For teaching, I recommend humorous literature by the following authors: Ilf and Petrov, Zoshchenko, Chekhov, Bernard Shaw, Bulgakov. You can listen to audiobooks or read, but the most important thing is to notice jokes and witty phrases. Of course, it won’t hurt to watch humorous films, TV series and programs.
- Practice. Without practice, wit cannot be developed. Try to make sharp and subtle jokes whenever the opportunity arises. Don't forget that a joke works well if it has the effect of surprise.
- Laugh at yourself. Yes, I agree that this is not the most pleasant thing, because we all have our own complexes. But this is precisely the technique used by famous comedians who make the audience laugh until they cry. Yes, they are witty, thanks to the fact that they use self-irony.
- Forget about stereotypes. A witty person finds very quickly what to say, and you will have to learn to abandon the cliches and stereotypes inherent in society. To develop wit, you need to use your imagination and speech, look for associations, turn familiar situations around and see the funny in them.
- Live life with humor. A person with a sharp mind cannot be gloomy and boring. If you have a good wit, then you will always be the center of attention in any company, you will have many friends, and people will come to you for advice. Look at the familiar in a new way and find something funny, then they will also say about you that you have an innate talent for making jokes in any situation.
Remember that every joke has its own time, so it’s not enough to learn how to write jokes, make jokes and humor, it’s important to learn how to do it at the right moment. As an exercise, I recommend that you play association games and apply basic techniques to develop your wit from scratch.
Wit is the muscle of the sense of humor
- memorize jokes and funny phrases;
- use metaphors and phraseological units;
- don't show negative emotions in public;
- look for relationships between people, animals, plants and different situations;
- learn to draw caricatures;
- Laugh at a joke, even when you don't find it very funny.
Of course, jokes should not flow from you, because you are not a clown! Remember the saying: “Rarely, but accurately.” This is exactly what you should do when inserting some sharp phrase into a conversation. I conduct special training on developing a sense of humor and wit, and I can say with confidence that any skill can be developed. You can read more about training at the Comedy School in the section.
How to develop wit: basic techniques
If you want to become a truly witty person, learn to look at the world a little different. You will have to break patterns, stereotypes, play in associations and even, perhaps, attend my trainings and webinars. The goal is to learn to observe people, play out any situation, quickly find the right word, and translate everything said or what happens into a joke.
Generate ideas and develop wit from scratch
I have also selected for you the TOP 5 cool humorous techniques that develop wit:
- Changelings.
- Direct meaning.
- We confuse words and letters.
- New meanings of phraseological units.
- Hyperbolization.
To help you use these techniques to develop your wit, I'll give you a few examples of each.
Shifters
Proverbs and sayings - best tool to develop wit, because you can swap phrases or come up with their own endings.
Repetition is the mother of learning. Stuttering is an exception.
And the sheep are safe, and the wolves are well-fed... And the shepherd has eternal memory.
What a sober person has in mind, a drunk person has in practice.
One head is good, but two is a genetic deviation.
DIRECT MEANING
In Russian, we often use words and expressions with double meanings. Your task is to put aside the circumstances and take the phrase literally.
The wife says to her husband: “Support me.” The husband replies: “Are you falling?”
- Take aspirin and in the morning you will be as fresh as a cucumber.
- What's green and with a pimple?
WE CONFUSE WORDS AND LETTERS
Changing letters in words or words in sentences - good exercise to develop wit and a sense of humor. You can bring this skill to automaticity so that jokes are part of your everyday speech.
Example 1. Snow Maiden - Firehand.
Example 2. Store - Gamazin.
Example 3. Girlfriend - Podlyuga.
Example 4. Labor feeds a person, but laziness spoils - Laziness feeds a person, but labor spoils.
Example 5. Coffee with milk - Moffee with colac.
Believe me, there are a lot of witty phrases in your head
NEW MEANINGS OF PHRASEOLOGIC UNITS
Kazan orphan – Russian orphan
Glue fins – Glue uggs
Carrot and stick – Hammer and donut
Stone in your bosom – Bucks in your bosom
The cow licked it with her tongue - The neighbor licked it with his tongue.
HYPERBOLIZATION
This technique implies a strong exaggeration or understatement of what is happening. A witty person quickly finds something to answer, exaggerating or minimizing the truth.
I was so frightened by this noise that even my neighbors turned gray.
She weighs so much that her husband had to switch to proper nutrition.
That day he got so drunk that even his neighbors had a headache.
I hope you understand the basic techniques for developing wit. Now, as an exercise, try to remake well-known phraseological units, proverbs and sayings. You can find them in books or on the website fraze.ru. If you find it difficult to exercise on your own, sign up for a webinar with me and we will develop wit and a sense of humor together.
