Not every room will be packed—sometimes you’re on stage for fewer people than your car’s backseat can handle. In the latest episode of the Funny Muscle Pod, Mike shares battle-tested tips for how to turn a modest crowd into a memorable performance, like boost your pace and go local. We also learn how to say what they’re thinking—lightly. If your audience is thinking, “Is this crowd supposed to be this small?”, Mike teaches how to nudge that thought without making anyone feel self-conscious.

Why do we feel so good when a waiter says “excellent choice” after we order the salmon instead of the flank steak?

Mike and Chris break down the psychology behind that little dopamine hit and show you how to use the same principle to level up your comedy, corporate communication, public speaking, and even your skills as a great emcee. They also dig into the respective articles they wrote for Finding Your Funny Muscle:

How to Strengthen Your Corporate Communication Using the Funny Muscle Method - Finding Your Funny Muscle

What Great Comedy MCs Actually Do (Besides Just Not Sucking) - Finding Your Funny Muscle

Stand-Up Techniques for Public Speaking: For Professors, Policy Nerds, and People Who Sweat in Blazers - Finding Your Funny Muscle

Tune in for practical tips, emcee hacks, a few laughs, and the occasional menu metaphor.

On this episode of Funny Muscle, the team tackles one of the most important — and often overlooked by new comics — steps in joke creation: assigning an emotion to a topic. Because “air travel” isn’t funny. But your deep personal betrayal by a TSA muffin confiscation? That’s a premise. They look at how pros use an emotional POV to instantly transform a generic idea into a living, breathing premise that’s ready for punchlines.