Jokes work not because of the details in the stories themselves, but the order in which they are revealed. There really is an order of elements in comedy just like there is an order of operations in algebra. Try telling a story from the other end and what you will end up with is just that, a story. That’s because, even though the story beats remain the same, they lose the element of surprise when they are revealed in a conversational way.
And therein lies the difference between a joke that’s just a story and a joke that actually works. Well, that and the element of misdirection. Of course, the story still has to pass the laugh test. But if you tell a story and it gets laughs, it probably followed some variation of this magical formula:
Misdirection + Surprise = Funny
It’s magical because that misdirection element is the same thing that magicians use to pull off their tricks. When the guy on stage says, “Watch my left hand very closely or you might miss it,” he is not trying to help you see the trick, he is trying to trick you into missing it. Because that awe moment won’t happen if you see the sleight of hand.
Remember, we are pattern-seeking species. We look ahead in stories and try to predict what is going to happen next. But our predictions are based on the elements in front of us, which is where the misdirection comes in. Surprise can lead to laughter, awe, or even fear, depending on the flavour of the story elements, but whether or not the surprise happens in first place depends on how those elements are arranged.
Have a look at the example below. Consider the misdirection (leading the audience towards serious politics), then the surprise (the other side of the picture), and that creates something funny.
The UK Government has said that Scotland could end up as a Third World country if they try and vote again for independence.
I don’t know if things will improve to that extent, but you never know.
Kalampedia 