Positive Communication and Menopause Awareness with Austurmidstod
Austurmidstod is an organisation based in Reykjavik, Iceland that work with families and adults that need support or diagnosis. They give advice to schools about different problems that children and teens might have.
The team are made up of psychologists, social workers, developmental therapists, behavioural analysts, teachers and finance, amongst others.
They came to Edinburgh to visit some local schools and during their time here they wanted some opportunity for fun as well as learning which is what we’re all about!
The sessions delivered by Laura Drury and Louisa Rodriguez were:
- The Power of Humour and Laughter for Learning
Thankfully, in the UK, menopause is becoming less of a taboo subject, and more and more organisations are making attempts to educate and support people, either going through menopause, or to support someone who is.
However, whilst some of the attendees in the session knew some things about menopause, most felt quite in the dark about it and they were keen to find out as much as they could. Particularly the many ways in which is it can impact women and what support was available to those going through it.
One thing they said they would take away is being able to talk more openly about their experiences to support each other through the transition of menopause and how a good laugh could help along the way.
This led to the next part of their session with a focus on humour and laughter for learning and positive communication and relationship building. There was lots of laughter, sharing of ideas in a mixture of English and Icelandic, which made for a lively workshop. The group also taught facilitators Laura and Louisa about Icelandic culture and expressed their love of ice cream... (the clue is in the name!)
Genuine excitement rippled through the group as they discussed (and bonded) not only on which flavours they’d choose, but which manufacturer they preferred, and what kind of milk!
Takeaways for the team were how to take time for humour to build connection, tips to enhance listening skills, and the power of pausing to allow more resourceful thinking.
Louisa and Laura had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and were incredibly touched when they left the room not only with lots of smiles but some Icelandic chocolate too! Yum!
If you’d like any of these workshops in your workplace, get in touch with Doug – doug@laughology.co.uk - and he’ll share how we can help.
