PROBLEM SOLVING Humor and Problem Solving Humor and creativity go together like two “p’s” in a “ppod”1. Both involve looking at two things and seeing how they can come together in a new 2 way . That creativity helps solve problems. For the purposes of this book, we’re going to think about how humor applies to the five steps of problem solving, as defined below: • Problem Definition – Defining the problem you are attempting to solve in such a way that you can take action on finding a solution. • Brainstorming – Generating a large list of ideas from which the solution will be selected. • Decision Making – Analyzing the list of ideas and identifying the best solution. • Implementation – Putting the solution into place. • Evaluation – Evaluating the solution and determining any additional steps needed. With these contexts in mind, here are 100 ways to use humor to enhance problem solving. 1 I’ve never understand that expression. What’s a ppod? 2 See Laughing All the Way to the Bank. 109