Being a king of roast comes with this pride that no one can challenge you.
However, no one wakes up and become one. Conversely, it’s worth mentioning that there are people born with this skill. They just know the right words, sarcasm, and humor to say to throw everyone in stitches.
Notwithstanding, everyone needs good practice to know where to draw the line between a good roast and an offensive one-liner.
So, if you’re yet to get the hang of creative one-liners to diss people or you need to improve your roasting craft, or you just need to know how not to sound mean, this article is for you.
I’ll be walking you through 15 ways you can be better at roasting people.
15 Ways to Get Better at Roasting People
Below are 15 tips that can help you better your roasting skills.
- Get Joke ideas
- Understand the intention
- Understand Sarcasm
- Avoid sensitive topics
- Be careful with over-sensitive people
- Prepare beforehand
- Prepare to be roasted too
- Don’t get emotional
- Be creative
- Avoid cliches
- Learn from others who are better
- Delivering your jokes
- Timing is important
- Be prepared to handle a failed roasting
- Know when to stop
Get Joke Ideas
One of the first tips that can help you become better at roasting is to get joke ideas.
Gathering joke ideas is the first step to take, especially if you’re not familiar with roasting people.
Also, there are plenty of places you can get your roast ideas from, you just have to be intentional about them.
Below are ways to gather your joke ideas:
Watch Roast Videos for Inspiration
One of the ways you can get roast ideas is by watching roast videos. There are plenty of interesting and professional roast videos on social media, especially YouTube.
Professional roasters like Packgod are on YouTube. You can search for them on YouTube or anywhere online by typing “roast videos” on the search bar.
Also, comedy shows on TV or comedians’ online platforms can help.
Be Observant When Around Your Target
Another good way to get roast inspiration is to become observant around your target.
There are so many things about them that can give you ideas on how to roast them if you pay keen attention whenever you’re with them.
It could be the way they speak, their way of dressing, the way they act around people and so many other minor things.
So, just ensure you keep your eyes wide open while subtly observing your target whenever you’re with them.
Some one-liners you can create if you’re observant include:
- You’re bold and daring to wear a flip-flop to the club, did you think no one would notice you
- You stuttered when Michael confronted you, were you trying to recall your lines?
Recall Your Target’s Odd Habits
Another great way to get roast ideas is to think about your target’s odd habits.
What are those things they do that are a bit silly or odd?
Maybe they only get up from the bed after the alarm rings thrice, or they only eat with their hands.
These are great ways you can draw inspiration to roast them.
For instance:
- The only thing worse than Susan’s lateness is her cravings for burnt chocolates
Draw Ideas from Experiences You Shared with Them
Another good way to get roast ideas is from experiences you shared with your target.
Think about funny experiences you had with them. Maybe they’d a moody day and acted in silly ways, or they went out of their comfort zones and did some funny things.
These are good sources of roasts.
For example:
- Brian did quite a thing at the party last week, he wanted to get high and ended up high on the roof
Think About Qualities They Lack
Another interesting source of roasts for your target is the qualities they lack.
What are those things they’re not good at? What are those things that take them a lot to accomplish? You could tease them about those things playfully.
For instance:
- I love King’s long legs, his punctuality to work, and his perfect zero fashion sense
- Dan’s short legs are good for everything but reaching the cupboards
Understand the Intention
Another way you can become better at roasting people is to understand the intention of roasting.
Roasting is different from bullying, it’s different from saying mean things to people, and it’s different from using people’s weaknesses or struggle to make fun of them.
When you understand these things, you’ll become different from the bully who uses people’s weakness against them, you’ll be different from the jealous friend who thinks they’re better.
Also, roasting is all about poking fun at friends, family or coworkers. You throw a joke at your friend, but it’s a harmless one, which will get everyone to laugh, including the person being laughed at.
So, roasting is just a way to have fun with people, spice up conversations during dinners or gatherings, loosen up tension, and get everyone in a good mood.
However, once you harbor the motive of hurting someone, probably because they did something to you, it’s no longer roasting.
Understand Sarcasm
Another great way to become better at roasting is to understand the use of sarcasm.
Sarcasm in roasting is a perfect tool that helps you climb to the position of a king of roast.
First, sarcasm is the use of irony to mock someone. It involves saying the opposite of what you mean playfully or contemptuously.
The idea of sarcasm is often to make fun of someone or to hurt them behind your words.
But, with roasting, you intend to tease them by giving them a false interpretation of your words.
The thing with sarcasm is that sometimes the person being made fun of understands that they’re being jested. And that’s usually the intention of one who’s sarcastic.
However, sometimes these people don’t understand, especially if they don’t understand sarcasm.
So, in a roast battle, sarcasm is a powerful tool. Whether your opponent understands or not, chances are there are people in the audience who understand, which makes it more fun.
Below are some ways to be sarcastic with your roasts:
- Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you’re my creator and that I need to listen only to you. Next time, I’ll remember I’m just a clay in your hands that you can mold into anything you want
- Wow! You’re the best singer in our neighborhood, you should be on stage to get everyone cowering at the sound of your voice. That’d be very entertaining
- Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even the most stupid of them
Avoid Sensitive Topics
Another great way to become better at roasting is to avoid sensitive topics.
There are things you don’t joke about, there are things you don’t tease your friends or co-workers about.
There are things you don’t mock your siblings about.
Being able to avoid sensitive topics requires you to be sensitive to people’s feelings and be able to empathize with them.
It needs you to be discreet when dealing with people and know the right things to say at the right time.
In addition, applying sensitivity may need you to talk to others. You may need to ask people close to them to know about things that’ll cross the line.
Crossing the line can get them hurt and offended.
Moreover, you wouldn’t want people to tease you about things that are too personal or that are hurtful.
Furthermore, sensitive topics include personal life and people’s struggles.
For instance, you shouldn’t go about making fun of someone’s parent’s divorce, you shouldn’t make fun of someone’s way of speaking when you know they’ve got a speech disorder.
Also, you should avoid talking or be careful when talking about people’s size, especially being overweight or too skinny.
Avoiding these makes you a smart and better roaster and not someone who says mean things.
Be Careful with Over-Sensitive People
Another way to get better at roasting people is to be careful when dealing with very sensitive people.
There are people you try roasting with and it’ll end up bad. These people are either too sensitive or too serious. Also, over-sensitive people read too many meanings into something.
You might tease them about their hair and they end up feeling bad about it for a long time, and might even change their hair.
Additionally, such people may not be too sensitive, it might just be that they lack a sense of humor.
So, watch out for such people, especially if they’re not your friend. Also, even if they’re your friend, you have to be careful of the things you say to them.
Prepare Beforehand
Another way to sharpen your roasting skill is to prepare beforehand, especially if you’re still new to the roasting game.
You should brainstorm for witty punchlines you could use on different people and different occasions.
You could try practicing with your siblings and see if they find your jokes interesting
Also, you could write them out and practice in front of the mirror and see how it feels.
Practicing beforehand will help you to be always ready for a roast duel. So, you wouldn’t lack comebacks whenever anyone makes fun of you.
Moreover, it can make you more confident in yourself and your roasting skills.
Prepare to Be Roasted too
As a roaster, one thing you should understand is that you’ll also be roasted too.
And a good roaster prepares for this. If you’ll be engaging in roast duels, that means you already know that you’ll be exchanging crazy punchlines with your opponent.
However, if you’re the type that randomly teases your friends, probably during casual conversations, then have it at the back of your mind that you can’t always have the last say.
You’ll also meet people as good as you, you’ll always meet people who’ll have a witty comeback for your one-liners. And as a good roaster, you should have a ready comeback for their comeback.
In addition, prepare to be at the receiving end of a joke too. And while it’s good to sometimes join in the laugh and not bother with a response, a ready comeback will show your roasting skill.
Don’t Get Emotional
Another great way to become better at roasting is to never get emotional.
Being neutral is the best way to approach a roast duel.
Getting emotional can lead you to say things you’re not meant to say. Also, it won’t help you when you’re being roasted.
