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Teaser: An essential workshop for every workplace in the UK - because in today's culture of inclusion, the cost of getting it wrong is higher than ever.
Date:: 2024-12-05 14:46
NEW WORKSHOP
It's only banter - man shrugging shoulders as if he didn't care

It's only banter!

How to protect your workplace culture from toxic behaviour.


An essential workshop for every workplace in the UK - because in today's culture of inclusion, the cost of getting it wrong is higher than ever.

This ground-breaking training will help your organisation:

  • Manage workplace culture and behaviour
  • Maintain a fun environment while managing risk
  • Address toxic banter in your team
  • Create an inclusive environment that works for everyone

It's only banter

No one likes a laugh in the office more than Laughology. After all, we understand how laughter and humour in the workplace connects, engages and motivates people.  

But we also understand that in today’s world, using banter can be like juggling a grenade with the pin pulled out, particularly in large organisations with a cross-section of ethnicities, genders and faiths. 

So, the question is: When does playful banter cross into bullying?

At what point do workplace humour and banter cause anxiety, stress, and isolation? How can it impact wellbeing? 

This workshop explores what’s funny and what’s not and looks at how we can use humour in an inclusive way. It equips teams with ways to use humour constructively while they promote a safe, engaging workplace culture.  

The changing landscape for workplace humour 

Remember the time Paula from accounts took a selfie of her bum, photoshopped eyes on the buttocks and used it as her profile pic on the team’s WhatsApp group? 

“It was only a bit of banter!” she told HR. 

Paula no longer works for this company. Here ends the lesson. 

You see, society is evolving at a head-spinning pace. The need for inclusivity, mutual respect, and kindness is paramount. One person's funny is another person's insult.  

Thankfully, insensitivity, stereotypes and offensive victim-led humour have no place in progressive, forward-looking, inclusive workplaces. Yet some can still cross the line, and this can constitute harassment, breaking workplace policies and potentially the law.   

 This positive shift is driven by a heightened awareness of inclusion, diversity and equity. That’s not to say that banter is dead. It’s still just as important to have a laugh at work, but nowadays, banter is expected to be respectful and considerate, promoting positive interactions among team members. 

So, what’s acceptable and what’s out-of-bounds?  

This is the conundrum many organisations and people are facing as they strive to keep a fun culture in the workplace yet also ensure everyone feels valued and comfortable. It's essential to understand that, while banter can still be playful and light-hearted, it should never come at the expense of someone's feelings or perpetuate harmful biases.  

And with rising workplace disputes around banter, the cost of not addressing this issue could be significant. In our minds, it’s not worth the risk.  

But we know it’s a minefield out there, full of banter-bombs ready to blow up in your face, which is why we’ve cleared a path for you with our new ‘It’s Only Banter’ workshop. 

Book your workshop or keynote now.

CONTACT US...

What to Expect from our It's Only Banter Workshop: 

  • Learn to differentiate between good-natured banter and harmful bullying - identify early warning signs to prevent escalation and protect your organisation from potential legal issues.

  • Equip your team at every level with practical knowledge to create a safe and enjoyable work environment - develop clear guidelines that maintain the fun while ensuring everyone feels respected and included, reducing staff turnover and improving productivity.
  • Gain the skills to address banter that crosses the line and help everyone to know how to challenge – you'll gain confidence in addressing inappropriate behaviour early, using proven techniques to have difficult conversations that lead to positive change.
  • Discuss the boundaries and the nuances of workplace banter and bullying so you can protect your team – helping you build a truly inclusive culture that celebrates diversity.
  • Learn ways to use humour to support a fun and creative culture - discover techniques for using humour to boost morale, strengthen team bonds, and enhance creativity while maintaining professional boundaries.

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  • Created on .
Date:: 2023-01-24 11:57

MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE TRAINING WORKSHOP

Laughology mental health at work training will empower business owners, managers and HR and occupational health departments, to improve mental health, happiness and wellbeing in the workplace.

Book your workshop or keynote now.

CONTACT US...

