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WEDNESDAY WISDOM AND WIT

8/24/2021

Could geniality and longevity be natural bedfellows?

While professional speakers might have a signature keynote that they deliver, it still requires a lot of time before the event to prepare and customise to the specific audience. Before I started to get known as a speaker, I worked hard on all aspects in the lead up, delivery on the day and post event follow up, to ensure that word of mouth might become my main method of securing contracts.
And it worked.

I created low budget, high impact, opening and closing segways that became a highlight of what got talked about. And they were just a natural extension of who I am in the world!

A favourite has been the bucket and spade I give every conference organiser at the opening of my presentation, saying .....
Wait for it ....
" I would like to thankyou for inviting me to come play in your sandpit". Why do I think this little genial thing I do is related to longevity?
I have done over 1000 keynotes so thats 1000 buckets and spades.
BUT....
The organiser of a womens conference I did in NZ in 2002 rang recently to tell me "Pat I want you to know I still have your bucket and spade on my office desk and its now full of jokes and one liners and pranks!"
Lauren Clemett will like this I am sure! Being distinctive and on brand is the perfect way to establish who you are in the marketplace and keeps you top of mind.

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Understatement to command attention

6/9/2020

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EDNESDAY WISDOM

If you have ever been hit by a Mack truck you will get what I am about to say! Leonard Cohen went on a 5 year retreat to become a Monk, and on his return discovered all his millions had gone. He says of that time "Money has a certain way of disappearing if you dont watch it closely...." and with a wry grin he added " Thats a certain wisdom I acquired!"

As an afterthought he added with a wry grin, " It's enough to put a dent in your mood!" Cohen was using understatement as a tool to downplay the drama and to amuse the audience. You can't fail to be moved by his representation! ( Watch the 11 min clip below)

Cohen's loss was personal. The covid phenomena has been global. We have all been left a "tad disconcerted" ( see what I did there?) We have some pesky little details to deal with now! Humour and BEING GOOD HUMOURED can aid this process!

You owe it to your people to find out more about gentle good humour and its application in your workplace!
Why not give me a ring? 0487105785

#humouratwork #funatwork # #teamspirit #winningteam #workplacewellbeing #joyinbusinesandlife

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The health in humour!!

3/22/2020

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Laughter is a great medicine. Like intense exercise, laughter increases brain levels of serotonin and endorphins that can calm and relax the mind. Every year there is more evidence that your thoughts, moods, emotions and belief systems have a fundamental impact on the body’s basic health and healing mechanisms. Candice Pert in her book, The Molecules of Emotions, found that emotions are registered and stored in the body in the form of chemical messages. Better understanding the interaction between emotions and these chemical messages are the key to maintaining a strong health connection between the body and the mind. It is through the emotions you experience in connection with your thoughts and daily attitudes, through the neurochemical changes that accompany these emotions, that your mind acquires the power to influence whether you get sick or remain well.

Reduction of stress hormones
When you’re under stress, your body undergoes a series of hormonal and other body changes which make up the “fight or flight” response. Even though there’s no physical threat to your life, your body reacts as if there were. If you’re under stress day after day, this preparation for a vigorous physical response (which never happens) begins to pose a threat to your health. Anything, which can reduce the level of stress hormones in the blood on a regular basis, helps reduce this threat. The limited research on stress related hormones and humour has shown that laughter reduces at least four neuroendocrine hormones associated with the stress response including adrenaline, cortisol, dopac and growth hormone.

Norman Cousins drew the attention of the medical community to the pain reducing power of humour in his book, Anatomy of an Illness. Norman had a spinal disease that left him in constant pain. But he quickly discovered while watching comedy films that belly laughter eased his pain. In his last book, Head First, The Biology of Hope, he noted that 10 minutes of belly laughter would give him two hours of pain free sleep. Over a dozen studies have now confirmed that humour does have the power to reduce pain in many patients. “ The chemicals that are running our body and our brain are the same chemicals that are involved in emotion. And that says to me that we’d better pay more attention to emotions with respect to our health. “ Candice Pert- Molecules of Emotion

Even more interesting is the fact that even if you pretend laughing or act happiness, your body produces happy chemicals. The brain does not know the difference!

