Comedy is a great form of entertainment particularly for events with a large audience. If you are hosting a corporate event such as an end of year meal and presentation a comedy routine can be the perfect choice to set your audience at ease.

Live comedy performances can be structured sketches if there is a group of performers involved. Usually comedy performances will be stand up routines as these can be performed by one person and sections can also be improvised or adlibbed depending on the audiences particular tastes and reactions.

Stand up comedy usually involves a single comedian performing a routine in front of an audience. Routines are often performed in a conversational, informal tone. Many stand up comedians play on this during there set, mildly mocking the scale of the venue by acting as though they are having a conversation which could have taken place anywhere.

Sticking to the conversational style a typical stand up routine usually involves short jokes and one liners. These are often retold as anecdotes or personal monologues which is often a good opportunity for the comedian to put a twist on a classic joke. Recurring themes are also often used which are effective for drawing in the audience, playing on the conversational delivery by cross referencing and using "in jokes".

Stand up comedians know that the success of their show relies purely on the audience's reaction. With the lone comedian being the constant focus of attention it can sometimes become difficult to stay consistently funny. To keep the audiences interest some comedians employ a range of innovative techniques.

Some comedians add variety to their act by including visual props. This may include brief magic tricks or objects such as puppets to convey conversations with additional characters. Other comedians (notably Bill Bailey) use music to bring another dimension to their routine. This can be used to break up the routine by adding songs and can also be used for additional relief such as using short pieces of music and notes to convey reactions or elements of stories.

Depending on the skill of the comedian and style of the set some comedians may use few of these techniques or none at all. A crucial aspect of stand up comedy compared to sketch based comedy is that there isn't a defined script or narrative structure.

This may or may not work to the comedian's advantage as a lack of narrative or structure may make it difficult for the comedian to remember the routine. This can be tackled by working on the conversational nature and practising the timing of linking and overlapping sections. Some comedians may find the lack of a definitive narrative structure welcoming as it provides the perfect excuse for having relentless jokes without sticking to a narrative.