Lead With Laughs: Use Humor To Put The ‘Human’ In HR

Lead with Laughs:

Use Humor to Put the Human in HR

by David Horning, Humorist

We could all use a laugh right now, but did you know that a little laughter can actually help overcome uncertainty? Because of the unexpected COVID disruption, workplaces are being forced to adapt on the fly, leading to an increase in workload and subsequent stress. Effective use of humor not only gives us a jolt of stress relief, it makes us more creative, engaged, and productive.

Leadership speaker and comedian David Horning combines hilarious anecdotes with scientific studies and simple daily practices to help you utilize a leadership tool many people overlook every day.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that "work isn't the time or place to laugh,” but this outdated adage destroys our creativity and doesn’t belong in the modern workplace. You’ll leave this presentation with renewed energy, ready to act on new ideas that will transform work into a safe space for innovation, trust, collaboration, and fun that will engage and inspire your team. You don't even have to be funny to do it!

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

1. Why addressing employee disengagement is vital in today’s workplace now, more than ever
2. The benefits of incorporating humor into your work
3. Why the standard, transactional management style is outdated in today's workplace
4. How humor improves problem-solving in the face of adversity
5. Guidelines for incorporating humor into your workplace culture

PRACTICAL TAKEAWAYS

1. An outside-of-the-box strategy for expanding perspective when dealing with difficult people
2. Team-based exercises for kickstarting creative thinking
3. Simple self-reminders that interrupt the negative momentum of stress
4. New ideas for engaging the creative minds on your team
5. Results-driven improv-based communication strategies for improving productivity

Combining 8 years of comedy and a passion for positive psychology, David Horning is on a mission to transform workplace culture as a keynote speaker. David has inspired and entertained audiences across the country, including Dolce Hotels, ShurTech Brands, SHRM, DisruptHR, and many others with fresh and fun presentations that turn traditional leadership on its head with his use of humor. He is the founder and Chief Experience Officer of Water Cooler Comedy, a company that offers keynote presentations, corporate comedy shows, and humor leadership training.

In addition to speaking, David continues to perform stand-up wherever his work takes him, including in the New York Comedy Festival, Cleveland Comedy Festival, and at clubs all over the United States. As part of his mission to prove that anything can be made funny, in 2020 he launched his podcast, "You Can't Laugh At That," exploring the ins and outs of humor theory, stand-up comedy, and joke writing to determine what makes audiences laugh at touchy topics.

Lead with Laughs  be is approved by SHRM for 1 PDC and by HRCI for 1 hour of general credit.  

Zoom link will be emailed to registrants the day before the event.