03.31.09
Posted in Humor~General at 6:34 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
In entertainment, you want to leave the audience wanting more. In that case, we are ALL in entertainment. Think of your elevator speech. Or, for you health nuts, your staircase speech. My friend Jeff Tobe of Coloring Outside the Lines suggests this method: Get them to ask you, “How do you do THAT?†In other words, don’t begin with credentials. Don’t tell them what your job title is. Tell them what you DO for your clients—your results. “I help people to, ‘Get Your SHINE Together!’” “That’s interesting; how do you do that?†Their question will give you permission to talk more about your products and services.
I see the same pattern in twitter. That’s probably why it’s so addictive. Eavesdropping on conversations my followers and my prey have with each other is very interesting: “Now that’s singing, aduhboy!†“No, I don’t think you can mix those two together.†“If they want fire, they can find matches themselves.†What?? Who are these people, and what was the original statement about? I want to know more.
Other people throw out resources to learn more about just about anything: How to get more followers on Twitter. How to find out what people are saying about you. Who is googling your name? Why Hashtags are Better Than Facebook Groups. And on I click, to learn more about these subjects that I didn’t even realize were interesting to me!
You can also do this with humor: The more you can incorporate humor into your elevator speech, presentation, conversation, or writings, the more people will be interested in hearing more about you. About your products. And your services. And your ideas. And…
â€Get Your SHINE Together!†How do you do that?
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03.30.09
Posted in Humor~Business, Humor~Social Media, Humor~Technology at 2:52 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
@trinahess got a grade of 94/100 on @grader. Check it out: http://twitter.grader.com/trinahessYes, I just got my grade back from twitter. Not only a good grade, but the twitter experience is also helping my writing.
Think about it: We have only 140 characters that we can use. And we are allowed to write whatever we want. So, we are learning how to express ourselves concisely–just like we do in the SHINE System of Communication that I created!
But the most important aspect of twitter is that we are not censoring ourselves. Buoyed by the celebratory and light atmosphere of the twitter-sphere, we are almost compelled to write whatever we are doing.
“Letting the dog out.” “Yelling at my neighbor.” “Sled riding.” “Letting the dog back in.”
None of these entries is important of itself. But the process we are using is vitally important. We are letting our minds run wild. That helps us to unclog the thought processes.
Then the great, hugely imperative ideas that we have lodged in our brains–they are broken free to enlighten the world. And I’m sure that was more than 140 characters.
“Get Your SHINE Together!” now that you know how to do the “S”–make is short & sweet!
Let me hear your comments on how twitter helps (or hinders) YOUR creativity!
www.yourshiningexample.com
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03.29.09
Posted in Comedy Around The World, Humor attitude at 10:45 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Today’s Comedy Around the World travels to Egypt. I had the good fortune (and courage and determination) to travel to Egypt in 1992-1993. It is a lesson in humor, just as it was a life-long mission to see the pyramids. When I was in grade-school, I saw a picture of one of my relatives sitting on a camel in front of the pyramids. So I knew if one of my “peeps” could go there, I could do it too! I believed that something completely unlikely to happen, could happen. I couldn’t drive, I didn’t have cash, I wasn’t exactly sure where Egypt was on the map. But I didn’t spend every waking moment thinking, stewing, worrying about how I would go there. I didn’t even tell anyone about my thought. I kind of forgot about it.
That is the key to how our goals become reality. We just get on with our day. Our mind and our belief take care of the details. That’s also how creativity works: we don’t force it. We just let it happen when it’s ready to happen.
Finally, all the pieces were in place, and I stood beside one of the great pyramids. I was in awe, breathless, appreciative, grateful, and overcome. I couldn’t stop looking at them. And–I was surprised.
I had a perspective about the pyramids that was different than what I actually experienced once there. The block I stood beside was taller than I am. I am 5′2″; that’s very tall–for a brick. And that’s what the pyramids are–thousands of bricks this big all stacked together.
Our sense of humor is our own, personal perspective. No one else sees the world quite the way you or I do. It’s up to us to believe that our story has value and possibility, and then to share our perspective. There’s no better way to, “Get Your SHINE Together!”
Where are you going in your life?
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03.28.09
Posted in Humor~General at 7:26 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
“How many Rotarians does it take to change a lightbulb?” asks Mike Pirollo, organizer of the April Fool’s Comedy Show next Wednesday at Edgewood Country Club. Send in your answers–www.yourshiningexample.com And join us on Wednesday, doors open at 6 p.m., tickets are $15 and there will be plenty of food, fun, and of course, fools!
