The Humor Habit: Rewire Your Brain to Stress Less, Laugh More, and Achieve More'er

Chronic stress costs businesses more than $600 billion annually and 73% of people regularly experience psychological symptoms caused by stress. The good news is that decades of research shows that we possess a powerful resilience tool that’s built into the human psyche – our sense of humor! People who use humor to cope with life’s struggles experience less stress and are more optimistic, more perseverant, and more satisfied with their jobs. Based on Paul’s book “The Humor Habit”, and years researching the impacts of applied humor, this keynote combines side-splitting laughs with science-based strategies for how participants can develop their sense of humor into an intentional tool to reduce stress, boost overall well-being, and enhance work performance.

Attendees Will:

• Learn the impact of humor & laughter on the brain and body
• Identify at least 3 ways to reduce stress using humor intervention strategies
• Practice humor intervention strategies to boost resilience
• Learn to train their brain to see humor more often in life
• Identify ways to develop your sense of humor into a mindfulness tool
• Laugh!

Leading with Laughter

Leaders with a sense of humor are seen as more competent and motivating, and their teams have higher levels of engagement and are more likely to solve complex problems creatively. With all the research around the R.O.I. of LOL in leadership, learning to harness the power of humor effectively may be just the edge your leaders are looking for.

This hilarious & content-rich keynote not only provides the foundation of WHY humor is such an effective leadership trait, but also HOW to incorporate humor into your leadership style. You’ll leave with techniques for using humor and improv strategies to enhance team communication & connection, improve productivity, and ensure that this year you get the department’s coolest boss’ day gift.

Attendees will:

• Learn the importance of EQ vs. IQ in Leadership
• Understand Why Authenticity Matters & The Benefits of Humor
• Learn a Six Step Model for Using Your Sense of Humor as a Leadership Tool
• Using Improv strategies to improve trust, communication, and lead through change
• Understand the balance between being comical and credible as a leader
• Laugh!

Stress is a Laughing Matter: Using Humor as a Coping Strategy

Chronic stress costs businesses more than $600 billion annually and 73% of people regularly experience psychological symptoms caused by stress. Believe it or not, one of the most effective tools to decreasing stress and enhancing our wellness is our sense of humor! When we’re stressed, people often say "You need to laugh it off" or "Have a sense of humor about it", which is great, but nobody ever tells us how to do that. In this funny & engaging keynote, participants will learn evidence-based strategies for how they can develop their sense of humor into an intentional tool to reduce stress and boost overall well-being & performance. Using a combination of proven strategies & research from positive psychology, neuroscience, cognitive behavioral techniques, and improv & stand-up comedy, they'll leave with numerous actionable ways to start using their own sense of humor as a mindfulness tool.

The Science of Happiness: Becoming a Rational Optimist

We all have a different baseline day-to-day level of happiness, but wherever you're at, wouldn't you like to be a little happier? Unfortunately, being happy isn't always simple, and for some people, it may be more difficult than others. A positive mindset is key to resilience and navigating adversity, but nothing gets an eye-roll quicker than telling an overwhelmed colleague to just “cheer up” or “think positive.” Our brains are hardwired to seek happiness, yet we're not great at predicting what will sustain it. In this talk, we'll look at evidence from positive psychology, cognitive behavioral techniques, and neuroscience that you can use to create habits that will help you boost and maintain your overall level of happiness.

Attendees will:

• Understand what optimism is and what it is not
• Identify happiness habits that enhance overall well-being
• Learn the three levers of happiness and how to structure life and work around them
• Learn simple and realistic techniques for reframing your own negative thoughts and responding to negativity from others

Batting Burnout & Compassion Fatigue

With disengagement and burnout rates at an all-time high, everyone is looking for ways to manage their workload, clients, and teams without burning the candle at both ends. Perfect for healthcare workers, educators, or anyone in a helping profession, this keynote combines best practices for preventing compassion fatigue & burnout with just the right dose of humor & inspiration to feed the soul!

Attendees will:

• Contrast symptoms of burnout vs. compassion fatigue
• Identify sources of compassion satisfaction in your work
• Acquire tools to assess and prevent burnout and compassion fatigue
• Learn how to help one another ‘vent’ constructively

Creating an Innovative Mindset

As Albert Einstein said “We can not solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” The future of work is here now, and it’s nearly impossible to predict what it will look like in just ten years. One thing we know for certain, is we’ll need to be innovative and creative in order to remain resilient and competitive. Discovering innovative solutions to problems or creative ways to navigate setbacks is much easier when you have intentionally created the right atmosphere for it. This talk explores how to optimize creativity and fun as strategies for building an innovative mindset.