12.21.09
Posted in Humor~General at 2:33 am by Dr. Trina Hess
This week’s Comedy Around the World goes to Penn State. Yesterday’s graduation ceremonies highlighted the concept of change. Especially the address given by Dr. Eva Pell, Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School.
She told us about her early experiences. With card catalogs and early computers. She said we need to always be open to change–changing circumstances, innovations in our area of specialty, and changes in ourselves.
“The only constant is change,” Pell reiterated.
What helps us to cope with these changes?
Humor.
Keeping your sense of humor keeps you adept. Agile. Adaptable to changes that will inevitably occur.
To read more about Dr. Eva Pell’s new position at the Smithsonian, just copy and paste this link:
http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/08/eva-pell/
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12.20.09
Posted in Humor~General at 4:29 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Congratulations to all of us who graduated from Penn State University today! Hope you all had a safe drive through the snowstorm.
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12.18.09
Posted in Humor~General at 4:17 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
Click here to watch a demo of what Lifestreaming is all about!
In business, we’re used to thinking, well, business-like. Unfortunately, this tact doesn’t work in a post-modern, technological age.
The serious, impersonal nature of being business-like will backfire.
Social media guru Erin Blaskie says people have interests, loves, passions, likes and dislikes. If you’re not sharing these more personal aspects of ourselves in our business communications, “You aren’t selling authentically. And if you’re not selling authentically, you’re not selling”. As much. Or at all.
Social media outlets require us to use our sense of humor:
* They require authenticity.
* They want to know about the whole person, not just the product you are selling.
* They demand that you not take yourself so seriously.
* They force us to lighten up.
One way to add all the aspects of your self and your life is Lifestreaming. Click on the link above to see a demo of how this is done.
And while you’re at it, “Get Your S.H.I.N.E. Together!”
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12.17.09
Posted in Humor~General at 4:56 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
http://www.powersof10.com/index.php?mod=watch_powersof10
If you want to see things from a different perspective, just copy and paste the link above.
The film shows what happens when you add a zero. Starting from a picnic in a park in Chicago, it takes us into outser space. You can see the patterns, the spaces, the speed and the changes in the images.
The Power of Humor gives us a certain vantage point. We can see how different ideas affect one another. We can see contrast, complexities, and chaos.
But the journey through the humor may sometimes feel like taking a trip through the galaxies. Unsettling. Scary. Awkward. Confusing.
At the end of the journey, though, we reach an understanding. A wholeness. A settling of the elements that we’ve sifted, considered, capsized, and consecrated. Like the feeling of relief we have in the film, as we return to earth. To Chicago. To something we know. But now we see it differently. It hasn’t changed. But we have.
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12.16.09
Posted in Humor~General at 5:39 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
That’s what Benson Wong thinks. His site http://followable.tweetlens.com gives stats about your twitter success.
Why does it matter what Benson Wong thinks of me?
Because as he says, “attention is valuable and you don’t waste it reading an endless stream of crap. Now you can check before you follow.”
Successful social media behavior requires us to follow tenets of comedy.
Namely we have to be:
—entertaining
—compelling (followable)
—offering something brand-new
—likeable
But none of these will matter if we’re missing the most important link: we must be connectable.
We have to bypass the impersonalness of our technological world.
We need to leap over the barriers between people that the speed-up of life has built.
We need to blast through our fears and reach out to others.
How do we do this? Benson Wong says we need to reply to other’s comments and posts. This doesn’t mean we can write “@cupprof did you know I won the championship today?” Such a post will probably spike your narcissism score.
We need to mention other people in our posts. “@mrschamber did you hear that @shinexgirl got a parking ticket yesterday?” doesn’t count.
We should share resources and information. Ideally, something you think would be useful for any audience. Sites about social media tips are great to share. Most people want to know what they are actually supposed to do on sites like Facebook, twitter, and LinkedIn.
Stay on your toes by using your sense of humor in all your tweets, posts, and comments. Use humor to attract readers and followers.
How do you rate? Check out more from Benson Wong’s blog http://www.mostlygeek.com Or better yet, follow him on twitter @mostlygeek and of course mention my name…
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12.15.09
Posted in Humor~General at 5:03 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
“The holiday season presents us with a strange and unsettling paradox,” writes Cliff Kuhn, the Laugh Doctor, in The Fun Times newsletter. The paradox is that during the holiday season we are bombarded. Images and sounds and expectations of happiness and joy. But the reality is that, as Kuhn writes, more people commit suicide during this season than at any other time. Depression is common when expectations surpass what’s possible.
This doesn’t happen just at Christmas time. It happens on Mother’s Day. Father’s Day. For some people, maybe even Groundhog Day.
One Mother’s Day, I was scheduled to sing at church. My singing partner Doug and I are known for our onstage interactions. Doug said he wanted to sing the second verse, “Just like Satchmo.”
