Presentations & Workshops -  Hugh McClelland

Hugh leads laughter workshops and gives presentations about laughter's benefits for businesses and personal retreats, conferences and organizations, seniors and schools.

All presentations and workshops are tailored to the group and the situation and presentations can be introductory, in-depth, and run varying lengths.

See overviews below.  For in-depth information contact mchugh@shaw.ca

Core Laughter Presentation / Workshop

In an upbeat, one hour long core laughter workshop Hugh guides participants through a series of simple and fun exercises the generate uproarious laughter without telling jokes or relying on any form of humor.

Participants both experience how to trigger genuine, healthy laughter for themselves and learn why and how to use laughter to benefit their lives, their relationships and their workplace. 

The core laughter workshop gets everyone laughing and leaves them invigorated, de-stressed and refreshed.

The laughter techniques experienced in laughter sessions have been developed by Certified Laughter Leaders and International Laughter Instructors around the world.  The laughter is called “stimulated laughter” or “laughing for no reason” because no jokes, clowning or other forms of humor are used to start the laughter.  Instead easily learned technique and a series of group activities designed to stimulate natural laughter are used.  These techniques are practiced regularly in thousands of laughter clubs and laughter sessions world-wide.

Research and practical experience has shown that laughter is a powerful stress reliever, good exercise, a strong support for physical and psychological health, promotes healthy social bonding, creates a sense of well being, and is mentally and physically refreshing. 

Laughter sessions provide participants with the basic experience and understanding to bring the benefits of laughter more fully into their homes, their work and their daily lives.  Laughter sessions are also plain good fun!
 

Extended Laughter Workshops: 

1.)  Laughter in Day to Day Life – Maximizing the Benefits

 A participatory workshop where participants do lots of laughing, practice triggering laughter that is healthy and joyful and explore in-depth information about the science and practical experience of laughter, its benefits and its uses.

Topics covered include: Laughter supporting health and well being; Practicing laughter to create a mindset of relaxed resilience;  Using laughter to continually create a sense of joy in day to day life;  Laughter techniques to benefit personal, family and work relationships;   The Yoga and Laughter connection and Laughter as a gateway to deep relaxation and meditation.

Through laughter exercises, relaxation meditation and in-depth discussions participants are given the skills and knowledge to integrate the benefits of laughter into their lives.

2.)  Laughing at Work – Making it Work

With a focus on how to use laughter as a valuable addition to the workplace, participants learn to trigger healthy laughter while learning  practical information about laughter they can apply at their workplace.

Topics covered include:

-          Laughter for stress release and creating an upbeat workplace.

-          Laughter’s benefits for relationships with clients, suppliers and co-workers.

-          Using laughter to enhance productivity and problem solving.

-          Laughter as a team building exercise.

-          How to avoid the hidden workplace sabotage of "toxic" humor.

Through laughter exercises, situational role playing and discussion, participants are given the skills and understandings to use laughter to benefit them and others in the workplace.

 3.)  Caring Laughter – Healing Laughter

This workshop is conducted in conjunction with an appropriately certified counselor, care worker, or medical professional.  Participants learn stimulated laughter and do laughter exercises while exploring the research and experience about the use of laughter in treatment and care situations.

Sample topic areas include:

-          Therapeutic use of laughter for Anxiety, Depression, Chronic Pain and Sleep Disorders.

-          Laughter as support in illness and palliative care.

-          Laughter in Relationship and Personal Counseling.

Through laughter exercises, situational role playing and discussion participants are introduced to the skills and understandings necessary to use laughter effectively in their care-giving practice.

Special Laughter Sessions

Wake Up To Laughter!

·         Great for starting a conference day or before meetings. 

·         This is a ten to fifteen minute laughter session that combines a warm-up with orientation to stimulated laughter and then a quick series of laughter exercises designed to get everyone awake and enthused about the day.

Laughter Break

·         A five minute laughter session that is designed to turn people on to laughter, shake out the cobwebs and leave a group mentally and physically refreshed and ready for their next presentation or activity. 

·         Very effective where groups have been sitting or enclosed in one place for a period of time.

Private and Small Group Sessions

·         Introduction to stimulated laughter or advanced laughter yoga meditation techniques in a one to one or small group setting.