through empathy to humor: creating content to engage students without being naff

Through empathy to humor:creating content to engage students without being naff

Tracy Playle Pickle Jar Communications Ltd

@tracyplayle #heweb16

#tie10

Understanding empathyUnderstanding humor

The connectionMapping to HE and student journey


UnderstandingEmpathy


“Empathy is walking a mile in somebody else's moccasins. Sympathy is being sorry their feet hurt.”

Rebecca O’Donnell


Image sourced under CC license: https://www.flickr.com/photos/flamephoenix1991/

Right supramarginal

gyrus


“I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person.”

Walt Whitman


UnderstandingHumor


What causes us to laugh?

What does humor do?

Construction

Purpose or Impact


TheoriesConstruction


Inelasticity

Image used under CC license, courtesy of SocialIsBetter https://www.flickr.com/photos/27620885@N02/

Surprise

Image used under CC license, courtesy of David DeHetre https://www.flickr.com/photos/davedehetre/

Incongruity

“Humor is tragedy plus time.”

Mark Twain


Benign-Violation Theory

The Humor Code. Peter McGraw and Joel Warner. 2011

Benign ViolationLOLZ


The Comic Equation

“Comedy is about an ordinary guy or gal struggling against insurmountable odds without many of the required skills and tools with which to win yet never giving up hope.”

Steve Kaplan, The Hidden Tools of Comedy (2013)


TheoriesImpact


Image used under CC license, courtesy of Future Street https://www.flickr.com/photos/futurestreet/

“Ensoulment” - Aristotle

Superiority Theory

Image used under CC license, courtesy of Michael https://www.flickr.com/photos/helloturkeytoe/

Peasants

Image used under CC license, courtesy of Damian Gadal https://www.flickr.com/photos/23024164@N06/

Release

Image used under CC license, courtesy of Damian Gadal https://www.flickr.com/photos/23024164@N06/

Release

It’s okay. I’m cool with this.

Social

Image used under CC license, courtesy of The US Army https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/

The Hurley Model

Inside Jokes: Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind. Matthew M. Hurley, Daniel C. Dennett, and Reginald B. Adams Jr. 2011

Evolutionary role of laughter - intellectual development

WhyComedy

& Humor?


“One of the voguish terms, which is so repellant to me, “thinking outside the box.” To settle for that kind of language is embarrassing. But that’s a very useful picture. I try to come in through the side door, the side window, to come in from a direction they’re not expecting, to see something in a different way.”

George Carlin


“To me, the comic is the guy who says ‘wait a minute’ as the consensus forms. He’s the antithesis of mob mentality.”

Bill Hicks


Comedy EmpathyTruth

LearningRecognition

Understanding

The ability to see how intellectual challenge relates to them and the ability to see their role in humanity and human evolution

+


Planning yourApproach


Overcoming BarriersFaculty and staff Students

“Serious business” syndrome Groupthink decisions

Single world view

Individuals Cultural difference

Cultural relationships

Can artificial intelligence, machine learning and content automation ever help?


Establish Reinforce Surprise

Oliver Double. Getting the Joke (2005)


My dog used to chase people on a bike a lot. It

got so bad, finally I had to take his bike away.


My dog used to chase people on a bike a lot.

It got so bad,

finally I had to take his bike away.

Establish

Reinforce

Surprise


Q. How do you know the gender

of a chromosome?

A. You pull down its genes.

Overcoming BarriersFaculty and staff Students

Serious business syndrome Groupthink decisions

Assumptions based on self

Individuals Cultural difference

Cultural relationships

Can artificial intelligence, machine learning and content automation ever help?

Yes, but not yet…


So, what can we do now then?


Vocabulary of Humor

Comic Comedic Funny

Image used under CC license, courtesy of Matteo Staltari: https://www.flickr.com/photos/matteostaltari/

Is perceived to be funny

Has the intent of

being funny or amusing

Potential reaction to

comedic content


Shifting Your Language“We need to create funny content”

“Let’s work on creating comedic content”

Signals outcome, not intent Unachievable (“funny” is too subjective)

Signals intent, not outcome Achievable (accepts that “funny” is subjective)


Is it all about laughter?

Grr Meh Hmm Heh Ha Haha ROFL CAN. NOT.

BREATHE.

EMPATHY


Planning Components

© Tracy Playle 2016

Brand Perception

Audience Tolerance+

Comedic Strategy(aligned to content strategy)


Alignment with Perception of You


How “serious” do they see you as being?

Super Serious

Freakin’ Hilarious

How far can you go with

your comedic approach?

“Meh”

PMSL


Type Tactic Medium

Brand Perception

Audience Tolerance+

Comedic Strategy(aligned to content strategy)

++


TypeParody Wit Sarcasm Exaggeration Truth Gallows Toilet

Deadpan Self-deprecating Ridicule Farce Offbeat Surreal Irony


Anecdote Situational Character Caricature Pun Word play

Surprise Interruption Topical In-joke Wisecrack Commentary

Tactic@tracyplayle #heweb16

Infographics Moving image Still image Sound Written word

Comic strip Performance Conversation Physical

Medium@tracyplayle #heweb16

Image used under CC license, courtesy of Marcela McGreal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcelamcgreal/

Word Play +

Wit +

Written Word

Truth +

Surprise +

Infographic

Self-deprecating +

In-Joke +

Still Image

Mapping to our Students


Empathy Mapping

Thinking Feeling

Seeing Doing


Empathy Mapping

Thinking

Seeing

Program & Student

Experience

College

Offer

Interest

Distractions

Cause

Other interests

Feeling

Doing


Empathy MappingAspiration Consideration Application Acceptance Entrance Experience Graduation Post

Experience

Thinking

Feeling

Seeing

Doing


Alignment with Perception of You


How “serious” do they see you as being?

Super Serious

Freakin’ Hilarious

How far can you go with

your comedic approach?

“Meh”

PMSL

Empathy & Humor Mapping

Aspiration Consideration Application Acceptance Entrance Experience Graduation Post Experience

Shows how intelligent

you are

Reduces anxiety and builds

connections

In-jokes + makes them feel intelligent

In-jokes, nostalgia + makes them feel intelligent

AspirationUniversity of San Francisco brand campaign

Images used under CC license, courtesy of USF: https://www.flickr.com/photos/university-of-san-francisco/


Consideration@tracyplayle #heweb16

Application

https://www.buzzfeed.com/uclan/what-you-say-on-uni-applications-vs-what-you-actually-mean

https://www.buzzfeed.com/uclan/what-you-say-on-uni-applications-vs-what-you-actually-mean

Application - Entrance@tracyplayle #heweb16

Experience

Experience - Post-Experience

Images shamelessly stolen from @UF Twitter account


Experience - Post-Experience

Post-Experience

“The comedian has a fine sense of empathy, can see the world from another’s point of view, and is sensitive to people’s feelings and beliefs. A poorly told joke has misplaced timing, or leaves out important information, or fails to engage the interests of the listener. In contrast, a well told joke is the result of highly developed social sensitivity.”

Paul Jewell

Because good humor is empathy

“Humour in cognitive and social development: Creative artists and class clowns” 2005.

@tracyplayle [email protected]

Thank You

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through empathy to humor: creating content to engage students without being naff

Education