Laugh and Learn: 95 Ways to Use Humor for More Effective Teaching and Training

Doni Tamblyn

1 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!"

2 LAUGH AND LEARN--A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER'S FERVENT HOPE
Recently, an old friend suggested that I read Doni Tamblyn's Laugh and Learn, a "how to" book that delineates various exercises, all intended to increase creative thought. At first I was reluctant to read the book--as a high school teacher I am bombarded by teaching methodologies, each one claiming to be the magic key that will unlock student achievement and motivation. So I was surprised when I discovered that Laugh and Learn was 1) witty 2) entertaining 3) well-researched 4) practical and, best of all, actually works!

Through a combination of data compiled from brain-compatible research, and an enormous catalogue of easy to read, easy to implement student activities, Tamblyn makes the compelling case that creative thought flourishes best when learners are first instructed to avoid being clever and original. While the ultimate goal may be to reach heights of innovative thinking, Tamblyn assures us that such heights will more than likely be reached when the learner's mind is relaxed enough to begin making the connections that distinguish the truly interesting thought from the mundane.

In each chapter, Tamblyn discusses the hows and whys of encouraging learners to lose their anxiety and increase their joy as they discover the creative process within themselves. Although the book is a virtual treasure trove of fun activities for students, my favorites have been the "mind map" and the "finish the sentence ball toss." (You have to read the book to find out why these activities are such big fun!) Again, the idea behind each activity is to "sneak up" on the creative drive before it has a chance to realize that it is being scrutinized and therefore shut down like a wall flower at a jr. high school dance.

At least one or two days a week, I incorporate a Laugh and Learn activity into my lesson plans. My students love the program. And their test scores and projects reflect the influence of Tamblyn's techniques upon greater retention of content and increased motivation for success. This is nothing short of a miracle, when you consider the natural reluctance of teenagers to try anything that might make them look "uncool" in front of their classmates.

Laugh and Learn is both brilliant and of enormous practical benefit--two qualities not often found in teacher training manuals. Tamblyn's book should occupy a special place on every educator's desk. Five stars, Ms. Tamblyn, five stars and more...

3 Wow, am I glad I bought this book!
After 19 years of school, I now reserve weighty treatises for subjects like international law. What I needed as a trainer of nonprofits in proposal writing and development, was some good technique in leavening what can be awfully dry subjects (after all, they're about getting money) with a whole lot of fun. Ms. Tamblyn's "95 Ways" sparked my creative juices and I use her techniques whenever I teach. Plus, I've been incorporating some of her exercises into my workshops to teach nonprofit folks how to leaven their presentations when they get that much longed for meeting with a potential donor.

This is a "grab it and go" book that fits in your briefcase along with your handouts. If you're a trainer - nonprofit, corporate or otherwise - you know the feeling of "dead air." During the break, turn to almost any page in "Laugh and Learn" for a technique or an exercise that will uncrink your brain and ramp the room up for your returning learners.

You won't become an expert in the science of humor with "Laugh and Learn." But, hey, they give degrees to people for that kind of in-depth knowledge. As a trainer, you will go as far as you like in incorporating humor into the business of teaching - safely, judiciously and successfully.

Thanks, Ms. Tamblyn. You are a funny lady, and you know how to teach what you know!

4 Is Anybody Bleeding?
I'm a wildlife rehabilitator, and with the exception of a few goofy raccoons, none of my clients finds me in any way amusing. I've tried some of Ms. Tamblyn's tactics on our furred and feathered friends, and I'm sorry to say they just don't work. HOWEVER.....

I also do lots of public speaking in the service of the furred and feathered, and while my human friends call me amusing and humorous.....all of that seems to leave me when faced with a big audience of people who.......are way scarier than those animals who bite and claw me!

This book was VERY helpful....it gave me permission to fail....to bomb! I just love that, since I've often found myself in mid-stride, suddenly losing my place and thinking discreetly, "Why are these people listening to this? Are they listening? Am I making any sense? Oh %#$##....what did I just say?"

Yes, I'm among those who flub punchlines, and laugh so hard at the joke I'm trying to tell that everyone loses interest. Tamblyn's book includes all the advice you'll ever need on using humor without necessarily using jokes, and getting gracefully out of tough situations.

Finally, my work is very high-stress, and often tragic...the book offers insight on dealing humorously with other people while confronting stress and pain. It can be done. I can and do train others to do the same. I found the chapters on engaging emotion, taking the space you need and laughing in the face of fear the most helpful.

While the book was obviously written with corporate training in mind, those of us in the non-profit (read non-paid) end of the working world can certainly take a page from this book.

Thank you, Ms. Tamblyn!

5 Solid approach to improving training
Cover to cover, this book is filled with insights and ideas for people to apply to any kind of training or educational program. Corporate trainers are the target audience, but there are gems on every page that educators (academia), managers (in their leadership roles), and even marketers (convincing) can use to better get points across and retained by the people they want.

The style is folksy-conversational, but that brings the topic out of the clouds and right into the nitty-gritty of building training programs and better developing trainers (and educators and leaders and sales people). It is decidedly not a cookbook, but rather one that presents dozens of ways to "season" a program or presentation style to take best advantage of the natural human enjoyment of humor. The ideas are rooted in science (brain activity, physiological responses, body chemistry), but presented in a non-threatening, you-really-knew-this-already-but-were-afraid-to-trust-yourself style. Much resonates with any kind of presentation or training success you might have had before, as well as how applications of humor and brain-compatible learning work outside the classroom.

Fun to read. Enlightening. Useful and practical. Entertaining, too. Well worth the price.

6 A Bit Shallow
While it contains a lot of good ideas, this book will not make the list of books every trainer should read to be successful. Tamblyn pulls together a number of proven training techniques and principles, but the book lacks the depth of numerous other books in the field.

The author is a former comedienne turned trainer, with her seminal experience at the state of California's school for errant drivers. Not exactly a corporate setting, but she had engaged in training in the corporate world for over two decades.

Tamblyn tries to be funny and mix in research on humor and deliver training tips all at the same time. Is this a training book or a humor book? I'm not enthusiastic about either objective being accomplished well, particularly compared with other work in the field that has greater depth and value.

In the introduction, as Tamblyn begins the lightness of the book's style, I read, "Therefore, I herewith offer this personal guarantee: If you don't laugh at least once while reading this book, I will eat a raw Japanese sea urchin. I swear. All you have to do is write." As a serious reviewer, even noting her lighthearted treatment of her topic, I wondered more than once how much she likes raw Japanese sea urchins.

The AMACOM editors have contributed by supporting some good organization to the book, including an index of the 95 techniques immediately following the table of contents and acknowledgements. Each chapter ends with a pause for reflection (write in the spaces provided what you got from this chapter) and a Next Steps section. Techniques presented in the book are tied back to theoretical introductions with side notes on the pages and readers are supplied with call-out quotes to read throughout the book.

The author and editors attempted to accomplish several things in one volume, but didn't make a sufficient connection or case, in my opinion. There is some value here for less experienced trainers, but such readers might be better served by the writings of Bob Pike and Leslie Yerkes. If you are active in the field already, this book may be a disappointment.

The Big Book of Humorous Training Games (Big Book of Business Games Series)