THURSDAY, APRIL 19

FRIDAY, APRIL 20

Humor and Aging: It's No Joke
KATHY LAURENHUE, MA & GURINDER BAINS, M.D.
Part 1: Studies have shown that people who have a positive view of aging, live on average 7 years longer than people who have a negative view. In this interactive presentation, we will express the view that a positive outlook on aging is at least partly about having a good sense of humor and that a good sense of humor has three elements: ha-ha, ah-ha, and aaahhhh. Ha-ha is about laughter and having fun; ah-ha is about learning something new, and aaahhhh is the feeling we have when time flows, when we get lost in the pleasure of an activity and/or people we enjoy. In other words, humor in aging is much more than jokes and laughter.
Part 2: At the same time, laughter can perhaps increase memory. Dr. Bains' research showed that older adults remembered better when given a chance to watch a humorous video before being tested on their learning ability, delayed recall, and visual recognition. While it was a small study that needs further replication, it mimics results shown in studies on younger subjects, and suggests that removing stress influences memory and recall; a finding that will comfort many older adults.   

Unlocking Family Patterns of Emotional Abuse Using Humor As Part of the Healing Process
EARL HENSLIN, Ph.D
As a counselor and family therapist, Dr. Earl Henslin brings decades of wisdom and insight to a session exploring how emotional scars and patterns set in the past impact future brain function, behaviors, and emotions. Based on findings identified using SPECT scan technology, Dr. Henslin will share how individual brains are in fact, wired differently, and how humor can help in the process of changing patterns once believed to be set in stone. Though there is still much to learn, Dr. Henslin delivers a message of hope for creating new pathways to healing and health.

My Daughter, Wife, and Son are Dead! Where’s the Joy in That?
TOM ZUBA,
You will leave Tom's session with a clear understanding of grief and it’s countless, surprising, confusing, seldom-talked-about expressions. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of mourning and denial ~ and be given the tools you need to create a safe, sacred healing space for yourself and the people you work with; a space where you can learn to enter the present moment. The only place where joy/god reside. Tom learned the hard way and can teach you to do the same.

Do Nurses Have a Specific Attitude Towards Humor?
MARY MCCABE, MS, RN
Humor is often initiated by patients and poorly responded to by nurses. The purpose of my research was to better understand specific attitudes nurses have towards humor; to investigate if nurses had any formal education regarding humor and patient care; and to analyze demographic influences on the use of humor by nurses.

(Optional Chicago style pizza lunch at additional cost)

BOOKSTORE and EXHIBIT TIME

What Makes Things Funny?: Connecting Humor's Antecedents to its Consequences.
PETER MCGRAW, Ph.D.
For millenia, philosophers, scientists, and entertainers have puzzled over the question of what makes things funny. Although great progress has been made answering the question, one of the surprising aspects of prevailing humor theories is that they are not well-connected to the well-developed literature that features humor’s diverse consequences - especially how humor can just as easily hurt as it does help. I will review prominent theories of humor and discuss the challenges they have explaining the many therapeutic, social, and interpersonal consequences of humor. Finally, I will present new psychological research that suggests that a parsimonious account of humor can explain what makes things funny (and not funny), while also explaining humor’s costs and benefits outside the laboratory.

How to Be an APT Anteater
CINDY GUDEL, MA, CLL & AMY RYAN RUED, MA
Participants will learn how to exterminate ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts).  Life can be a picnic, but not if ANTs march in to spoil the fun. Those entrenched in negative thinking—whether it is fellow workers, patients, clients or loved ones—can march in one-by-one or in battalions. To offset the negativity, one must be ready with a plan of attack to keep positive energy flowing.  You will learn how to infuse positive thinking techniques into their lives, enabling them and those they serve to have more positive, enriching life experiences.