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03.27.09
Posted in Humor~General at 12:07 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
Madame Justice Sandra Schultz Newman, ret., was the Liaison from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to the First Judicial District (Philadelphia Courts) from 2002 through 2006. She also serves as a member of the Judicial Council of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and remains the Chair of the Judicial Council’s Committee on Judicial Safety and Preparedness. Here we are at last night’s program at Clarion University-Venango Campus.
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03.26.09
Posted in Humor~General at 9:05 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
No, we’re not talking Anthony Scalia in drag. We’re talking about Dr. Maria Battista Kerle’s vision for an innovative program. A panel of several Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices gave their opinions tonight at Clarion University’s Venango Campus, on what an all-women Supreme Court would look like. Or whether it would even be a good idea.
All said no: It is better to have diversity: Neither all-women, nor all-men. And, neither all of one or another race.
Here I am with Judge maureen A. Skerda, first female judge of District Thirty-seven; Judge Stephanie Domitrovich, Court of Common Pleas, Sixth Judicial District, Erie; Dr. Maria Battista-Kerle professor of Speech Communication at Clarion University-Venango Campus; Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer, Superior Court of Pennsylvania; Judge Cheryl Lynn Allen, Superior Court of Pennsylvania; Madame Justice Sandra Schultz Newman, retired, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; Judge Jacqueline O. Shogan, Superior Court of Pennsylvania; Judge Maureen E. Lally-Green, Superior Court of Pennsylvania.
Judge Sandra Schultz Newman is the first and only female elected to Pennsylvania’s highest Court, which is 67 years older than the United States Supreme Court. This makes it the oldest court in the nation!
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03.25.09
Posted in Humor~General at 9:09 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Are there any writing teachers out there? What do you think of Twitter as an aid to creative writing? The whole Twitter experience reminds me of my college German classes. It was “writing across the curriculum”, I think that was the term they used. Dictionaries were verboten. We were to write a journal page in German–every single day. If we didn’t know the German word, we were told to write the English word. Just keep writing, don’t stop. This is the best way to capture ideas without being held up (or down) by analyzing our mistakes. (The professor would do that for us.) Twitter requires this style of thinking and writing. There are abbreviations that I haven’t figured out yet. That’s ok, I can tweet a question and ask somebody. There are no “experts” in Twitterworld, just people stumbling onto this social communication device. There is little pressure to write something important.
It sounds rather funny, doesn’t it? Just like humor…
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03.24.09
Posted in Humor~General at 8:55 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Hope to see you at the Penn Hills Rotary April Fool’s Comedy Show, at Edgewood Country Club. Doors open at 6 p.m.
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03.23.09
Posted in Humor~General at 7:35 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
I’m watching for updates on the release of “Shannon’s Rainbow.” This is the movie where Eric Roberts and I are in scenes together. Inside the luxury box at Meadowlands Racetrack. So there ARE some good things about being pasty and pale–besides being the butt of jokes when working with comic Auggie Cook (I can make even Auggie look tan). I’m following updates on Facebook page of www.kdkaradio.com The screenplay was written by fellow Clarion University grad Larry Richert!
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03.22.09
Posted in Comedy Around The World, Humor attitude at 9:53 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Today’s Comedy Around the World goes to the thrift store. Where? Pick one: Salvation Army, Goodwill, St. Vincent DePaul’s, Red White & Blue, Attic Treasures, Stuff From the Divorce, Human Society Thrift Store (for clothing, not pets).
The thrift store offers us a way to see how shopping there is a lot like finding humor in life. A. In a thrift store, there are racks and racks of clothing. Mundane and monotonous, like many of the moments in life. We tend to focus or see only that –the collective mundane. We miss the treasures sticking out from between the peace sign t-shirts and the bell bottoms.
B. Or, we see only the negative that clamors for–and gets–our attention. I once bought a Kasper skirt suit from a yard sale. Although the suit would retail for hundreds of dollars, the jacket was a ghastly 1980’s cut with big shoulders. I wanted to re-donate it (yes, I did buy it). But by looking at what could be recovered from the negative situation, I salvaged a very classic-type skirt that can be worn with more human-looking jackets.
C: You never know what you are going to find. There is always a factor of the unknown. Usually the unknown is frightening to us. But by regular exposure to these types of stores, your muscles of adaptation increase, as your fears decrease.
D: Sometimes there are unexpected surprises. And some days–nothing. This teaches non-attachment to outcomes, and also rolling with the punches.
E: Go to the thrift store during a bag sale. The clerks will stuff as much as they can into the bags, because they need to reduce inventory. Like the stack of clothes that is preventing customers access to the bathrooms and dressing rooms. Your happiness at your great finds is making them happy as well. Likewise, your good humor has far-reaching effects, and acts as a chain-reaction of good cheer.
“Get Your SHINE Together!” and get shopping!
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