Simon Critchley's On Humor

A) In his book On Humour, Simon Critchley discussed one idea that comic timing plays an important role in humor. Critchley states that, “timing is everything, and a mastery of comic forms involves a careful control of pauses, hesitations and silences, of knowing exactly when to detonate the little dynamite of the joke” (Critchley 6). These principles of timing and execution were carried out in many of the various skits performed by ComedySportz. In their skit where they had to finish a sentence one word at a time, each member had to know when to deliver a funny word to get the audience to react. Thus, they had to keep the duration of the sentence fairly long before the last word of the sentence was spoken as they end was essentially the punchline as it wrapped up
How do these ideas help explain & interpret what was happening during the show?
Connect what Stephen Colbert says about improv comedy during his commencement speech to what you saw during the improv routine. Also, how can these principles of improv comedy be transferred or applied to other parts of your personal and professional lives?
Stephen Colbert: About improv comedy--
Not most important part in scene, everyone else is, so you should pay all your attention to them
You are in the scene too so you are the most important person to them, thus they will serve you
No one is leading, you all are following the follower, serving the server
You cannot win improv. You cannot win your life, even if it looks like you are winning
No one can remember whose idea was whose
Don’t know what you are going to do next pulling ideas out of your butt
Serve a common goal, what is that idea and who are those people
You will truly serve only what you love, service is love made visible
Community, friends, money, self
No winning, instead love others and serve others and hopefully find others who will serve you in