I took several courses on developing a sense of humor and wit from American teachers and realized that people do not laugh spontaneously. It's all about special laughter triggers that are activated when a joke is correctly written and told. All the basic techniques I described above are used by famous comedians, and you laugh. So why not learn how to be witty yourself?
How to develop wit: exercises
Any muscle becomes bigger and stronger thanks to regular training. I suggest you practice a little to develop your own wit. Just 7 exercises will help you become a wittier person.
Exercise 1. Finding analogies.
This exercise is based on the Linguistic Pyramids, which help train generalization, dissociation and analogy skills. What are Linguistic Pyramids? This is what you build yourself based on what you see around you.
So let's take a look around. The first thing I saw was a plate. The plate itself is just a plate, but if you think about it a little, it refers to the utensils. Now we already have the base of the pyramid and the first branch from it. Now find another subspecies for the plate. In the photo you can see examples of the branching of the linguistic pyramid.
The photo shows an example of developing wit using the linguistic pyramid
Now do this exercise to develop your wit. To do this, invite a friend and decide who will be the leader and who will be the follower. After this, the follower must point to some object, and the leader will show what can be done with it. Remember that you need to generalize the subject to more high level or to a lower one. Complete the task within 5 minutes with one object, only using gestures, which are best agreed upon in advance.
Exercise 2. Find out as much as possible about the subject.
This exercise is great for developing wit and creativity in speech, as you will have to use your imagination and creativity. Look around and find some object again. After that, set a timer for 5 minutes and tell everything you know about this subject, even if it seems to you that you are talking nonsense.
What can you tell me?
- Name;
- appointment;
- about application;
- about new application;
- about popularity;
- history.
In general, it can be anything, as long as you have something to say within 5 minutes.
Exercise 3. Interesting story.
And now you have to turn into a teller of fascinating stories. To do this you will have to gather a company of 4-5 people. Try experimenting on your family members first, and then move on to your friends. Say that you want to develop your wit, so you need to practice.
Your audience must set a topic for conversation, and your task is to say something about this topic for 5 minutes. Even if you don’t understand the topic, it will be even easier to use humor. If you don't have viewers yet, I'll ask you a topic:
- How to choose a steam generator.
- Why do women put on makeup in the morning?
- How to change a baby's diaper.
- Secrets of properly beating chicken eggs.
I think your stories should be interesting, and you will be able to write your first joke.
Exercise 4. Comparing something with something.
If you learn how to create unusual analogies, you can develop your wit much faster. For a successful exercise, you need helpers. Ask one person to name an animal, the second to name an inanimate object, and try to find something in common between the animal and this object.
This method of finding an analogy is based on a riddle famous writer L. Carroll, to which no one has found an answer so far. You can use it for this wit activity: “How is a raven like a table?”
Try making this exercise a little more difficult, but speed up the development of your wit. Find commonality not only between animals and objects, but also between emotions and objects, situations and animals.
Exercise 5. Creativity in speech.
Now choose adjectives for nouns. Let me remind you that the adjective answers the questions: “Which, which, which, which?” That is, you select words that describe the characteristics of objects.
For example, let’s take the noun “bed” and select 5 adjectives that we usually do not use for this word in our speech.
- sour bed;
- crooked bed;
- quick bed;
- effervescent bed;
- lightning bed.
So we endowed the bed with new characteristics. To develop your wit, you need to do this exercise at least 10 times a day and within a week you will notice that you are starting to think creatively and speak with jokes.
Exercise 6. Let's fantasize.
A witty person quickly finds a way out of any situation and does not focus on problems. You should learn this too! Ask a friend/wife/co-worker/husband to tell you about a problem. Your task is to help find a solution to this problem, but in a rather unusual way.
Develop your wit with fictional characters or objects
Your speech must be creative, so come up with some kind of assistant who can solve this problem. Of course it must be a non-existent character! After that, come up with the actions of this character. Try to fantasize as much as possible! Forget about reality and use your imagination. It is best to record the course of action of this character. Now read this story, BUT... On unknown language. Yes, mix up the letters, distort the words as much as you can. It will turn out quite funny and incomprehensible, but this is how you use new mechanisms in your brain and learn to think witty and creative.
Exercise 7. Journey into unreality.
To develop your wit, you will need another exercise, which is also best done with a partner. It's a bit like a game, so you can practice it on your children or other family members. So, blindfold your partner and take him to the room. Explain that real world consists of atoms and molecules, but you go to unreal world, so everything here consists of socks. Yes, from socks, or hats, or rats, or cats, or balls, in general, from whatever you want.
