How to Find Laughter Anywhere | Chris Duffy | TED

Summary

The speaker shares humorous anecdotes from teaching elementary school and improv comedy, highlighting the creativity and honesty of children's thoughts. They emphasize the importance of embracing one's unique ideas and self-deprecating humor to foster humor and creativity, even in serious adult environments. The talk concludes with a comical story about impersonating the CEO of LinkedIn, showcasing how humor can be found in unexpected places.

Takeaways

• 😄 The unpredictability of working with children brings joy and excitement to the educator's daily routine.
• 😂 Children often provide humorous and unexpected answers, demonstrating their creativity and innocence.
• 🤔 The speaker highlights the importance of embracing the 'right' to be wrong, as it can lead to more creative and humorous outcomes.
• 🧠 The speaker's experience teaching improv comedy to adults shows the value of letting go of self-criticism and embracing one's unique thoughts.
• 👶 Children naturally possess a free and uninhibited form of creative thinking that adults can learn to rekindle.
• 🤓 The speaker suggests that humor and creativity are not solely innate but can be cultivated by accepting and noticing honest reactions.
• 📚 There's a suggestion that fifth grade might be a peak time for creative thinking, but this doesn't have to be the end of such thinking.
• 👟 A corporate tax lawyer's transformation from providing mundane answers to creative and humorous ones illustrates the power of embracing one's bizarre thoughts.
• 📝 Comedians and the speaker both advocate for keeping a record of odd observations and thoughts, as these can serve as a rich source of material for humor.
• 💪 The speaker encourages having the courage to be laughed at and to laugh at oneself, which can lead to unexpected discoveries and humor.
• 🔍 The speaker finds humor even in serious adult spaces, like LinkedIn, by applying the lessons learned from children and not taking oneself too seriously.

Q & A

What did the speaker enjoy most about working in an elementary school?

The speaker enjoyed the unpredictability and the fact that every day was a new, incredible day with no boring moments.

What was the humorous mistake made by the students when asked to name shapes?

Instead of naming geometric shapes, the students wrote down the names 'Amy' and 'Gabriella', which was taken humorously as a correct answer.

What was the content of the anonymous question card submitted by a fifth-grade student?

The anonymous question card asked, 'What are balls for.', humorously ending with a period instead of a question mark.

What was the speaker's experience teaching improv comedy to adults?

The speaker taught improv comedy to a diverse group of adults, including retirees, graduate students, and business people, focusing on helping them let go of self-criticism and embrace their creative thoughts.

How do children naturally differ from adults in sharing thoughts according to the speaker?

Children naturally share their honest and unexpected thoughts without needing to be taught, unlike adults who might need to learn to do so.

What were some of the random and humorous questions kids asked the speaker?

Kids asked questions like 'Is it possible to make myself live longer so that I can see the Sun explode?', 'Are pigs actually prejudiced against women, or is that just an expression?', and 'If your brother isn't married yet, why doesn't he just marry your mom?'

What does the speaker suggest about the peak of creative thinking in children?

The speaker suggests that fifth grade might be close to the peak of wildly free and uninhibited creative thinking for many children, but this doesn't have to be the case as it can be maintained or developed in adulthood.

How did the speaker's adult improv student, Rick, change over time?

Initially, Rick provided conventional answers to improv exercises, but after practicing to embrace his bizarre thoughts, he began to offer more creative and interesting responses.

What advice does the speaker give for finding humor and creativity?

The speaker advises to turn off self-judgment, notice what stands out, and be open to being laughed at and laughing at oneself to make surprising discoveries.

What prank did the speaker play on LinkedIn, and what was the outcome?

The speaker created a fake LinkedIn profile claiming to be the CEO of LinkedIn, which LinkedIn itself inadvertently promoted to the speaker's contacts. After a year, the account was deactivated by LinkedIn's Trust and Security team due to inaccuracy.

What is the speaker's current occupation as humorously stated at the end of the script?

In a humorous twist, the speaker claims to be the founder and owner of TED, inviting the audience to congratulate them.