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!

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.

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 05 December 2024.

Date:: 2023-01-24 11:57

Surviving to Thriving – Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing at Work

Our Surviving to Thriving workshop transforms mental health awareness into creating genuine, lasting wellbeing for your team.

How many times have you heard: "I'm just managing to get through the day..."? Well, that’s survival mode talking. Left unchecked, it leads to burnout, low morale, and absenteeism.

Thriving, however, is about creating environments where people feel supported, empowered, and able to flourish.

This shift isn't just about individuals. It's about organisations recognising their role in wellbeing, building cultures that encourage open conversations, and providing tools that genuinely help people sustain good mental health.

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Kerri Rivers-Simpson, Learning Coordinator, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust)

"The session was such a great balance – fun, sensitive, but with a strong, impactful message. I would highly recommend Laughology and hope Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust books them again!"

What to Expect from Your Session

At Laughology, we believe mental health strategies should be accessible to everyone. Luckily for you, we're experts at tackling serious topics with just the right touch of humour – making wellbeing relatable without diminishing its importance.

This isn’t mental health first aid training, nor is it on the clinical and heavy side. Our sessions are different—engaging, energetic, and, most importantly, enjoyable. You still get the important stuff. We just blend the psychology with laughter, as we've discovered it helps learning stick better than any PowerPoint marathon ever could. After all, talking about mental health should feel natural, not awkward.

This isn't about ticking the "wellbeing workshop" box, either. It's about creating lasting change - without the awkward icebreakers.

Your people will come away with:

The ability to spot the difference between everyday stress and deeper challenges
Resilience strategies that work in daily life
Skills to create environments where wellbeing conversations happen naturally
Confidence to support others with genuine empathy and practical solutions
Ready to transform your workplace from surviving to genuinely thriving
Let's discuss making mental wellbeing your organisation's new strength. Get in touch today.

Book your workshop or keynote now.

Perfect for organisations that:

Need mental health strategies that actually work
Want to reduce workplace stress and build resilience
Are ready to create a culture of openness around mental health
Recognise that thriving employees create thriving businesses

Workshop delivery options

A keynote
Two-hour introduction
Half or full-day workshop
Complete transformation programme

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Created on 16 March 2018.

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.

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 17 February 2017.

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.

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.

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 01 February 2017.

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.

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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Created on 23 February 2016.

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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Created on 23 February 2016.

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

CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE OUR REGULAR EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Created on 17 January 2016.

SCHOOLS: Visit our Happy-Centred Schools website...

Protect your workplace culture from toxic behaviour.

NEW WORKSHOP

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:

It's only banter

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

The changing landscape for workplace humour

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

Book your workshop or keynote now.

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

More workshops for happier workplaces

Laughology news

Surviving to Thriving – Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing at Work

Our Surviving to Thriving workshop transforms mental health awareness into creating genuine, lasting wellbeing for your team.

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Book your workshop or keynote now.

Perfect for organisations that:

Workshop delivery options

Laughology news

More training workshops

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!

Book your workshop or keynote now.

Bespoke is our middle name

News

Growth Mindset FAQs

How long is a session?

How do we embed this?

Who is this relevant for?

Is it delivered virtually or face-to-face?

What is a growth mindset?

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

We're feeling the love!

More training workshops for organisations

Menopause awareness at work training workshop

Book your workshop or keynote now.

Outcomes

Suited to:

Delivered as:

Workshop Tone

Workshop Outline

Sessions include

Aims

Learning outcomes

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.

Laughology news

We're feeling the love!

More training workshops for organisations

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.

Workshop topics include:

Suited to:

Delivered as:

Creative facilitation benefits include:

Engaging your audience

Confidence, and delivering with passion

The learning process

Ideas and creating original content

Laughology news

We're feeling the love!

More training workshops for organisations

The half day or full experiential action learning session includes:

Laughology lunchtime sessions - Keeping your team happy

More Articles ...

Brands and organisations we work with:

Ask us a question

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!