Why it's important to promote wellbeing in the workplace?

There is still a huge stigma around mental illness and we need to banish it. We can only do this by raising awareness, normalising conversations and offering practical support to all employees.

Absenteeism, demotivation and low productivity

Absenteeism, demotivation and low productivity are all issues that arise when wellbeing is ignored and people are treated like cogs in a machine, rather than human beings. Negativity can infect organisations like a virus. And most of the time that’s because leaders have not paid enough attention to wellbeing.

Wellbeing impacts directly on your bottom line

Organisations have a duty of care to make sure their people are supported to be well and happy. Ignore this at your peril. Wellbeing deficient organisations struggle to retain good people, they lose time and resources through sickness and they become problematic and uncompetitive. Wellbeing impacts directly on bottom line. Research proves that higher levels of wellbeing result in contented, productive, creative workers who take fewer sick days, earn more and are valued highly.

MENS' MENTAL HEALTH

Getting men talking

We also offer a workshop/programme to support men's mental health in the workplace. This programme creates a safe space for open conversations, helps break down stigmas, and equips your team with practical tools to get men talking!

By acknowledging the unique challenges they face, you can create an inclusive environment where men feel safe and understood. To learn more about how this could benefit your team, book a chat with us today.

Workshop Outline

The workshop will explore techniques to normalise conversations and listen and communicate non-judgementally. And will introduce positive interventions on sign-posting people to the right help and how to develop a resilience toolkit.

 

  • Morning Session

    Introductions and gentle ice breaker.

    Expectations: In small groups discuss and share expectations from the day, then with the whole group. Trainer to address and manage expectations.

    What is Mental Health? Free flow exercise untapping what we automatically think of when we hear OR read the words: ‘Mental Health’. Trainer to facilitate discussion re preconceptions, misconceptions and stigma.
    Introduce the ‘mental health continuum’.

    Common Mental Health Issues: Learn the signs and symptoms of common mental health conditions, debunking myths along the way and including video testaments of lived experience and examples of positive portrayals.

    How to apply Mental Health First Aid: Introducing the MHFA acronym ALGEE:
    • Approach
    • Listen and communicate non-judgementally
    • Give support and information
    • Encourage the person to get help
    • Encourage other supports



  • Afternoon Session

    Owning it – what is YOUR role in the workplace – how can YOU help? Trainer to facilitate discussion and capture outcomes re taking responsibility as individuals and as an organisation.

    Introducing FLIP it Thinking for Resilience
    Focus
    Language
    Imagination
    Pattern-Breaking

    Trainer takes the group through each part of the FLIP it process using upbeat interactive exercises to illustrate how effective and immediate FLIP it thinking can be – our proven accessible Laughology toolkit that uses psychology and humour to help people cope in the moment and develop resilience.

    Review

    Review the day’s learning and make commitment to practice using the STOP / START / CONTINUE method.

    Close

Learning Outcomes include:
  • How to create a culture that supports people to talk and be open about their mental health and promote wellbeing
  • Having a greater awareness of how to spot mental health issues early on
  • Understanding positive interventions for sign-posting and helping people to get the help they need
  • Generate ideas for integrating mental health wellbeing into your workplace
  • To understand what preventions can be put in place to create a well working environment and individuals
  • An understanding of FLIP it thinking for managers and teams for resilience

Click to download the course outline PDF


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More about the Laughlogy mental health workshop


What is the difference between mental health and mental illness?

People increasingly talk about mental health and mental illness as interchangeable things. But they’re not. Just as we all have health, we all have mental health.

We can have good mental health, poor mental health or be somewhere in between at any given time. Mental illnesses are health conditions, which involve changes in our thinking, emotions or behaviours.

How are mental health and wellbeing related?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines mental health as ‘a state of wellbeing in which the individual realises his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community’.

Why work with Laughology?

At Laughology, we understand human behaviour, feelings and motivation. Our expertise is delivering taboo and sensitive subjects and exploring issues in an engaging and fun way.

