Uncategorized Archives - Laughter Works

29 April, 2021 by Cris Popp

Laughter for Resilience

Finding it hard to keep going at the moment? So am I.

So are many teams and individuals.

Don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s normal to face adversity.

Norma for life’s challenges to cause you stress.

Normal, but not inevitable.

You can beat the stress and bounce back better.

(Learn how to keep yourself and your team energised, focused and productive – message me and I’ll send you a free cheat sheet).

And when things don’t go to plan (like the whole of 2020)?

Maintain your sense of humour.

Keep laughing – laughter is the shock absorber for life.

How?

I’n this interview I answer these questions: Cris Popp discusses benefits of Laughter for Resilience with Pat Panetta on 96.5 FM

Listen to this short interview to hear:

Why it’s important to keep laughing/take a lighter approach a time like this?
How organisations are using laughter to keep their staff engaged (and some funny zoom stories).
Five – seven strategies to get more laughter in your life.
A live laughter session (why not laugh along?).
How laughter improves your wellbeing, success and longevity …

Cris Popp discusses benefits of Laughter for Resilience with Pat Panetta on 96.5 FM

How will you inject some workplace laughter this week?

Drop me your answer into the comments below – everyone who does gets a free laughter cheat sheet.

3 June, 2020 by Cris Popp

Laughter is the Key to Keeping a Remote Team Connected and Motivated

Win a Free Laughter Session for Your Next Online Meeting

Have you heard the one about the team leader who turned herself into a potato during a Zoom meeting and couldn’t undo it?

The Coronavirus is serious but there’s still plenty of good reasons to laugh.

There is a great article in the Harvard Business Review, about how we’re laughing a lot less since the pandemic, but how laughter is really important to keep our teams humming along. It’s not just that there is a lot of serious news coming at us – but also because we tend to laugh more in the company of others. Now that we are all so isolated, we’re laughing less.

Laughing is very important for workplaces, and now more than ever: it’s the shock absorber for life, it builds team cohesion and makes it easier to have challenging conversations.

The article gives a bunch of tips for leaders to inject a little levity into their teams, such as being sure to turn on your video, smiling more and leaving space for some humour.

Here’s another one – hold a laughter session. And I’m offering a freebie, to the funniest anecdote.

Before COVID-19 and the lockdown hit, I used to run laughter sessions at conferences, team meetings, strategic retreats and board functions. They were a hoot (see links on my profile).

So, to get more laughter into your workplace, I’m offering a free 10 to 15-minute laughter sessions during your next team/board/executive meeting. All you need to do is pop the funniest or most unusual thing you’ve encountered since the lockdown began, in the comments. Pick out the funniest (maybe more than one), and I’ll run a session for you entirely free of charge at your next virtual gathering. This competition closes on Friday, 12 June at 12 noon.

So, what are you waiting for? Want a free laughter session? Tell us your funny lockdown story in the comments below.

22 March, 2017 by Cris Popp

Institute of Positive Education: Free Talk

How humour, laughter and playfulness can help you succeed at home, school and work

Does being highly effective in the workplace, at home or studying, mean you have to be deadly serious? Does success only come through unwavering dedication, no time out and the absence of playfulness and laughter? Actually, research shows the opposite!

Edward De Bono called humour “the highest function of the brain” and linked it closely to innovation. Playfulness has been credited with many inventions (including the computer) and research suggests that people who laugh more are twice as competent, get bigger bonuses and are more resilient.

In this evening seminar, Cris will provide insights into how experiences of humour, laughter and playfulness won’t just improve your chances of success, but also enhance your wellbeing, longevity and level of contentment. This is a free event, but bookings are required.

Thursday 30 March, 7.30pm

The SPACE
Geelong Grammar School Corio campus
50 Biddlecombe Avenue
Corio VIC 3214

BOOK NOW

18 May, 2015 by Cris Popp

The Laughter Secret to Improving Your Wellbeing & Performance – in Minutes

Twittables:

10 Minutes to More Health and Productivity with Laughter Therapy

[Click To Tweet]

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

[Click To Tweet]

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 you Laughter is the best medicine in 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

11 May, 2015 by Cris Popp

Laughter: Leadership’s Secret Weapon

Twittables: 4 Ways to Boost Your Leadership Stocks Through Laughter [Click To Tweet] Laugh- It’ll Improve Your Leadership More Than Another Leadership Course [Click To Tweet] As you know, we’re big on laughter here and the important role it plays in our personal and professional lives. And the evidence keeps mounting- we came across an interesting bit of research about the value of laugther for “social grooming” (courtesy of our good friend Andrew O’Keefe, www.hardwiredhumans.com ). Social grooming, is what we, (in fact all primates), do to help this form of cohesive and productive social groups. Why it matters is that groups that don’t bond- don’t function. Groups that do bond- do function. The danger in many modern workplaces, with the huge workloads, long hours, and stress- is that in an effort to get through all the work we stop bonding with others. That very quickly leads to a breakdown in social relations which has implications for trust, collaboration, conflict and ultimately performance, innovation and leadership. Spending sometime chitchatting with your colleagues, being a bit personable, and knowing more about them than just the professional roles all helps. On the other hand- you don’t want to go too far the other way. All social chit chat, and no work, is also unproductive. So, how can you bond quickly in the workplace; create some bonds, and perform a high level? Well, it turns out that laughter is an ideal way to do this. Laughter is quick, enjoyable, and it releases feel-good endorphins which help us enjoy the company of our colleagues. If you’re a leader, setting the right “tone” for laughter is important. One caveat here- is that the laughter isn’t at anybody’s expense.

Tips for leaders

How do you set the right tone as a leader- this is Andrew’s advice: First, as the leader your mindset matters. Are you of the view that there is a place for light-hearted moments at work and that laughter is a good thing? Second, set the tone that laughter is encouraged. You don’t need to be a teller of jokes, but you do need to send signals that you are willing to have a laugh and that there is a place for others to share humorous moments. Third, create the environment for laughter. It might be sharing light-hearted moments from your weekend, or at meetings and coffee catch-ups. Fourth, monitor that there is a reasonable amount of laughter occurring in your workplace. Healthy laughter is a good indicator of high engagement and high energy. And that people are bonding. And we might also add:

Run a laughter workshop, or a series of laughter workshops.
Have us present a laughter session at your next quarterly forum or annual gathering.
Book our Talk “Happy Hour is 9-to-5”

Kris has conducted numerous laughter events to wide acclaim. If you would like to have him at your next laughter workshop or conference don’t hesitate to get in touch with him; info@laughterworks.com.au or give him a call on +61 438 545 607.