Mark Thomas knows what it takes to connect with crowds on the comedy stage and people on the political scene. Thomas says that a joke is often the key you need to open up the door of new opportunity. The next time you need to get in with a new group, Thomas says humour is the way to break down barriers and build connections. Listen first then learn to lead the laughter.
Moving Mountains Through Mirth
Mark Thomas has built a career at the intersection of comedy, political activism, and investigative journalism. He has spent his entire life using humour as a way to make connections and open up opportunities on both the stage and in the field of political activism. Thomas knows that when we laugh together, we can move mountains.
Thomas is a firm believer that humour can help break down the social barriers that keep you on the outskirts. He knows that comedy can help people make connections and build rapport in both their personal and professional lives. Humour can open up doors and provide opportunities. For Thomas, humour goes both ways. Not only can humour help people connect to the group, but the group can also use humour to make people feel welcome.
“Humour is a way of inviting you into the gang.”
Both as a stand-up comedian and as a political activist performance artist, Mark Thomas has humour as a tool to bring people together. Thomas knows that laughter is often the best tool in learning and sharing ideas. For Thomas, humour is the glue that brings people together and keeps them unified in a shared experience.
“Humans use humour all over the place, you know what I mean? It’s not just the social interaction. It allows social interactions. It allows us to be self-deprecating and pull back the threat of ourselves. It allows us to give someone who thinks they’re better than us a little slap. Humour is the shared thing. When you share something, you laugh at something that’s around you or someone who’s near you, and you share something, so you bond together. So Humour is really important, it’s socially vital. It’s absolutely vital.”
Throughout his prolific career as a stand-up comedian, Thomas has learned that connecting to crowds through humour is a way to stay relevant. For Thomas, comedy is all about telling stories. His simple rule of three for comedy includes telling stories with a beginning, a middle, and an ending that goes slightly awry. For Thomas, stand-up comedy allows the audience to see the world from a different perspective. Something that is equally important in his work as an investigative journalist and political activist.
“Laughter is about sharing. An audience is all about a shared experience. Look at what laughter does, it brings us together and it challenges people in power.”
Challenging those in power is something that Thomas does extremely well. So much so that he holds the world record for the most political protests put on in one day. For Thomas, humour acts as a tool to bring audiences together to support a common goal. In both his career as a comedian and his political pursuits, Thomas knows that laughter is power. When people laugh together, they form connections that can serve them in every aspect of life. Mark Thomas knows that when we laugh together, we grow together.
Join Mark Thomas and The Humourology Podcast for a deep dive into how humour can help humans create shared experiences in the realm of performance and politics. Hear how humour can help you open the door to new opportunities, improve your social interactions, and connect to those around you, only on The Humourology Podcast.
Mark’s series of absorbing, illuminating and very very funny books and DVD’s are available Here
You can find out more about Mark Here
I have known Mark for many years since our early Comedy Store days and one of the things that has always endeared him to me is his passion for life and laughter. He completely dives in at the deep-end and totally commits to many causes as well and his comedy. As fellow AFC Wimbledon supporters, we both know that it can sometimes be a little challenging to see the bright side. However, Mark always displays an eternal optimism that is essential to achievement and is also the foundation of courage and true progress.
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See you next Tuesday.
Warmest,
Paul x
