It's no secret that new ideas fuel profitability. Even when companies hire top talent and teach best skills, few are able to affect the bottom line unless their employees can -generate and execute new concepts. It sounds like a simple principle, but finding new ideas can become a company's greatest challenge. What if we were to tell you that a little comedy theater in Minneapolis has created an incredibly effective ideation process to help businesses generate more and better ideas? In fact, the owner and executive producer of that little -theater has used this breakthrough process to help companies like 3M, Altria, Medtronic, Best Buy, Disney and hundreds of others achieve greater innovation. Now, John Sweeney is sharing that process in his new book, Innovation at the Speed of Laughter: 8 Secrets to World Class Idea Generation. Borne from the formula used for more than 45 years to help write outlandish satirical comedy, Sweeney's book describes eight principles that guide companies, leaders and individuals to generate more and better ideas. Using client case studies, individual testimonials and a lighthearted writing style, this book is especially appealing to business leaders, team builders and companies seeking to find the "next big idea." According to Sweeney, "Perhaps the most beneficial part of our process is the practical application portion, in which the idea gets fleshed out and prepared for implementation. The only way an idea can become profitable is by taking it from the individual mind and the brainstorming session to the company conference room and the factory floor. Our process explains how and when to implement constraints into idea generation in order to bring true gems into fruition." As evidenced in Innovation at the Speed of Laughter, Sweeney and the Brave New Workshop continue to entertain, educate and inspire. Years ago, John Sweeney left a successful corporate real estate career to follow his passion for performing improvisation-based comedy. Combining his insights in business with his passion for improvisation, John has become a leader in workplace innovation and corporate ideation. He is the owner of the Brave New Workshop Theatre,

Innovation at the Speed of Laughter: 8 Secrets to World Class Idea Generation

Business & Money

Sweeney, John

Management & Leadership

Aerialist Press

Since 1958, the Brave New Workshop (BNW) comedy theater has written and performed more than 250 scripted sketch-comedy shows. This book gives the reader an inside look at the process and philosophies that have been used to create some of the most innovative sketch comedy in America. Its contents can be used to immediately improve your skills as a writer, performer, or director. Revealing the Brave New Workshop's eight core philosophies of improvisation, along with the detailed process of idea generation, scripting, rehearsal, and performance, this text provides "everything you need to know" for both the individual learner and the classroom instructor. More than 46 years ago, an ex-circus performer named Dudley Riggs founded the Brave New Workshop. Today, the Brave New Workshop is the longest-running satirical comedy theater in the United States. Alumni include writer/activist Al Franken, MADtv's Mo Collins, Reba's Melissa Peterman, The Naked Gun writer Pat Proft, Analyze This writer Peter Tolan, and That 70s Show executive producer Linda Wallem. Brave New Workshop alumni have contributed to hundreds of movies and television shows, including Saturday Night Live, Scary Movie 3, Airplane!, The Gary Shandling Show, M*A*S*H, and Happy Days. This handbook shares the creative comedy process that has helped to create some of the most prolific and successful talent in stages across the globe and in Hollywood. Also included with the book is a CD-ROM that contains sample scripts, live performances, and worksheets to aid the reader. Featuring an online instructor's guide, The Art of the Laugh is ideal for classroom instruction, individual work, and ensemble-based creations.

The Art of the Laugh: A Handbook for Sketch Writers, Actors, and Directors

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

"What a breath of fresh air! You and your team have articulated in one book what we are all so hungry for as a society. . . . We have forgotten how to respect and honor our fellow human beings as equal travelers on this journey." -Matthew D. Breitfelder, vice president of leadership development for MasterCard Worldwide 
This simple little book has a simple little theme, "Act the way you want the world to be."
Motivated by his experience at a concert during which a Grammy Award-winning musician was forced to stop mid-song in order to ask the audience to ratchet down its conversation, author and speaker John Sweeney rallied the troops at his theater to come up with 365 ways to lead a more considerate, and considered, life.
#107
If someone cuts you off in traffic, give the peace sign instead of the finger.
Road rage creates unresolvable anger that you won't be able to shake. And at 60 mph, the other driver might think it's the finger anyway. It's a win-win situation.
John Sweeney wears a lot of different hats. He owns the nation's oldest satirical comedy theater; he's an author, an improviser, a corporate trainer, a keynote speaker, and he has appeared on national television without a shirt-on more than one occasion, though he probably shouldn't.
The Brave New Workshop contributors include: Lauren Anderson, Mike Fotis, Dave Jennings, Katy McEwen, Brian Aylmer, John Haynes, Lynn Lanners, Julia Schmidt, Joe Bozic, Dawn Hopkins, Jenni Lilledahl, Stephanie Scott, Erin Farmer, Elena Imaretska, and Caleb McEwen.

Return to Civility: A Speed of Laughter Project

John Sweeney

The Brave New Workshop

Parenting & Relationships

Innovation at the Speed of Laughter explores the unexpected ways in which the tools of improvisational comedy can improve business performance. Combining his insights as a successful businessman with his expertise as a performer, John Sweeney reveals eight secrets to jump-starting workplace creativity and corporate ideation developed from the quirky, spontaneous art form of improvisation. The secrets include 'Accepting All Ideas,' 'Deferring Judgment,' and 'Creating a Statusless Environment.' Sweeney and the Brave New Workshop have used these secrets to help companies like General Mills, 3M Corporation, Hewllett-Packard, and Disney develop wonderfully uncommon ideas. Innovation at the Speed of Laughter will similarly help businesses, leaders, and individuals tap into their innovative potential--for creative expression as well as profitability.

Innovation At the Speed of Laughter: 8 Secrets to World Class Idea Generation (Paperback)

Personal Finance

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Aerialist Press publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Aerialist Press