quick joke before we start:

A crazy billionaire throws a party. And wants to do something unique.

He fills his pool with crocodiles and announces to his guests:

"swim across and you get $5 million"

nobody moves.

He tries again:

"swim across and you get $5 million and my boat."

then SPLASH. one guy swimming, crocodiles snapping everywhere. he makes it across.

the millionaire says: "incredible! do you want the money or the boat first?"

the guy: "I want to know first who pushed me in the water!"

this decent joke took me 439 jokes to find.

four hundred and thirty nine.

I've been reading jokes every single day this week. joke websites. reddit threads. comedy databases. AI-generated lists.

collections with titles like "200 guaranteed laughs" that should be deleted…

but

reading 439 mostly terrible jokes turned out to be the most educational part of this entire week.

3 things that 439 BAD jokes taught me:

1. the last word is everything.

comedians call this the "end-weight rule." the funny word has to be the very last word of the sentence. anything after the punchline dilutes the laugh.

"I told my wife she should embrace her mistakes. she gave me a hug."

"hug" is the last word. that's where the reframe happens. if the joke was "she gave me a hug because I'm her biggest mistake" it would be worse. the extra words kill it.

this applies way beyond comedy. in sales pitches, the strongest word should end the sentence. in presentations, your key point should land last. in emails, put the ask at the end, not the middle.

2. confidence makes everything funnier.

I told the same joke to two different people this week. one laughed hard. the other gave me an empty look.

the difference was me.

when I committed to the delivery and paused before the punchline, it worked.

when I rushed it or half-smiled before the reveal, it did not.

this is true for literally everything.

a mediocre idea delivered with full conviction beats a brilliant idea mumbled with uncertainty.

in comedy, in sales, in leadership. confidence is the frame that makes words land.

3. humor is a trust shortcut.

making someone laugh in the first 30 seconds of an interaction does something no amount of small talk can do. it collapses the distance between strangers.

one laugh and the dynamic shifts from "who is this person" to "I like this person."

that's neuroscience.

laughter releases endorphins and oxytocin simultaneously.

you're literally chemically bonding with someone through a sentence.

the best salespeople I've met are funny. the best leaders I've watched can make a room laugh before making a room think.

the best networkers open with humor, not a pitch.

it's a competitive skill that almost nobody deliberately trains.

so I'm going to train it live

this Sunday evening (Italy CET time) I'm going live on YouTube for a 30 min joke-telling livestream!

Join HERE on Youtube at 9:30 Italy time on Sunday! 🙂

or click the image below:

I'll perform the best material from this week.

the 10 jokes out of 439 that actually work. some original ones I wrote. and whatever you throw at me in the chat. You can also try!

it might be the funniest livestream you've seen this year. or the most cringe. I'll be honest, the odds are roughly 50/50.

show up and bring a joke. if yours makes me laugh live on stream, I'll feature you in next week's newsletter. if mine make you laugh, I'll consider this entire week a success.

439 jokes in 7 days. 1 livestream. let's see what happens.

Proof:

If you missed the previous weeks and unusual lessons, check them out HERE:

Reply to this email with all your questions, comments, or tips, I will answer.

Or share with friends who want to join and grow.

- Alex