I’ve had the pleasure (and sometimes pain) of doing and seeing a wide variety of corporate entertainment events for a number of different organizations. Many of them have gone phenomenally well, others weren’t quite as lucky.

Many times, the bad shows weren’t a result of bad performance or even a bad audience, but rather misguided planning. Here are 5 Corporate Entertainment Tips to help sure you have a successful event:

1. Be Clear About Your Expectations.

As someone who (presumably) knows the audience, you can help the entertainer get crystal clear on what’s appropriate, what’s inappropriate and what will result in getting the mic turned off. Some comedians are more risqué than others, knowing the audience, and sharing it with the entertainer can help make sure everyone goes home happy.

Expectations to be clear on: start time and end time (and amount of flexibility), content rating (G, PG, PG-13, R), size of audience, AV equipment, room layout, attractiveness of audience (OK, maybe not this last one).

2. Shorter is Better.

Even if you want to go “all out” for your group, rarely does more than 60-minutes of comedy go well (particularly if it’s been an all-day event). Keep it short and keep it fun. The audience should be left wanting more, not wanting the show to end.

If you do have more than 60-minutes scheduled, consider a keynote or workshop that is fun and educational.

3. Don’t Schedule Comedy During Dinner.

While it might seem like an efficient way to schedule the agenda, eating + comedy don’t go well together. Either no one laughs because they have food in their mouth, or no has food in their mouth because they’re laughing.

The best time-slot for comedy is before dinner or right after the desserts have gone out (just make sure to tell catering not to clear plates during the show).

4. Don’t Forget About Bio Breaks.

Before the comedy happens, make sure to allow time for a bio break and announce it! Nothing interrupts a comedy show more than a mass exodus to the restrooms, or worse, someone who laughs so much they”¦ well let’s not get into that.

5. Tailor the Comedy to Your Audience.

Finally, as an event planner it’s important to consider your audience when selecting a comedian or group. The entertainment should be appropriate for the size of the audience, setup of the venue and the energy of the event. After all, you wouldn’t book U2 for a show in a conference room.

A good corporate entertainer will help you understand all of the nuances to consider.

Have any questions or concerns? Feel free to send us an email at entertainment@humorthatworks.com. Ready to book some entertainment for your next event? Check out our Corporate Entertainment Offerings.

Related posts:

1. Corporate Entertainment Offerings
2. Humor at Work: Stand-up Comedy at Corporate Training
3. 10 Tips for Using Humor in the Workplace

When preparing for an interview, it’s likely you have been given the advice to be serious when you meet with people at your prospective job; it’s important to know that advice is absolutely wrong (unless you’re interviewing to be a funeral director, banker (of doom), or to play Buster Keaton in a biopic).

It’s true that interviews are an important part of the hiring process, and as an interviewee, you have a very personal stake in wanting it to go well, but the perception that avoiding humor during an interview is the safer option is fundamentally flawed.

Desire to control the outcome of the interview often leads people to not use humor because it feels unsafe, but the safest path is to be the greatest job candidate that any of the evaluators have ever seen. Unless you have abilities far beyond those of mortal men, you’re better off being the kind of person they want to work with.

So here, to dispel any misconceptions or misunderstandings, are 5 Reasons to Use Humor in an Interview.

1. To Show You’re More than Just a Good Worker

If you’ve been asked to come in for an interview, then either you’re already qualified for the job or the company likes wasting its time. Being a good fit for the company on paper makes you a shoo-in only if you and the other candidates are all robots.

No matter how great your resume is, people still have to work with you, so a significant portion of any interview will be spent evaluating your facility in working with others. By using humor during the interview, you demonstrate how well you’d fit in to their office environment, and showing you belong there puts you one step closer to being there.

2. To Model How You’ll Behave in the Job

Given the current trend of behavioral interviews, sometimes you may wonder how to answer interview questions diplomatically. Humor is a tool you can use to truthfully answer these interview questions while simultaneously avoiding negative behaviors like assigning blame or complaining.

When questions like “describe a time when you had to work in a challenging work environment” come up (and they will), humor is an especially good way of discussing the difficulties in a positive manner.

By showing you have a sense of humor about a situation that was likely stressful when you were in it, you clearly demonstrate that you have moved on from negative aspects of the situation and now see it as a learning experience. In other words, you’re showing your interviewer that you’re a model employee.