We use humour to break the ice and provide a platform which enables people to have frank, open conversations.

This session is an opportunity to seek out practical ideas which can be taken back to the workplace in order to create a supportive culture around mental health.

For your enlightenment
Put the kettle on, your feet up, and spend a few minutes checking out some of our most popular mental health blogs.

We're feeling the love!

The session was amazing. So funny, full of engaging, but also pertinent raising relevant, current issues and looking at how to address them. 

CIPD Gibraltar branch

Good session - Informative yet entertaining, on a serious topic.

I enjoyed yesterday’s session I found it to be both informative and enjoyable I thought Kerry was very good and encompassed the right amount of humour within the course subject to keep me engaged though out the duration

The course content was very good with the right mix of interaction, slides and videos

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Date:: 2023-01-24 11:58

Pigs can fly!

Enable your teams to embrace change, conquer challenges and become problem-solving pros with Laughology's growth mindset workplace training.

Transform your people from "know-it-alls" to "learn-it-alls".

Laughology growth mindset training will turn your people into resilient, innovative, problem-solving superheroes It's time for a culture change where the impossible becomes possible - even the occasional airborne farm yard animal!


Ever feel like your team is stuck in a rut? Whether it’s Brian from accounts, who’s married to his yawn-inducing pie charts or Clare from HR, who won’t embrace the shared calendar, some people don’t like change.

Perhaps you’ve even heard the words, “What has that got to do with me?” or “I thought that was your job!”

It’s frustrating, right?

After all, what you’d love to hear is, “Let’s find a solution” or “I’ll give it a go!”

Well, we’re here to make that happen.

Our Growth Mindset workshop helps shift even the most stubborn mindsets. We’re not just talking about slapping a new coat of paint on old ideas either; we're talking about a full-on, transformative experience.

Here’s what we bring to the office party, boosting your team's ability to:

  • Understand the science and psychology of growth and fixed mindset and how our belief system impacts how we see ourselves, situations and other people
  • Recognise when fixed thinking and behaviours are getting in the way of progress and ways to challenge this and move forward
  • Create a feedback culture that promotes continuous learning and high performance.
  • Develop ways to review setbacks as learning opportunities so mistakes aren’t wasted but part of progress
  • Help people become solution-focused and know how to problem solve when stuck, enabling smarter ways of working
  • Skill to adapt and flex to change and new ideas, supporting transformation and change through diversity of thought and action

We’ll help you create a workplace where learning and growth are as common as coffee breaks, transforming your team into resilient problem-solvers who embrace change and thrive in the face of challenges. Say goodbye to change fatigue and hello to a team of adaptable innovators.

So, if you’re ready to turn your team into growth-mindset superheroes, contact us to chat about our workshop or a tailored session. We’ll get your folks evolving faster than technology—yes, even Brian from accounts.

Book your workshop or keynote now.

CONTACT US...

Bespoke is our middle name

Whether it’s the length of the session or who we’re delivering to, we can create something just for you. Flexibility at its finest, just without the lycra. 

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Growth Mindset FAQs

  • How long is a session?

    For people to have a good understanding of theory and practical application, we recommend a half day. However, we recognise that all teams are different, and this might not suit all, or some might want longer. In this case, we can shorten and extend sessions to suit your needs.
  • How do we embed this?

    We recommend a series of sessions with action learning between each session (facilitated mini group sessions, virtual or face-to-face, that use real workplace challenges to discuss how practical techniques learnt during the session could be used to address the challenge. Groups agree on a way forward and give it a go, then come back together to discuss what went well and what they might need to do differently)
  • Who is this relevant for?

    We recommend tailored sessions for different levels. For managers, it would cover how to support people using growth mindset tools and techniques, and for teams, a language and set of behaviours that are shared.
  • Is it delivered virtually or face-to-face?

    We’ve learned to be learning experts in any setting. Our online delivery is as engaging as our face-to-face workshops. We use a variety of webinar platforms and can create learning packages to suit your team's location. Chat with us about your team's location and how they work, and we’ll share ideas.
  • What is a growth mindset?

