Things I know about you -- The road ahead -- No!? -- Observational stand-up -- Anecdotal stand-up -- The stand-up sketch -- Act-outs -- Humor celebrity put-downs -- Put-down humor: people in your life -- Put-down humor: hecklers -- Put-down humor? Insult comedy -- Put-down humor?self-deprecating humor -- Crowd work -- The comic flaw -- Character stand-up comedy -- Edgy stand-up comedy -- Specialties -- Ad-libbing -- The handbook for creating stand-up comedy material -- Preparing for your first draft -- The first draft -- Trying out your first draft -- Setup and punchline -- Working backward -- Creating your set list -- The handbook for performing stand-up comedy -- Nerves and the three gifts they give you -- The single most important thing: joyous communication -- Coming alive onstage: emotional fullness -- Be in the room -- Delivery -- The things to do before you get to the club -- Before the show starts -- Showtime -- Get undeniably good -- Building an all A set -- Creating your persona -- The six characteristics of a successful persona -- The seventh characteristic -- The this joke used to kill and now used to kill and now it's bombing, what the hell is going on? Checklist -- Hosting -- The voice -- Everything you need to know about the business of stand-up comedy.