Convey humour

Facial expressions and body language: In British Sign Language (BSL), conveying humour and ensuring it is recognised requires exaggerated use of facial expressions and body language. Familiarise yourself with these cues, both to use and understand humour effectively.
Timing: The delivery of a joke or humorous remark in BSL relies significantly on timing. Practice pacing your signs to ensure the punchline has the desired impact.
Use of space: Understand how to use the surrounding space effectively. Incorporate actions, imaginary props, or characters, to visually depict the humorous scenario or punchline.

Interpretation of cues: Determine the speaker’s intent to convey humour through their use of facial expressions, body language and the pace at which they are signing.
Joke Structure: Recognise the typical structure of jokes or funny stories in BSL, which often involve setup, development, and a punchline. Understanding the structure can help anticipate and appreciate the humour.
Cultural awareness: Be aware that some forms of humour may originate from Deaf culture and might require a thorough understanding of this community and its experiences.

Appropriate reaction: Respond appropriately to indicate you understood and appreciated the humour. This can be a broad smile, laughter or the sign for ‘funny’.
Show appreciation: Use signs for ‘funny’ or ‘hilarious’ and positive facial expressions to show that you found the joke or funny story amusing.
Reciprocity: Enhance bonds by reciprocating with humour. Practice your own repertoire of jokes and funny stories in BSL.