Wit and the reasons for the formation of tongue-tied people. Ways to develop eloquence in oneself. Training Exercises for Future Wits. Wit is the ability to express your thoughts with sparkling and concise expression. In some people, this quality is a hereditary predisposition. However, not every person can boast of the ability to catch the audience's attention with a brilliant phrase. In this case, you should not despair, because the ability to insert a sharp word into a conversation can really be developed.
Causes of tongue-tied language in humans
Even smart people can feel constrained in a company where people who like to make fun of themselves and others have gathered.
The reasons for the lack of wit in speech should be sought in the following factors:
- Self-doubt … It is difficult to shine in society for a person who does not have a high opinion of his person. With existing complexes, he will constantly try to become invisible next to more liberated speakers.
- Bitter experiences in the past … Once, being publicly ridiculed, it is difficult to sprinkle witticisms in the future. Public humiliation is a serious test for any person with dignity.
- Diction problem … Stuttering and lisping make it difficult in some cases to correctly voice your thoughts, even with a great sense of humor.
- Imposing stereotypes … Modern society often laughs at stereotyped jokes of a certain format. Author's humor is sometimes not welcome, which ultimately leads to tongue-tied language among quite witty people.
- Lack of education … Not everyone, as they say, has satellites to launch and reverse rivers. Wit still implies that a person has a certain intellectual base.
The listed reasons for tongue-tied language can really be corrected on our own. You can become an active participant in any debate even if you have problems with diction.
How to develop your wit
Public speaking is usually acquired by gradually working on a given issue. First you need to master the basics of rhetoric in order to correctly formulate your remarks.
General recommendations for the development of wit
Psychologists have developed a number of tips for dealing with tongue deafness, which are as follows:
- Broadening your horizons … In order to express yourself beautifully, you need to know what you are talking about. A person with a minimal base of information a priori cannot be a witty person. It is necessary to become a universal person who gradually understands many areas of human life.
- Reading literature in an ironic style … Other people's jokes very often help to form their own jokes in the future. In this case, experts recommend reading Zoshchenko, Ilf and Petrov. It is on this classic example that you should learn to master the word.
- The development of self-irony … The ability to laugh at yourself is worth a lot. The desire to be ironic solely over others is called acrimony, which repels people. The ability to aptly point out one's own shortcomings can make a person a popular personality.
- Introduction to English humor … It is he who is considered a model of restraint and clear knowledge of the voiced question. It can be understood by exceptionally smart people, with whom you must strive to communicate. Throwing beads in front of fools makes no sense.
- Getting rid of stereotypes … Stamps in expressions should completely disappear from the vocabulary of a person who pondered the question of how to learn wit. It is worth revising your vocabulary, which is recommended to be replenished with words in the style of jokes-jokes.
- Public speaking … To get rid of excessive shyness and fear of expressing your thoughts in front of other people, you need to start taking part in various creative activities.
- Working on acting … Some people even present a good joke in such a way that no one smiles in return. A man laughing out loud at his own witticisms looks at least ridiculous. It is important to maintain some spectacular pause, then giving out a pearl, which will have the effect of an exploding bomb.
- Using hyperbole … Very often a monologue of a person who does not skimp on exaggeration causes a smile. At the same time, it should be appropriate and sparkling. If you are overweight, you can say about yourself that a well-fed hungry person is not a friend (a good-quality pig is no help for a skinny goose) and a good person should be as big as possible with great luck.
- Moderation in jokes … There should be a little good. Consequently, excess in conversation is often inappropriate. The sarcasm in the comments also cannot be considered wit. Each joke should be strictly normalized in order to avoid conflict with the interlocutor. For example, the phrase that you look the same today as I feel can be perceived as a veiled insult.
- Search for associations … Transferring the properties of one item to another is often a great joke. Metaphors and processing of already known expressions make a person's speech not only more interesting, but also allow him to release successful jokes. As an example, we can cite the phrase that they do not look at the bathroom for a donated apartment.
- Analysis of the performances of comedians … Reading the relevant literature is not the only way to develop your wit. It is necessary, if possible, to attend creative evenings where comedians perform in order to recharge their energy and optimism.
- Watching comedy films and TV series … You need to choose high-quality projects that are really filled with great humor. Sometimes, even in a humorous series for housewives, it is really possible to glean a lot of useful information for yourself.
- Keeping a diary of witticisms … Good jokes from friends or famous people should be written down. If you managed to subtly joke yourself, then this must necessarily be entered in the diary and circled with a bright marker.