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Types of Humour and Application in life

3/22/2020

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Tom Hopkins, US speaker and perhaps the worlds best sales trainer says you can learn to laugh even if you have a Ph D in pessimism! What needs to happen is the replacement of the strong silent type for a few sense of humour types! Understanding the different forms and types of humour helped Digital Equipment Co in Colorado boost productivity by 15% and halved the number of sick days over a 12 month period. You too can experience the same sorts of benefits in your business.

Humour comes to us in many forms.
Satire, irony, sarcasm, wit, parody, farce, surrealism and play.

Satire :- exposes, mocks, sends up and attacks the pompous, hypocritical and immoral. It also exposes negative habits. The painful realities of life are combined with pleasurable experiences.

Irony :- on the other hand is a remark that is the exact opposite to what you are thinking ! Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit “so they say”, is based on ridicule and vindictiveness and quickly builds communication barriers.

Wit :- is perhaps the most admired and sought after form. Based on intellect it is a brilliant cognitive association between an idea and an attitude, or a situation and a person. People with a natural wit have very high intelligence. Those with a practised wit have normal intelligence and have consciously trained their humour mind.

Parody :- is another name for spoof, and impersonates and mocks well known writings such as plays and books. The actor John Cleese has perfected this art form in the many training videos he created, which provide a wonderful example of laughing as you learn.

Farce :- is simple. A ridiculous idea is taken as being true, then acted on logically. It includes slapstick and burlesque. Embarrassing moments and bureaucratic bungling are the food of farce.

Surrealism :- happens when you combine outrageous exaggeration, impossible contradictions and zany assumptions. The most improbable are brought together, creating verbal fantasies and brilliant mental images.

Play :- finally and perhaps the most delightful is the notion of play. To be playful and serious at the same time, that is have serious fun, defines the ideal mental state. Play removes uncertainties, allows for errors, cuts through embarrassment, criticism and rejection and opens up the scope for risk taking and creativity.

Maybe you could start sending Amusing Memos periodically, combining these mechanisms with understatement.? Example Staff memo:- Due to competition in the marketplace and because we have a somewhat keen desire to remain in business, we request that somewhere between starting time and quitting time, without excessive infringement on the time devoted to lunch, coffee breaks, cigarette breaks, periodic rests, storytelling and joke time, each employee is to endeavour to find some time that can be reserved and set aside and henceforth be known as the work break.

Or you could create a Jester journal or send Glad Mail. Affirmations express the goodwill people have toward each other or the relationship they would like to have. To be good humoured is to be in the moment, responsive and demonstrate that you have some empathy for the other person. It is about choosing to be positive and looking for positive ways to problem solve and get things done. Humour fosters creativity.

Isn’t it interesting that we will leave the workplace and often pay large sums of money to be amused and entertained “after work” as a means of de-stressing and relaxation. Many amusing and memorable moments can be created at work with minimal budget and set the scene for increased productivity as a result.

President Eisenhower said”. Practice being a creator, participant and benefactor of fun in the workplace. You will be less stressed, and enjoy the relationships and the rewards that humour brings.

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March 21st, 2020

3/21/2020

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Once upon a time earlier this week I was being interviewed....or about to be interviewed by Mary Brotherton, Editor of bUneke Magazine in the USA. A fairly new offering they have is a series on Blog Talk Radio and they booked me in to do a show on humour!
We tried once....sound did not work ...a week later we tried a second time and sound did not work....and this week we were both early and so well prepared,,,,and dang but I could not hear her! But.....she could hear me! And she was directing me by text message. And then the show started.....in studio you can't stop you have to begin! And so she began....I cant hear a thing....and suddenly she types me and says lets just go anyway!

I had better add... I am in Brisbane Australia!
I am like....OK?....there is a small awkward pause....and she asked my by typing how Joyology began and we just flowed from there! I talked and she typed! We finished exactly 3 minutes out so she could do her usual close ...and DONE!

A friend said to me "Pat tell people how you pulled that off! Because we all need to know what to do when things dont work as planned !! "
So here are my top ten radio/interview tips that ensure you can proceed whatever the circumstances

Top Ten tips to keep you ON AIR!!

