If you want a speaker your people will talk about for months, bring Doni Tamblyn aboard! Internationally-selling author and president of the consulting firm HumorRules“ LLC, since 1993 Doni has shown organizations around the world how to use humor and creativity to produce serious bottom-line results.

In 1989 Doni was a San Francisco-based comedian and commercial actor with clients like Hewlett Packard, Pacific Bell, Nestlé, and Apple. She was hired to use humor in designing state-licensed traffic violator school classes. (Yes, only in California!) In an environment notorious for both its monotonous content and hostile learners, she used theatre improvisation games, in which attendees taught—and delighted—each other with imaginative presentations of curriculum material. Some asked if they’d have to get another ticket to come back! They left their day of “Detention” upbeat, energized… and sold on driver safety.

Intrigued by this experience, Doni began studying brain research and the biological effects of humor. What she discovered surprised even her. “Replicated studies have shown that brain function improves significantly when we’re happy and having fun,” Doni says. “Laughter also reverses some of the physiological effects of stress, which can help improve our health and our interpersonal relations. All in all, humor seems to play a big role in keeping us alive, as well as making the living worth while!” The best news, Doni says, is that people are astonishingly adept at using humor appropriately, if they are just given permission and then facilitated right. “People want to use humor and creativity in their work as well as their lives,” she explains, “at first because they know it will make their work more fun, but later because they see it also makes them more productive. They get more done, they do a higher quality job, and they get along better. Mounting research strongly suggests that a little appropriate fun may be the cheapest QC strategy an organization can employ!”

To date, Doni has taught communication, training, and humor/creativity skills throughout the US and abroad. She has presented at international conferences for the American Society for Training and Development, the International Society for Humor Studies, the Society for Pharmaceutical and Biotech Trainers, and been interviewed for numerous radio and journalistic reports. She is author of two internationally-selling books, The Big Book of Humorous Training Games (McGraw-Hill, 2000), and Laugh and Learn: 95 Ways To Use Humor for More Effective Teaching and Training (AMACOM Books, 2002).

Doni is delighted to work with any organization that wants to attract, develop, and retain top people, and to create a culture that inspires loyalty, positivity, and creative thinking.

    Humor in the Workplace: Funny Does Make Money!

    Humor—It Does a Body Good!

    Boosting the Brain With Humor

    Humor in Communication—If They’re Laughing, They’re Listening

Communication, Women, Stress Management, Entertainers, Creativity, Personal Growth, Celebrity