a guest-speaker presentation at the university of south florida in 2009 by elizabeth visedo, (now)...

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