P. Kustermann / Seite 1. Relevant for. Children. Children. Elderly. Elderly. Adults. Adults. Coma. Coma. Rehab.

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1 Children Children is much more than just being comical! Elderly Adults Coma Rehab Hospice Psychiatric Intl. Crisis Education Training Sharing skills with medical staff Paul Kustermann, Clown Coach Trainer Author Co-Founder ROTE NASEN Germany 45 years experience in the healing and connective power of Humor! If you have it, use it Elderly Adults Coma Rehab Hospice Psychiatric Intl. Crisis Education Training it s really about handling crises, coping with stress, gaining new perspectives, finding normalcy, enjoying communication, gaining motivation and attaining emotional and psychic balance. Humor is a gift of evolution. Everyone has it, everyone uses it. When we loose it, it s a signal for crisis. When we regain it, it s an indicator of healthy normalcy. Humor is more than comedy Relevant for Care givers & Helpers People in social services Therapist and Doctors Trainers & Coaches Crisis Intervention workers Communicators & Teachers Administrators & Leaders Decision makers Coordinators These are a few of the salient characteristics attributed to using humor in care. Forming trust Bridging gaps Creating lightness Alleviating undue discomfort Skill in communicating is one of the most effective ways for healthcare professionals to put people at ease, create incentive & hope, as well as positively impacting one s own work-environment and effectiveness. Humor for Healthcare Professionals HCIM Congress in Vienna April 2018 Paul Kustermann Why? What? Where? A lot more than being comical, it s really about handling crises, coping with stress, gaining new perspectives, finding normalcy, enjoying communication, getting motivated and gaining emotional and psychic balance. Humor is basically crisis management. It involves RECOGNITION, gaining DISTANCE, entering a state of PLAY, finding alternative PERSPECITVES, learning applicable COPING strategies. As a major indicator for healthy normalcy, understanding and allowing humor is a major communication tool and social skill. This skillset is relevant for all professionals dealing with crises, communication, interpersonal relations. Cycle: Humor is a gift of evolution. Everyone has it, everyone uses it. When we loose it, it s a signal for crisis. When we regain it, it s an indicator of healthy normalcy. Understanding: How humor works, how to appreciate and implement it. How to regain it when it wanes or is chronically threatened. Areas of significance: Healthcare Professionals, Therapist, Social Workers, Communicators, Teachers, Administrators, Decision-Makers and Leaders. Humor is an essential element of social competency. Humor is more than comedy We all have it use it need it in crisis and health. Seite 1

2 Reward? Realizing what we have and where and why do we use it? Humor is a gift of evolution. POI Crisis! Danger? Completely natural among friends silliness corniness cheerfulness goofing around breaking taboos parody & satire irony & jokes exaggerating empathizing re-framing provoking inventing agreeing relief Regaining Normalcy! Humor is a signal for healthy normality, as well as a key to social intelligence What Humor does for us in terms of shaping perspectives Does Humor undermine our status as professionals? Humor bridges gaps integrating that which sets us apart and all that connects us. Most definitely! That s exactly what s so great about it. What appeals to us about this fire fox? What does it have with us in common, and what not? By poking fun at hierarchy, authority, knowledge, meaning and competency it creates eye-level parity forms trust, creates bonds affirms competencies in others ameliorates problems & differences Two exercises: > Connectedness > Uniqueness empowers creativity and promotes finding new perspectives provokes defining one s position and communicating about choices A cognitive capacity for discerning value and meaning in things that puzzle or challenge us. Humor is that benevolent state of flux between anxiousness and bliss. Seite 2

3 Putting people at ease Gaining trust and compliance Active listening and cooperating Creating motivation & aid in coping Dealing with fear, stress, conflict Communication Skills that make us more professional Pause Humor Four is a exercises social lubricant; in social a safety skills valve that keeps us from entirely blowing our > stack. Humor is the capacity to hover between hysterics and serenity. P. Kustermann Source: Center for Creativ Leadership Short Summary Block I Significance of Humor in Healthcare? Options come from Play Problem solving and being creative Target Groups for Humor-Trainings T Care-Givers, Therapists, Social-Workers Teams, Supervisors, Decision Makers Training Trainers in Humor-Competency Friends and relatives of patients suffering from serious or chronic illnesses Focus for Block II Dealing with conflicts Practical applications & training Questions & feedback Training Care-Givers in the practice of Building trust, getting compliance Bridging gaps (Care-Giver to Client) and (Colleague to Colleague) Maintaining a benevolent spirit of play in an environment of cooperation Active listening and basics of communication Games for improving social dynamics Connect the dots with 4 straight consecutive lines. Humor is when you laugh in spite of it all Seite 3

