Archives for November 2014

24 November, 2014 by Cris Popp

6 reasons to bring more laughter into work

When was the last time you had a good laugh at work? Has it been a couple weeks? Or is it verging on closer to a couple years? You may be missing out on a key element to a happy, efficient, and cohesive work environment.

1. Less Sick Days

Research suggests that laughter doesn’t only feel good, it has actually been proven to have a positive effect on overall health. Laughter reduces stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, improves cardiac health, boosts T-cells (which fight off disease infection), and lowers blood pressure.

2. Happier Workers

Besides reducing stress laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, which act as your body’s pain killers. Laughter has been shown to help ease chronic pain and improve your mood for hours afterwards. Apparently Rudolph Valentino, the ballet dancer, used laughter, to stave off the pain when he was ill in last years of his life.

3. Team Cohesion

Laughter cleanses. It clears the air of any residual negativity and replaces it with positive energy. Sharing a laugh with your coworkers improves your relationship and connects you on an emotional level. After sharing a laugh, they are more likely to share resources. Cohesion is important for a happy and healthy work environment.

4. Exercise

This is an especially good reason if you work in a predominantly sedentary position. Laughing exercises your diaphragm, as well as your abdominal, respiratory, facial, back, and even leg muscles. And it’s a lot more fun than a trip to the water cooler and back.

5. Improve knowledge retention

A study performed by John Hopkin’s University Medical School concluded that humour during instruction led to increased test scores. By presenting information in a humorous way, you can increase the likelihood of your employees’ retention of that information. Note: this is also good to keep in mind if you ever bring a speaker in to the workplace this is especially excellent as it links to me. A funny presenter is a memorable one!

6. Motivation

Let’s be honest here. How many jobs have you had that you can honestly say you were excited to go to? Probably not too many. Now try and think back to the jobs you liked the most – I’m willing to bet those were the ones where you had the most fun with your coworkers. By bringing laughter into your workplace, you create a happier work environment. Tension eases. Moods lift. And productivity skyrockets.

If you would like to have a laughter session at your workplace get in touch with Kris on (+61) 438 545 607 or info@laughterworks.com.au.

17 November, 2014 by Cris Popp

The Surprisingly Better Way to Change and Learn

It should be pretty obvious to you by now that we believe having fun is a better way to change behaviour than a negative, deficit-based approach (see our YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/poppcris testimonials and clips ). It ties in with our belief that happy people are more effective at work and in their personal lives. There’s plenty of scientific evidence for that and a growing body of practice including Appreciative Inquiry (AI) and Innovative Positive Organisational Development (IPOD).

Now IPOD and AI probably don’t sound like very “fun” words to you – it’s fun for us though because we’re facilitators and love this stuff – so we’re going to make it fun for you to understand. Just watch this clip and read on below…

Did you laugh? Do you think you would have taken the stairs? It does remind me of the maths teacher reported in the Melbourne Age (a local Australian newspaper) that brought a dog into class and found that all the students’ marks went up.

People are attracted to what makes them feel good and avoid that which makes them feel bad (oh what a surprise). Not everything can be lighthearted but we think things have gone too far the other way – there is an epidemic of seriousness. There needs to be more laughter. Workplaces, jobs and especially workshops can and should be fun for participants. That is, if you want people to want to be there …

While there’s lots of laughter in Kris’ workshops – they are no laughing matter. He gets seriously good results, including increased performance, and great ratings for you next conference, or event. Kris is Australia’s leading laughter yoga and laughter therapy leader, and was trained by Dr Madan Kataria – the founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement himself. Call Kris for a workshop combining, laughter, innovation and/or resilience. Get in touch on (+ 61) 0438 545 607 or The Laughter Secret to Improving Your Wellbeing & Performance – in Minutes

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10 Minutes to More Health and Productivity with Laughter Therapy

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Need a Quick Boost Right Now? Try Laughing! Here’s how …

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As the famous adage goes “Laughter is the best medicine” and who would not agree to that. Laughter surely is the best natural remedy to so many of our problems. We all know a good hearty laugh lowers blood pressure. If you had a hectic lengthy day, watching a comedy show or a hilarious movie is the best way to lighten up your mood and get rid of that gloominess; laughter helps youLaughter is the best medicinein reducing your stress hormone levels too. But do you also know the benefits of laughter to your cardiac health and that it also benefits your T-cells? Yes, the laughter, that we all take for granted, is much more than we give it credit for. People who can’t do difficult exercises because of theirfrail condition, are advised to laugh often because laughter burns the same amount of calories per hour as walking with moderate speed. Like stated earlier, T-cells, which are the cells responsible for the body’s immune system, activate when you have that full, joyous, satiated laugh.

