I work with organizations that want to LAUGH through difficult cHAnge.
Fellow comediennes Sharon Daley, Melanie Maloy and me at the Party Girls Comedy Tour show, September 24th, 2007 at Slapsticks! Comedy Loft in Castle Shannon, PA. Look for Melanie on Letterman sometime in the very near future, www.melaniemaloy.com !
Also, check out my profile on myspace comedy: myspace.com/hessmeister
The good news is that we can still be and act human, even while using these un-human devices. The SHINE System of communication borrows from stand-up comedians those skills that allow them to communicate a new, outlandish (ok, sometimes vulgar) message in a way that we hear it, and acknowledge it through our laughter. We laugh because we “get it”; we get the joke.
Think of how many messages you have sent where the recipient never “got it”? Maybe it was an email that was misunderstood, a glance that was misconstrued, or a line that was misplaced? The communication was not effective, because that human, connective environment had not yet been established.
Humor is one of our most effective, powerful, and productive tools that we can utilize–onstage or off. Let’s be serious, and “Get Your SHINE Together!”.
Be serious. Otherwise you won’t be taken seriously, right? How many times have we (especially we women) thought that we need to remain serious and focused, perform perfectly, and then we will be successful? The problem with that scenario is that when we are so focused on perfection, we are destroying the productive, comfortable climate that fosters that very success we want to attain!
When we take ourselves too seriously–when we try to cover over our mistakes, or deny that they exist; when we try to be perfect–others are uneasy, waiting for us to fall, to fail. And they themselves are afraid to fail, because they see you do not allow yourself to fail. So what are we to do?? “Get Your SHINE Together!”
We need to borrow from the comedian’s toolkit–the one that creates a creative atmosphere where new ideas flourish, new perspectives find a welcome place to germinate, where people can–LAUGH! Research has consistently shown that humor, laughter, comedy, help us to be healthier, think more clearly, see things from a new perspective, and most importantly–to create rapport.
In today’s technological age of speed, information overload, and stress, we sometimes lack the human connection that allows those technological advances make sense to us. We need that rapport that brings us closer again, that reminds us that although we communicate through metal, wires, and even wireLESS–we are still human beings, people talking to other people. No type of device yet invented can deny or replace that fact.
