Joke Master

Just a few hours before the Toastmasters meeting the TMOD and the members of EC usually get a panic attack ,trying to fill in the various roles like that of evaluator , ah counter,grammarian etc.However there is little thought ,if at all which goes into choosing a joke master.Usually a funny volunteer just pops in on stage and tells a couple of jokes and the role is done away with.

Joke master, it seems to me is one of the most underrated roles of a Toastmasters session.People do not realize that telling a joke the right way is a art.It is a skill that one needs to develop. Have you ever seen Ganguly hit a cover drive ? The timing is exquisite.There is grace and there is style.The punch line of a joke has to have all these stylistic aspects of cover drive included in it. At the same time there has to be theatrics and exaggeration in the way you set the story up to the punch line.More like Sreeshanth's on field theatrics! Now anybody who has played cricket knows it is a tall order to enact Ganguly and Sreeshanth at the same time.

The skills learned while being a joke master has utility which spans beyond the Toastmaster meeting. Many a times when a sword is hanging down your head or when your Boss is looking at you with a stern face or still when you know the thing in your mouth is in fact your foot , a well timed joke is probably the only thing which will help you save the day.It definitely has saved many day for yours truly in the past.

So my friends , get cracking ... do crack some jokes.Practice the art , develop your skill.You never know when you might need it!

Cheers

Abhivyaki