A WorkLife Lesson: Astrid’s Story: Observing WorkLife Normalities
Astrid was part of a panel sharing her views about the role of comedy in public speaking.
She’s best known for her observational style, humour and storytelling abilities based on the commonplace aspects of everyday WorkLife.
She answered the following three questions:
Question 1: “What is observational comedy, and how does it put people at ease in public speaking?”
Astrid: “Have you ever noticed the ripple effect of a smile?”
The audience smiled in response.
Question 2: “But what do you say if the room is cold towards you?”
Astrid: “Have you ever noticed how some rooms exude a certain energy, a warmth? If you have, then you have experienced the language of a welcoming atmosphere. A language softly spoken and universally understood.”
The audience smiled and nodded in agreement.
Question 3: “How does it help if you have a heckler?”
Astrid: “Have you ever noticed how the most intriguing individual in the room seems content to listen more than speaking?”
The audience smiled knowingly.
In this lesson, you will learn how Astrid used the power of observation to not only prepare for standup comedy but to also prepare for talks and presentations based on the commonplace aspects of everyday WorkLife.
In this lesson’s WorkLife Learning Assignment, you will learn to think about opposites as a technique for observational comedy.
In this lesson’s Continuous WorkLife Learning Assignment, you will learn the five steps to come up with your “Have You Ever Noticed” line.