“Humor as Prophylactic Mind-Mapping, or How I almost died, lost my sense of humor, found it again, and lived to tell about it.”
STEVE WILSON, MA,BS
The surgeon reported that emergency surgery in November of 2010 saved World Laughter Tour Founder Steve Wilson's life with only minutes to spare. There followed two months of cascading medical complications and more than a year of physical therapy.For weeks during hospitalization, humor seemed impossible. Then, a startling interaction with a nurse provided Steve with a sign that humor was returning and healing was happening. Steve will reflect on his insights about the arc of recovery vis a vis the prophylaxis of positive thoughts, positive feelings, and positive interactions. He will highlight up to date neurological research by Antonio Damasio, showing the function of the brain, how mind-mapping takes place, and the effects of anesthesia and painkillers on consciousness and memory.

Something Funny is Going On "Down Under"
BRONWYN ROBERTS, CLL, CLLT
Have you ever been in a program where the speaker is using local humour that you simply don’t get?  Have you ever felt that the humour is making you miss part of the message or more importantly, making you feel alienated from the group? The world is getting smaller, you go there, they come here, your message travels to far flung places via the internet.   Are you wondering if it’s possible to increase the chances that all your audiences will get your humour and your entire message?  Just how can you cater to both your local audience and to those from a different cultural background without affecting your message?  In this session participants will explore simple and effective techniques and strategies for value adding a little ‘cross-culture’ to assist you to produce positive appropriate presentations that appreciate cultural differences, embrace cultural similarities and make your message accessible to a culturally diverse audience. Bronwyn will share ways to go ‘off the plan’ while staying ‘on the topic’ when the audience reacts differently than expected. 

I Laugh Therefore I am
CHAYA OSTROWER, PhD., Beit Berl College
No one challenges the fact that humor and laughter have great strengthening and healing powers, but the question is whether these advantages exist on the background of events so traumatic as the Holocaust. My claim is that there are some human beings, who succeed in gaining some emotional distance from the crisis experience, and are helped by humor even under the extreme ordeal of conditions of the Holocaust. Under the nightmare conditions in the ghettos and camps, laughter was the true rebellion against reality. The prevailing conditions—the suffering, distress, tortures, utter helplessness against the backdrop of horror that exceeds anything we can imagine—all these could easily have eliminated laughter entirely. The residents of the ghettos and camps gathered up their strength and knew that they must endure the war waged against them by the Nazi regime. Thus the ghetto residents formulated the inner injunction: "Do not cry"

Using Humor Effectively (or How to Avoid Apologizing in the Morning)
LOUIS FRANZINI, Ph.D.
You will learn to promote healthy constructive humor by identifying the ever changing guidelines for political correctness (PC) and how and when to deliver humor that will be socially acceptable. Information provided will be based on the humor research literature and the speaker’s collection of illustrative gaffes from celebrities, politicians, and athletes. Topics include specific benefits of effective humor, top 10 skills to be funny, PC humor guidelines, decision making by the humor maker, whether apologies are ever necessary, and these “new rules”: Mother Rule, Whisper Rule, and KYA (Know Your Audience).

10 Steps to Great Webinars:  How to Go From Blah to Hurrah!
JEAN SMITH & ARLIN PEEBLES
Webinars have opened the door for presenters to reach a wider audience in a more timely fashion and with less expense than ever before.  This online platform, however, requires a new way of looking at presentation design. In this session, Arlin Peebles and Jean Smith will walk you through the 10 steps that will transform your webinar presentation for greater audience engagement and lasting connection to your ideas. They will also cover some of the top web conferencing solutions and how to choose the software that will best suit your needs.

SOS! My Patients are Running Out of Patience, and so AM I!
KRIS HARTY, BA
This session is for healthcare entrepreneurs and practitioners – and anyone with an overflowing work-plate who needs inspiration and a reminder of why they chose to professionally do what they do, funny or not so much. Kris Harty delivers a one-two payback of application and inspiration for healthcare professionals: they’ve played pivotal roles at critical moments throughout her life, and helped her laugh at the unlaughable, Beating the Blues with Humor.  Bring your (virtual) pom poms and a (real) pouch of tissues! Yep, it’s a roller coaster.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21

WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS

SUNNY SIDE UP BREAK-FAST
CHERYL FELL 
Eat, Drink and Be Merry!  Start your day Sunny Side Up.  Breakfast Included.  Come learn how to get your daily dose of FUNshine to help "beat the blues".