3. To Demonstrate Your Social Skills

It’s hard to be successful and a misanthrope unless you own your own business or happen to be a fictional character. Not many people interview themselves before starting their own business and I have it on good authority Gregory House doesn’t visit this site, so neither of those audiences will be addressed in this article.

Unavoidably (and luckily), workplaces are filled with people. Depending on your role at work, you may be called on to interact with these fellow humans occasionally, or even more frequently than that.

In fact, several times a year you may be called upon to interact with coworkers in a purely social setting, rather than a work-related setting. Using humor during an interview sends a strong signal that you can navigate the professional and social dynamics of the company.

4. To Show You Can Roll with the Punches

Just like when you’re on the job, things can go wrong during an interview. Rather than being bad, these moments are opportunities to show how calm and unflappable you are. Being able to bring levity to a situation that would cause stress in other people provides a very concrete example of you handling a potentially frustrating or stressful situation without becoming unpleasant to work with.

5. To Get To Know The Other Person Better

At a fundamental level, every interview is the same, because every interview is a conversation. When approached this way, an interview is an opportunity for you to engage with the interviewer and, all job considerations aside, forge a connection with another human being.

Humor is a powerful tool for creating an open and honest feeling. When someone smiles, you know if it’s genuine or forced (just ask Guillaume Duchenne).

The base honesty involved in sharing humor acts to build trust where everyone involved can be more open, which makes it more likely you and the interviewer will have a great”” and memorable”” talk.

Just look at it from the interviewer’s perspective. After interviewing a number of people over the course of several days, are you more likely to remember the person who answered every question perfectly by rote, or the person who you had a great conversation with and actually made the time you spent with them enjoyable?

Got your own thoughts on using humor in interviews? Share them in the comments.

Related posts:

1. Ace an Interview with Honesty
2. Talking Improv Wisdom, an Interview with Patricia Ryan Madson
3. Hospital Humor… An Interview with Sally Franz

A survey is only as good as the responses it receives from the responders. One way to increase the number of survey responses is to use humor to make your surveys fun. You can easily do that in one of two ways:

A fun survey

1. Adding humorous questions among your standard survey questions, or
2. Asking your standard survey questions in a humorous way.

The benefit to your responders is that they enjoy taking the survey more and the benefit to you is that you get more responses.  These rules apply to just about any survey you could think of: employee surveys, customer satisfaction surveys, training surveys, surveys about surveys–you name it, humor can help.

Ready to make your surveys fun? Here’s how to do it.

Adding Humorous Questions Among Standard Survey Questions

The easier way to add humor to your survey is by adding interesting questions to it, just for the sake of humor. This is as easy as picking a question or eight (such as any from 50 Questions to Get to Someone) and adding them in between your “serious” questions.

The key to doing this effectively is to design it in such a way that it doesn’t cheapen your survey or negatively impact its results. To accomplish this,

1. Use a 4-1 ratio of 4 serious survey questions for every 1 humorous one. This allows you to have fun survey questions without detracting away from the most important questions.
2. Where possible, use humorous questions that are related to or inspired by your actual questions. This keeps people from straying too far away from your subject matter. If this isn’t possible, keep the humor questions simple so they don’t require too much thinking (you don’t want to wear out your responders).
3. The humorous questions should be appropriate and upbeat for your audience. You don’t want your responders to be offended (or in a bad mood) while they’re answering questions about employee satisfaction or your site design.

As for specific survey questions to use, there are countless, just use your imagination. If you’re lacking inspiration, take the Humor That Works Survey for some sample survey questions, or adapt a few humorous questions from 50 Questions to Get to Know Someone.

The added bonus to this method is that it will make the analyzing your survey results that much more fun, because in addition to getting the survey research you wanted, you’ll also learn your responders’ favorite colors or hear a humorous one-liner.

Asking Standard Survey Questions in a Humorous Way

The other option for adding humor to your surveys is through spicing up the serious questions you want answered. This keeps the focus on what you want to know but does it in a way that is more engaging to the responders. To do this,

1. Include humorous measures along with real ones.  Instead of using a standard scale of 1 to 5 in your training survey, try using a scale that draws on your subject matter (such as a scale of Ha (1) to Hahahahaha (5)).  You still accomplish your goal, but it’s more engaging than the typical approach.
2. Use humorous examples to demonstrate what you’re looking for.  This is a perfect time for the comedy rule of 3, allowing you to have two real examples and a third humorous one.  You accomplish your goal of giving an example while at the same time injecting humor into your survey.
3. Provide humorous responses as possible answers.  The last option for any given question can be one that is included for humor, not for a legitimate response.  The key watchout here is that people may choose your humorous answer instead of an actual one, so only do this on survey questions you would be OK not getting a serious response on.

