Training is a joke! or at least it should be?...

Engaging learners with humour

If you were lucky enough to have one of those brilliant teachers who easily captured the mind of their students through weird experiments, humorous anecdotes and laughter, I bet you can still recall minute details about the lesson, the awe and fascination you felt… that need to know more.

Have you ever wondered how we commit those lessons to memory so easily, or how that brilliant teacher made learning and memorisation such a breeze?

There has been substantial research on the topic of ‘humour and learning’, and it turns out, it all comes down to the way humour stimulates the brain.

The Funny Bone’s connected to the Thinky Feels – It’s a scientific fact!

Cognitive studies have shown humour activates the brain’s dopamine reward system and, in turn, stimulates goal-oriented motivation and long-term memory. OK, Brainiac, what does that actually mean?

Humour has a positive impact on student behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement, because it activates our sense of wonder, which is exactly how the brain’s pathways to new knowledge are reinforced and extraordinary moments are formed into long-term memories.

Should laughter and learning go hand-in-hand?

Absolutely!! Take Sesame Street for example. 53 successful years of humour-based education aimed at little humans around the world, and I’m sure if you were asked to recall a lesson from Sesame Street as a child, something would spring to mind pretty quickly.

Studies on the benefits of using humour in educational environments indicate that appropriate, content-specific humour helps to reinforce concepts and improve learner outcomes for students at any age. In addition to this, the contagious nature of laughter naturally builds a sense of community, creates a more open environment and reduces learner-anxiety.

As an Educator, how do I get it right?

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Un-common sense - humour in the classroom should be relevant to the topic being discussed and should always make sense! However, you could try to explore topics from different angles using comedic techniques such as understatement, exaggeration and juxtaposition. See if you can come up with a way to get your students thinking AND laughing by asking questions wrapped up in a joke (e.g., “If you’re sending someone styrofoam, what do you pack it in?” - Stephen Wright, Comedian).

Baby steps - maybe start with puns, humorous images or memes, or share a funny story or experience. Don’t jump right in. It’s best to test the waters first.

Make a sandwich - Think of humour as the mayo in a BLT. Although it’s not the main ingredient, it really does bring everything together and enhances the whole experience. Layer the funny stuff between instruction and repetition, and only use it to highlight key concepts, don’t let it take over.

Don’t chuck a Dave Chappelle - with risky humour, it’s way too easy to step over the line, leaving your audience offended or embarrassed. Don’t put yourself at risk of being ‘cancelled’. Make sure your use of humour is something everyone can laugh at (or at least roll their eyes at!).

Humour coaching - Why not take a class with a professional comedian to add humour to your presentations and add confidence to your public speaking? Many comedy rooms offer such classes. Lazy Susan’s School of Comedy is a great place to start for Perth peeps. Adding simple comedy techniques to your toolbelt will help you to maintain engagement in your classroom and will have students eager to learn more.

Silly business is serious business!

So, there you have it. With a positive, happy learning environment, interest in subjects and participation can increase, stress can decrease and better relationships between students and teachers can be forged – all benefiting learner outcomes. Laughter really is the best medicine there is.

We’d love to hear from you! In your experience, when has humour been used to give a positive result in training?

Written by Deanna Corbett

#wacomedy #wacomedyweek #perthcomedy #perthcomedians