    Ever heard of Carol Dweck? She's like the Sherlock Holmes of the brain world, uncovering the mystery of why some of us are like elastic bands, stretching with every challenge, while others are more like old rubber boots, comfortable but not great at adapting. Thanks to her, 'growth mindset' is now a phrase commonly used in the workplace. Think of it as your brain's secret sauce for learning and bouncing back.

    Not so long ago, we thought our brains were like old-school computers – limited hard drives, what you see is what you get. But Dweck showed us that our noggins are more like smartphones, constantly updating and downloading new apps of knowledge and skills. It's all about believing in the brain’s capacity to grow.

  • How does a growth mindset help create high-performing teams?

    In a high-performing team, a growth mindset isn't just nice to have; it's like the office Wi-Fi – essential for connection and progress. It’s the difference between saying “I can’t do this” and “I can’t do this yet.” Teams with this mindset are innovation powerhouses, where setbacks are more 'aha' moments than 'oh no' disasters.

    Meanwhile, a fixed mindset is like still owning a flip phone in the age of smartphones. Sure, it makes calls, but you're missing out on so much more.

    Without flexibility and the motivation to grow, people fear change rather than feel inspired by it. Not only that, but it takes time and effort to develop your people, and turnover continues to rise as those who resist change leave or feel ill-equipped to adapt. High-performing teams are agile and can adapt quickly, working together well to support each other and challenge where necessary for continuous improvement.

We're feeling the love!

“We had a job on our hands to bring two new teams together. We needed to think differently about the future and what this means for our players and communities that we support. Laughology has helped us do this in a way that is fun and engaging and has helped us kick-start our transformation. We’re looking forward to phase two.”

The National Lottery
Lots of post workshop comments thanking me for taking the time to find and trigger such a fun and useful session. My challenge was to build team spirit between 2 sometimes competing entities – tick; Improve morale – tick; and introduce an educational session that help customer relationship management – tick. All in a roaring success!!   
GSK

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  • Created on .
Date:: 2023-01-24 11:59

Menopause awareness at work training workshop

The Laughology menopause workshop tackles the issues of menopause at work head-on. It enables organisations to start the menopause debate in an open, engaging, non-threatening and fun way.

Book your workshop or keynote now.

CONTACT US...


  • Outcomes

    • reduced absenteeism
    • increased well-being
    • improved organisation and working practices
  • Suited to:

    • managers
    • leaders
    • individual team members
  • Delivered as:

    • 60 to 90-minute interactive awareness session

Occupational health and menopause awareness in the workplace

'The change’ as an issue affecting a large proportion of the workforce. However, it is still considered a taboo subject by many businesses. Women comprise approximately half (47 percent) of the UK’s workforce.

About 3.5 million are aged 50 and over. 10% of women quit their jobs because of their menopause experience and many others suffer in silence because they feel it is not a subject to be broached - occupational health issues for older workers in general, and older women workers in particular, have often been ignored - or that they will not be taken seriously.

Thousands of female workers experience key menopause symptoms such as:

  • hot flushes
  • irregular periods
  • mood swings
  • anxiety
  • poor memory

Businesses have traditionally been squeamish about addressing issues raised by the menopause. However, as the UK workforce ages, the discussion must open up.

Menopause workshop

The Laugholoy menopause workshop tackles the issues head-on and allows businesses to start the menopause debate in an open, engaging, non-threatening and fun way.

It helps everyone talk openly and honestly about the challenges menopause presents. It addresses misconceptions and provides information on the workplace implications of the process, covering areas such as:

  • symptoms
  • the impact of hormone replacement therapy
  • gender misconceptions 

Most importantly it gives organisations the opportunity to think about support structures for their menopausal staff to allow them to continue to be engaged and productive team members.


Workshop Tone

Our workshops educate and inform about the challenges and myths around the menopause and investigate best practice on how to support people and help them continue effectively in their roles.