To do this exercise, explain in detail to your partner how an object is made up of socks or something else. That is, you bring a blindfolded person to the TV and say: “This is a TV and it consists of socks. The screen is made according to modern technologies, so the engineers used nylon socks, but the body is made from grandma’s knitted socks.”
All these exercises help develop wit, but to perform them requires a lot of effort. If you doubt your abilities, then I suggest you undergo special training at the Comedy School. Agree, it’s important not only to learn how to make jokes, but also to be able to avoid hurting a person’s feelings. You don't want to cause anger and tears instead of laughter.
How to develop wit: books
Want to generate ideas on the go, make jokes, and remember more? Then you should read books to develop your wit and train your brain.
- "How People Think." D. Chernyshev.
- "Brain Development". R. Sipe.
- "Brain Rules" D. Medina.
- "Awareness." M. Williams and D. Panman.
- "Flexible consciousness." K. Dweck.
- "Remember everything." A. Dumchev.
- "Invincible Mind" A. Lickerman.
The main mistake in the thinking of many people is that they believe that abilities such as wit, a sense of humor, imagination, and creative speech are given at birth. These books will help you understand how the brain works and discover your talents.
Witness test
Keep a notebook of jokes to develop your wit.
Witness test:
What is X equal to?
Write your answer in the comments, but do not forget that after reading this article you have taken a lesson on developing wit, not mathematical abilities.
Wit is the ability to find good expressions and add a little humor to them. It is necessary for every person to develop this quality, because today everything more people suffer from depression, feel depressed and complex. A witty person will find a way out of any situation, and will always find something to say to the offender and how to turn his own shortcoming into a joke. Sign up for my next webinar, where we will discuss how to develop wit and...
TO "OCCELDER" YOUR HEAD COMPUTER...
Some people believe that if a person has a poorly developed sense of humor, then no matter how hard you try, you will not become witty. Perhaps for most people this is an undeniable truth and a “medical fact”. But not for everyone. At least I don't think so. There is nothing that cannot be developed with great desire and effort. Wit is a property of the mind, and the mind is capable of change. Both towards development and degradation. This means that even the most distinguished slow-witted people have a chance to “overclock” their main computer to quite decent speeds.
In my opinion, there are two fairly simple exercises that will help everyone make their answers, if not witty, then at least simply interesting, beautiful and memorable. Let's get to know them.
“EAT, KUMA, THE NINTH SHANEZHA, I DON’T COUNT”
In ancient times, a certain great military leader and his retinue were passing through a small town. Suddenly he noticed that in wooden fence There are many arrows sticking out along the entire perimeter of the road. Perhaps this would not have aroused the general’s special interest if not for one circumstance: literally all the arrows were accurately sent to the “top ten”.
“There is probably an extraordinary archery master living in this city. If only we could get someone like him into our army,” the military leader thought and asked his entourage to find the master. Soon the master appeared before the commander's eyes. The master turned out to be only 7 years old.
Was it you who shot? - asks the military leader, pointing to the fence
Yes, I am,” the boy answers carefully.
Who taught you to shoot so accurately? Maybe your father?
Maybe your grandfather or uncle?
So who?
I do not believe. Well, show me how you do it! - the commander ordered.
The boy took a bow, pulled an arrow and shot at the fence. Then he approached him, took a piece of chalk out of his pocket and... drew a circle around the place where the arrow hit, a “ten”, and several more circles around it.
Everyone realized that the boy was not at all great master shooting, but rather a great master of drawing. The commander smiled, gave the “master” a couple of gold coins, and continued on his way.
The first and simplest exercise to make our answers more accurate is to imitate this seven-year-old archer. The essence of the exercise is as follows: you need to write down in a separate notebook or notebook witty quotes, proverbs, aphorisms, short and apt expressions that you will hear or read somewhere. Then for each quote you need to come up with life situation, where this wit can be used most effectively. Having come up with a situation, you should briefly, in one or two sentences, write down its essence in a notebook - right before the quote (to make it easier to remember later). For example:
Situation: someone boasts of their knowledge or experience...
Reply: “You can eat potatoes for forty years, but still not become a botanist” (Jewish proverb);
Situation: someone clearly exaggeratedly pretends to be bored...
Reply: “Little fish, fried crucian carp! Where is your smile that was yesterday? (phrase from the movie);
Situation: when someone wanted to say something or do something “the best way”, but it turned out “as always”...
Reply: “Danilo was really hammering, but everything went wrong” (Russian proverb);
Situation: with someone’s hypocritical “kindness”...
Reply: “Eat, godfather, the ninth shanezhka, I don’t count it” (Russian proverb);
Situation: when the names or relationships of numerous relatives are confused...
Reply: “Our Marya is your cousin Praskovya to your Daria” (Russian proverb);
Situation: when someone tries to sell “wind”, promising us in return something that does not belong to him...
