Humorous Professional Development
Use Funny Speakers to Make Teacher Training More Memorable
Humorous motivational speakers can make a workshop come alive and allow teachers to laugh while they learn. Isn't it better to hear giggling instead of complaining?
Laughter invites
The best way to initiate change is to invite laughter. Humorous motivational speakers allow people to forget that they are supposed to be learning or training because they are laughing. Being enthralled by a speaker is magical. A great humorous motivational speaker will not only captivate members of an audience but will also have them chuckling at themselves and at each other.
De-stress...
People are people. Stress brings people down and laughter uplifts. Morale in a school is the backbone of productivity. It even helps achieve those ever elusive top test scores. The grind of writing lesson plans, grading papers and looming deadlines will wear teachers down. Attitudes change quickly when laughter is involved, as will the eagerness to work a little harder. A comical speaker will give educators a little pick-me-up.
Focus on funny
Many teachers take themselves too seriously. It sometimes takes a funny speaker to get these people to freeze the running to-do list in their heads. Freezing that to-do list for just 20 minutes will lighten their step, and they may listen to the message of the speaker instead of multi-tasking with their PDAs.
If there is change that needs to happen in a school, instruction learned with a giggle seems to be remembered more. Workshops are generally created to correct a problem. Schools that are about to go through a huge change, that need to achieve goals, or that need to improve communication and teamwork skills need a humorous motivation speaker to tackle the upcoming tension. A hard driving speech on how people need to change will be remembered with dread. The audience members will appreciate a little mirth before they pull up their sleeves to begin a tough task. Inspiration from the speech will spur on productivity. The laughter will be remembered fondly.
How to find speakers
- Check out National Staff Development Council website or an affiliate such as Staff Development Council of Ohio for ideas or for contact people to make suggestions
- Contact the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development website for suggestions
- Contact other local school district professional development staff for suggestions
- Use Google to search for the specific kind of speaker you need
Chuckle instead of grumble
In the end, a conference, teacher training or workshop is only for so long, and people have to go back to their daily work. It is much better to have people walking out laughing instead of walking out muttering about a boring speaker. Whether it is a professional development day workshop or one during a conference, speakers who deliver powerful messages, who have fun on stage and who get the audience to relax will make the time more enjoyable. The audience will walk away with a smile instead of a sneer. One laugh will lead to more laughing, which can help start a change. Laughter can change education -- one laugh at a time.