Well before the event have your interview questions written and in the hands of the radio anchor. Be really clear how you will open and close!
Write yourself 15 standard questions and extract the ones you want for each different show. How to sort that? Take 15 main things about your expertise and create little windows of information. That then becomes each question and you already have your answer! In my experience you only need 5 questions for an hour
Have a copy in front of you as a reference
Be really fluid with your story so conversation can flow and you don't have to reach into the far recesses of your mind to find a point you want to make!
Have a pre session when you can with the anchor so you can be sure you are both on the same page
Check your sound and camera, headset or microphone 30 minutes before time
Do some improv acting study ! It will help you remove the censor and enable flow
If you get the chance sit in on live radio and observe.
I had radio experience behind me. When you enter a commercial studio you typically have 5 minutes to get sorted and then you are live and have to GO! Podcasts, especally like Blog Talk Radio and others, are platforms that function the same way. When I began I pre-recorded 4 and then went live and produced around 400 shows.
For my radio program I had a cue sheet and all the segments in order, including music, ads and radio stings. This is like planning a wedding! Once you have it all done you can cope with the variables on the day! ( Happy to share that if anyone interested)
PLEASE NOTE....it is unlikely anyone would proceed as Mary and I did. But we did and it worked and I just loved the dance! There's a certain thrill in bringing something to life...WHEN YOU CANT SEE OR HEAR IT!

This is the episode and Mary says please skip the first 5 minutes as she ad libs while trying to sort sound!
Radio, Podcast and video are going to be a pivotal part of our offerings especially over the coming months. Please enquire if you would like support to establish your podcast!
Pat Armitstead- Now in Brisbane
Multi-Award Winning Speaker, Author and Radio Host
Past President National Speakers Association NZ
New Zealand Speaker of the year 2002
Transforming Workplace Wellbeing
0487105785
pat@joyology.co.nz
www.joyology.co.nz

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Invitation to announce yourselves to each other !!

3/21/2020

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Invitation to announce yourselves to each other !! 20 years ago In New Zealand I presented at their first "Be the Change" conference. Today as I reflect, I see what was put in place that day paved the way for us to be experiencing our current reality with a level of equanimity!

The first thing we have to do if we are going to change the world is to let the world know that we are here. We have to tell each other about each other. We have to “announce” ourselves to each other! One of the biggest reasons that people do not see themselves as “world-changers” is that they imagine themselves to be standing alone against overwhelming odds. It is as if we are all living by some Silent Agreement.

The Agreement is to keep our views largely to ourselves and to remain unknown to each other.This is not an agreement that we are keeping because we want to. It is not even an agreement that we are keeping consciously. We are keeping this agreement unconsciously, without even knowing that we are doing it. We keep this agreement by “going along,” by “giving in,” by “accepting” life “as it is." NDW

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Wednesdays Wisdom

2/18/2020

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I was talking today to the producers of this TV Show in NZ PHUNK NATION. I was contracted some time back to mentor members of the cast as they toured New Zealand and worked on their addictions. My contribution was teaching them positive psychology principles and building self awareness to get them present to the cost of their current lifestyle. We did coaching behind the scenes and then some live coaching and ongoing live feedback to track progress. As a speaker when we choose a specialty area ...mine was "Joy when it seems there is none"...we don't know where it will lead us. I committed to be published every month and that is how the producers found me. I had prior to this a huge number of years developing my expertise so it now had a place to land.

Are you building a speaking business and need support? PM for a free discovery session

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Mike Hutcheson on Business at the speed of Coffee

9/9/2019

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If you want to change someones life there are 2 things that will do it. Find a mentor and be a mentor. Do both together and you are up and running! Choose a leader who epitomises where you want to be and find the courage to ask for their support!

Mike Hutcheson featured in this NZ Series "Business at the Speed of Coffee" was my mentor when I founded Joyology. Back then he was MD of Saatchi and Saatchi Auckland. He said to me many times "You're a hard woman to say no to Pat Armitstead! Remind me and I will tell you why one day!! A man of great geniality and a love of english and art !!