Reply: “Uncle Filat gave a couple of ducklings: there, he says, they are flying...” (Russian proverb).
"MURKA LOOKS THINKINGLY AT THE SKY..."
Long before I started teaching ethics and public speaking, for many years I collected “collections of humor” - funny phrases, poems and proverbs and came up with suitable situations for them. I wrote them down in a common notebook (first in one, then in another, third...) - the situation on top, and the remark below it. I never studied them, I just re-read them from time to time. And these notebooks with witticisms, imagine, made me, in the eyes of my classmates and acquaintances, a person who “don’t put a finger in his mouth.”
(I’m not bragging about my wit: in my opinion, it’s no better or worse than that of an ordinary person. I just want to remind you once again of the wisdom of the famous saying - “patience and work will wear out everything.” I tried and was patient, and my ordinary quality has become extraordinary.)
Many, especially young teachers, know how difficult it is to gain authority and respect from teenagers. In any class there are always one or two people who, for some reason (or for no reason at all, but just like that, out of boredom or curiosity) will take you with hostility and begin to harass you in every possible way and spoil your nerves. And here, more than once, my notebooks with witticisms came to the rescue.
Once a ninth-grader, a very beautiful, round-faced girl, got annoyed with me for something. Maybe because I didn’t pay more attention to her than to others, maybe she didn’t like my style of clothing, I don’t know. This happens with school “queens”; they crave confirmation of their irresistibility not only from their peers, but even from teachers, especially if they are of the opposite sex and are not married. And I deliberately did not single out anyone from my students. Of course, I had my sympathies, but only I and no one else knew about them.
So this “school queen” suddenly decided to “spoil” my nerves a little. While I was telling and explaining something, she turned to the window and rested her head on her hand, demonstratively “bored.” I didn’t react to her “boredom” in any way. And this went on for several lessons in a row.
And then one day, when she Once again I began to count the crows outside the window, I interrupted my speech, raised my finger to my lips so that the students could watch in silence, and approached the “queen.” At that time she was looking at something “interestedly” in the sky. Of course, she heard that I had approached her and was looking at her, and that the whole class was now looking at us, but she still continued to look at something in the completely clear, cloudless sky. And then, turning to the class, I read a poem that suddenly emerged from my memory:
Murka looks thoughtfully into the sky -
Maybe the sausage will fly there?
The idea that there are still miracles,
Even nicer than sausage!
This childish, humorous quatrain brought me a double victory. 1. Laughter and applause from the class. 2. The laughter of the “queen” herself, who after this incident stopped sulking at me and began to behave naturally, later becoming one of my most active and successful students.
THE SECRET OF RONALD REAGAN'S WIT
One day, Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife Raisa came on an official visit to the United States. After the completion of official events, a gala dinner followed, which, in addition to President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy, was attended by numerous ambassadors of the two countries, diplomats, aides, secretaries and, as is customary in such cases, “other officials.”
After lunch, all those invited went into a small theater Hall to listen to one young but very talented pianist. Before his speech, by mutual agreement, the top officials of both states were supposed to give a short impromptu speech.
One note should be made here: Raisa Gorbacheva and Nancy Reagan, during their husbands’ speech, sat at the edge of the stage, at the base of which, right behind the backs of the first ladies, beautiful decorative bushes and small palm trees were displayed in several rows.
Then something unexpected happened, something that could not possibly be included in the protocol. During Reagan's speech, his wife Nancy, either out of a desire to sway on the chair, or simply deciding to move the chair a little, leaned back slightly and... the back legs of the chair on which she was sitting jumped off the stage and... And Nancy Reagan, raising her legs , flew down, straight into the bushes located behind her.
There came, as they say in adventure novels, deathly silence... Everyone present in the hall literally opened their mouths in horror, seeing the two legs of the First Lady of America sticking out of the bushes, twitching. Reagan saved the situation. He, as if nothing had happened, said into the microphone, addressing his wife:
Darling, well, I asked you to perform this trick only if I didn’t get enough applause!
This was probably one of Ronald Reagan's best one-liners. Later, when this story became public and when Reagan arrived in the USSR, a Soviet journalist asked him:
Mr. President, we know you as an extremely witty person. Tell me, did nature reward you this way, or, as they say, did life force you?
Reagan's answer was completely unexpected:
For this talent, I can only thank my parents and the two-volume book of Russian proverbs that I was once given for my birthday.
As you can see, the secret of the American president's wit turned out to be quite simple. Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian proverbs express not only the everyday experience of the people, but also contain imprints of their character. The character is cheerful, easy, cunning, open and kind. Judge for yourself (I give proverbs along with situations):
Situation: when someone suggests changing the “tough for soap”...
