Using Humor to Promote Learning and Create an Environment where Creativity can Thrive

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Using Humor to Promote Learning and Create an Environment where Creativity can Thrive

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Scott Piner & Mark Carriveau

Scott Piner & Mark Carriveau

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Let’s have a little fun…

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What is Humor

Humor is a type of stimulation that tends to elicit the laughter reflex

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The Benefits of Humor

• Relaxes the whole body
• Boosts the immune system
• Releases endorphins
• Lowers Cortisol levels
• Protects the heart
• Lowers stress hormones
• Relaxes muscles
• Enhances resilience
• Adds joy to life
• Improves mood
• Enhances teamwork

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• Helps defuse conflict
• Eases anxiety and fear
• Lowers blood pressure
• Increases memory
• Helps oxygen flow to the brain
• Maintains healthy blood sugar
• Promotes better sleep
• Improves alertness
• Increases creativity
• Gives you more energy
• Improves relationships

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A four-year-old child laughs

about 300 times a day

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A 40-year-old laughs on

average 4 times a day

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Humor in the Classroom

• Humor improves critical thinking and creativity

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Humor in the Classroom

• Humor improves critical thinking and creativity

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• Humor increases student engagement

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Humor in the Classroom

• Humor improves critical thinking and creativity

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• Humor increases student engagement

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• Humor improves memory and comprehension

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Humor in the Classroom

• Humor improves critical thinking and creativity

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• Humor increases student engagement

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• Humor improves memory and comprehension

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• Humor promotes a safe and positive classroom

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Humor in the Classroom

• Humor improves critical thinking and creativity

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• Humor increases student engagement

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• Humor improves memory and comprehension

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• Humor promotes a safe and positive classroom

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• Humor helps to strengthen relationships with students

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Humor Conclusion

End of mark’s section.

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Let’s give him a round of applesause.

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Questions

No, not questions for the presenter.

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Questions the improv game!

??????

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Creativity.

• Who has it?
• What is it?
• Where do you find it?
• When do you use it?
• Why is it important?
• How much does it cost?

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it’s all of you.

What is it?

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• You doing amazing things
• Breakthrough ideas
• The capacity to imagine…or build upon…

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Creative Confidence: Tom Kelley & David Kelley (p. 5)

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Action.

“the combination of thought and action defines creative confidence: the ability to come up with new ideas and the courage to try them out.”

Creative Confidence: Tom Kelley & David Kelley (p. 6)

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Increasing Creativity

• Remain open to ideas. Be slow to criticize, and never say immediately that an idea will not work, no matter how crazy it seems.

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• Really listen to the suggestions and ideas of others. Do not assume that you have all the answers or that the current modis operandi is the only way.

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• Get the presenter of the idea to give you more information, mull it over, and get others to look at the ideas, too. What parts of the idea look workable, even if the idea cannot be adopted in its entirety.

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• Encourage people to work together, because good ideas often emerge from collaboration.�

From the Manager’s Pocket Guide to Emotional Intelligence, Emily A. Sterrett, Ph.D., p. 90

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Increasing Creativity

• Engage in structured brainstorming sessions with trained facilitators or with someone on your staff who knows or can learn this skill. Push for quantity of ideas – even �outlandish ones.

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• Use “Process” Comments to challenge a group that might be stuck. Process comments are observations about what lies behind certain actions or comments. Get to the reasons why.

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• Reward and recognize people for contributions they make. Never take credit for the ideas of another, and always recognize and reward good ideas. Those that are implemented should receive some tangible reward.

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• Read outside your field of expertise and look for ways to connect the information to your job or work. 

From the Manager’s Pocket Guide to Emotional Intelligence, Emily A. Sterrett, Ph.D., p. 90

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Karaoke Confidence

Like creative confidence, karaoke confidence depends on the absence of fear of failure and judgment/judgement.

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• Five guidelines that can improve your next karaoke experience – and your innovation culture: 
• Keep your sense of humor
• Build on the energy of others (Mark, do we do that?)
• Minimize hierarchy 
• Value team camaraderie and trust
• Defer judgment – at least temporarily

Creative Confidence: Tom Kelley & David Kelley (p. 183-184)

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Circular thinking

• Circles exercise.

Creative Confidence: Tom Kelley & David Kelley (p. 219)

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Other ideas

• Put biases aside at the start…learn from others’ perspectives
• “brainstorming…rarely do I see great ideas come from brainstorming…are repeated failures part of it or not having right people in the room?”
• “Brainstorm…need the group to buy into deferring judgment and going for VOLUME… people underestimate the number of ideas you need to get to a good idea…and brainstorming is the seed of ideas…but you have to build out and TEST.”
• “Naming the challenge you’re going to solve…before idea �generation mode!”

People I (Mostly) Admire, 148. How to Have Good Ideas

https://podcastaddict.com/people-i-mostly-admire/episode/189425420

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How might we…

PRSA Creativity & Innovation Certificate Program

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Innovative leadership.

• Diminisher or multiplier?

Creative Confidence: Tom Kelley & David Kelley (pp. 201-202)

• Liz Wiseman, a global human resources executive at Oracle Corporation, interviewed more than 150 leaders on four continents for her book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter. 
• Everyone lies between a diminisher and a multiplier. 
• Diminishers exercise tight control in a way that underutilizes their team’s creative talents
• Multipliers set challenging goals and then help employees achieve the kind of extraordinary results that they themselves may not have known they were capable of.

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Innovative leadership.

• Diminisher or multiplier?

Creative Confidence: Tom Kelley & David Kelley (pp. 201-202)

• Find a worthy challenge or mission that motivates people to stretch their thinking.
• Encourage spirited debate that allows different views to be expressed and considered. 
• Give people ownership of results and invest in their success. 

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�Whether in the classroom, the office, or at home, how can you multiply impact?

�

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Innovative leadership.

Now’s the time in the presentation we watch a short video so that the speakers can take a breather and rely on the expertise of another to share wisdom.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQN4mtTagL0

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Innovative leadership.

“Leadership is perhaps the most misunderstood subject in business…it has nothing to do with rank…leadership is the awesome responsibility to see those around us rise…no expert leader…we are students of leaders…always in learning mode…the most ignored characteristic of leadership is courage…courage to advance a vision…to ignore the short-term ups and downs…to believe in people…to do the right thing…”

�– Simon Sinek

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Bad idea.

At IDEO and and d.school, they seldom say, “That’s a bad idea” or “That won’t work” or “We’ve tried that before.” 

WHEN we disagree with someone else’s idea, we push ourselves to ask, “What would make it better? What can I add to make it a great idea?” or “What new idea does that spur?” 

�When a group embraces the concept of building on the ideas of others, it can unleash all sorts of creative energy.

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Creative Confidence: Tom Kelley & David Kelley (p. 184)

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Good idea.

“Exchanging ideas within a group of people who trust one another – without fear of judgment or failure – can feel electric.”�

Creative Confidence: Tom Kelley & David Kelley (p. 184)

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In Summery

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