Humor Academy Level 1: Learn About
MARY KAY MORRISON, MS
Numerous Humor Academy Level 2 research based projects will be displayed and described by the level 2 Humor Academy project students.  They will provide the participants with the goal of their individual project, details about their application and the research basis for their work. 

Old and Young Having Fun; How to Establish an Intergenerational Laughter Club 
PEGGY STABHOLZ & NANCY ENGLE, B.S.W
This session is for laughter professionals with the World Laughter Tour and with Laughter Yoga Training who are interested in a new application of their laughter practice.  This session is also for educators and long-term care facility professionals looking for an innovative way to connect with their communities.  Many State Educational Boards are encouraging public school students to become involved with their communities. What a wonderful opportunity for laughter professionals to reach out with laughter to connect these students with nursing home residents.

Holy Hysterics: Bringing Humor, Laughter and Joy to your Community of Faith
Pastor LAURA GENTRY, M.DiV., MA
Through a rib-tickling experience, participants will learn the value of using humor and laughter in Christian ministry. Chaplains, professional ministers and lay church leaders will be given easy-to-use tools for boosting the joy of the Lord. A lighthearted look at the bible will highlight God’s desire to turn our mourning into dancing. Then, unique, faith-based laughter “exercises” drawn from the international Laughter Yoga movement will be demonstrated. This enables people to laugh contagiously in community. The goal is to show participants how they can efficiently renew the faith, health and happiness of those in their care.

“I’d Like To See Paris Before I Die...But Philadelphia Will Do”: Responses to Mortality in Classic Comedy Films
DON BAIRD, PSY.D
You will examine how classic American comedy films have responded to and played with one of the most basic human dilemmas: our awareness of death. Humor allows us to treat even our most basic human fears as yet another source of play. From the classic works of W. C. Fields, Ernst Lubitsch, and Woody Allen to more recent works, you will explore how humor has been used purposefully to reduce even our greatest antagonist to another comic foil.

51 Ways to Engage ALL Learners
ADRIANNE ROGGENBUCK, M.E.d.
We all know the brain-numbing effects of pure lecture, but we may not know how to engage our learners without resorting to pure entertainment. The most effective teachers and trainers are those who know the secrets to gaining and maintaining interest and enthusiasm. The brain has to pay attention to what it needs to learn, so we have to insure that our learners’ brains are tuned in. During this session participants will experience interactive learning as they discover 51 ways to engage all learners in any teaching or training situation.

Clown On Down
DANNY DONUTS
Join your instigator of fun, Danny Donuts on a short trip over to the International Terminal of Chicago's O'Hare Airport for a (no experience necessary) clowning field trip! By using the international language of clowning and laughter, we will break down language barriers and connect with travelers from around the world. We will pass out clown noses as we welcome arriving passengers and give a stress-relieving send off to departing travelers.  Through our clown nose give-away and the photos we will pose for,we will be making a positive impact that will quickly spread around the world!  Clowns will have the option of staying for the whole double concurrent session or returning to the conference in time for the 2:30pm concurrent session.

Energizing Adult Learners with Humor, Laughter and Play
LYNN SHAW, MSW, LCSW
Adult educators teaching adult learners in a complex world can explore simple and effective strategies to energize a learning environment. This presentation is packed with research support on the benefits of engaging students with humor, laughter, and play to enhance learning and retention. Specific strategies related to the research will be shared and practiced to help participants tap into the power of humor in learning. Laughter is the physical expression of shared humor, and participants will identify their laughter quotient as they delve into the art of creating a learning environment with fun. The emphasis is not on being funny, rather enjoying the experience of learning and teaching collaboratively. Imagine creating collaborative laughter energizing the educator, learners, and environment diffusing the complexities in the world.

Stand Up, Speak Up and Shut Up!
CHENDIL KUMAR
Most business presenters either data dump or are so monotonous they are sometimes considered "unlicensed hypnotists". The content of Mr. Kumar's session on humor in business is based on extensive research done by Gostick and Christopher in their seminal book "The Levity Effect".  Peppered with lively anecdotes and oneliners, the presentation will teach attendees how to add sparkle to any business pitch by 
using an effective technique called "OWLL" (Observe-Write-Link-Learn). As today's workplace becomes increasingly complex and competitive, the use of relevant humor has conclusively proved to improve morale and productivity. 

