Much has been written about the connection between humor or laughter and creativity. Through reading books about humor, comedy, joke writing or simply joke or humorous story books I have found that many of the same points that are made about creating humor fit how to expand, enrich and/or spark creativity.

Chapter Two, "Getting Material" from Judy Carter's STAND-UP COMEDY: The Book, published 1989 by Dell Publishing, ISBN:0-440-50243-8 is the source of this week's Challenge.

"All the material you'll ever need is inside of you. It's just a matter of discovering it, punching it up, and delivering it."

As Judy recommends we need only look for material inside. Let's try this with work or school challenges this week: products, marketing, systems, people, ... .

Here are five sources that Judy writes about:

1. Negative Traits
2. Unique Characteristics
3. Things You Hate
4. Things That Worry You
5. Adding Attitude

So for 15 to 30 minutes examine a work or school challenge.

Monday - Negative Traits
 
List every negative trait you can about your challenge. Look at it from your perspective, client perspective, other employee perspectives, governmental inspectors' perspective, a non buyer's perspective, ... .

Tuesday - Unique Characteristics
 
Compare your challenge to its competition or other challenges. List every way your challenge, product, problem, people are different from others.

Wednesday - Things You Hate
 
Write down everything you hate about your challenge, what your clients hate about it or might hate about it, your distributors hate about it, your competitors hate about, etc.

Thursday - Things That Worry You
 
Write down everything that worries you about your challenge, what worries clients about it or might worry them about it, what worries your distributors about it, what worries your competitors about it, etc.

Friday - Adding Attitude
 
Choose 6 to 12 of the items you listed earlier in the week and add attitude to them. "Allow yourself to really act out your attitude. Get into it. Get intense. Get passionate. Rant and rave about anything that comes to your mind about that issue, item or topic." "Ranting and raving is a technique to get your raw material out of you and down on paper."

At the end of the week or each day sift through the results for "hot spots", "grabbers", things that catch your attention or open previously unopened doors for you.

Have a creative week. Share some of your results with the list.

Alan