Laughter can improve your health, boost your creativity, unlock your heart, and make your life livelier. And, as, Jimmy Buffett said, "If we didn't laugh, we'd all go insane."
We all have stress - whether it's a major stress such as a chronic illness or having lost a job, or a minor stress such as a bad hair cut or an argument with your teenager about nose rings (you want one, he/she thinks you'd look silly!) But if you can choose a humor perspective from which to view your stresses, you will live a longer, happier life, even if you do have bad hair days every day.
Using humor as a life management tool is not about remembering jokes you read on the Internet or pulling pranks on your friends. It is about choosing to see the funny in life instead of the frustrating. About adding joy to others' lives instead of subtracting it. About avoiding life-o-sucters (people who suck the life out of you) and hanging around with people who make you laugh.
If your organization would like to learn to control stress, manage change, and just plain be happy for a change, you may want to check out the following presentations:
Don't Get Mad, Get Funny: Using Humor to Manage Stress. A hilarious look at how laughing at stressors can save your life and your sanity, with a focus on the physiological and emotional benefits of humor and practical steps for finding the funny in everything from traffic jams to teenagers who've found another body part they think they should be pierced.
Changing Your Job (or Your Life) One Bumper Sticker at a Time. They make us laugh, they make us angry, and sometimes they even make us think. Their words may be insightful (Don't postpone joy) or insulting (Isn't there some 12-step meeting you should be attending?), simple (As is) or complex (I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe). Can these simple sentiments help us improve our jobs or our lives? You don’t have to have a fender bender to see just how easy (and funny) it is to do just that!
See the Positive, Be the Positive: The Ingredients for Living a Healthier, Happier Life. Life is not always fun. It’s not always fair. And it usually doesn’t go anything like we have planned. Wouldn’t it be great if you could find joy, be optimistic, and laugh anyway? Well you can and you should! Studies show that people who are joyful, optimistic, and have a good sense of humor not only feel better about their lives, they live longer, healthier lives. Follow simple and fun steps to add more positive to your life. Simple things like changing your environment to making optimistic friends, from taking a few lessons from small children and dogs to replacing a negative life philosophy such as “I’m getting nowhere fast” to “Destined for greatness, but pacing myself.”
I’m Not Getting Older, I’m Getting Better at Denial: How To Get The Most out of Your Laugh Lines. Life’s journey is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well-preserved body; but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out shouting, “Holy cow, what a ride!” A great session for anyone who needs to learn why a smile is the best anti-aging product and how to improve a mammogram by wearing a sticker that says, “Don’t I deserve dinner and a movie first?”
Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This. If you’re a woman, chances are you keep dozens of balls in the air every day and all that juggling can not only wear out your body, but your mind and soul as well. Maybe that’s why you’re so stressed out the last time you had your blood pressure measured, the cuff exploded! But never fear, Anti-Gravity Woman is here and you can learn from her how to use your humor super powers to manage your stress, your health, and your life. After all, when it comes to laughing, women do it 126% as often as men. Who says we don’t have a sense of humor!
We Don't Pay You to Have a Good Time: Using Humor to Survive Conflict and Change at Work. Who are these people and why are they putting stuff in my in-basket? If your workplace is fraught with change and conflict, here's a great opportunity to cope, even thrive, by using your funny bone as a survival tool. You'll learn how to lighten up staff meetings, communicate change with humor, and even use an Etch-a-Sketch™ to resolve conflict.
Humor Them: Using Humor to Educate and Enlighten. If you can get them to open their mouths to laugh, you can get them to open their minds to learn. Try some tricks stand-up comedians use to liven up any presentation. Learn how to balance humor and content, what types of humor to focus on and avoid, how to use music, props, and costumes, and what to do when the Silly String hits the fan.
It’s one thing to sit and listen and laugh and another to roll your sleeves up and break out the crayons or the ukulele! Leigh Anne specializes in creating fun interactive experiences that teach practical skills – from improved communications skills (good for anyone who ever has to open his or her mouth), to dealing with personal and professional change, to learning to be more creative and take more risks. With more than fifty different interactive exercises, props and toys galore, and the ability to create a game show about anything, Leigh Anne’s breakout sessions are more fun than a barrel of monkeys singing polka tunes and hula-hooping.
Interactive sessions give participants a chance to have fun while building their humor skills. Whether playing Pirates of the Cubicle or working with a group of kindergartners to solve global warming or joining a silly sing-a-long about coffee, all of Leigh Anne's exercises and games are hysterical and educational at the same time. You can choose from activities that build teams, enhance communications skills, help resolve conflict and lessen interpersonal stress, and increase creativity. Some of Leigh Anne's most popular games and exercises include:
One-hour keynotes involve lots of props, lots of practical ideas, and lots of laughs. Two and four-hour workshops expand upon the learning process, giving participants an opportunity to work together to implement newly-learned humor tools. Each presentation may be tailored to the specific needs of the organization (more so in the longer workshops.) If your conference has a theme, that theme can also be integrated into the workshop. In addition, if your organization is also searching for evening entertainment, I am available for stand-up comedy tailored to your needs.
In the past 8 years, more than a quarter million people have attended my presentations. Some of their comments: "The most motivating speaker I have ever heard"..."You made me laugh. You made me think. Now I'm going to change"..."You were wonderful! I am amazed at your wonderful knack for providing excellent information coupled with personal insights that bring your presentations home!"..."I laughed so hard, I didn't realize how much I had learned"..."Without a doubt, the best speaker I have ever heard."
Prior to beginning a career as a humorist, stress management expert, and motivational speaker, I was a health educator and ran the wellness program of The University of Texas - Houston Health Science Center. I am also a stand-up comic, comedy instructor, and humor writer (I have eight published humor books, including I'm Not Getting Older (I'm Getting Better at Denial), Give Me a Break: For Women Who Have Too Much to Do, Bedtime Stories for Dogs, and Bedtime Stories for Cats, The Rules for Dogs.)
To join me in a laugh-filled and learn-filled adventure that will make your employees or organization members happier, healthier, and more productive, call (541) 688-1674 or email me at lajfun@accidentalcomic.com . And remember, there is not one single shred of scientific evidence that life is serious!
Here is a partial list of some of the organizations for whom I have presented:
