Product Description

We may not all be born comedians, but most people are naturally humorous, says Doni Tamblyn, comic-turned-trainer and president of HumorRules LLC. Tamblyn's humorous techniques have brought serious results to clients such as Chevron, Wells Fargo, AstraZeneca, and other Fortune 500 companies, universities, and government entities. Now she offers these techniques to you in one intriguing, information-packed, and very funny book!

Combining the latest brain studies and humor research with the author's own 23 years of experience in comedy and corporate training, LAUGH AND LEARN is a fascinating look at what makes learners perk up, pay attention, and remember. It's the first book that 1) explains the research that shows how humor can make information more memorable, 2) teaches communicators how to be funny without relying on joke-telling or novelty store items, and 3) gives specific, light-touch techniques that can be used by virtually anyone who seeks to present their message more effectively. This book will help teaching professionals to:

* Attract more learners to their programs

* Get and hold learners' attention throughout the learning process

* Present curriculum memorably

* Positively affect learner attitudes

* Go beyond teaching facts, to encourage and model creative thinking (a much-sought ability in today's organizations!)

* Improve performance scores both inside and outside of the classroom

* Enhance their own reputations as contributors to their organizations' bottom line

* Get "buy-in" from organizational decision-makers

Moreover, LAUGH AND LEARN is a true page-turner! Rich in insights, research data, showbiz secrets, and backstage anecdotes, it is a book that will be read and reread. From the very first chapter, readers will begin to see that professional development can actually be fun!

Wouldn't you like your learners to say the same?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #777033 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-11
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Applied Improvisation Network 2004
I read the book twice!

Mills Quarterly Fall 2003
Tamblyn provides necessary references to important cognitive studies, yet her writing style best reflects her background as a former comedian.

Eric Jensen, author, Teaching with the Brain in Mind
Combining learning and laughing is not easy, but Doni does it brilliantly (and with integrity). Highly recommended!

Customer Reviews

Terrific book that really lives up to its title
As a corporate consultant and trainer, I'm always looking for ways to increase my effectiveness in helping clients really learn the material at hand. Like many, I don't consider myself particularly funny, and worry that I could do more harm than good by trying too hard to incorporate humor into workshops.

Doni Tamblyn does a terrific job not only showing the reader how to easily and safely insert humor, she also references fascinating research that clearly supports why humor is so critical to the learning process. The book is written in a friendly, approachable style that makes it a fun read, and I appreciate the handy index to the "95 Ways" listed at the beginning of the book for quick reference.

I highly recommend this book not only to other professional trainers, but to speakers and presenters of all types. Personally, after trying some of Tamblyn's strategies, I not only feel more confident in front of a room, but hey, I'm having more fun too. You can't beat that!

Terrific book that really lives up to its title
As a corporate consultant and trainer, I'm always looking for ways to increase my effectiveness in helping clients really learn the material at hand. Like many, I don't consider myself particularly funny, and worry that I could do more harm than good by trying too hard to incorporate humor into workshops.

Doni Tamblyn does a terrific job not only showing the reader how to easily and safely insert humor, she also references fascinating research that clearly supports why humor is so critical to the learning process. The book is written in a friendly, approachable style that makes it a fun read, and I appreciate the handy index to the "95 Ways" listed at the beginning of the book for quick reference.

I highly recommend this book not only to other professional trainers, but to speakers and presenters of all types. Personally, after trying some of Tamblyn's strategies, I not only feel more confident in front of a room, but hey, I'm having more fun too. You can't beat that!

Laugh and Learn!
"Laughter and Learning"

I'm reading this book, and I sense it is what I have been waiting for. I believe Doni Tamblyn has really nailed it. She's given structure to what seems to be the very complex art of effective teaching. I'll start giving her methods a try by using the "smooth" vs "crunchy" approach for initiating group/team work, and by finally using some of those cartoons I've been accumulating for years.

I'm also thinking about how I could apply some of her ideas to my online distance learning courses, where teaching and learning are not in a traditional classroom. This environment lacks the needed spontaneity, but I could see what would happen if I divided my online class into small discussion teams competing for bonus points for "fabulous prizes" to be awarded at our once-per-week lab meetings.

I appreciate that Ms. Tamblyn has combined her comedic experience with Dewey's ideas, theories of motivation, accelerated learning, and optimal/compatible brain learning, the
Koran, the Talmud, famous quotes, tips on psychology and comedic delivery, and has taken the time to share her synthesis of them in a book. Her Laugh and Learn is not only a great how-to book, but also a scholarly piece of work. I don't usually find how-to books with an index, references, endnotes, so many examples, and a case study! (Her "anatomy of a creative learning module" is precious.) Thank you, Ms. Tamblyn!"