Laugh and Learn : 95 Ways to Use Humor for More Effective Teaching and Training

We may not all be born comedians, but most people are naturally humorous, says Doni Tamblyn, comic-turned-trainer and president of HumorRules LLC. Tamblyn’s humorous techniques have brought serious results to clients such as Chevron, Wells Fargo, AstraZeneca, and other Fortune 500 companies, universities, and government entities. Now she offers these techniques to you in one intriguing, information-packed, and very funny book!

Combining the latest brain studies and humor research with the author's own 23 years of experience in comedy and corporate training, LAUGH AND LEARN is a fascinating look at what makes learners perk up, pay attention, and remember. It’s the first book that 1) explains the research that shows how humor can make information more memorable, 2) teaches communicators how to be funny without relying on joke-telling or novelty store items, and 3) gives specific, light-touch techniques that can be used by virtually anyone who seeks to present their message more effectively. This book will help teaching professionals to:

* Attract more learners to their programs

* Get and hold learners’ attention throughout the learning process

* Present curriculum memorably

* Positively affect learner attitudes

* Go beyond teaching facts, to encourage and model creative thinking (a much-sought ability in today’s organizations!)

* Improve performance scores both inside and outside of the classroom

* Enhance their own reputations as contributors to their organizations' bottom line

* Get "buy-in" from organizational decision-makers

Moreover, LAUGH AND LEARN is a true page-turner! Rich in insights, research data, showbiz secrets, and backstage anecdotes, it is a book that will be read and reread. From the very first chapter, readers will begin to see that professional development can actually be fun!

Wouldn't you like your learners to say the same?

Doni Tamblyn is president and founder of HumorRules LLC, a US-based firm that has designed and delivered innovative business skills training since 1993. The HumorRules system of training is based on common sense plus research, which shows that when people enjoy any task -- including learning -- they will work harder, smarter, and more creatively. HumorRules has gained international recognition for its cutting-edge system, with a client list that includes Wyeth Europe, IDS Sabah (Malaysia), Wells Fargo Bank, the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, General Electric (China), Novartis Pharma, the US Department of Agriculture, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Chevron USA Inc., and numerous other organizations in a wide range of industries.

Formerly a professional comedian and commercial actor with clients like Apple, Nestle and Hewlett Packard, Tamblyn got her singular start in the training business in 1990, when she was engaged by a California state-sponsored traffic school to revamp dull public education classes. Drawing from her entertainment background and her degree in Communication, she redesigned the courses using humorous learning activities and funny A/Vs, then recruited and trained a staff of 48 instructors to lead the classes. Within the first year, the school saw a rise of some 25% in attendee evaluation scores, and was ultimately chosen to be included in a quality control study by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Convinced of the power of humor as a teaching tool, Tamblyn began studying brain research and the biological effects of humor. She discovered replicated studies showing that laughter significantly improves brain function and reverses some of the physiological effects of stress, improving both our health and our interpersonal relations. Indeed, the research strongly suggests that a little appropriate fun may be the cheapest TQM strategy an organization can employ!

The best news, Tamblyn says, is that people are astonishingly adept at learning to use humor well. "People want to use humor and creativity in their work," 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. Seeing humor as an effective professional strategy, they catch on very quickly to the techniques for using it appropriately in the workplace."

Doni Tamblyn has traveled the world both as a trainer and much-sought keynote speaker. She is a regular invited presenter at international conferences for the American Society for Training and Development, the Society for Pharmaceutical and Biotech Trainers, and the International Society for Humor Studies. She spent ten months in China, developing fun-brain-based learning games for teaching English. She has taught the HumorRules system of training through the University of California Extension Business and Management program, been interviewed for numerous radio and journalistic reports, and authored the widely-selling Big Book of Humorous Training Games (McGraw-Hill, 2000). She is a member of the American Society for Training and Development, the Association for Applied Therapeutic Humor, and the International Society for Humor Studies.