How Poetry Can Help You Live Longer, Feel Better, Lose Weight, and Make More Money
MARK CLARKE, BSN, RN
This session is based on the assumption most people are not regular readers or writers of poetry due to unfortunate educational exposures during their formative years. This presentation will expose the culprits who ruined poetry in their minds. It will replace misconceptions with new appreciation of the power and joy inherent in poetry. Both the novice and experienced reader will gain from the humorous examples provided. Also, pathways to begin writing their own poems will also be described.  In the end the attendee will leave with a new appreciation of the power of poetry to humor and to heal. They will receive a small collection of humorous writings used in the presentation and reading lists for continued exploration of reading and writing of poetry

The Playful Brain…Fun is the Brain’s Favorite Way of Learning
KAY CASKEY, MA, ASCW, CLL & LAURIE YOUNG, MA, LCC, CLL
In our busy stressed-filled lives, making more time for play is usually trumped by developing new technical skills, managing priorities or cleaning up dog vomit before the in-laws come to dinner.  No good idea should be left behind but in their quest to increase test scores, schools are eliminating an essential ingredients necessary to help students focus attention, increase comprehension, and improve retention—FUN. Laughter and learning are not at odds. In fact, trainers and teachers know that humor and play increases motivation, attention, and mastery in students of all ages. We will present new research from neuroscientists who have called into question some long-held beliefs about learning and the brain.

In these times of challenge and change, it is critical you step back and evaluate your business philosophy, operational practices and how your office culture impacts your success.  Mark LeBlanc, our 2012 guest presenter is with us by popular demand and will share new thought strategies that can create a turning point in the evolution of your career.  This presentation is the ideal opportunity for healthcare and training professionals.  LeBlanc will reveal a unique business development philosophy that contains wisdom and strategies for building a business and how to be at your personal best on a daily basis.

KEYNOTE
Escape Adulthood: Living and Working With Less Stress and More Fun
JASON KOTEKI
Stressed?  Busy?  Want to resign from adulthood?  You may be struggling with a case of Adultitis™.  Make your escape!  Find out how you can overcome Adultitis, that dreaded condition that leaves its victims jaded and overwhelmed, with super high stress levels. Jason believes life doesn't have to be this way. You may not be able to be six again, but he will help you begin to rediscover secrets from childhood, resulting in a more happy and fulfilling life while increasing your chances of changing the world. Relief is within reach, no matter how grown-up you may be.

FREE NIGHT OUT – ON YOUR OWN IN THE WINDY CITY

SUNDAY, APRIL 22

25th ANNIVERSARY WRAP UP CELEBRATION 

KEYNOTE
Anything is Possible!...Bubbles and the Art of Wonder
GEOFF AKINS HANNAH
In a world of uncertainty, ever-diminishing attention spans and ceaseless change, Hannah demonstrates how he uses the "wonders" of bubbles, magic and storytelling as a way to rekindle a childlike sense of wonder where anything is possible! Subscribing to the "light a candle rather than curse the darkness" mindset, the Bubble Man shares how a "little bit of soap and a little bit of hope" is all that's needed to encourage others to follow their dreams. Come learn how you too can use simple yet elegant bubble tricks to inspire and motivate your audience!

Course Wrap Up Level 1
BARBARA MILLER
Humor Academy participants will share their conference highlights.  They will also finalize plans to meet their certificate and graduate credit requirements.  Study group and team assignments will be clarified.

Course Wrap Up Level 2
DR. JOYCE SALTMAN
Humor Academy participants will share their conference highlights.  They will also finalize plans to meet their certificate and graduate credit requirements.  Study group and team assignments will be clarified.

Course Wrap Up Level 3
KARYN BUXMAN, MSN, RN, CSP, CPAE & CHIP LUTZ, USN(Ret), MSEd, CLL
Humor Academy participants will share their conference highlights.  They will also finalize plans to meet their certificate and graduate credit requirements.  Study group and team assignments will be clarified.