Giving the double barrel appeal and handling the punch lines

How to have a double barrel appeal

Often a story can be based upon two of the four reasons for laughing. This increases its effectiveness.

To illustrate: “At one of our sales meetings, a fellow flinched every time an automobile horn was sounded on the street. He jumped so much that he disturbed the other salesmen. So we stopped the meeting and asked him for an explanation.” He said, ‘A few days ago, my wife ran away with our chauffeur. Every time I hear an automobile horn, I’m afraid it’s that chauffeur bringing her back!’” There’s a double sock there. First, the unexpected is spoken. Then there’s man’s inhumanity to man. The audience howls because the fellow might get his wife back when he obviously wishes she would “drop dead.”

Analyze the basis for humor in each story before telling it. If it has two platforms for laugh-getting, tell it in such a way that you fully capitalize on both foundations.

How to handle the punch line

The final sentence or phrase of a joke is referred to as the “punch line.” It’s the part that prompts the audience to laugh.

Be very sure that your punch line is worded correctly. The audience must understand its relationship to your build-up, otherwise there’s no punch. For instance, at a sales meeting a speaker told of:
“A farmer was passing an insane asylum with a wagon load of fertilizer. An inmate called out, ‘Hey! Where are you going with that fertilizer?’
“The farmer replied, To put it on my strawberries.’
” That’s funny,’ said the inmate. 1 put sugar and cream on mine.’”

The speaker got a laugh, but it could have been better. His punch line should have been more closely related to the build-up. For example, he could have “pulled the string” with: “That’s funny,” said the inmate. “I put sugar and cream on mine, and they’ve got me in the nut house!”

The improved phrasing more clearly points up the insanity angle. It doubles the laughter! Why? Because of man’s inhumanity to man. The inmate thinks he’s smarter than the farmer but that he’s in the “booby-hatch” in spite of it. The improved phrasing brings this out more strongly.

The main point here: Build-up makes way for the punch line, gets the audience ready for it. Naturally, the build-up should establish the basis for the laugh-inhumanity, natural target, the unexpected, or sex. But the punch line should bear out this basis. Unless there’s strong relationship between the build-up and the punch line, the story loses much of its sock.

Keywords: Sales, Marketing, Business, Sales Training

Tags: sales meeting

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