Friday, August 21, 2009

Think Fast

Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Bodily, Spatial, Musical, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal.

In case you don't recognize the list, these are the theorized seven intelligences. I am a big fan of the idea that there are multiple intelligences. Without going too much into the details right now (I have errands to do), I'd like to offer one more: Improvisational.

I'm a firm believer that speaking-on-your-feet is not just a learned skill but a natural ability that some people are born with. These are the same people who wait until the last minute to do anything (they seemingly thrive under the pressure) because it's harder for them to think about something without a time limit. They think better when they're doing it fast probably because they are good at it and have had success doing it that way.

I've thought about this for a long time (I think I have a higher-than-average Improvisational intelligence) but I thought it about again the other day when Portland radio was talking about the 48-hour film fest. This is the competition where teams are given a genre and a line of dialogue, and they have 48 hours to make a short film. It sounds like a fun activity, especially for those of us who think best when we're thinking fast.

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