Research preparing for the 11th path

From my kindle recently acquired or read

It does not happen often but when it does, it is really annoying! When I write a post, and prepare it "Save" is supposed to hold without publishing and even blogger is supposed to save me what I did write without me asking. I asked as I was writing through my iPad, and with one movement, which one? everything disappeared and I could not bring it back! Will I be able to reproduce all my great text? 

I am preparing Research and Present, Level 1 of my Strategic Relationship path, a project present in every level one of every path. I have decided to Research what to recommend, as good books to complement, and advices to follow, for the upcoming new, 11th path. I think it is called, Effective Humour? or similar. We will not be able to learn all from only 4 new Projects, and anyway, a skill, any skill has to be practiced. 

Yes, in 2011, years ago! I did read some comedy books, went to four or five long comedy workshops, and finally, toward the end of year went out alone in my firsts comedy clubs. Now about hundred clubs and gigs later, and only one where I "died" and was hued down, from all of them, I can look back. I learned what I wanted from the beginning "make laugh when I want and not just sometimes by chance", understand how I can do, cut out what does not work and add, slowly new bits to my set. 

At the time, I read some books, but even those I have, now I understand better, and some have new versions, others where written since then. 8 years seems so far now! I begun to research in Amazon the available books, downloaded free samples, eliminated some, did buy others. Here are in the front those I recommend, they do complement each other.

While each book has its own voice, exercises and advices, there is a common thread that goes through them. To give courage to laugh, an audience need perceive Stage Presence, Attitude, Playfulness from the Comedian, or Public Speaker or Pal. If it sees the least unease or fear, it will not laugh, fearing also to hurt. 

All Toastmasters are already ready, well, almost to have all that. We learn through our meetings, roles and speeches. Get courage to speak. Learn body language, more relaxed then at the beginning, as a playfulness with our voice. We get, even if with time, Stage Presence.

What is the book about Obstacles doing in all those kindle books? It has its place! An important place. It is not what happens, but how we look at what happens. In comedy, we learn to look in different ways, to play with our Attitude about a given Situation. Obstacle is problem, dealing with what comes our way. Comedy?

Pain + Truth = Comedy

is written in the Comedy Toolkit. Our Attitude is explained in the Get Started. Getting out the truth, that is not always a sunny one, a politically correct one, being playful about it. Finding our Comedian Eyes, to look at any given situation. And the playfulness can show us that we can look at different angles about what happened. Trying out different angles, also teach us to take ourselves less serious and take more risk. 

I did not read yet all the books but begun all and collected a dozen sayings from them, here just published two. Unless I will add a third to them. I am still on research. Not only now, after about 100 gigs I understand better what is written, but can look back at my own sets attitudes and results to see what went well. The best was that I was able to trick myself with small challenges, that I could win, to take the edge of the fear "will they laugh" and how many times, how long, how strong. With the resulting playfulness I could surprise the audience and demonstrate, not tell, what I want all the time "Never too old".

Here are a few other snippets from the different books. I'll have to come back about tools for humor and attitudes and "afterthoughts" even if best each chooses and tries out to read the books that are more for them at this moment. 

Of course, Seneca lived in old Greece, thousand year ago his voice come to us. And bellow, almost the same is said in modern voice, from the book about "use your obstacles". A life without hills and valleys is not a life, we all have big and small letdowns. Let us open up, dare to use them, tell them, play with them. Develop Comedian Eyes and train our Funny Bones, comedy muscles. As any creative knows, any craft takes time to learn, skill has to be practiced and taken one at a time.