a guest-speaker presentation at the university of south florida in 2009 by elizabeth visedo, (now)...
TRANSCRIPT
A DIY Kit for a Humor-Infused Life
A Guest-Speaker Presentation at the University of South Florida in 2009
by Elizabeth Visedo, (now) Ph.D.
http://myapaeditor.weebly.com
Stand-up comic, anyone?You don’t have to be a stand-up comic to be an excellent humorist.
What is humor?
You can use humor beautifully and expertly without telling a single joke.
Humor experts in the audience?
Please raise your hand if…You think you tell
great jokes
You like to laughYou like people who
do not take themselves too seriously
You sometimes wish the whole world would lighten up a little
Joke telling is an action, just one means of humor expression
Humor is a state or quality
What is humor?OpennessOptimismYes-saying to lifeCreativity
Play Finding new connectionsbetween things
Involve the same
act
Humor = Creativity = Play
The Case for a Humor-Infused Life
This random experiment called Life requires you to…
• Make decisions with insufficient data• Get the job done with inadequate tools• Accept less than 100% success
How do you make
God laugh?
Today’s workplace demands…
• Critical thinking Acquiring information is hardly the
challenge The knowledge you have today may well be
useless tomorrow
• Creative thinking The corporate world continues to reinvent
itself You’ll have to solve new problems in
unanticipated situations
The ability to think and communicate creatively is inherent in all of us.Don’t believe me?Ask yourself one quick question…
Am I a former child?
If you answered “yes”then you’re a creative genius!If you don’t feel like one, then you just forgot what it was like• To have no rules• To have no terms like “wrong,” “crazy,” or “rude”
Socialization is good for behavior
NOT FOR IDEAS
Ideas are not right or wrongThey are just ideasIt is not bad to have
rude, crazy, or unoriginal ideas
…if we don’t share them
…if we don’t act upon them
No idea is per se bad
Did you know… … Thomas Edison tested no fewer than 10,000
substances to find a light bulb filament that neither burnt nor blew up?
When asked “you failed 10,000 times?” he replied
“Of course, not. I discovered 10,000 things that don’t work. Cool, huh?”
(or the 19th century words to that effect)
Humor Rule 1
Bad ideas
are good
Ok, you just need
training…
Warm-up
Let's play…
You’re having sextuplets!
Yep, that tooth will have to come out
Your computer just crashed… for good
I’m afraid you’re credit card was refused
Your house has termites
Looks like our flight has been cancelled
Somebody else got that job you wanted
Your car does not start
Humor Rule 2
Find what is
+!
Ok, you need more
training…
Let's play…
For this game, keep your eyes closed, please
I said EYES CLOSED!
Humor Rule 3
Beingunoriginal
can produce
amazingly
original
ideas!
Ok, now you want more training…
Let's play…
Humor Rule 4
Positivity
pays
Ok, had enough?
Let's play…
Humor Rule 5
Divorce your ego!
Ok, one more…
Let's play…
Humor Rule 6
Bomb and still
come out
smelling like a
rose!
Question time!
That’s all, Folks!Have fun!
Elizabeth Visedo2009