4 Recognizing a Crisis before it becomes one Crisis-Plan for dealing with challenging situations When the day is too long When your patience is over When nobody listens to you Step back Acceptance first law of spirit When opinions begin to clash When your interest in fun dwindles When your colleagues begin to bug you Get distance Wu-Wei attitude Find thankfulness Attitude adjustment When the clients begin to get on your nerves When the air is so thick, you could cut it in two When you d like to snap and hit something Count backwards Smile, disclosure Re-establish trust find Help complicity Solving conflicts starts with the ability and readiness to play. When all you can think of is quitting time Do the unexpected When you feel aggression in the air When you just want to disappear Managing crises begins with your capacity and readiness to play. High-time for a change of perspective! -Hum or sing - Dance or exaggerate -Be good to yourself re-establish Trust Virtual 3 rd Room look for the playable Two simple exercises in handling conflict Practical Tools for Everyday Training program for healthcare professionals Focus on resources rather than deficits > Reframing Annoyances Develop your resilience-reflex by practicing daily > Mindfulness & Provocation An inner state of balance and distance If worse comes to worst... Humor is your best option. Examples that Participants have strongly endorsed: Take a step back (Crisis Model) Breathe deep, nod with appreciation Provoke a smile, carry one inside yourself Do the unexpected, risk uniqueness Balloons, Feathers, Bubbles, Fans Practice mindfulness & autogenetic training 1-minute daily turns an ability into a skill Win accomplices (co-conspirators) with games like Rock-Paper-Scissors Give people choices, even to say no! Exaggerate, understate, invent Have fun, and let the others in on it Change your name, your appearance, the role you are currently using. Give yourself a title like April-Fools Delegate or Ambassador of Mirth! Seite 4

5 Thank you for your attention! Handouts available at the website More than just being comical Laughter is a physio-neurological phenomenon occurring in response to an impulse. Humor is a highly integrative cognitive competency that we can use at will. It can be consciously fostered by our attitude. It can be actively practiced by provoking the humor and complicity in others. Laughter is a form of release. Humor is a perspective. Humor-Types Spirit of play / Silliness / Benevolent lightness Being corny / wise-cracking / making Jokes / Clowning around / Irony / Self-effacing humor / Dry humor / Satire / Parody / Caricature / Persiflage / Gallows humor / Black humor / Fatalism / Cynical humor / Sarcasm / Derision / Biting Humor / Laughing at someone, ridiculing them, belittling them, ostracizing them Humor is the vent that prevents from blowing out stack. Laughter connects... It is recognition and agreement simultaneously, a signal for a healthy normalcy, reconciliation with the paradoxes of life, a social regulator. It can also be a weapon, subversive, anarchic. The choice is ours, how we use it benevolently or pathogenically. Ways and Means of Humor Empathy, appreciation, proximity and distance, a benevolent attitude, willingness to change your perspective, using intuitive and emotional intelligence, understanding context, practicing intellectual playfulness, risk provoking a response. How Humor Works Twelve basic Principles for a healthy Humor-Culture Being authentic Every type has its own appeal Resource-Oriented Perspective recognize strengths, look for the playable Allowing humor to take its course Fun is very okay! Earnestness is too. Don t obsess about funniness. Step back, get a new perspective, Adjust your attitude, find Trust, dialog. Acceptance is the first law of spirit. Learn to be appreciative, validating, and have an attitude of respect and thankfulness. Do the un-expected. Have the courage to provoke humor, initiate a smile, earn a laugh. Look for what s Play-able and go to that imaginary 3rd Room (the virtual playground) Spirit of Fun Mindfulness Deceleration Winning Trust Building Relationship Changing Perspectives Doing the unexpected Appreciation & Honoring Proximity & Distance Intuitive intelligence Wu-Wei principle Care for yourself Laughter is recognition and agreement simultaneously! Seite 5