Laughter Yoga is centred around the healthy benefits of laughter therapy. In fact most people make no distinction between the two. Just incase you’ve never heard of it here’s what Laughter Yoga is all about.

laughter is best

As the name suggests, it is an exercise to feel care free and laugh your heart out loud. Laughter Yoga, or Hasyayoga as many call it, is a type of exercise in which people laugh voluntarily, mostly in groups. Although it is famous among senior groups in recent times it has also become popular among the younger generation as well. The routine involves making eye contact with your group member or partner and having a whole hearted laugh. It doesn’t matter, whether your laughter is genuine or forced, it will benefit your physical and psychological health. Although it originated back in the mid-1990s, proper channelled sessions were started in 1995 by Madan Kataria. He started a Laughter Yoga Club in March, 1995. Despite the fact that it was totally a new idea, it soon gained momentum and by 2011 there were more than 8000 Laughter Clubs in 65 different countries.

Workplace laughter

The benefits of Laughter Yoga are not unknown. It has been scientifically proven that elderly people who have chosen Laughter Yoga to remedy depression, feel less depressed and more energetic and delighted. Not only does laughter mitigate depression but it also helps to reduce stress levels. The more you laugh, the more lively you feel. Laughter takes away your worries and tensions and helps you concentrate on your task. We all know too much worrying affectsthinking capabilities and productivity. We tend to become numb to our surroundings and sink deeper into a sorry state, which results in us falling ill and/or depressed. Laughter on the other hand lightens up our mood and triggers T-cells which help us in keeping our immune system in top shape. Similar to aerobic exercise, Laughter Yoga increases your oxygen level and makes you feel more energetic and stress free. When you imbibe positivity you tend to emit it too and create a happy, healthy and positive environment.

Medical studies have proven that laughter and wellbeing are attributed to the release of endorphin in the blood stream. A noteworthy effect of this phenomenon is increase in the pain threshold which is assumed to be a by-product of the release of endorphin and has an opiate-like effect. As we all know a simple laugh can help spread some positivity, laughing can also help you to socializebetter. As you make it a habit to have a lighter mood and feel less stressed, you are more likely to enjoy meeting new people and making good friends.

laughing at the workplace

Many businesses have made a point of having a laughter session at the workplace in a bid to reduce workplace worries and stress and create a more energetic work environment. As Laughter Yoga is an inexpensive method to create a positive environment, organizations are more likely to take advantage of it. It requires no high tech machineries to be installed and it is a natural way to create a peaceful efficient atmosphere. According to Dr. William Fry of Stanford University, a mere 10 minutes of vibrant joyous laughter is equivalent to a full 30 minutes of exercise on a rowing machine. Imagine how helpful laughter would be in increasing your blood circulation level and balancing the oxygen supply.

hysterical laughter

A good mood and stress-free mind is the reason for better performance too. Organizations know that happy employees mean greater productivity so arranging for a laughter therapy session in the organization helps cheer people up. This happiness releases neuro-peptides which help in better functioning brains. The better the brain function, the better you are at performing your tasks. Other benefits organizations receive by having a laughter therapy session at the workplace are:

Strong, bonded team as laughter helps in creating an easy environment and people find it easy to connect with their colleagues.
Better enhanced communication skills. When employees are happy, they feel relaxed and are able to communicate better. Better communication can help personnel in Sales and Marketing Sectors as it requires lots of healthy conversation with potential customers.
Stronger attention span. We all know human minds cannot work with the same diligence and determination after 90 minutes of continuous work. After 90 minutes, the mind needs to take a few minutes of rest. If instead of that, the employees have a full 5 to 10 minutes of a laughing session; their brains will get the requisite energy boost needed for creative thinking at the workplace.
Laughter Workshop

Now that you all know the benefits you can achieve through laughter yoga, I’m positive you too want to be a part of these fun filled practices. Many corporate organizations arrange for various kinds of laughter seminars and sessions.