Using Humor to Create Fun Surveys

Adding humor to your surveys can go a long way in improving your response rates and can help you get more engagement from the responders. As the responders realize you’ve sprinkled humor throughout, they’ll start looking forward to the upcoming questions to see your use of humor instead of dreading the questions to come. Do it consistently in each survey and they’ll start looking forward to answering future surveys.

If you want to see a sample survey that uses these tips, and wouldn’t mind helping me better address the humor needs of you as a reader, fill out the Humor That Works Survey.  It’s guaranteed to make you laugh (or at least smile (or at least click the mouse a couple of times)).

Related posts:

1. Humor That Works Survey
2. 101 Ways to Create Humor at Work
3. People Trivia: A Fun Team-Building Exercise

I recently read a fun article, titled Mentor or Mentos: A Comparison, that talked about some of the differences between Mentors (the guiding person) and Mentos (the candy).  As I thought (and researched) more about it, I realized the two m-e-n-t-o words have more in common than you might think.

But first, here’s a classic Mentos commercial to get us started.  (Seriously you should watch it, not just to put a smile on your face but also so you understand some of my references below.)

For more of the best Mentos commercials, check out the Top 10 Classic Mentos Commercials.

The Name

This one is obvious (for English speakers), the words “Mentos” and “Mentors” are just one letter off.  The word Mentor has been around longer–it was the name of a character in Homer’s Odyssey, though the modern definition stems from a book from 1699;  Mentos were first introduced in the 1950′s in the Netherlands.

The Product

Mentos are described as “small oblate spheroids, with a slightly hard exterior and a soft, chewy interior.”  The best mentors are the same way (ignoring the spheroids-shape thing): they have a slightly hard exterior (meaning they won’t be afraid to give you constructive criticism) and a soft interior (ultimately they want you to succeed).  If your mentor doesn’t call out what you’ve done wrong or what you could do better, it’s like have Gummi bears instead of Mentos–sure their nice to have, but they’re not going to help you fix a suit you just got paint on.

The (Known) Benefit

If the Mentos jingle is to be believed, and I think we can all agree it can be, then “(Doo doo doo doo, doo-doo, do-Wah!) It doesn’t matter what comes, fresh goes better in life, and Mentos is fresh and full of life.”  As with Mentos, if you have a mentor, it doesn’t matter what comes because, between you and your mentor, you’ll be able to figure it out.  Nothing will get to you because you’ll stay fresh with new ideas from someone else who is experienced and can provide an outside perspective, and you’ll be cool with the confidence knowing that someone who is doing (or has done) what you ultimately want to do has your back.

The (Secret) Benefit

Most people know the main benefit of Mentos–they’re enjoyable candies you can snack on (and they can help you solve everyday problems).  Most people know the main benefit of Mentors–they’re enjoyable people that help propel your career with expert guidance and perspective from years of experience (and they can help you solve everyday problems).  But an additional secret benefit has recently come up for Mentos and Mentors.  For Mentos, it’s the amazing ability they have to turn Diet Coke into an awesome geyser.  For Mentors, it’s the amazing ability to turn a mentor into a more knowledgeable, connected leader.  The term is called “reverse mentoring” and it’s the insight and perspective a more experienced person can learn from a newer person in the workplace.  Sure, watching an exploding geyser of Diet Coke is more fun than witnessing reverse mentoring, but it’s probably not as valuable to your organization (probably).

Sources:

• http://www.mentos.com
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentor
• Inspired by http://www.buddhajones.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=13

Related posts:

1. The Position of Mentorship

One of my favorite team-building activities of late has been the “Line Up.” It’s an exercise that involves all of the participants lining up single-file according to a specified criteria. As an example, you might have everyone line-up alphabetically by first name.  As you specify different criteria, you can add conditions like not being able to talk or having everyone close their eyes.

The normal exercise is great for large groups–you get people moving around and visually learning about their peers through where they stand in each line.  However the real fun I’ve had with the exercise is with smaller teams. Having 7-10 people go through the exercise gives you time to discuss the different challenges and really get to know each other.

