Humor can be a valuable resource in the learning environment. It isn't just about puns and one-liners, and even if you're not a "funny" person, it's easy to bring creactivity, entertainment, emotion, and yes, even some laughs to almost any educational setting. Here's a book that will help trainers loosen up and create memorable programs that both they and their students will remember - and use.
According to the latest studies in adult learning theory, an environment that encourages spontaneity and a sense of humor can increase knowledge retention considerably. Successful trainers are beginning to realize that getting participants relaxed enough to become engaged in the subject matter--and even have a little fun with it--can produce serious results.
In Laugh and Learn, author Doni Tamblyn draws on her experience working with Fortune 500 clients such as Chevron Corp and Wells Fargo Bank to show how teachers and training professionals can inject elements of emotion, humor, and creativity into their programs in order to spark engagement and understanding in their classes and training sessions.
If anyone should know about the use of comedy in a classroom setting, it’s Tamblyn. Having started as a professional stand-up comedienne, she first came into the world of training when hired by the State of California to teach traffic school. Surprisingly, she and her staff of 48 professional comics did not tell jokes! Instead, they facilitated fun games that let their learners wrestle and play with the curriculum, think creatively about it--and get laughs from each other. The response to the program was overwhelming--one student even asked if he needed to get another ticket in order to come back--and it was from that experience that Tamblyn realized just how much an intelligent use of humor could facilitate adult learning.
Since then, Tamblyn has made a name for herself working with major organizations, becoming a frequently requested speaker at training conferences, and sharing a stunning revelation: that even trainers who don’t consider themselves to be naturally funny can use humor to draw participants in, help them think fast on their feet, and problem solve creatively.
In Laugh and Learn, Tamblyn demonstrates with wit and keen insight how educators must foster a sense of intrinsic motivation among learners, getting them in on the act themselves and encouraging their own personal involvement in the material. The book is packed with 95 practical "rules," including:
· Don’t try to be funny--just try to have fun
· Focus out, not in--and let participants get in on the act
· Use positive humor, and avoid sarcasm like the plague
· Always acknowledge the "Bomb" (when humor falls flat)
Laugh and Learn features dozens of exercises and thought-provoking games, as well as a special One-A-Day Plan on how trainers can boost their own Humor Quotient. Filled with ideas, tips, and valuable information, Laugh and Learn is a smart, one-of-a-kind book no trainer should be without.
