06/11/2025
Let me show you how to save yourself when you tell a story and no one laughs or understands.
Here’s the magic sentence you need to remember.
“I told that story and no one laughed — guess it wasn’t funny.”
“I told that story and no one reacted — guess no one understood.”
Say it gently and keep a cheerful tone.
That way, people will think, “Okay, she knows what happened.”
Usually, they’ll laugh along, say “It was funny,” or say something to help you out.
Because no one wants you to feel awkward.
And that’s it — end the story and switch to another topic.
That topic is done; don’t try to save it anymore.
Honestly, having an awkward moment like that is completely normal.
Let me tell you a story.
Once, I interviewed a foreign woman.
She was very serious, writing down every word I said.
After hearing her story, I felt empathy for her.
So at the end, I wanted to leave her with a wise message.
Suddenly, inspiration struck me.
I came up with a deep life quote — one I thought even a forty-year-old might not fully grasp.
I said, “I’ll give you a really good quote, get your pen ready.”
And I said, “Don’t spend time on people who aren’t worth it, but when they are worth it, spend your time.”
We looked at each other, nodded for three seconds… and silence.
Totally awkward.
In my head, it sounded brilliant, but once I said it out loud — it wasn’t.
And since she didn’t speak Vietnamese well, she didn’t understand a thing.
Of course, she didn’t write it down either. 😂
That’s when I realized — no matter how good you think your words are, sometimes your joke or message just won’t land.
It’s like you reading this post right now and not finding it funny at all.
Which means I’m the one who isn’t funny this time. 😆
But that’s okay — not everyone gets your rhythm.
So when your story “falls flat,” just take it lightly.
It’s perfectly normal.
Anh My