Return to Civility: A Speed of Laughter Project

by John Sweeney

'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.

Genres: Nonfiction

376 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2007

About the author

As the owner and director of America's oldest comedy theater, Brave New Workshop, John has honed his powers of improvisation to ignite cultures of innovative behavior within America's biggest businesses including Microsoft, PwC, General Mills & United Health Care.

Featured across countless media platforms including Inc, Forbes and Financial Times, he uses his scientific understanding of how human behavior is influenced, to implement simple but groundbreaking tools such as 'Yes and...' and 'The Big 5' so you too can be at peak innovation fitness.

But the driving force behind Sweeney's success are the results he helps clients achieve by effectively bridging improvisational theater skills and behaviors to the workplace through his speeches, training and writing. His improvisational insights have resonated with a broad spectrum of forward-thinking business leaders from some of the most innovative and largest companies in the world - ensuring every level of the organization is operating within the mindset of discovery.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe this just didn’t age well, but I found it insufferably ableist, classist, and at times even fat-phobic (#248 - If you find yourself binge eating, offer some food to a friend or two a little food shelf. Put the cream cheese down and back away from the fridge! And #357 - Take extra money you’re going to spend on super-sizing at a fast food restaurant, and give it to charity. You lose weight, and your money helps other people!)

There are a few useful gems, like when you’re at a social gathering, wash your hands! Or when in a group, ensure everyone knows each others name. But overall, it was a flop.

[Papatia Feauxzar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Common courtesy and daily practical advice.

[Bill Palladino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweeney and his Brave New Workshop crew have created a "thought for the day" approach to living a civil life. Civility in John Sweeney's parlance is a concept almost forgotten in our fast, streamlined, eConsiousness minds. The book presents a simple solution; one idea a day to put civility back into the norms of your day.

For my reading it's a little cutesy, but heck.... why not? Maybe that's John's point too. Get over ourselves.

[Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple daily reminders that we live in a world with other people and the details that make living together a little more joyful. I love tearing out these "thought a day" pages to make a civility bulletin board

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This goes along with other civility books. It has suggestions like: Push your chair into the table when you leave; clean up after yourself and other common (but funny) civility situations