I remember in the good ol’ days, the mailman delivered our Reader’s Digest every month, like clockwork. (I lived with my grandparents, in case you were wondering.) I didn’t spend much time reading the articles. (I was twelve; why would I be interested in those?) But, after every few chapters, there was a funny bit, two pages of jokes or weird blurbs about people all over the country. One of these was (and might still be) called “Laughter is the Best Medicine.” I always turned first to that.
Finding Inspiration
So now it’s fifty (approximately) years later. I’ve found my unique place in this life as Your Collaborative Marketing Coach, and everyone knows that I recommend that you include blogging as part of your marketing protocol. Some of us find that producing a thought-provoking, 500-word essay is easy. But others are at a loss when it comes to finding topics worth writing.
Contrary to the public’s misperception, suitable topics pop up all around you, all of the time. You just need to be able to see them. (You can sensitize your creative writing bone; it’s just like your funny bone, but in a different spot.) You can find material for ideas regularly. One simple practice is to identify a ready idea source and ensure that you check it, or are notified by it, habitually. One of my favorites, for example, is Ted Talks.
Do not subscribe to all Ted Talks. Instead, subscribe specifically to Ted Talks that appeal to your particular interests and intellect. I found this one the other day. It’s called Why We Laugh (Sophie Scott | TED2015) and, in my collaborative professional opinion, it is absolutely worth your sixteen minutes.
Can Divorce be a Laughing Matter?
In this Ted Talk, cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott explains that laughter, ultimately, is about connecting. Did you know that you’re 30 times more likely to laugh if you’re with somebody else than if you’re alone? You laugh more when you’re with other people, especially if you want them to like you; laughter is a tool, believe it or not, that establishes that you like them, that you are part of the same group, and that you agree with or understand them.
Scott shares this and other intriguing facts about laughter in this fast-paced, action-packed and, yes, entertaining dash through the science of hilarity.
What does this talk evoke for you? I immediately thought of my husband, believe it or not. But then I realized that we talk a lot about connection, and re-connection in our collaborative work. Have you worked a matter which the power of laughter did its work to help the parties reconnect? Adam Cordover has! (When Laughter Fills The Room). And it’s likely that you have, too. This would be a fantastic blog to share with the rest of us, both to help us in our daily work as well as to connect us with you. And can’t we refer you business?
Or perhaps you have a personal story you can tell that will help your prospective clients and referral partners connect with you? Get to know you better, personally? Make them want to work with you?
So . . . why did I marry my husband? People ask me this all the time and my answer has always been the same: “That’s easy. He makes me laugh.” But I never really considered what I meant by that. Sophie’s Ted Talk helped me to understand why that has always been my answer, why I appreciate him the way I do.
For more on how to market your practice, and how to publish your stories, contact me at Joryn@JorynJenkins.com or at Your Collaborative Marketing Coach.
