02.09.10

Are You A Comedy Catalyst: How to make friends and influence people WITHOUT trying

Posted in Humor~General at 6:52 pm by Dr. Trina Hess

A catalyst isn’t a rock star. A catalyst is usually in the background. Moving like water. Connecting people, being a visionary. In a word, influential. And then, after they have motivated the masses, the catalyst gets out of the way.

I’m reading the book, “The Starfish and the Spider: The unstoppable power of leaderless organizations,” by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom. In Chapter 5, “The Hidden Power of the Catalyst,” the authors explain what makes a catalyst.
See if these sound familiar in the world of humor:

1. Genuine interest in others (listening to the other’s point of view)
2. Loose connections (breaking the ice with strangers)
3. Mapping (smashing ideas together and joining people together)
4. Desire to help (lightening the environment)
5. Passion (having something to say)
6. Meet people where they are (expressing, not converting)
7. Emotional intelligence (knowing when and how to do clean comedy)
8. Trust (in your self and your style)
9. Inspiration (awareness and listening)
10. Tolerance for ambiguity (”I don’t know and that’s O.K.”)
11. Getting out of the way

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