The Elephant in the Room is Laughing: A Facilitator Looks at Humor's Impact on Group Process

People use humor, consciously and unconsciously, to make statements about themselves, their relationships, their groups, and their fears, which they find difficult to say otherwise. In organizations, which consist of sets of human relationships, humor is one way the dynamics of the group are illuminated. Simply put, positive humor fosters a warm and inviting feeling. Negative, divisive humor makes a place and its people seem cold, cruel or aloof. Absence of humor altogether indicates a systemic blockage of communication. This program aims to examine practical ways and means of understanding & using humor personally and professionally.

Participants will:

• Distinguish between the 4 functions of humor- shield, weapon, bridge, spotlight
• Discuss  how humor impacts mental, physical, emotional, spiritual perception
• Apply personal sense of humor to varied groups
• Hone the ability to recall & retell any joke or humorous story.

Speaker Bio:

Through his keynotes, trainings, coaching and facilitated sessions, Izzy Gesell offers imaginative, intuitive and immediately useful insights and programs.

Izzy was one of the first to use Improv Theater concepts as tools for personal and organizational learning. He is the author of Playing Along: Group Learning Activities Borrowed From Improvisation Theater, a co-author of  both Cancer & the Healing Power of Play, and Humor Me: America’s Funniest Humorists on the Power of Laughter, and a contributor of a chapter on Improvisation as a facilitation tool in the IAF Group Facilitators Handbook.

He has presented at numerous IAF conferences and coaches on ways to increase their comfort and command with experiential activities and humor

He was raised in Brooklyn NY.  He has a BA in Psychology, an MS in Education and a P…. that’s 1/3 of a PhD.