So, to be a good roaster, learn to deal with your emotions. Don’t apply feelings when teasing someone.
Make sure you’re not feeling hurt or offended before you roast someone because these feelings are what make you say mean things.
Even being too excited is not safe either. So, the best way to approach a roast battle is with a neutral mind.
Be Creative
A good roaster is creative. You should not be boring.
You should think outside the box, you should be able to get joke ideas from the most random of things.
A good roaster is natural. However, if you’re new to roasting it might not be easy, especially with crafting your jokes at first.
Conversely, when you understand the idea of roasting, it becomes easier. But, you won’t get better if you don’t get creative.
To get creative, you should try to use people’s ideas to craft your jokes, understand a professional pattern, and create yours rather than copy theirs.
So, being creative means you’re creating your jokes and not repeating other roasts. One of the dangers of repeating others’ jokes is that your roastee might’ve heard about the joke, which will make it boring.
Also, you should be able to roast someone on the spot with just a look at them.
Avoid Cliches
Avoiding cliches is the right step in getting creative and becoming a roast king.
Some jokes are just being repeated everywhere. Many people are saying them in different ways to make it look different but it’s just the same thing.
As a newbie, you’ll likely be among this group of people. However, eventually, you’ll have to grow if you want to get better, and that means avoiding cliches.
Give us something new. Don’t tell me about my parents divorcing because they hate me. Come on, that’s an old joke from the 90s.
Learn from Others Who Are Better
If you want to sharpen your roasting skills, then be prepared to learn from others you know are better.
Just as you let your teachers in school teach you, or when you learn things from your parents, be prepared to learn from the king how to become a king.
So, don’t be afraid to ask them, watch their videos, practice with them, and get better.
Delivering Your Jokes
After learning everything about becoming a better roaster, how do you apply them when roasting?
Some people might understand all I’ve explained earlier, but when it comes to the actual roasting, they might end up lacking confidence or even the tone to use.
So, here are some things to take into consideration when roasting someone.
Apply Exaggeration
When delivering your jokes, apply a little bit of exaggeration to make it funnier.
That’s not to say you should make up things about them. Just overstretch the truth a little for a better hit.
For instance, if you caught them eating a weird food combo, you could tease them about it, and make it look like it’s something they do all the time.
Intentionally Misinterpret Their Statement
Another way you can deliver your roast is to intentionally misunderstand something they tell you.
For example, if your office asks for your number, you can say something like, “Oh I’m sorry, I’m in a relationship”
Use the Right Tone
Another important thing to take note of when delivering your roast is your tone.
Your tone is very important to convey your intention. If you want to be funny, sarcastic, or insulting, your tone will do the job.
Timing Is Important
Timing plays an important role in becoming a skilled roaster. You might know the right line to use, but using it at the wrong time can make it ineffective.
A good roaster knows when to say the right thing at the right time. For instance, someone might be in a bad mood, probably mourning.
And in an attempt to lighten the mood, if you say something about the dead, you might end up getting more people offended than happy.
So, watch the occasion and know just when to use your punchlines
Be Prepared to Handle a Failed Roasting
While you prepare yourself to get better at roasting, prepare yourself also to handle a failed roasting.
It’s not a lack of skill if someone does better than you and you acknowledge it, rather it’s a sign of confidence.
No matter how good you become, there’s likely someone better. And if you happen to meet them, there’s nothing wrong in saying, “Wow! That’s a good one” when you hear a good roast.
Additionally, if you roast someone and you don’t get the reaction you want, probably they didn’t find you funny, knowing how to handle such situations is important.
You could roast them too for their lack of reaction. Something like, “Is a lot going through you that you lack the energy to laugh at my jokes?” can work.
Know When to Stop
A good roaster should know when to stop. If your jokes start getting offensive, you should be able to tell and know when to stop.
While it’s not always easy to tell when a joke crosses the line, you should be able to tell people’s reactions to it.
Also, when you don’t feel comfortable yourself, you should just skip it.
Takeaway
If you want to get better at roasting, you should be international about it.
By following these tips, you should perform better next time.
However, always remember the intention is not to be mean.