In a previous interview, Bored Panda spoke with Abigail Paul, an actress, standup comedian and improviser who has been giving seminars on incorporating theatre techniques for purposes beyond the stage to schools, businesses and organizations.
Abigail argues that the secret to any comeback is connection. “If you are really listening to (and connecting with) another person, you are taking them in fully, aware of who they are, the context in which you are dealing with this person,” she said.
Moreover, according to the comedian, people do this assessment unconsciously. In fact, we aren't even always aware that we are always sizing up other people. “This is too often because we are so focused on ourselves.” A great comeback feels great because it was earned, Abigail argues. “It was spontaneous. The commenter was probably really listening. It was unique to that moment, set of people, situation,” she told us some time ago.
One of the biggest challenges in saying a comeback is making sure it doesn’t sound mean. But Abigail reminds us that a comeback is not a clapback. The latter one “is generally sarcastic, but a clapback might be fun among friends.”
At the same time, the context of a situation always matters. “In working on status exercises in improv, we try to get people to see that the easiest way to raise another person's status is to lower their own. We see that in standup comedy too. Usually it works best if the comic is the butt of the joke, not the audience. (There are plenty of exceptions.)”
While you don’t need to be too self-effacing for a good comeback, if it can lift other people up, the job is done. “When it works well and gains the speaker a laugh and cements the bond that says, we are in this together,” Abigail explained.
While comebacks can be used as an excellent communication tool, listening skills are the most important thing. “Paying attention, making accurate observations about the people in the room, and how they feel—these are the tools that will make a comeback really shine,” Abigail explained.