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Resolving the Unhappiness Epidemic

3/28/2019

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"Across the globe, many people lack joy, harmony, trust and are prone to doubt. They have become despondent and depressed, fail to be their word, sit in overwhelm, others are resigned and intolerant. Others show cynicism and act confused , and many lack confidence all of which results in emotional flatlining, lack of engagement , poor productivity and more recently, unresolved grief, poor mental health and suicides." Pat Armitstead
I believe "You cant lift your bottom line if people are down"
1:5 people are medicated for depression, costing us up to 200 billion per year, and in Australia alone there are 3000 suicides per year .
That's 8 people every day !
Johan Hari and I agree on a couple of principles. For almost the past 100 years, mental health professionals have told us that that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. However, there's a much more realistic theory that depression happens due to an imbalance happening outside of your cranium. Johann Hari, author of "Lost Connections", believes that depression these days stem from societal issues. Johann offers some staggering statistics showing that antidepressants seem to be doing much more harm than good — among them, that one out of every four middle-aged women in the United States is taking a chemical antidepressant in any given year.
If we want to get rid of modern-day depression, he says, we have to change society.
We can begin to do that by using :-

a strengths based approach
principles from elite performance and positive psychology
emotional and conversational intelligence

These tools and principles can help build resilience and shift thinking, and I am joined by many other notable business leaders in this belief

"Human beings are meant to be joyful, light-hearted and happy. And yet at the start of the new millennium we, in the so-called sophisticated Western world, are witnessing an overwhelming epidemic of unhappiness like never before. In recent years we have medicalised this unhappiness – in 2008, more than 164 million prescriptions for antidepressants were written by doctors in the USA. This in my humble opinion is silly – very silly. Because the roots of our problems are not chemical – rather they are to be found in our strained relationships with others, our world, and ourselves. We are in danger of losing sight of our souls."
Dr Robin Kelly

Up to now we have not explored grief in the workplace. Its been a bit of a taboo subject, but huge shifts are being made now with in house Domestic Violence Support programs in place in businesses, and even Gary Vaynerchuk has now appointed a Chief Heart Officer, whose role is to build empathy!! Feeling comfortable and learning to relate at this deeper level in the workplace requires the creation of a high trust environment and a willingness to feel uncomfortable !

Over the years I have seen how becoming agile, embracing change, taking risks, communing intimately, and lighting people up has transformed individuals and teams. I interviewed James Greenshields this week and in this powerful video we share we share wisdom and insights on grief, depression and emotional expression. ( This is a longer video and you might like to use it as a discussion point for your leaders when you next meet )

We can make a difference and I am supporting leaders to step into this new place that I call joyful empowerment. You can access a complimentary discovery session by phoning 0061 487105785 to make an appointment !

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" Me Highs" for the times when you feel a tad deflated

1/26/2019

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Once upon a not so joyful time I did a program with a man who called himself a Maverick. His name was Bill Potter, and his book was called "Mind your own damned business", and half of it was written upside down!!!

He says "The greatest hindrance to creativity and progress, is the ‘same old, same old’ (no change, no change) factor. This is true for your personal life, relationships and business. It is not about your ‘comfort zone’. It’s about your ‘status zone’. For starters, you must clear the ‘olde fartitus’ defined as Getting stuck in the past doing things that used to work."

You have to love the Olde Fartitus !!

Bills motto was...and is...DuitDammit....

Doing his course back then was timely for me as I had been through the wringer with life events ( not so joyful) and was on a recovery path. I left his course with the intention to create a Me Highs folder.....documenting in there at least 150 times in my life when I had been successful.

WHY?

Its a chronology of success
It helps you identify trends and....
Its a powerful anti-depressant - better than Viagra!!

For 12 months on a particular project I added thankyou cards, feedback, and endorsements from other businesses. Its a tome I use to this day to connect people back to their greatness so they can begin to own who they are in the world and their contribution to humanity.

So the invitation today is to begin your own list! I know, the first 50 might seem hard but once you get to that point you will just be in flow!! Pop it all in a folder with plastic sleeves and start adding the endorsements you receive.

Love you to share with me some of your list !! Pop them on my FB page or email me pat@joyology.co.nz

Some of my MeHighs below!