Improv Rules for Creating Award-Winning Content

Improv Rules for Creating Award-Winning Content

Tim Washer@timwasher

#CMWorld

The main evolutionary significance of humor is that it gets us from the closed mode

to the open mode quicker than anything else.

John Cleese

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Building a Creative Culture ① The Open Mode / Tortoise Mind② How Comedy Works③ 5 Quick Fixes

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1 The Open Mode

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When you're in the open mode, nothing will stop you so effectively as the fear of

making a mistake.John Cleese

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There are no mistakes, only gifts.

Improv Principle

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Reframe Mistakes ① Internal recognition for big risks that failed ② Email from the CMO ③ Improv class as corporate training ④ Cascade cases of Success through Failure

• PBS Digital Studios http://s.hbr.org/1EH0PUc • 3M Post-It http://n.pr/1phmnx6

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2 How Comedy Works

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Juxtaposition

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Suggestion 1 Suggestion 2

Attrib

utes

Circus Bacon

Creepy

Circus

Clowns

Shovel

Trapeze

Pigs

Bacon

Farm

Ham

Eggs

RoosterThe Shining

Confetti

Juxtaposition

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Clowns Farm

Attrib

utes

• Rainbow hair• Giant shoes • Makeup • Packed into car• Balloons

• Farmer• Livestock • Early risers• Rooster • Tractor

Food Temperature

Smarter Planet:Food safety

salmonella

Farm to Fork

On StarTrucks

Supply chain

chicken

Cooking class

https://youtu.be/1DAR5wW19Eg

https://youtu.be/1DAR5wW19Eg

6X capacity

ASR 9000

6.4 TB /second

Launch Date: Feb 9th

Price: $80k - $250k

Forrest Gump = 200 feature films/ second

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http://youtu.be/Z1xKpm0nURk

Mark Twain

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To get the right word in the right place

is a rare achievement.

Oh Caption, My Caption

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① Clarity ② Economy ③ Inspiration

A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words

Rule of Threes

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The first two items in the series establish the pattern. Then the third item delivers the hard left turn punch.

x

y

Rule of Threes

INBOUND15

The BreakersNewport, R.I.

Cornelius Vanderbilt II’s

summer cottage boasts

138,000 sq ft, 70 rooms and

1½ baths.

Irony

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INBOUND15

Built in 1068 by William the Conqueror, who embroidered “Home is where the heart is” on his welcome mat

Clifford’s TowerYork, England

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Contrast

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INBOUND15

What’s the club’s policy on roasting marshmallows?

Patterns

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INBOUND15

WARNING: Beware of bears making announcements

INBOUND15

Waited here for 10 minutes before I realized this wasn’t a Cinnabon

Rijksmuseum Schiphol Airport

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3 5 Quick Fixes

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Shrink the Committee ① Narrow scope of committee’s input ② Build relationships over coffee③ Ask: “How can I help my ‘partner’ be successful?④ Find the right champion ⑤ Play in the sandbox ⑥ Move messaging to the blog post, not the video

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Story, not Adjectives ① Find an anecdote that represents the attribute (e.g. Agile)② The specifics create a connection with the audience③ Make the case rather than making a claim

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Abandon the Studio

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https://shar.es/1vF9UP

Show, Don’t Tell① “before/after” case format with results ② Film sit-down interview first. Builds trust. ③ Shoot rich, visual B-Roll ④ “How it Works” animation creates a learning experience ⑤ Avoid conclusions and superlatives

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https://youtu.be/o7qUny6tNJc

Publish Weekly

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“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste.

But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is

why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went

through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a

volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than

anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

Ira Glass

Tim Washer

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www.timwasher.com