Organizations for Learning Professionals - The Humor Project - National presentation skills

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Orgs for learning professionals - AAACE
Orgs for learning professionals - NASAGA
Orgs for learning professionals - ASTD

Orgs for learning professionals - ASCD
Orgs for learning professionals - NSA

This article showcases an organization for learning professionals, The Humor Project.

This is the sixth in a series listing the various national training, educational, and speaking organizations that any training and development professional should be familiar with. Prior articles in the series showcased ASTD, ASCD, NSA, NASAGA, and AAACE.

Today we examine a national organization that focuses on the need for a lighter side of life when training, teaching, speaking, or – in general – living. That organization is called The Humor Project.

The HUMOR Project is the first organization in the world to focus full-time on the positive power of humor and creativity. The HUMOR Project seeks to make a difference by helping individuals and organizations to get more “smileage” out of their lives and jobs by applying the practical, positive power of humor and creativity.”

Dr. Joel Goodman started the organization in 1977. Since it’s inception, the therapeutic power of humor has been validated by a plethora of studies.

Over 165,000 people are a part of The Humor Project's AHA (American Humor Association) from all 50 states in the U.S., across Canada, and all seven continents. They vary in age (teens to 100-year-olds), occupation (25% corporate, 25% health care, 25% education, and 25% miscellaneous other occupations, fields, and associations).

Through AHA, The Humor Project offers a free annual Humor Sourcebook, provides a free Laughing Matters e-zine, responds to questions, and assists with humor resource connections and networking.

Although the Humor Project is not specifically an organization for learning professionals, its tools, resources, and attitude about humor are welcome additions to the training, teaching, and speaking toolbox.

The Humor Project puts its money where its smile is. Over the years, income from its annual conference has been granted to non-profit organizations to help them develop projects and resources that tap the positive power of humor and creativity.

To date, The HUMOR Project has provided grants to 450+ schools, hospitals, and human service agencies in the United States and Canada. In recent years, organizations receiving donations have included the Center for the Family, Operation Respect, the Alzheimer’s Association, the National M.S. Society, the Carol Channing Foundation for the Arts, the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center, and to the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

Charitable contributions have also helped add humor to a GeriAntics program; a center supporting victims of domestic violence; a self-esteem program for an adolescent drug treatment center; parents with special-needs children; "Humor Rooms" and "Comedy Carts" in many hospitals, mental health facilities, nursing homes, a shelter for the homeless; a humor outreach program for the home-bound elderly, etc.

All these efforts have been a part of the Humor Project’s promise of “making a difference… one smile and laugh at a time.”

The 53rd Humor International Conference will take place this year at the Silver Bay Resort in Lake George, New York on June 11-13, 2010.

The conference will honor Norman Cousins' forward leading work on the humor-health connection with the presentation of its LOL (Legacy of Laughter) Award. The award will be accepted by his oldest daughter, Dr. Andrea Cousins.

The last conference honored the late comedian Pat Paulsen.

For more information about The Humor Project, please visit http://www.humorproject.com.

Lenn Millbower, the Learnertainment® Trainer and former Disney training leader, helps trainers, teachers, and speakers keep their learners awake so the learning can take through one-on-one coaching, keynotes and seminars, open enrollment workshops, instructional design consulting, and his published works.