Proverb: “Give up the dirty work - let’s go clean the pipes.”
Situation: when someone interrupts us all the time, doesn’t let us talk...
Proverb: “If you don’t like it, don’t listen, and don’t bother lying.”
Situation: when they offer a deal with one-sided benefit...
Proverb: “Let’s be friends - go to visit each other: then I come to you, then you take me to yours.”
Situation: when someone hopes too much for luck and a happy accident, without supporting this hope with anything...
Proverb: “The string bag was holding on to something, but they both fell into a hole.”
Situation: when someone treats you to bad food, leftover food...
Proverb: “Eat, dear guests, throw it away to the dogs anyway.”
Situation: someone unworthy dares to claim what is worthy or undeserved...
Proverb: “It’s not your nose to peck at such millet.”
Situation: about someone who is not very smart...
Proverb: “There’s a lot of mind in the head, but it doesn’t get out.”
Situation: about a talkative woman...
Proverb: “Aspen makes noise even without wind.”
Situation: about a stupid beauty...
Proverb: “By the face you can go to a feast, but by the mind you can only milk goats.”
Situation: about the clearly unrealizable...
Proverb: “Let’s see,” said the blind man, “how the lame man will dance.”
Situation: someone blames another, although he himself is not blameless...
Proverb: “Look, owl, what you are like.”
Situation: someone exaggerates his importance, our dependence on him...
Proverb: “With you it’s not crowded, and without you it’s not empty.”
Situation: when some good or benefit comes from someone worthless, low...
Proverb: “At least a tuft of wool from a black sheep.”
Situation: when someone prevents you from speaking openly or frankly...
Proverb: “I would say a word, but the wolf is not far away.”
Situation: when someone is surprised at someone else’s success, saying that their success is trivial...
Proverb: “A poor man has two pennies and a lot of money.”
Situation: someone asks about a drunkard - where does he work?..
Proverb: “He serves as a wine surveyor.”
Situation: very rare, not thick soup...
Proverb: “Grain after grain is chased with a club.”
Situation: when someone commits an unseemly deed, calling on God for help...
Proverb: “Lord, forgive me - help me to rake it and carry it away.”
Situation: when someone suggests doing nothing, naively hoping that the situation will change itself...
Proverb: “It’s a long time to wait for the devil to die: he hasn’t even had a headache yet.”
Situation: about a bad boss...
Proverb: “God grant him to be a colonel, but not in our regiment.”
Situation: about a very fat or tall person...
Proverb: “You can’t bury him right away.”
Situation: when someone makes unrealistic plans, relying on “ifs”...
Proverb: “If we put “if” on “if,” we would reach the sky.”
Situation: a child or someone in the household sits on the toilet for a long time; someone took the place necessary for business, work...
Proverb: “Come out of the stove, cat, you need to dry them.”
Situation: some amateur, inexperienced person dares to give advice to a professional, experienced person...
Proverb: “Don’t teach grandpa to cough.”
Situation: someone is surprised by someone’s excess energy, fussiness...
Proverb: “Seven miles is no detour for a mad dog.”
Situation: some rude or insolent person is surprised by our harshness or tactlessness...
Proverb: “A rough bag gets a rough patch.”
“MY HEAD IS A SHAME ON MY HAT, AND YOUR HEAD IS A SHAME ON YOUR HAT”
If the first exercise for developing wit can be called “witness - situation”, then the second, on the contrary: “situation - joke”. This is a more difficult exercise because it requires more effort.
About thirty years ago, the “What would that mean?” competition was very popular in newspapers, magazines and humorous television programs. Readers or viewers were offered some unusual, funny photograph and were given the task of coming up with a funny caption for the photograph. The author of the wittiest answer became the winner and received some kind of prize. The principle of the “situation - witticism” exercise is the same: you need to come up with an apt, witty answer or phrase for some possible or planned life situation.
If in the recent past you were not at your best in some situation, then this exercise will help you the next time the same or similar situation arises, to come out of it with shine and a winner’s wreath on your head. What needs to be done for this?
Think of one or two situations where you were unable to find the right words, after which the conversation ended in outright failure or not at all what you expected. During my student days, especially in my first year, similar situations sometimes happened to me. So, one day my classmate, sitting in the smoking room in the company of other students, critically appraising my hat - an ordinary knitted cap (it was winter and there was a slight frost outside), said to me:
Sasha, what is that on your head - a Pioneer cap? For me, good meningitis is better than a bad hat.
These words made my comrades and even me laugh. I was about to answer something to this, but... I didn’t find anything witty or worth voicing. (Admittedly, I never chased either fashion or expensive and beautiful clothes - I used what I found and bought in ordinary stores. Moreover, we did not live at all richly, and if I sometimes had a choice, then fashionable clothes I preferred smart books).