We have years of expertise in delivering workshops which address sensitive subjects in an engaging and fun way. Our unique approach promotes audience interaction and openness. It allows conversations to flow, questions to be asked and opinions to be challenged in a safe and non-judgemental forum.

Workshop Outline

The 60 to 90-minute interactive awareness session will help enhance thinking and highlight some of the challenges faced by everyone during menopause. It will investigate positive steps to help manage these.

The session will explore the neuroscience and biological science of menopause to helps managers, leaders, teams and individuals understand the condition and how it can be supported.

The 60 to 90-minute interactive awareness session will help enhance thinking and highlight some of the challenges faced by everyone during menopause. It will investigate positive steps to help manage these.

The session will explore the neuroscience and biological science of menopause to helps managers, leaders, teams and individuals understand the condition and how it can be supported.

  • Sessions include

    • The science and neuroscience of brain and body changes during menopause
    • An understanding of the menopause and the challenges it presents
    • Exploration of practical communication to help women and men talk about the menopause
    • Exploration of psychological theories such as The Pygmalion effect[1] in relation to beliefs about gender abilities and working with older women
    • Coaching and thinking models to help promote positive decision making, reflective thinking and support
    • Insights into gender neuroscience and myths about the male and female brain
    • Q & A to address concerns, anxieties and uncertainties and to open up conversations
  • Aims

    The workshop will give a greater insight into the challenges and provide practical solutions to menopause. It allows for a greater understanding of how beliefs based on myth and culture can affect how we treat others and the impact this can have on well-being.

    It will deliver tangible, practical techniques for managers, leaders and individuals to enable positive behaviours that promote positive thinking and communication around the challenges of menopause.
  • Learning outcomes

    • An insight into how menopause impacts on women
    • An understanding of how to communicate sensitively about health issues relating to the menopause
    • Understanding conscious and subconscious judgements and the impact they have
    • Techniques for inclusivity and balance when decision-making
    • An understanding of the myths and facts of the male and female brain
    • An understanding of how projected beliefs about brain gender differences impact on empathy and behaviors
    • Practical ways to help enhance awareness and aid a more comfortable working environment for those affected by menopause
    • Suggested ways to expand learning and a commitment to change

Watch

Watch Stephanie Davies, Laughology CEO, facilitate a 1-hour Menopause Awareness workshop for Burges Salmon

Read

Put the kettle on, your feet up, and spend a few minutes checking out some of our most popular menopause and the workplace blogs.

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We're feeling the love!

‘I’m so grateful we are actually talking about this. What a great session. I learnt so much about myself.’ The course really helped our staff to talk about the menopause, a very taboo subject. Loved the approach 

West Midlands Police

‘The buzz following the workshops was fantastic and they went down so well, we’ve now secured extra funding from the PMAS to deliver some more.’

PMAS

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  • Created on .
Date:: 2023-01-24 12:07

Training workshop for organisations

CREATIVE FACILITATION TRAINING WORKSHOP

The Laughology creative facilitation workshop will teach you to become a facilitation 'Ninja'. We will show you how to lead inspiring learning events, productive meetings and motivational presentations.

Book your workshop or keynote now.

CONTACT US...


  • Workshop topics include:

    • Group engagement
    • Effective communication & storytelling
    • Encouraging ideas
    • Productive meetings
    • Image and presence
  • Suited to:

    • Managers
    • Team leaders
    • Teams
    • Teachers & headteachers
  • Delivered as:

    • One-day
    • Two-day

Don't waste your time and effort on running overblown meetings or courses which have no structure or clear objectives. Or worse still, resource-zapping meetings, workshops and events that have been hijacked by competing personalities who turn them into talking shops or a battle of wills, and a wasted opportunity for learning.

You can master the art of creative facilitation, and deliver inspiring learning events, run better meetings and deliver presentations which will capture the imagination and deliver your message effectively and succinctly. You can learn to manage groups effectively, bring them together and enable them to be the best they can.

Our Creative Facilitation workshops explore scientific and creative ways to engage audiences on an emotional, positive level. Delegates will gain skills in:

  • Communication and audience management with
  • Delivering information memorably
  • Motivating learners
  • Behaviour change
  • Creating content that resonates.