Laughter sessions may be as long as 3 hours or as short as 30 minutes and will help your people learn how to release their stress by doing some simple laughter exercises. Also through use of these humorous exercises, employees learn to bond more easily with each other and learn to cooperate and generally enjoy each other’s company. If our minds and bodies are not at peace, we will never be able to give our best shot at work, these laughter seminars are your way to release your stress and work with healthy minds.

Now that you have learnt so much about the laughter and its benefits, why don’t you try some simple and easy laughing exercises yourself and have a good hearty laugh. Fake a smile and gradually start laughing out loud, trust me laughter is contagious you will eventually start laughing genuinely. Or why don’t you think of something stupid that you might have done in the past and have a good laugh over it.

Kris is a laughter speaker who delivers laughter workshops and laughter seminars throughout the year for corporate clients as well as small teams. If you would like to learn more about the laughter sessions that Kris offers why not give him a call on +61 438 545 607 or email info@laughterworks.com.au.

10 November, 2014 by Cris Popp

Satisfied or Happy? Which is Better?

Is it better to be happy – or satisfied? Part of the difficulty of this conversation is what do we mean by happiness? Ed Diener (one of the fathers of positive psychology) talks about this issue on his site. To paraphrase – when we ask people how “satisfied” they are we get an answer which is based on their overall life satisfaction. They consider a long period of time and compare themselves to others. To do this they resort to tangibles such as wealth, status, all looks.

However if you phrase the question as “How happy are you?” the respondent seems to go “inside” and check their feeling state – hence they resort to how nice their neighbour was that morning or whether they have a full social calendar.

Another confounding factor is what people remember – i.e when asked about their happiness do they conjure up memories of good or bad events. How do they frame their life? This is more about what they choose to recall from memory, than how happy they are. Interestingly, laughter is a positive event that most people find easy to remember. This is why laughter yoga works so well in workplace settings.

Going back to “life satisfaction” – I don’t think money is as important as the status it confers. What people really want is to feel valuable and ‘important’ – at least in some aspect of their life. Everyone wants to feel like they belong somewhere. Everyone wants validation. Advertising promotes only one sort of validation – it is one based on comparison with others on a material basis i.e the things we can see, own, touch. Laughter on the other hand, is a way to feel positive while engaging with each other – laughter breaks down hierarchies, and laughter builds teams.

If we could validate and value people for what they bring in all their uniqueness, if we could create multiple hierarchies then we wouldn’t all need to be climbing the one narrow ladder (shop, consume). We would be happier with less (and the environment would be happier).

Multiple hierarchies, validation and valuing everyone for their part = lots of happiness? Hhmmm sounds like team-work …

If you’d like to build your team, get your executive working better together, and improve morale and performance, have Kris deliver one of his engrossing keynote talks (eg: “Happy Hour Is 9-To-5”, “Innovation Readiness”), combined with a laughter session. Kris is Australia’s leading corporate laughter leader. Get in touch with Kris: info@laughterworks.com.au or (+ 61) 0438 545 607.

3 November, 2014 by Cris Popp

5 Ways Laughter is best for Your Weight and Health

Try remembering a time you were laughing hard. Did it make you feel good? Were you able to enjoy things and do a lot more when having a good time?

Engaging in a laughter workshop or laughter seminar has been recommended for many employees and organizations. Research shows that encouraging such simple act in the workplace can improve creativity, cooperation and camaraderie.

Other benefits include:

Calorie burn – laughter is a good exercise for your insiders. It improves blood circulation and increases heart rate. It can also tone your abdominal muscles. According to Dr. William Fry of Stanford University: “Laughing heartily five times a day has the same beneficial effects as ten minutes on a rowing machine.” Imagine having a good time and being your way to a toned and healthy body.

Immune system – laughter increases production of antibodies. It also decreases cortisol strengthening the immune system.
Blood sugar – a good round of laughs can reduce blood sugar levels. People with diabetes have reported better blood sugar levels and conditions.
Cholesterol – a good chuckle can increase your HDL cholesterol. Your body can do a little bit better with more good cholesterol in the system.
Pain reliever – if you cannot tolerate then a 10-minute worth of laugh should be a good start. According to research, 10 minutes of laughter can reduce as much as two hours of body pain.

These are just some of the ways laughter can help your body. A healthier body is also more resilient to stress giving you a better chance to enjoy yourself, and make the most out of your life – who wouldn’t want that?

Would like to have more laughter in your life and workplace? Get Laughterworks to deliver a laughter session at your workplace or next conference or event. Contact us: info@laughterworks.com.au, or 0438 545 607