If you’d like to incorporate the Line Up team-building activity into your next gathering, you can follow the instructions in the following presentation, or download it and take it with you. The presentation provides instructions, an example, and a set of 8 criteria that build trust each step of the way. Some additional team-building tips are included after the presentation.

Some additional tips to make the most of this team-building activity:

• There are countless other criteria you could use; if you decide to switch them up, think about what topics the participants would gain from learning about each other.
• The order of the slides is important as the challenges should slowly build in amount of discussion and intimacy of questions.
• The last challenge allows you to gauge the effectiveness of the exercise.  Regardless of how people respond, you can share with them one of my favorite notes about team-building:
  • “Studies show that people become closer when they share emotion and experiences.  So if you guys love this exercise, then I’ve done my job because you’ve become closer over the activity.  If you guys hated this exercise, I’ve still done my job because you’ve become closer together over all hating me for making you do it.”

Done this activity before?  What’s your favorite criteria to use? Share it in the comments!

Related posts:

1. Humor at Work: Team-Building for New Team Members
2. Team-Building Activity – Telephone Pictionary
3. Team-Building Through 3 Pictures

The most recent Old Spice campaign has generated over 100 million views online; the Old Spice channel on Youtube has over 100,000 subscribers; there are nearly 700,000 fans on Facebook.  What started out as a well-done commercial for Old Spice has turned into a hilarious internet phenom–and all of this for body wash and deodorant.

Isaiah Mustafa, aka The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, has helped launch the Old Spice brand into social media stardom with one of the most popular social media campaigns of all time.   The original video (shown below) generated 15 million views on Youtube and over 20,000 comments.  But the Old Spice group wasn’t done.  They’ve since released another video (now with over 10 million views) and have made over 180 video responses to social media comments–generating thousands more comments and over 100 million views online.

The entire campaign has been a showcase for the power of humor.  The reason the videos have exploded into popularity is, simply put, they are hilarious (although I’m sure having an attractive, athletic man with no shirt on doesn’t hurt).

What’s so Humorous

I could try to describe all of the intricate details of what makes the videos work, but a picture is worth a thousand words, so the video is probably worth a million:

Why the Humor Works

The collective humor of the entire Old Spice campaign works for a number of reasons, many of which are re-applicable to a variety of work contexts (not just marketing):

1. They know their audience. The commercials speak directly to women (“Hello Ladies”) but are targeted to both men (the amount of humor and assumptions about what women want) and women (making a man smell better and a man with no shirt on).  What’s more, when the original commercial went viral, the agency realized the most receptive audience wasn’t people sitting on a couch watching TV but people at their computers, so they went to the interwebs with direct video responses to comments made by influential social media moguls.
2. They are confident. Part of the reason the commercials are so successful (and why Mustafa now has a development deal) is because Mustafa plays the role perfectly and is confident with everything he is saying.  If he meekly tried to deliver these lines, it would never have worked–it’s his swagger that defines the humor.
3. They have the element of surprise. Laughter is caused by a break in expectation, and the videos are one surprise after another.  The flowing changes in scenery and objects constantly surprises us with delight as we see The Man Your Man Could Smell Like go from a shower to a boat to riding a horse in one seamless take.

Of course there’s more than just those 3 elements to consider–such as the hard work by the agency to do clever writing, proper promotion, and the shear work required to create over 150 videos responses, but those basics are something we can all learn from the videos.  And if you’re wondering how they could create so many videos (shooting as many as 40 in one day) in such a short time, the answer is improv.  In a talk with GameChangers,  Dean McBeth, Digital Strategist on the Old Spice brand said “Improvisation is the single most important factor in the success of the Old Spice Guy campaign.”

For more on the videos, check out the Top 10 Old Spice Guy Video Responses.

Related posts:

1. Stop and Smell the $%*&! Roses
2. Humor That Works Video-ettes
3. Humor at Work: Training Videos for Technical Applications

Want to get to know me better (or anyone really)?  Just ask one of the below “get to know you” questions… they’re meant to be fun, interesting questions that can help you learn more about the person you are talking to.  These questions can be great for team-building, learning more about your fellow co-workers, and for spicing up your standard introductions.