Later, for several days in a row, I mentally replayed this episode in my memory, trying to find a countering answer. And here are the answers that came to my mind:
Better little Tashkent than big tundra.
But for me, it’s better that your eyes burn from shame than your ears fall off from the cold.
You're right: k empty pan the cover is unnecessary.
My head is a shame on my hat, and your head is a shame on your hat.
The last answer is a paraphrase of the famous answer of Anacharsis, an ancient Greek philosopher, a Scythian by birth. One day, one of the not very smart Greeks reproached Anacharsis for being a Scythian, not a Greek, that is, a barbarian, a man born in a wild country that did not know morals and laws. To this Anacharsis replied:
I am a disgrace to my homeland, and you are a disgrace to your homeland.
Situations for developing resourcefulness can be taken not only from history, literature, from one’s own or someone else’s experience, but, in general, from anywhere. One day I watched the program “Love at First Sight”. The TV presenter, a smart but boorish young man, says, smiling ironically, to one of the players - a very thin, frail guy, one might say: “You are so courageous! Quite a boorish remark. What could he say if he was prepared for such a situation?
It seems to me that he could answer him like this:
I am as courageous as you are smart!
Thank you. I am especially pleased to hear this from you, an extremely intelligent and delicate person.
What do you care about my courage? Or maybe you are more interested in men than women? (option: “And you must be very gentle and affectionate. But I have to disappoint you: I love women, not men”)
More examples:
Situation: someone is impolite and rudely drawing attention to our physical disabilities. For example, “Why are you so thin/long/fat?”...
For a change.
Just to have something to talk about with some fool.
So as not to be like you.
Situation: they tell us - “Are you an idiot/fool?”...
Answer: - Are you looking for a friend/company?
Situation: they tell us - “Are you the smartest?”...
Answer: - No. I just seem like that compared to you.
Situation: someone reproaches you for incomprehensible behavior - that you are sad when everyone is having fun, or that you are silent, when everyone does nothing but talk. You can answer him with Goethe’s aphorism:
Does the sparrow know what is in the stork’s soul?
Situation: when you tell something, but they don’t listen to you or don’t listen carefully. You can use a school joke in response:
As one zoology teacher said, “When I explain the structure of a monkey, please look at me carefully!”
Why so sour?
I saw you.
Do you want to tell your biography?
They say that you are such and such...
Yes, if you believe everything they say.
This has already been done before you!
These are just rumors!
You don't look great...
I didn't have time to put my teeth in.
You are so dirty!
You haven't seen my old shoes yet!
Hey you, come here!
I can see you from here too.
Do you mind if I turn my back to you?
I don't mind as long as you don't use it.
NAPOLEON'S MOST INCREDIBLE DEFEAT
Of course, it is impossible to foresee all possible situations. But such exercises do not so much accumulate knowledge of how to respond in certain situations, but rather develop resourcefulness and wit. It is developed on the basis of learning previous successful behavior or response in similar situations. Even in the most seemingly losing situations, a prepared person will be able to come out with honor. Here is an example, it seems to me, of such resourcefulness.
As historians testify, french emperor Napoleon Bonaparte could not stand the writer Germaine de Stael and tried in every possible way to avoid meeting her. It must be said that the writer was unusually witty and daring, and sometimes simply merciless in her caustic and critical remarks. Despite unlimited power, the emperor could not do anything with Madame de Staël - fighting with a woman was, firstly, not in his rules, and secondly, it was simply not like a man. Why did he dislike her so much?
Historians give a variety of explanations, but for some reason no one remembers one curious incident that served as the beginning of this enmity.
Once, when Napoleon was still only a brigadier general, a certain influential socialite sent him an invitation to “grace with his presence” one of the evenings of her salon. As stated in the invitation, this evening will be attended by “only the most beautiful women France." On the appointed evening, Napoleon found himself surrounded by a dozen truly charming creatures and one extremely ugly, masculine lady. Madame de Stael was the lady's name. Napoleon was asked to talk about his exploits and, without skimping on paint, he got down to business.
After some time, when his story reached its emotional climax and all the listeners, with their mouths open, were waiting for a spectacular finale, the unexpected happened.
“...And then I shouted to my soldiers: “Fire!” Napoleon excitedly exclaimed and...
At this moment, a masculine lady, who was sitting nearby and until that moment had not shown much interest in the narrator, made a loud and drawn-out indecent sound.
Everyone froze... And Madame de Stael quite calmly burbled in her inimitable basque:
Ah, general, you depicted this battle so naturally for us that I decided to join your soldiers!
