I like to mess about.
When it comes to most things in my life such as my finances, my family – you know, the important stuff – I like order, for things to be in their place, to have logic, predictability and safety. Left brain stuff.
But when it comes to anywhere you can be creative, such as going out with friends, or playing in the park with my kids, then I like to look for opportunities; moments where unexpected chaos adds that spark which makes life worth living. This is the essence of the stand-up comic, to surprise with true creativity and imagination, to upset convention and show how much fun being playful can really be. Right brain stuff.
We frown upon being childish; the very word is an insult. And yet, by being childish you access the limitless, playful, creative capacity for joy that children have, which is slowly drained from them by being told, relentlessly, to just ‘stop that’. Every time I tell my kids not to do something, I’m aware of the part I’m playing in this awful process. Even if the joy they’ve accessed is from poking me repeatedly in the eye with a piece of Lego.
So here’s what you should do: tap into this playful nature that lurks, suppressed, waiting within you (it’s there, you’ve just got to find it). Use it in your next presentation to throw a unique spin on the material, to surprise your audience with an unconventional perspective, to show your true character and make the whole experience something enriched with a little joy. Use stories, emotions, questions, words that paint pictures in their minds, and take them back to their childhood. Whole brain stuff.