Health Work Wellness Conference

HUMOR: How to Use Mirth for Organizational Results

Thinking Qualitatively

Workshop at the conference on the use of questions in Qualitative Research

Scona H.S. AP Conference

The conference takes a look at time and Bob McDonald (CBC) will deliver a keynote address related to the science of time, entitled “What if Everything You Know Is Wrong?”

My session looks broadly at “time management” but with a twist …

Sesame Street at 40: Muppets at Mid-Life

As you watched your Google screen graced with Bert & Ernie, the Cookie Monster, and Count (1,412 ,000 results,  ah ha ha) you may have reflected on your own Sesame Street experiences.

For me, I was hitting 45 ½ as Sesame Street hit 40, which made me perfect audience target age and gives  “early adopter” a new meaning. My first brush with greatness happened in first grade when Bob from Sesame Street came for a visit (yes, THE Bob from Sesame Street). Bob’s daughter, Alison McGrath, was in my class; it was 1969 and I was a Fortunate Son.

I can’t say that all I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten, because I was just learning how to read and I’ve found that to be a handy skill. Learning my letters was a lot more fun when Big Bird was telling us about water, watch, and window when ‘w’ was the letter of the day. If Bert and Ernie were trying to decide how to divide an odd number of jellybeans fairly, I learned about math concepts without even knowing it was happening.

Wait a minute. I was learning, but I thought I was watching because it was entertaining. Perhaps the seeds were planted that have bloomed into what happens in my workshops and classrooms. People get engaged in fun activities and they learn seemingly by coincidence. The well-crafted curricular goals can remain in the background. There need be no lecture where the objectives of the lesson are announced.

When we play, we feel positive emotions, we connect with our whole selves and we learn in a deep way. There are places where transmission of information is a relevant goal, but I’m going to leave that to those with the dominant boring gene. Have you noticed that almost all of the really worthwhile and lasting learning you’ve done was not from someone simply feeding you facts?

The Muppets gave a fabulous example of the power of characters. If you can imagine what you are reading now in the voice of Grover (who is fuzzy and blue), you would likely remember it, would you not? I think so. Ever since I was a kid, I loved to use voices, accents, and I would become characters. If I’m going to teach about negotiation skills, my audience might get a visit from my pal, Guido Gandolfo, who knows some very persuasive techniques. I could have learned a lot more from those Muppets – just think what a better husband I would be if I could model Kermit to my wife’s Miss Piggy.

Several studies show us that when messages are mixed with humor, we retain them. How many professional speakers does it take to screw in a light bulb? Only two, of course, but you need a really big light bulb. You might remember the edgy joke, but will that help you recall the power of humor in having your message stay with your audience? We want to have the humor connected with the key information. So think of Big Bird using a little Grecian formula to keep his feathers from graying and remember that 40 is the new 30.

“Rising Stars” at Canadian Association of Professional Speakers

This is where I get to be “Under the Microscope” representing the Edmonton Chapter at the National Conference of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers in Calgary

My Favorite Quotation

POWER (by Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love)

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Grande Prairie

Speaking at 2009 Counselors Update & for Physical Education, Athletics & Kinesiology (PEAK)

Rookie Camp – Faculty of P.E. & Rec

out at Pigeon Lake

College of Alberta Psychologists

“Humour You More/Humour Them More:  Therapeutic benefits of humour for psychologists and patients”

October Laughter Club-NO Leader confirmed

Billy is traveling and we have no other leader confirmed for October. Sorry

Our next meeting is Friday, November 6, 2009. New location is “Kiva” (N2-103) in the Education Building on the U of A campus. We will also meet December 4.

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