A quick caveat: there are thousands of interesting questions to get to know someone, but I’ve found that the below questions (pulled from games like “Table Topics“, shows like Inside the Actor’s Studio, and from my own brain) are unique or interesting enough to force a person to think.  If they’ve been asked the same question a thousand times before, it’s not as effective in engaging the person in your conversation.  And these are just a starting point; take these team-building questions and modify them to meet your needs and situation.

Favorites Questions
Asking someone about their favorite blank is a great way to get know them better and learn about their preferences and opinions. These questions are good for when you are first meeting someone and are easy to incorporate as part of introductions in a larger group, such as asking each person to say their name, role, and favorite food as a child.

1. What was your favorite food when you were a child?
2. What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod?
3. What is one of your favorite quotes?
4. What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity?
5. What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
6. What is your favorite form of exercise?
7. What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?
8. What’s your least favorite mode of transportation?
9. What is your favorite body part?
10. What sound do you love?

If… Questions
Hypothetical questions help you learn more about another person’s personality, as well as their ideal state of the world. Since many of these questions might evoke longer responses, they are better suited for one-on-one conversations or smaller group discussions.

1. If you could throw any kind of party, what would it be like and what would it be for?
2. If you could paint a picture of any scenery you’ve seen before, what would you paint?
3. If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?
4. If you knew the world was ending in 2012, what would you do differently?
5. If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?
6. If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?
7. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
8. If you had to work on only one project for the next year, what would it be?
9. If you were immortal for a day, what would you do?
10. If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to?
11. If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would you meet?
12. If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?
13. If you were reincarnated as an animal/drink/ice cream flavor, what would it be?
14. If you could know the answer to any question, besides “What is the meaning of life?”, what would it be?
15. If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?

Personal Questions
Asking personal questions gets right to the purpose of getting to know someone and can be used in smaller groups with elaborate answers or larger groups with quick responses.

1. Which celebrity do you get mistaken for?
2. What do you want to be when you grow up?
3. When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?
4. What would you name the autobiography of your life?
5. What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life?

Personal History Questions
Questions involving people’s past help give you insight into their character and background by revealing memorable moments from the person’s life. These are great for one-on-one interactions or for smaller, more intimate groups. These questions help build trust as they are more personal than some of the other types of questions.

1. Have you ever had something happen to you that you thought was bad but it turned out to be for the best?
2. What was one of the best parties you’ve ever been to?
3. What was the last movie, TV show or book that made you cry or tear up?
4. What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
5. What was the last experience that made you a stronger person?
6. What did you do growing up that got you into trouble?
7. When was the last time you had an amazing meal?
8. What’s the best/worst gift you’ve ever given/received?
9. What do you miss most about being a kid?
10. What is your first memory of being really excited?
11. What was the first thing you bought with your own money?
12. When was the last time you were nervous?
13. What is something you learned in the last week?
14. What story does your family always tell about you?
15. At what age did you become an adult?

Random Questions
Random questions can be a great way to add some quirkiness to introductions or a conversation. These are best used when each person gets a different question because they intentionally break people’s expectations with an abstract question in the midst of a variety of other questions.

1. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.
2. Where’s Waldo?
3. The best part of waking up is?
4. How now brown cow?
5. Whasssssuuuupppppp?

What’s your favorite question to get to know someone?  Share it with the rest of us in the comments.  Also check out how to use these questions to create a better survey.

Related posts:

1. Productivity Questions to Improve Personal Effectiveness
2. Using Humor to Create Fun Surveys
3. Team-Building Activity – Line Up

When you take a look at all of the benefits of humor, it’s hard to understand why there isn’t more humor at work.  This is getting better (I don’t think they were having a whole lot of fun in the coal mines, but I could be wrong), but there is still far too little fun in the workplace.

photo by sarej

So what’s preventing work from actually being enjoyable?  Here are 5 things people believe that are stopping them from having more fun.

1) Humor at work is inappropriate.

The biggest reason most people don’t have fun at work is they think it’s inappropriate.  They believe that “business is serious, so we better be serious.”  Apparently no one told Google or Zappos this.

The reality is that humor in the workplace leads to happier, healthier and more productive employees.

2) No one will take me seriously.

Some people worry that if they use humor in the workplace, no one will take them seriously when it comes to actual business.  Luckily, this isn’t true.  In fact, leaders use humor, not ignore it.  As Mr. Smith (that’s Sydney Smith, not Agent Smith) said:

“You must not think me necessarily foolish because I am facetious, nor will I consider you necessarily wise because you are grave.” – Sydney Smith

3) There’s nothing fun about what I do.

