Laughing and learning together is always a good mix
The disappointment on my face must have been obvious.
You want me to perform my magic here?!
I’d just been shown into an uninspiring meeting room in an outworn building on the outskirts of Cardiff. This was where I’d be hosting my day-long storytelling workshop.
It was hardly the perfect space. Yet it turned out to be one of my most memorable sessions out of the two-year long series I ran for the BBC.
Why?
Because we had fun.
It began when the participants really threw themselves into the warm-up improvisation exercise, coming up with weird and wonderful stories that got us laughing out loud.
The morning continued in the same vein and then during the lunch break I noticed a BBC World News interview that was going viral on Twitter. Professor Robert Kelly had been interrupted by his baby and toddler during a live interview about South Korean politics.
I lined it up on my laptop and started the afternoon session with that now famous clip. Everyone in the room doubled over with laughter. Play it again, they cried!
Laughter is so important and can make such a difference to the learning experience. Where I can, I incorporate opportunities for laughter and joy in my workshops. Laughing and learning together is always a good mix 😊
Find out about Ian’s Storytelling for Leaders training programme
