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ARE YOU HAVING A LAUGH? (AND IF NOT, WHY NOT?)




 * Creativity
 * Future of HR
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By Peter Crush
Mar 14, 2023
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It’s often said laughter is the best tonic – which is why one comedian is on a
mission to convince HRDs that they should be building in official chuckle time
at work.

Pre-pandemic Kevin Hubschmann (above), one of the founding members of events
marketing software company, Splash, was moonlighting in New York’s bars and
clubs following his first passion – performing as a stand up comedian.

He wasn’t bad at it either. Before long Hubschmann was organizing so-called
‘bringer’ shows, where he would bring in other talent (including the likes of
Judah Friedlander – who has appeared in the likes of Sin City, Curb Your
Enthusiasm, and Flight of the Conchords – as well as The Tonight Show regular,
Mark Normand) – to create a 90-minute show, performing to sell-out crowds.

Like all comics Hubschmann is a convert to the idea that mirth is medicine.
Charlie Chaplin once said “Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for
pain,” and little did he know how right he was – with science later proving
laughter triggers an emotional response in the limbic system. This controls
feelings of pleasure and fear, which in turn stimulates people’s motor cortex.

In fact laughing is so beneficial, it can literally lower the sensation of pain,
by reducing adrenaline levels and those of the stress hormone cortisol. In doing
so, laughing improves mood and makes people’s physical and emotional response to
stress less intense.


BRINGING LAUGHTER TO THE WORKPLACE

It’s this that partly explains why Hubschmann no longer works at Splash, but
instead decided to launch an intriguing venture – Laugh.Events – aimed squarely
at bringing merriment to the corporate market.

You’ve heard of software-as-a-service, well this is ‘laughter-as-a-service.’

“I saw that workers needed to sense that life should be more ‘fun’,” he says.
“`I felt that if people had some proper, genuine, unforced merriment, companies
would benefit too.”


LAUGHTER AS A STRESS RELIEVER

While other businesses have latched on to laughter – they tend to focus on
teaching people how to loose their inhibitions by using breathing and
belly-laugh techniques – this one differs by actually running comedy events.

And in a funny way (no pun intended), the arrival of Covid-19 was the perfect
catalyst.

“With enforced remote working, companies no longer knew what their workplaces or
cultures looked like anymore,” recalls Hubschmann. “People felt lonely,
disconnected, and anxious. By providing a comedic experience we created a way
for companies to build in time where everyone could come together virtually,
have a shared experience, and go away having had a good laugh and feeling better
about themselves.”

Hubschmann’s mission: Laugh


CORPORATES ARE SEEING THE SERIOUS SIDE OF LAUGHTER

Although Hubschmann’s services might appear frivolous, they have already caught
the eye of the likes of Meta, Spotify and Microsoft (plus other) – who are all
bona-fide paid-up clients.

The experience Laugh.Events can now offer is much more sophisticated too. It
will spend time working with corporates to understand their culture and what
makes their employees tick. It will then pair companies up with a comic whose
brand of comedy best suits that organization (it has a roster of more than 100
comedians it works with).

And even though the pandemic may be waning, demand for its services isn’t.

“Now we’re in a different environment, and times are just as stressful for
people,” says Hubschmann. “Covid-19 has been replaced by political economic, as
well as social tensions. People are still stuck in their homes, working
ever-longer hours, and they just want a break.”


DOES LAUGHING HAVE LONG-LASTING IMPACT?

To bring in some much-needed light-relief, Laugh.Events offers everything from
fully-interactive 60 minute shows (live or virtual) to short, sharp 15 minute
interventions, which just break up the monotony of the day.

But while few would argue that some good old-fashioned jollity is much needed,
can a show that’s over (relatively) quickly really have long-lasting results
that sustain – or even reinvigorate – the vibrancy of an organization?

Hubschmann concedes that it’s a question he gets asked a lot. “We like to think
we’re more targeted than most – offering improv sessions (see pic below) that
have a skills development and team building element also,” he says.

“We’ll help reward particular teams if that’s what clients want, and I think
organizations are latching on to the benefit of sprinkling these sorts of
interventions throughout the year – almost as ‘laugh breaks’ rather than coffee
breaks.”


SHARED EXPERIENCES MATTER

What seems to be most effective – Hubschmann argues – is when companies carve
out a proper time for unadulterated laughter, rather than try and put on
enjoyment for the sake of it.

“We’ve been through ‘Zoom-happy hour’-type events, but these are mostly nothing
more than drinking and hanging out with people events without any real focus,”
he says. “I think it’s why we now have ‘Zoom-fatigue.’

Hubschmann claims his events help people build proper relationships/bonding:
“Events have a shared experience,” he says. “When you hear someone next to you
laugh, or see someone laugh on one of our virtual events, people get a sense of
validation.”

He adds: “Getting people going, and vibing off each other is the key result
here. That’s when transformations start happening. I equate this benefit to like
going to the gym. Go there for a one-off session, and there’s no real benefit,”
he explains.“ But go regularly, and you start to see and feel the benefits.”


IT’S A SERIOUS BUSINESS

With a specific ‘Laugh Breaks’ proposition that aims to regularly “infuse
moments of laughter, silliness, and playfulness into the workday,” the business
is squarely aiming at making laughter as important to organizations as
engagement.

“What we’ve found through the interactive events we’ve already done, is that our
sessions really do give people the confidence to speak up, and come out of their
shells,” says Hubschmann.

“We’ve followed this up with sessions around how they can communicate their
goals, and map out their priorities, and work better with teams through
playfulness. We also cover risk-taking, thinking on your feet, and story-telling
and presenting”

He adds: “These things may sound ‘soft’, but they do have a real and massive
business benefit.”

And that definitely isn’t a joke.


THE SCIENCE OF LAUGHTER

 * Laughter enhances people’s intake of oxygen-rich air
 * Laughing stimulates the heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the
   endorphins that are released by the brain.
 * Laughter can stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which
   are proven to help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.
 * Laughter can help lessen people’s stress, depression and anxiety and may even
   make people feel happier.

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