I said, “Satchmo or Sasquatch?” and everyone laughed.
We didn’t choose a sappy, gratitude-filled sonnet celebrating mothers. Instead we chose an upbeat song. As Doug sang very much like Louis Armstrong, everyone cheered!
But something even better happened.
A woman said to me after the service, “I was glad you sang that! Today was a hard day for me.” She explained how one of her sons no longer speaks to her. She said that this situation is especially painful on Mother’s Day.
That was one of the most memorable gifts I have received. Because it was a gift that I chose to give first.
The good news is that we ALL have this gift of humor. Yours may not look like my gift, or sound like my jokes. But it’s there. You have it. Already.
When you know how, when, and why to use your sense of humor, it will be as Kuhn says, “the most important gift you receive this holiday!”
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12.14.09
Posted in Humor~General at 1:58 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
According to researchers like Daniel Goleman and Howard Gardner, there are many types of intelligence.
For example, Dr. Thomas Armstrong in his site, http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm lists these types:
Linguistic intelligence (”word smart”):
Logical-mathematical intelligence (”number/reasoning smart”)
Spatial intelligence (”picture smart”)
Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence (”body smart”)
Musical intelligence (”music smart”)
Interpersonal intelligence (”people smart”)
Intrapersonal intelligence (”self smart”)
Naturalist intelligence (”nature smart”)
Not everyone is “smart” in all these types. But the good news is that we can all improve our intelligence by being exposed to activities that stress the various types. This is because intelligence—-like our personal identity—-is in a constant state of flux.
And the better news is that humor relates to all these intelligence types.
For example, humor requires that we be authentic, or self-aware. This skill strengthens our intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences. Linguistic and logical-mathematical types are reinforced through puns and plays on grammar rules. Satire may hit the spatial and nature smarts.
And when we actually perform comedy or express our humor in front of a group, we strengthen the body-kinesthetic type. In my case, also the musical intelligence type!
Humor provides us a wholistic program for improving our lives. So, not only do we get to reduce stress and have fun, we are actually making ourselves smarter.
What can YOU laugh about today? How smart is that?
For an overall picture of the multiple intelligences, check this site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences
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Posted in Humor~General at 2:58 am by Dr. Trina Hess
This weeks’ Comedy Around the World goes shopping.
There’s a grocery store near my house. I call it the Smashed Can Store. Others call it Scratch ‘n’ Dent. The kind of store with cheaper goods because the cans are smashed a little bit.
But the experience of shopping there reminds me to keep a sense of humor.
–The goods are rotated, new items are added, and favorites disappear.
Lesson: Appreciate the great things, but don’t get too attached.
–There is always an electricity in the air when I walk in. I think, “Maybe I’ll find something great!”
Lesson: Always be ready for something interesting to happen.
–Sometimes there isn’t anything interesting and I walk out with only cat litter or soap.
Lesson: Don’t get too upset if there isn’t anything interesting.
–The new items are always interesting, unusual, and of course cheap.
Lesson: Get in the habit of trying out new things–you’ll look forward to them again and again.
Maybe you don’t live near the Smashed Can store. But you can still keep your eyes open for new possibilities, changes in your routine, and of course–fun. It’s always cheaper to Live Life–Lite!
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12.13.09
Posted in Humor~General at 3:23 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Thanks to Scott Snow of 4YourCarConnection for inviting me to perform at their annual Christmas banquet today. Their cast of characters were animated, fun, and wrote some of my jokes FOR me. If you’re looking for a car, go here: http://www.4yourcarconnection.com/
I hope they had a great time at the ocean after the show!
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12.12.09
Posted in Humor~General at 5:35 am by Dr. Trina Hess
I use a lot of social media in my speaking and comedy consulting business. I’m no guru, I just read whatever I can find on the subject. Or I talk to people who are experts. And I try out new sites as often as I find out about them.
This new method of marketing, persuading, communicating, living–it’s a lot like humor. You know: 1. Trying something new 2. Allowing yourself to be a total novice 3. Embracing the unknown and finally, 4. Celebrating authenticity.
Using social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, DIGG, YouTube) forces us to stay on our toes. But unfortunately for some of us, being on our toes feels like being off balance.
Look at the alternative: flat-footedness is the real off-balancing position. Try it now: Stand with feet flat. Sure, you may have a solid grounding. But no motion. Everything becomes stagnant. Flat.
Now, move onto your toes. Just like a boxer does, before he dodges the incoming punches. You can better bob and weave. You are more in control. But you’re not controlling.
It’s not just an over-used idiom. Being “on your toes” really does help you to adapt, adjust, create, express, and progress.
So next time you think you’ve got it all figured out, remember this. Social media is mobile media. Embrace the four points of humor and you’ll never be flat-footed again.
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