Of course, all the ladies burst out laughing, and some even fell off the sofa. All Napoleon’s efforts to look like a hero in the eyes of Parisian beauties were instantly shattered by one “shot” from Madame de Stael.
Well, tell me, how can I not avoid meeting such a cynical and witty person after this?
"THE PATH OF IMITATION IS THE EASIEST, BUT..."
Of course, I understand that other people's wisdom, other people's wit are not the most reliable ways to learn accuracy and, especially, wisdom. It is not the clothes and not the place that make a person, but the person - the place and the clothes. No borrowed decorations, no memorized witticisms and jokes can hide our essence. To learn to live with your own mind, to walk through life with your own feet, and not use other people’s crutches, you need to learn to think for yourself, to make efforts yourself. As they say in China, “the path of imitation is the easiest path to wisdom, but it is only for those who have not yet learned to think for themselves.”
But even those who have learned to think for themselves, who go through life on their own path, should not reject the experience of other travelers. After all, sometimes one word, said at the right time and at the right place, even if it was not invented by us, can change a lot in our life and, perhaps, someone else’s. After all, “there is an artist sleeping in each of us, who wakes up from words spoken at the right time.”
Do you think that a sense of humor and the ability to joke is given to a person from birth and cannot be developed? This opinion is not entirely correct - several tips, exercises and instructions that allow you to develop wit can be cited as evidence.
I note that many of the tips are not immediately implemented, but require quite a long time to apply.
How to develop resourcefulness and wit. Be positive
Look on the positive side of life - to some extent, this outlook can be learned from children. You should be able to laugh at yourself and try to completely get rid of complexes. A cheerful person will subconsciously radiate positive mood which will definitely be passed on to others.
How to develop resourcefulness and wit. Enrich your vocabulary
- Enrich your own vocabulary - many jokes are based on wordplay, so it’s worth developing your own speech, reading as many books as possible, and pronouncing various tongue twisters.
- Be sure to follow the news, the latest events, scientific discoveries- all this will broaden your horizons, allowing you to apply the information received in a playful and humorous form.
How to develop resourcefulness and wit. Think associatively
- Develop associative thinking - you can train anywhere and in any environment - choose an object or phenomenon and try to come up with as many words as possible related to this thing or event.
- Daily training in just a couple of weeks will allow you to make comparisons and clever puns almost instantly, without much thought.
How to develop resourcefulness and wit. Work on your serve
Learn to present a joke correctly - half the success depends not so much on the content of the remark, but on the person’s facial expression, intonation, and style of presentation.
- Even the most funny joke narrated in a dull and boring voice will not make the audience laugh.
- At the same time, if you laugh and cackle during the story or gasp, the listeners simply may not understand what you are talking about.
- Work on your diction - speech should be clear, without hesitation or stuttering.
- Read aloud more, pay attention to the timbre of the voice and the manner of telling the jokes of famous comedians.
- Learn to speak loudly, clearly and measuredly, without threatening intonation.
- Those with a soft and melodious voice endear themselves to the people around them thanks to the pleasant notes of their voice.
How to develop resourcefulness and wit. Be relevant
Try to show humor appropriately - the success of a joke depends on the place and time.
- It is extremely important to be able to assess the situation in a matter of seconds and find a few necessary words. The same phrase, but said a minute later, may seem completely unfunny. This skill is mastered in the process of communication, if you have shortcomings with this, then look at the material: improving sociability.
- Don't repeat the same joke twice - if the audience didn't laugh sincerely the first time, they will smile after telling it again. best case scenario out of pity for the comedian.
How to develop resourcefulness and wit. Be brave
Don’t be afraid to be funny - moderate your own pride, try on your own or with the help of loved ones to find something funny in your character and behavior.
- Perhaps it will be some kind of ridiculous habit or manner - the main thing is that it looks fun and unusual.
- These may be atypical eating habits (for example, the ability to eat a few slices of lemon and not wince), or habits (walking without an umbrella even in the heaviest rainfall).
Don't be afraid to improvise - even if a certain part of the jokes will be unsuccessful, but you will learn from own experience understand the correctness and appropriateness of humor. Try to avoid jokes about people's religious, national or racial characteristics, especially if they concern those present.
Chapter:Instructions
Distinguish between a sense of humor and wit. These two qualities are often perceived as a single whole, although this is not entirely true. A sense of humor is the ability to find something funny in any situation and point it out to your interlocutor. Wit lies in the ability to create this “something funny” and put it into speech form. Of course, sometimes there are people who have both of these qualities at once, but most often you have to be content with at least one of them. Some people believe that a sense of humor and wit are a gift, not a skill that can be acquired at will.
