Innovate Like A Comedian: A Beginner’s Guide to Lateral Thinking

“Humor is by far the most significant activity of the human brain.” -Edward de Bono

Whether you’re a marketer, designer, writer, product developer, or just about anyone looking to break out of the status quo, it might help you to start thinking like a comedian.

Not the most likely of role models, I know, but stick with me.

Unfortunately, for most of our collective lives, the establishment has taught us to “stay in our lanes,” “color within the lines,” and/or “think linearly.” But, surprise: These types of thought processes are no longer bankable in our post-industrial, highly-competitive, information-driven, mad, mad world. In fact, the “keep in your lane” mantra has negatively affected many companies — some of which were once bellwethers of their respective industries — and eventually afflicted them with an unfortunate lack of innovation that precipitated their demise (think Blockbuster, Toys”R”Us, Eastman Kodak, Polaroid, etc.).

It follows then that, in order to thrive (or even survive) in today’s business landscape, we must constantly be willing to pivot, transform, revolutionize, and change our thinking as well as our practices. We must get comfortable with being uncomfortable, break out of our routines, and start processing ideas in a more lateral way.

And some of the best lateral thinkers on the planet are comedians.

Turns out businesspeople have a lot to learn from stand-ups in terms of technique. People who are paid to be funny are persistent examiners of human behavior. They’re also masters at connecting ideas that may seem incongruous at first (a major tenet of lateral thinking). And, last but not least, comedians make a habit of embracing the messiness and unpredictability that goes hand in hand with the iterative loop of “create, test, and learn.”

So if you want to get serious about thinking outside the box, coloring outside the lines, or driving outside of your lane, I recommend you take these steps toward awakening your inner comedian:

1. Start Observing

You have to start somewhere, and I suggest you start by examining the world around you.

The best comedians are the ones that are very perceptive. They take in everyday situations and use them to heighten their awareness of the human condition. In this way, they’re always searching for new information — monitoring people, places, things, and behaviors that others would rarely pay attention to. Comedians do this because they know this is where the funny lies. They also know that, without keen observation, there’s no creativity. (As with most art forms, you can’t make something out of nothing.)

This same core principle applies to creative problem solving, the first step of which is to spark innovation.

In business, you can’t create anything new unless you’ve done your research and gathered your resources first. You have to start somewhere, and I suggest you start by examining the world around you. Practice people-watching. Be on the lookout for curious patterns of behavior. Ask yourself: “In which areas do the people around me struggle from day to day? What challenges are they facing? Where do they find peace?”

Unlocking the answers to these simple questions will help you gain a wealth of insight and get your idea machine percolating. As you move on to the next steps in the creative process, you’ll find the more insight you have, the easier it will be to begin sketching, outlining, building, communicating, or doing whatever it is you have to do to get your business idea up and running.

2. Synthesize Your Ideas

The more seemingly disjointed the ideas may be, the more special the outcome when you marry them together.

When funny people combine their casual observations with their own personal perspectives, comedic magic is made. A key part of a comedian’s alchemy is taking smaller components from a variety of different ideas and synthesizing them into a larger narrative.

Ditto when it comes to business innovation.

Once you’ve collected a mental journal of human truths, it’s good business practice to cross-reference these truths against your team’s stock of expert knowledge. Consider: Do these floating bits of information jive at all? Do your observational truths fold in neatly with your expertise or does the incongruity between the two force you think in a different way?

If the pieces of your innovative puzzle fit together nicely, great. If they don’t, don’t worry. Do your best to make them fit. The more seemingly disjointed the ideas may be, the more special the outcome when you marry them together. Solving problems indirectly and pushing yourself to look at obstacles in a new light are both crucial precepts of lateral thinking.

3. Embrace the Iterative Process

After all, instant feedback is the quickest route to instant progress.

“Test and Learn” is perhaps the most essential component of a comedian’s technique. This is where they spend the bulk of their time: adding to, subtracting from, changing, and, ultimately, honing their material. (Case in point: It’s rumored that Jerry Seinfeld rewrites his material about 50 times before he feels it’s ready for stage or screen.)

Comedians don’t ask the crowd what’s funny. They know that’s a fool’s errand. Instead, they keenly observe the audience’s reaction to each joke to see which bits get laughs and which don’t. A true stand-up uses every opportunity to improve their routine in front of a crowd. After all, instant feedback is the quickest route to instant progress.

This iterative process is likewise the most important part of the innovation and creative problem-solving cycle in business. Until your ideas are put in front of your target audience, reaction to your product is purely hypothetical. As with the comedic “Test and Learn” procedure, the only way to truly try out our business ideas is to introduce them to the world and then gauge the response. Just like comedians, we in commerce need to be ready to take criticism and fail, over and over, until we get things just right.

You’ve Been a Lovely Audience

And before I finish my set, here are some parting words:

The business of innovation and problem solving is very much like every other creative endeavor. The romantic notion of slaving away until you reach a eureka moment in which everything changes is just that: romantic. In reality, eureka moments are very, very rare. Waiting for them to arrive won’t work — on stage or in the office. Most worthwhile ideas, be they jokes or business plans, come from extensive hard work and, yes, a well-thought-out, protracted process. And there’s no process more enlightening or effective than that of a successful stand-up.

So, if you’re hoping to be more innovative, follow the methodologies of a comedian: Take stock of human behaviors, seek to integrate seemingly incompatible concepts, and get your test products or services out in front of a crowd whenever you can.

Thanks for listening. I’ll be here all night. Remember to tip your wait staff.

I hope you found this article helpful. Your claps 👏 are greatly appreciated.