Our Presentation Skills workshops are delivered by expert trainers who have experience as award-winning comedians, international motivational speakers and business consultants

Creative facilitation benefits include:

Engaging your audience

We will share with you Scientific and innovative insight into how we access and absorb information, and the importance of emotional engagement in your role as a facilitator, trainer or learning guide.

Confidence, and delivering with passion

Using exercises and interactive theory, we will show you techniques that will help you lead sessions in a way that is confident and assertive while being aware of different personalities in the room and what individuals may need from a facilitator to fully engage and learn.

The learning process

People learn best when they experience a situation for themselves and can relate it to their life. Including discussions and activities within a learning session, encourages understanding. This workshop will teach you how implement learning, what motivates learners, and how to change behaviours.

Ideas and creating original content

The most effective way to learn and teach is to engage people emotionally. The brain works best when positive neuro-transmitters are firing. We will show you, as a facilitator or trainer, if you can help the brain fire through enjoyable and inspiring content – how emotional engagement gets better outcomes.
Teams will have a chance to perform a short presentation to the rest of the team to include what they have learnt and share something about their expertise. Each delegate will also receive electronic resources/links and further information to help them be great trainers and design great sessions going forward.

Call us on 0844 800 1701 or email Vicky for costs and to chat through how the creative facilitation workshop can help your organisation.

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We're feeling the love!

Brilliant, great, fun… Never laughed so much on a training course… Engaging and thought provoking… Good fun, very memorable and great information that will definitely help back in the workplace.
East Cheshire Council
Great. The presenter really motivated everyone and has enthused them to already start using these techniques in their daily work. Many of the participants have raved about how much they enjoyed the course and how useful they found it.
Atkins, Aerospace, Defence, Security and Technology

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Experiential action-learning is used to help delegates refine new skills and embed them into their everyday working practice. 

Experiential, action learning works best when there are agreed assignments or a project to take back to everyday working practices.  For example the assignment may be; managers are encouraged to recognise, reward and celebrate success or a project such as organising and communicating a managers conference. 

This may also translate to a specific challenge a delegate has. At the start of each session – time is put aside to talk through challenge and to encourage peers to join in with supporting ideas to further forward the learning.  

Working with ‘live-issues’ in this way embeds learning and helps delegates use the new found skills in a safe way.  We also recommend organisations have ‘action-learning’ champions or facilitators for greater success of action learning groups or sets.

  • Experiential action-Learning works on:
  • Real problems that are important yet workable
  • Diverse and creative problem-solving in a team or group
  • Procesess that promotes curiosity, inquiry, fun and reflection (lead by a learning consultant or champion)
  • Talk onverted into action and, ultimately, a solution
  • A commitment to learning.


The half day or full experiential action learning session includes:

Format:

How to set up successful learning sets

How to facilitate action learning

Positive enquiry questioning for increasing learning and thinking

Creating actions and action planning in groups

Helping shift responsibility from the facilitator to the group

Creating a culture for action learning


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Laughology lunchtime sessions - Keeping your team happy

A great way to get your team motivated and ready to take on the year ahead is to get them thinking positively and feeling good about where they work.
 
Our ‘Laughter at Lunchtime’ session is the perfect antidote.
 
We know that employee well-being and morale is directly tied to productivity – stressed and dissatisfied staff are less productive while happy employees get more done.  

Creating a healthy, happy work environment is the best way to boost employee morale and increase attendance.
 
In this fun 45 minute to one hour session your team will learn:

  • Top tips and techniques to get motivated and motivate teams
  • Tangible take-aways to feel better and in control
  • Ways to de-stress and have fun
  • An introduction to positive psychology and the neuroscience of happiness
  • Tips to encourage positive laughter for increasing engagement

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Ask us a question

You can call us on 0844 800 1701, or use this form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

JOB VACANCIES: If you're interested in working or collaborating with us you will find our opportunities page here.