Know how to abstract yourself from yourself. Few people have the ability to laugh at themselves. Often this is due to some kind of complex, fear of making oneself a laughing stock, etc. Once you understand that there is nothing wrong with this, that people, on the contrary, will more happily accept a cheerful person than a bore, it will be much easier for you to laugh at yourself.
Exercise constantly. Try to come up with ideas as often as possible funny situations and interesting lines when you have nothing else to do. This seemingly useless activity will allow you to react faster to what is happening and find expressions in a timely manner.
Engage in self-development. Expanding your horizons is never a bad idea, especially if you intend to amaze your colleagues and friends with your witty attacks. The more you know, the more material you will have to build intricate designs designed to make your listeners laugh and enjoy themselves.
Smile more, because without this, even the funniest and most original joke will lose all its charm. Try to look in everything only positive sides and make fun of possible unpleasant moments. The more often you do this, the better you will get at it over time.
Now it is especially important to be a cheerful person - and life will become more fun and easier, and you will encourage those around you with your positive attitude. But in everything you need to know when to stop, if a person constantly tells jokes, constantly jokes and teases someone, this behavior can quickly tire anyone. Such a person can be called a jester, and this is not a very rewarding calling.
Instructions
Don’t be shy about joking, joke more often. If you have good mood– be sure to share it. Friends will appreciate it and also have fun. A cheerful friends, in turn, will charge you with fun and will lift your mood if it suddenly drops. But remember, you need to make your friends laugh with you, but not at you. You can, of course, pretend to be a fool, create absurdities and talk all sorts of nonsense, but in this case you will have to forget about good position V . To be cheerful is not to be funny. Although sometimes you can fool around a little.
Laugh in the face of the difficulties that life presents to us. Keep in mind that if you experience difficulties while sitting on a chair and propping up your sad head with your hands, it won’t make you feel any better. You need to be able to distract yourself, find an interesting activity that you can immerse yourself in. Then you will spend less time on your nerves, and it will be easier for you to look at the world with a smile.
Don't be afraid to be an altruist, help people, even those you see for the first time. You’ve probably noticed that as soon as you help him with his problem, your soul becomes lighter and calmer.
Help your friends too, they will appreciate it. Just don't overdo it, otherwise they will get used to your help. But to ordinary acquaintances, especially those with whom you had strained relationship, there’s no point in extending your hand.
Imagine that one of your not very good friends comes to you and unexpectedly gives you a little financial help. He says that he respects you, that you are his friend and begs you to lend him money. You can give him that you won't give him money. Most likely, this person is just trying to get money out of you, and not to borrow. Having “helped” such people once, expect them to visit you again and again. I say this based on personal experience.
See, being a cheerful person is not as difficult as it seems. Stick to these simple tips and your life will change in better side.
The ability to joke at the right time and ironically reflect an inappropriate remark helps in any company. A person with a sense of humor is interesting to communicate with and easily gets out of difficult situations. The art of being witty within yourself can be developed.
An important condition ironic statements is the speed of reaction. Many people tend to find a decent answer with a significant delay when the interlocutor has changed the direction of the conversation. Psychologists advise engaging in active sports, which helps to increase the speed of reactions.
Attention to detail
Pay attention to minor details and facts, not just the gist of the conversation. They sometimes contain inaccuracies and disclaimers that may need to be emphasized. Develop the ability to cling to incorrect phrases. Witty answers and puns can come from playing on the meaning of words.
Pay attention to the general logic of your interlocutor. Combine two contradictory statements into one belief, which will be absurd due to the lack of a cause-and-effect relationship. For example, a friend complained about his health, and before that he told you about the movie. Conclude that the reason your friend is feeling unwell is due to his tendency to watch horror movies at night.
Game communication
The basic principle of humor is that interaction with a partner occurs in the form of a game. Initially, tune in to a non-serious attitude and try to outplay your interlocutor. Consciously exaggerate the event or, on the contrary, downplay it. Change the meaning of what is said by repeating the phrase, changing the main emphasis. When asked whether an acquaintance was married, one can answer that, in fact, he was not unmarried at all.
Use facial expressions and theatrical gestures to make the statement more comical. Explore parodies of famous people. In them, comedians note characteristic personality traits and, through repeated exaggeration, create vivid and funny images.
Reality distortion
Keep it factual reciprocal value. With irony, the speaker can give an opposite assessment of reality. For example, on a rainy, windy day, you can note that you adore such wonderful weather.
Observe with what spontaneity children comment on adult conversations. Use a naive perception and an exaggeratedly serious tone. Try to take the hidden subtext literally. Comment on rhetorical phrases that do not require an answer. For example, a thought out loud about the lack of happiness in your personal life, intended more for yourself, do not ignore it, but bring it