Michael Kerr – The Workplace Energizer

Michael Kerr - The Workplace Energizer - www.kmprod.com/michael-kerrMICHAEL KERR
10 Reasons Why Humour Is A Key To Success At Work


Forbes.com cites the reasons “Workplace Energizer” Michael Kerr believes humour is a fundamental element for achieving success in the workplace:

Michael Kerr - The Workplace Energergizer - www.kmprod.com/michael-kerr

Tasteful humor is a key to success at work, but there’s a good chance your co-workers aren’t cracking jokes or packaging information with wit on a regular basis–and your office could probably stand to have a little more fun.

“Humor, by its nature, tends to have an edge to it, so people typically tone it down at work,” says Laura Vanderkam, author of What the Most Successful People Do at Work (Portfolio, 2013), and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast (Portfolio, 2012). “It’s hard to do well and easy to do badly. Plus, we all have a tendency to take ourselves way too seriously.”

Michael Kerr, an international business speaker, president of Humor at Work, and author of the upcoming book, The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses are Laughing all the Way to the Bank (Dec. 2013), says the amount or type of humor you’ll find in any given workplace depends almost entirely on the culture. “In workplaces that encourage people to be themselves–that are less hierarchical and more innovative–people tend to be more open with their humor,” he says. “Even people who aren’t always comfortable sharing their humor tend to do so in more relaxed environments where the use of humor becomes second nature with everyone’s style.”

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The Evasons – Award-winning Mentalists & Psychic Entertainers

The Evasons - http://www.kmprod.com/the-evasonsTHE EVASONS
Mesmerizing All at the Creative Alliance


Featured in the Baltimore Post Examiner – May 2013

The Evasons - www.kmprod.comI would have never guessed that the woman who was sitting across the aisle from me last Friday night was wearing a locket with miniature pictures of both her grandmother and her great grandmother.  Nor would I have guessed that the guy at the table to my left was carrying a pack of Marlboros which contained nineteen cigarettes – with one turned upside down.  Or that the man next to him was thinking of the number 93.

I would have never guessed these seemingly random facts, but Tessa Evason did.  Or did she know?

For 30 years, Tessa and her husband Jeff have amazed audiences around the world with surprisingly accurate demonstrations of extra sensory perception (ESP) and mental telepathy.  Last Friday the Annapolis couple made their Maryland premiere at Creative Alliance in Baltimore.  The Evasons were joined on the bill that night by the highly entertaining comedy juggler Michael DuBois.

Cigarettes and family relics weren’t the only things Tessa correctly intuited.  Bracelets, gold rings, key chains and an unusual bottle opener were just a few of the other items Tessa correctly identified while standing blind-folded on the stage.  Not only did Tessa identify these items sight unseen but she also related intimate information about each piece.  The detailed descriptions shocked more than one participant, and with each passing point, the Evasons seemed to convince even the most critical spectator.

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MICHELLE RAY – LEADERSHIP EXPERT

Michelle Ray - Workplace Relationships ExpertMICHELLE RAY
The Constant Fear of Change


“Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time;
what we want is for things to stay the same but get better”—Sydney Harris

Being on the precipice of change and feeling trepidation, determining whether or not the fear is real or self-manufactured is the first step. It may mean doing nothing about our careers, businesses, or a personal matter for now if the timing doesn’t feel right. Or, it may propel us to move in a new direction.

Fear is a natural emotion. We all possess the innate ability to harness the fight or flight response as a means of protecting ourselves from a threat; whether that threat is real or perceived. On the other hand, the fear of change involves a different state that I describe as the “fright” response. We don’t simply retreat from it; we are often so terrified by the prospect of change that we allow the fear to become all-consuming. As a result, we stay stuck…because staying stuck is easier than creating change.

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JOSH LINKNER – Award-Winning Entrepreneur & Creativity Expert

josh_linkner_smJOSH LINKNER
Why the Best Leaders Embrace the Worst Ideas


Award-winning entrepreneur and creativity expert Josh Linkner wrote a recent piece for Forbes.com on why it’s important to welcome ideas from anyone–at all levels–in your company:

Modern leadership technique models all point to an “open door” style. With this practice, employees have the ability to approach their leader with questions at any time. This philosophy of openness makes perfect sense, but it doesn’t go far enough. The door should be open not only for questions, but also for ideas – even if that means an influx of terrible ones.

Whether it’s in a pop-in, impromptu chat or in a team brainstorming session or a formal board meeting, you (as a leader) should encourage people to bring forward their ideas – and then, you should embrace what they suggest… even if it’s awful.

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DR. DAVID POSEN – Stress Mastery & Bestselling Author

david_posen_lgDR. DAVID POSEN
Why Companies Need To Stop Causing So Much Stress

 


is-work-killing-you1The Globe and Mail’s Harvey Schachter talks to Dr. David Posen about his new book, Is Work Killing You? A Doctor’s Prescription for Treating Workplace Stress

 

 

David Posen is a stress doctor. The Oakville, Ontario-based physician, after many years as a general practitioner, became involved in stress counselling and stress management in the early 1980s. He now specializes in it, carrying out counselling and psychotherapy with patients two mornings a week, as well as consulting to organizations and advocating for action in his lectures and books.

He believes the discussion on stress in the workplace begins with four basic premises:

1) Workplaces are making people sick.

2) Not enough people are talking about it, and when they do, nobody’s listening.

3) Much of the time and effort put in by stressed-out workers is actually unproductive, so it makes more sense to focus them on important matters and cut back their hours, so their health and productivity will improve.

4) Many of the solutions aren’t complicated.

He works with individuals to help them cope better with stress. But he believes the focus has to switch from personal responsibility to the organizational level: Companies need to stop causing so much stress.

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