Without shared cultural background, it is hard to make a humor understood in intercultural communication. It is not an easy task to explain humor to people from another culture, but it may worth a try, for it may provide you with an opportunity to understand different cultures and be more competent in intercultural communication. Here are some tips:

Step 1: Making new conversational rules

New conversational rules are needed to promote a smooth communication in understanding humor. Suggestions for nonnative speakers and native speakers are as follows respectively:

1.1 Rule for Nonnative Speakers

(1) Abandon the thought that asking questions about humor is stupid. 

(2) It is OK to ask questions about humor. 

(3) Utilize the following expressions in asking questions: It's way over my head! / I didn't get it.  / I didn't catch it. / That was too quick for me. / It left me out inn te cold. 

1.2 Rule for Native Speakers

(1) Feel free to check incomprehension. 

(2) Encourage questions from nonnative speakers. 

Stage 2: Explaining Humor

In order to explain humor more effectively, we need to understand two terms about reasoning proposed by Aristotle, enthymeme and syllogism. 

Syllogism is a 3-step process which consist of a major premise (something general), a minor premise (something specific) and  a conclusion. For example: 

        All English teachers are punctual. (the major premise)

        Anita is an English teacher. (the minor premise)

        Anita is punctual. (the conclusion)

In enthymematic reasoning, the major premise and the conclusion may be missing. It is up to the audience to supply the missing major premise. For example: 

        (The major premise is missing.)

        Anita is an English teacher. (the minor premise)

        (The conclusion is missing.)

To help nonnative speakers understand humor, we need to treat humor as a type of enthymeme and provide them with the missing information.