If you make me laugh–odds are I’ll do business with you or if I am lucky I'll work for you. It’s not scientific nor is it intentional but as I look back at the largest business transactions in my career as well as the people I enjoyed working with and for the most they were a result of somehow making someone laugh along the way and vice-versa! There are plenty of successful people that are serious and rigid...Lord knows I have worked for a few in my day, so I figure there’s room enough for someone like me. I guess I’d say my challenge to marketers and sales people everywhere is–if I’m laughing, I’m buying so make me laugh!
I decided to do some secondary research on laughter in business...yes that means I browsed the interenet:), and found a firm that actually hires themselves out as laughter coaches. Heck, I want that gig! Here are some of the results companies that engage in laughter therapy promise. And while I don’t need scientific facts for my conclusion, I liked what I read about their claims for laughter:
Reduces mental and physical stress
Increases energy levels & productivity
Increases emotional intelligence
Improves communication & teamwork
Improves leadership skills
Enhances innovation and peak performance
Stretches muscles, burns calories and serves as a natural energy booster
Let's face it today’s business demands have put a tremendous strain on our global workforce. Longer hours coupled with fewer resources are pushing more and more management and employees to their breaking point. Combined with the need to achieve work-life balance stress is taking a tremendous financial and personal toll on Canadian business profitability:
-employee is paid out for stress-related compensation claims
-workers go on stress-related disability
-most doctor visits are for stress-related conditions
-Eight of the top 10 prescription drugs marketed today are for stress-related conditions
-Stress is directly associated with depression, anxiety, asthma, alcohol/drug addictions and other conditions that affect the nervous and immune systems.
Job stress has become a common and costly problem in Canada and I am sure the US workplace as well, leaving few workers untouched.
So if laughter can prevent some of these illnesses or at the very least reduce stress, why aren’t we laughing more? THAT I don’t know the answer to, but here’s my call to action–let’s start laughing. Every day at noon you put a reminder on your calendar to pop up and say, “remember to laugh.” Then you’ll have permission (and an appointment) to laugh. Or smile or something to change wherever your mind might be to a softer, happier place. If you need someone to make you laugh, heck give me a call (416-357-7974), it would be my pleasure:))
I’m am certainly committed. I am flagging my calendar right now every day for 30 days; the only time I won’t laugh at high noon is when it would be inappropriate (example: the restroom, mass, funeral…you get the idea). If I’m at lunch with a client, at an interview or with a coworker, I promise to laugh. I’ll report the results in a future post, but most importantly I encourage each of you to conduct your own experiment in laughter. It can’t hurt…unless of course you do so much your sides ache.
Bottom line, if laughter is good for your mind and body it has to be good for business. And in these times ANYTHING that’s good for business is, well, good for business!
I decided to do some secondary research on laughter in business...yes that means I browsed the interenet:), and found a firm that actually hires themselves out as laughter coaches. Heck, I want that gig! Here are some of the results companies that engage in laughter therapy promise. And while I don’t need scientific facts for my conclusion, I liked what I read about their claims for laughter:
Reduces mental and physical stress
Increases energy levels & productivity
Increases emotional intelligence
Improves communication & teamwork
Improves leadership skills
Enhances innovation and peak performance
Stretches muscles, burns calories and serves as a natural energy booster
Let's face it today’s business demands have put a tremendous strain on our global workforce. Longer hours coupled with fewer resources are pushing more and more management and employees to their breaking point. Combined with the need to achieve work-life balance stress is taking a tremendous financial and personal toll on Canadian business profitability:
-employee is paid out for stress-related compensation claims
-workers go on stress-related disability
-most doctor visits are for stress-related conditions
-Eight of the top 10 prescription drugs marketed today are for stress-related conditions
-Stress is directly associated with depression, anxiety, asthma, alcohol/drug addictions and other conditions that affect the nervous and immune systems.
Job stress has become a common and costly problem in Canada and I am sure the US workplace as well, leaving few workers untouched.
So if laughter can prevent some of these illnesses or at the very least reduce stress, why aren’t we laughing more? THAT I don’t know the answer to, but here’s my call to action–let’s start laughing. Every day at noon you put a reminder on your calendar to pop up and say, “remember to laugh.” Then you’ll have permission (and an appointment) to laugh. Or smile or something to change wherever your mind might be to a softer, happier place. If you need someone to make you laugh, heck give me a call (416-357-7974), it would be my pleasure:))
I’m am certainly committed. I am flagging my calendar right now every day for 30 days; the only time I won’t laugh at high noon is when it would be inappropriate (example: the restroom, mass, funeral…you get the idea). If I’m at lunch with a client, at an interview or with a coworker, I promise to laugh. I’ll report the results in a future post, but most importantly I encourage each of you to conduct your own experiment in laughter. It can’t hurt…unless of course you do so much your sides ache.
Bottom line, if laughter is good for your mind and body it has to be good for business. And in these times ANYTHING that’s good for business is, well, good for business!
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