Leading with Laughter: Using Humour to Reduce Stress and Boost Performance

Summary

Leaders with a sense of humour are not only seen as more competent and more motivating, but they also have higher levels of employee engagement and are more likely to solve complex problems creatively. Humour increases social connection and reduces the hierarchical distance between leaders and their teams. You might be thinking “It would be much easier to use humour, if my job wasn’t so stressful!” Believe it or not, one of the most effective tools to decrease stress and enhance overall wellbeing is… your sense of humour!

This content-rich session not only provides the foundation of why humour is such an effective leadership trait, but also how to incorporate more humour into your leadership style and everyday life. Using a combination of proven strategies & research from positive psychology, neuroscience, cognitive behavioral techniques, and improv & stand-up comedy, you’ll learn evidence-based techniques for how you can develop your sense of humour into a powerful leadership tool to enhance well-being and boost performance!

Participant Objectives:

• Identify at least 10 ways to reduce stress using humour intervention strategies;
• Practice humour intervention strategies to boost resilience;
• Discover the impacts of humour on the brain and body;
• Learn strategies for using humour in personal or professional settings.

Link to TEDx Talk:

NOTE: This is a North American HR Leadership Network (NAHRLN) event.