Making people laugh

Sam See is a stand-up comedian. To do his job well, he has to have good-enough English to play with words while he makes people laugh. He  shares his story with us.

Q: What are your earliest memories of learning the English language?

A: English was the only language I knew at first. My parents are Cantonese but they always spoke to us in English. As kids, my brother and I wondered whether they didn’t want us to know Cantonese because they could then communicate in dialect without us understanding what they were saying to each other. On the other hand, maybe they simply wanted us to learn good
English.

Reading storybooks helped. I was a very active child, running and playing a lot. But, I loved to read as well. My favourite authors were Richard Scarry and Roald Dahl. I didn’t have the patience for longer storybooks like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Instead, I preferred the short stories such as The Twits and The BFG.

Q: Were there experiences in school that, looking back now, you know helped you to speak well?

A: My love for the microphone started very early. I loved giving presentations. I loved facing an audience. Even at church, when the
kids performed a song item, I would be the one to announce it. I studied at St Andrew’s all the way for ten years. We had lots of opportunities to get on stage. In the junior school, I was a student librarian. Not only did I get to read
more, I also had to present book reviews during school assemblies.

Imagine, in Primary 3 or 4, getting on stage and telling the whole assembly of boys what you thought about a book. It was a very good experience. When singing contests or talent shows came along, I would take part in them. Maybe I always knew that I wanted to be an entertainer.

Q: After school, you chose to go to polytechnic to major in video game development. Do you remember the turning point at which you realised
that you wanted to do comedy instead?

A: It was all very serendipitous. In 2012, I wanted to sing in a talent contest. I decided on a routine which had me cracking a couple of jokes as well as singing. At the same contest, there was another guy who did a whole comedy routine. He noticed that I enjoyed making people laugh, and so he invited me to an open-mic show at China One. I even remember the date – 1 April 2012 – because it was April Fools Day!

I wasn’t great that evening but I really enjoyed sharing my humour. I’ve  known since then that this is what I want to do.

Q: At only 23 years, you are the youngest comedian on the new TV show OK Chope! In just four years, you have come a long way. How did you learn the trade when there were no training schools for stand-up comedians?

A: Watching TV programmes like Mind Your Language, Allo Allo and Are You Being Served? on BBC television was good exposure to English humour. I  enjoyed those British sitcoms but, at the same time, I noticed what worked in good comedies.

To see how stand-up comedians cater to their audience’s culture, I studied YouTube videos of famous ones in different parts of the world. I also picked up tips from the older, more experienced comedians I knew. But, mostly, I learnt on the job by actually performing for live audiences.

LEARNING FROM SAM SEE

Even if you have no plans to be a stand-up comedian one day, there is much you can learn from this successful young professional. Being able to talk to strangers, on or off the stage, is a big plus point in most careers. Mr See’s strategies can work for you, too.

• Seek opportunities to present to audiences. You benefit from the experience whenever you stand up and share your thoughts or explain a project to a group. Volunteer to make announcements or to emcee at a student event. Perform in shows. Say a few words at open-mic sessions. Every bit helps you to become better at thinking on your feet so that you can speak good English fluently in almost any situation.
• Build up your vocabulary. Knowing lots of words and how to use them helps when you have to speak off the cuff. While Mr See prepares some of his content, he also improvises on the spot during his shows. With only split seconds to find the right words, he must have rich vocabulary.
• Know what is happening in the world. General knowledge helps you to chat with all sorts of people. Mr See recalls, “Once, there was a man from Georgia in the audience. To most people, Georgia is a state in the United States. But, I guessed that he was from the country called Georgia, near Russia. I joked about that and he was so happy that I knew where his country was. In the same audience, there was a man from the Ukraine. I cracked a joke about that and he, too, was thrilled. I like making people feel special in this way. But, to do that, I have to have good general knowledge.”