The art of owning a word is a delicate and delicate process, because some jokes look like outright rudeness. Black humor will also not be understood by every person. Expressions with a touch of cynicism generally look unaesthetic and vulgar.
Basic methods of developing wit
The mechanism for making others smile and laugh is actually quite simple. Experts in the genre of humor advise using the following techniques in order to become a popular person:
- Exaggerated comic … Bill Cosby, the famous American comedian, knew how to turn simple truths into jokes. Everyone knows the expression that 1 + 1 definitely cannot be three, but is a number two. However, in humor, this combination of two numbers turns into the number 11. When asked how you are doing, you can react in different ways. Everything is fine, I am falling ("Only old men go to battle") - one of the answers.
- Citation … Sometimes you can be considered a witty, if you know how to use the statements of famous comedians in the right place. If at the same time you managed to successfully copy them and even surpass them in humor, then you can safely reap the well-deserved fruits of universal admiration. At the same time, it is not recommended to turn into an automatic quotation book, because you can repeat the fate of Kesha from the animated film about the prodigal parrot.
- Innovation in words … The already known expressions have become so boring that it is time to modify them. Much more interesting are statements like "I drank everything myself", "no need to be sad - all the tin is ahead" and "you are nothing like everyone else."
- Pun … Rearranging words or letters sometimes looks pretty funny. The main thing is not to go too far: "the battleship Potemkin is an armored Templar diarrhea" is not an example of wit.
- Direct decoding of words … If a question was asked or a certain assumption was made, then you can parry it with a direct assessment of what you heard. In this case, one immediately recalls the remarks of Alexei Batalov in the film "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears", which are a classic example of direct decoding of words.
- Playing with speech patterns … This technique implies an unexpected end to the statement. "A woman with a cart - a mare in the know" is one example of such a word game. The more unexpected the debunking of an already existing template, the greater the effect it will have on the audience.
Exercises to develop wit
The basics of rhetoric imply constant training not only of your vocal apparatus. The development of wit must begin with the following practical part of working on oneself:
- Linguistic pyramid … In this exercise, you must learn to categorize items. For example, you can take the same ruler as an object for analysis. The further chain is built on the principle that it refers to drawing tools. The next step is to search for ruler varieties. They can be plastic, wood, metal and glass. Such reasoning is the beginning of the construction of a linguistic pyramid. Then it is necessary to compare the ruler with other measuring instruments. This exercise allows you to develop generalization skills in the form of comprehending analogies.
- Associative decryption … Ease in speech develops with the help of a similar liberation of one's imagination. To complete this exercise, you will need an assistant who has a sense of humor. He should choose any subject or abstract concept and invite a friend to provide maximum information about it. The decoding story should be in the style of describing Tikhon's old felt boots from The Twelve Chairs, which definitely did not ozonize the air in the janitor's room.
- Finding a black cat in a dark room … This exercise involves answering a question that is completely absurd. Lewis Carroll liked to conduct such experiments, who surpassed all famous writers in his tendency to confuse the reader. His question about what the table and the raven have in common still makes the wits want to joke once again on this topic.
- Conversation with the mirror … To hone your wit should not initially be with a real interlocutor. It is necessary to conduct monologues daily with reflection in the mirror, describing your own positive and negative qualities. At the same time, it is necessary to joke to the maximum in the style of "good bastard" or "life rushes over potholes - we are beautiful women." Such an exercise will help you to become more liberated over time in conversation with people.
- Word ping pong using adjectives … To complete this exercise, you need to ask a friend for help. It is recommended to organize a pick, endowing familiar objects and phenomena with unusual characteristics. These can be definitions in the form of boring soup, playful bore, sour passion, etc.
- Non-standard solution to the problem … With abstract and creative thinking, it's pretty easy to develop wit. You need to ask a friend to voice the problem that exists in his life. The task is to offer him your options for a way out of a difficult situation. At the same time, decisions must be non-standard and carried out using the most unrealistic means.
How to develop wit - watch the video:
When asked how to develop wit, you should first of all believe in yourself. Otherwise, no exercise will help you become an interesting conversationalist for the people around you. In addition, there is a list of forbidden topics that should not be joked about. These include the concepts of religion of the interlocutors, their civic position, views on moral norms, existing physical or mental disabilities. On the topic of sex, it is also necessary to joke carefully, because often a frivolous statement from the outside will look like sexual promiscuity. Tact, short and apt phrases, the ability to laugh at yourself are the main components of great humor.