Many people refuse to believe that there job can be more fun.  And while I won’t deny that some jobs are less fun than others, it doesn’t mean any job can’t be improved.  Whether you work at a fast-food restaurant, do data entry or manage a small company, your work can be more fun, it’s just a matter of finding out how.

Simple challenges to yourself or coworkers can help you get you through your day; setting your desktop background to something you want to achieve can give you inspiration; playing with a slinky during downtime can give you something to do–there are hundreds of ways to have humor at work.

4) It takes too time / cost too much money.

Some people fear that incorporating humor in the workplace means huge effort and spending money.   Humor at work doesn’t require elaborate events or special props–phone calls can made more fun by playing some music or sharing some pictures.

Keep your humor effort simple and you’ll have fun without any additional overhead.

5) No one else cares.

People desperately want you to help them have fun.  Think about who you like to spend time with in the office, it’s the people who always have that interesting story to share or that funny video from YouTube.

Using humor at work requires leadership, and you’re a leader aren’t you?  Even if you are in the lowest position at your company, you can take the initiative to make the workplace more enjoyable.  All it takes is a little creativity.

Need ideas on adding humor at work?  Check out some posts on how to use humor in the workplace.  Got a few ideas of your own? Leave ‘em in the comments.

Related posts:

1. 6 Myths of Using Humor in the Workplace
2. Have Fun at Work to Increase Workplace Satisfaction
3. 101 Ways to Create Humor at Work

“Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life” – Oscar Wilde

photo by weatherbox

Though the art/life debate is similar to that of the chicken/egg, I am a firm believer that much can be gained from taking a look at art to reflect on our life (take the “What I Learned From” series for example).  With that in mind, I also believe that many of the tips that make us better artists, also make us better people.

So I present here 10 life tips I learned from improv classes at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater.

1. “Dare to be dull.”

When most people start improvising, they think they need to create crazy characters and wacky situations to be funny.  But the reality is that comedy comes from truth–it doesn’t need flashing lights or fancy fog machines.  The same is true when it comes to certain work and life situations.  Success isn’t about getting the newest gadget (aka the flashing lights); success comes from hard-work and planning, which might be viewed as dull, but it is effective.

“A well-managed factory is boring.” – Peter F. Drucker

2. “Make a connection with the other player.”

Improv is a team-sport, as are work and life.  To have a successful improv scene, you must connect to the other player and focus on your relationship.  It’s easy to forget about this when performing on a stage in front of people, and just as easy to forget when trying to make a sale or talking to our significant other.   But life is about relationships and connections, not material objects or status.

“Only a life lived for others is worth living.” – Albert Einstein

3. “Make it about the present.”

To see two characters reminisce about their history or to talk about future plans is boring to the audience–we want to see them act now.  Life is the same way, except we’re the characters.  Too often we are caught up in one happened awhile ago or what we should plan for, and we completely ignore the present, the now.  By focusing on the now we start to take control and experience life, instead of missing it.

“Life is what happens while you’re busy making plans.” – John Lennon

4. “You have to understand why you’re playing that game.”

As an improviser, one of the most important qualities you have to reveal as your character is your motivation.  Why are you doing what you are doing? This question is equally valuable in every day life–what is your motivation for doing whatever it is you are doing? If you ask yourself this about everything, you’ll realize there’s a number of things that you do out of habit or because it’s a societal norm that you aren’t really motivated or excited to do.  Stop them.

“If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

5. “Never expect a certain answer or reaction.  Just listen and react to what was actually said.”

Our education system has taught us to listen to react–to start to formulate an answer for the question our teacher is asking us, before she’s even finished asking it.  The problem is that in meetings and conversations, we stop listening once we think we know what someone is going to say because we start thinking about our response–often missing the true point of what is being said.  If you want to be a better communicator, stop assuming you know what is being communicated and start listening to what is actually being said.

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood” – Stephen R. Covey

6. “Make your fellow players look like geniuses.”

When you treat other people like geniuses, you’ll often find that they are.  Too often we look at what mistakes people have made instead of seeing what they’ve done correctly.  When you look for the positives and build on successes, your team (or family) can achieve far better success both as individuals and as a team.

“Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can be and should be and he will become as he can and should be.” – Goethe

7. “It doesn’t matter what you’re doing on stage, as long as you sell it.”

This is known as the “Karaoke Rule”–you don’t have to be the greatest singer to be good at karaoke, you just have to sell it.  If you don’t, people will pick up on your  nervousness and you’ll lose them as an audience.  So whether you are standing in front of your managers giving a presentation or about to belt out the words to Bohemian Rhapsody, you’ll find much better success by giving it your all and selling it.

“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.” – Mark Twain

8. “Be more brave than impressive.”

When I first started performing improv, I thought I always had to try to come up with the wittiest thing to say or add wordplay or puns to get a laugh (hey, I enjoy puns).  While wit can be funny, it’s not what entertains the audience–bold choices are.  What you’ll soon find out is that being bold is what makes you impressive, regardless of what you are doing.

“Whatever you do or dream, you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” – Goethe

9. “Just make a choice.”

Ambivalence and timidness are the death of an improviser on stage.  Since everything is made up, you just have to make a decision and go with it.  Once you make a decision, it’s up to you and your scene partner to go with it and make it work.  In life, we don’t get things done because we haven’t decided what we want, and until we do, we’ll never be able to achieve it.  Make a choice, that’s the start.

“The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.” – Ben Stein

10. “When in doubt, have fun.”

Sometimes, before a big show, I make sure I remind myself that improv is fun–that’s why I do it.  I step on stage to have fun and entertain others.  So when I’m in a scene and I’m not sure what else to do, I do what is fun; I play games, I make interesting choices, and I enjoy myself.  Because in improv there is no right or wrong, just fun.  By now you should know what I’m going to say–life is the same way.  Excluding immoral / illegal activities, there is no wrong in life, only what you choose to make it.  So when in doubt, choose fun.

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” – Dale Carnegie

Related posts:

1. Life Lessons from Improv Wisdom
2. Why YOU Should Take an Improv Class
3. Humor at Work: Improv Class at National Sales Meeting 2011

photo by brokenarts

One of the things that has always stuck with me from the stand-up comedy world was always having something to write with. You never know when inspiration will strike, and when your job relies heavily on creativity, you want to capture every idea you can.

Even though I now do most of writing and note-taking on my phone, I still always carry a pen with me, and here are 5 reasons you should do the same:

1. To Capture that Great Idea

I already gave this one away, but the number one reason to always carry a pen is to be able to take note of anything at a moment’s notice. And don’t think that this doesn’t apply to you if you aren’t a comedian–the solution to the budget crisis at work could come to you while standing in line at the grocery store, and you’ll want to make sure you’re able to remember it.

It also helps to have a notepad with you, but it’s much easier to find something to write on (such as a receipt, napkin or your forearm) than it is to find something to write with.

2. To Speed Things Along

While having a pen isn’t always required, there are instances it can speed things up. How many times have you been at a diner paying for your grilled cheese and chocolate milk only to have to wait 10 minutes as the cashier searches for a pen that works? When you have one in your pocket, there’s no wait.

This may not happen every day, but when you consider all the things that require your handwriting (credit card receipts, deposit slips, autographs for adoring fans), carrying a pen is easily justified.

3. To Highlight the Important Stuff

A recent revelation I had was that I could just as easily highlight key passages in a book or magazine using a pen as I could using a highlighter. Now instead of needing an additional utencil in my bag or at my desk, I’ve always got one in my pocket to take note of that life lesson from Watchmen.

4. To Improve Motor Skills

Before the days of iPhones and other gizmos, you had to find more creative ways to stay awake in class or meetings. With a pen, you can not only entertain yourself but also improve your motor skills and impress the one girl in your computer engineering class with your pen-flipping skills.

OK, so maybe flipping a pen won’t attract the opposite sex, but it can help prevent Alzheimers.

5. To Open a Letter

With the gradual decline of snail mail, a full-fledged letter opener seems a bit overkill. But when the mail fairy does bring you that special handwritten letter from a friend or loved one, you’ll want to be able to open it without destroying the letter inside. With a pen, it’s easy to do. Using the pen cap and a little finesse, you’ll have yourself a pen /letter opener in no time.

Got a utencil you love or a unique use for a pen? Share it in the comments.

Related posts:

1. 5 Reasons to Use Humor in an Interview