Teams that Laugh Together, Learn Together 
 
Here’s the evidence-based punchline - humor and laughter may not directly cause learning; however, humor creates the environment that promotes learning.  

Laughter is part of a universal language of basic emotions that all humans recognize. Full stop. Human emotions, such as anxiety, depression, fear, joy, and laughter, profoundly affect our psychological and physiological processes. These emotions form a set of basic, evolved functions that have been shared by all humans since time immemorial. We can strategically utilize the power of humor to improve health and enhance learning in our teams. This is an important consideration because learning, and by extension, teaming is not just about content: it is also about forming relationships and strengthening human connections. In this context, when used effectively, humor is documented to build relationships and enhance performance. Humor improves our performance by attracting and sustaining attention, reducing anxiety, enhancing participation, and increasing motivation, which is the very definition of an effective team. In this workshop, you will learn:

• How humor builds curiosity which is the essence of learning 
• Effective strategies for when and how to use humor. 
• Leveraging humor – turning the “Ha!” into the “Aha!” moment for your team