Laughology online learning lifts spirits and creates smiles

March was an unusual month for everyone.  The world changed very quickly and people are still adjusting to new ways of working and living.

Here at Laughology the team did what they do best and tried to support people by sharing content designed to lift spirits and create smiles.  We very quickly converted our learning content to online and, like the rest of the world, became Zoom experts.  Here are some of our successes.

Personal brand at Vodafone

Sarah Brown delivered an interactive online session on personal brand to over 50 Vodafone interns. The cohort were coming to the end of their placements and wanted tips and resources to help them transition into full-time employment.

Sarah’s session introduced the concept of personal brand (PB) and why it is important both on and offline. The delegates analysed their current PBs and came up with ideas to improve them. They looked at social intelligence in relation to teamwork and building positive, productive relationships. In virtual teams, delegates looked at the four dimensions of social intelligence and then presented back to the whole group. Before the session they were set pre-work in the form of a questionnaire, results of which were discussed.

Further activities concentrated on listening and communication styles.

Delegates said the session was positive, engaging, fun and practical and that it made them think about their self-image, as well as how they can positively influence others to achieve more.

Unconscious bias awareness, managers skills and D&I for Chaucer

How do you deliver unconscious bias training online?  Stephanie Davies had some tricks up her sleeve. She worked with Chaucer on a two-part online training series. Before the first session she used an interactive poll to review what people already knew about unconscious bias. Then she started the session with an activity to explore bias further. Training began with cameras off. Attendees only heard voices. Stephanie then asked them to make judgements based on her voice.  What car did she drive? What hobbies did she have? What did she look like? The activity was fun and highlighted how people make judgements about others without knowing them. This is known as auto bias. Stephanie explored the neuroscience behind it and explained that while it is an unconscious process, we can explore behaviours and thought patterns that allow us to be more consciously inclusive. The session then explored these techniques. Further theory will be shared with the group prior to the next session. It will include reading material and activities. Managers were asked to identify up to three ways of working that could be made more inclusive before the next session. The programme will continue to explore how managers and organisations can make better decisions by being more aware of bias and associated behaviours.

Media campaign with POP TV

Cartoon channel, POP TV, asked Stephanie Davies to talk about laughter – her specialist subject.  The channel built a media campaign around research relating to the positive impact watching cartoons can have on people. According to the findings, hearing a child’s laughter makes 99% of parents feel instantly happier.  Stephanie was enlisted for her expert knowledge on the neuroscience of laughter and was asked to share tips for how children could be entertained over the Easter holidays.  On one day she spoke to over 24 radio stations across the country, sharing her expertise on the importance of laughter, how to keep children entertained and tips for home schooling.  You can listen to some of the interviews here.

FLIP-It Thinking – live Zoom

Over 200 people joined our FLIP-it Thinking live Zoom session earlier this month.  We laughed, learned and enjoyed each other’s company.  At the end we reflected on three questions:

• What makes you laugh?
• What you are grateful for?
• What have you enjoyed?

You can watch the session again here 

FLIP stands for

• Focus - Where is your focus? How much time do you focused on what you can control vs what you can’t?
• Language - How might wonky language influence your thoughts?
• Imagination - What superhero powers can you rely on to help you through challenging times?
• Pattern breaking - How often do you take action to break your own patterns and explore new opportunities?

Learn online with Laughology

We can support your teams to learn virtually with our online learning platform and classrooms.  Supporting you with:

• interactive keynotes for large audiences
• online learning workshops for small groups
• behaviour change programmes with inter-session activities

We can personalise your learning experience through our learning platform with unique learner journeys, gamification and quizzes. With over 30,000 additional learning videos, there's also the ability to track learning. 

Chat to us about what’s possible.  We’re happy to give you a free demo and show you what we can do and how it will work for you.

Go to our Learn Online page to check out all of our modules and our Learn Online video

Flip – Building Resilience and Positivity at the NEC

Remember when we could all leave the house back in, well, March? Kerry Leigh had the luxury of presenting a bite-sized overview of Flip – Building Resilience and Positivity to a large audience from Sterling Events at a health and wellbeing Conference at Birmingham NEC. People commented on how funny Kerry was and the accessibility of Laughology’s FLIP model which we have now made available online 

Gathering momentum the following day, Kerry delivered a five-hour session of Flip – Building Resilience and Positivity and growth mindset with the https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/ for the second time in three months. The first session was so well received in December that more staff within the academy wanted the opportunity to develop their own resilience skills. We hope they are finding those skills useful in the current climate.

Coming up:

Exploring happiness and developing skills to flourish. Live virtual classroom Zoom

Thursday 30th April 2020 

12-12.30pm GMT – Lines will be open from 11.45 to allow you to join

Presented by Stephanie Davies - Founder and Head of Happiness

• Explore the science of happiness and the importance of realistic happiness
• Develop skills for teams and individuals to promote happy cultures and people
• Practical ways to promote realistic happiness, and skills to flourish   

 Register here  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwqfuiqpj4tG9fELxxTvhvyU_WPKKq3h-6R

Keep an eye out for more online learning dates on the website