Laughter helps knowledge retention. The release of dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins neutralizes the stress hormone cortisol, allowing the brain to process new information more deeply. Laughter has been called a ‘secret tool’ for ‘sticky learning’ because these chemicals wrap instructions or information in an emotional response, making them easier to recall later.
I always aim for people to enjoy my training sessions because, as you see, people learn more effectively when having fun.
The internet tells me that laughter helps the brain learn because it:
- Reduces Stress: Laughter lowers cortisol and adrenaline levels, which prevents the “fight-or-flight” response that often shuts down complex thinking
- Boosts Retention: Humor activates the brain’s reward system, stimulating long-term memory and goal-oriented motivation
- Enhances Creativity: A lighthearted atmosphere encourages divergent thinking, allowing students to explore new ideas without fear of making mistakes
- Improves Focus: Well-placed humor disrupts monotony, re-engaging attention during long or complex sessions. You can find more in the American Physiological Society Journal.
I do use humour in my training sessions for #communicationskills, #PublicSpeakingSkills, #voiceSkills, PresentationSkills, and a whole host of other, more specific sub-topics. I always adapt to the audience so that the humour is ‘well placed’ – ie a serious finance or military crowd might not appreciate some of my whackier impersonations/illustrations of ‘How Not to Present’. Or they might! That’s when I ‘read the room’ and decide on the day.
PowerPoints can be too ‘read-y’ when people are just reading long tracts of text off the screen. And sometimes I do have to sum up what I have just taught with some short bullet points (basically reading off the screen) but that is a very minor part of my teaching. A lot of it is storytelling, targeted anecdotes with a point, videos with analysis, photos with explanations. And humour helps most training situations, I find – particularly when participants are nervous of speaking in front of others, being filmed and then watching it back, and generally getting out of their comfort zone.
The comedian and communications coach Neil Mullarkey also covers this in his books. I spoke to him at a recent talk he gave on the use of humour in training, organised by the communications agency Definition. The upshot: a lot of business training is dull and comedy can make corporate training stick.
My point is:
…and this is my point: do include a little humour in any training, if you can. The positive neurotransmitters released during laughter (endorphins and serotonin) enhance the brain’s physical ability to build new neural pathways (neuroplasticity!) And you don’t just have to take my word for it. There’s a lot more information at the learning development consultancy Laughology.
