Case Study:
”What we witnessed and experienced as Sam guided us through the exercises
was a tangible sense of us all opening up from being rather reserved
and feeling a little self-conscious to embracing and owning our commonality of laughter.
The invisible barriers that had been in place at the start of the meeting were lowered
(and in many cases removed altogether) allowing relationships to develop and
the foundation of the new larger team was formed. - Manager Partner
Organisation
Background
Initiative: Laughter Well-being Session
Resources
Challenges
Factors for success
Outcomes
Post Session
Key Words
Based in the UK, Parfitt Cresswell has 100 employees who provide specialist legal advice with a first class client service.
Two teams of 35 junior and senior lawyers were to meet for the first time. This introductory meeting was important, as Parfitt Cresswell had recently acquired another law firm and were keen for the new team to feel part of the organisation and that this was their new ‘work home’.
The bespoke Laughter Well-being session focused on team building and team strengthening, with science-based relaxation techniques in-between the laughter. According to research, ‘Laughter sessions in the workplace show significant stress reductions and a sharp increase in work effectiveness’ and ‘Laughter sessions are an effective tool to improve workplace performance.'
Sam Rehan, a Well-being corporate trainer and Professional Laughter Facilitator, was booked to run a short session at the start of the meeting: a 'Well-being Warm-up’. Zero equipment was needed.
The nature of the employee's work meant that an assumption was made; that most people attending would be 'left-brained' and perhaps needing more time to access the creative right-side brain for fun team-building. Some expected apprehension as laughter is not part of the daily work for the group of lawyers.
A primary factor was engagement; this could include softening and smiling alongside laughter. Laughter was invited, but it was made clear that participation was not required and attendees could simply watch, as that would benefit them too. Communication about the benefits of the session (mental and physical health and social connections) was pivotal and needed to be short with simple science. How the participants felt during and post-session was crucial to successful outcomes.
"What we witnessed and experienced as Sam guided us through the exercises was a tangible sense of us all opening up from being rather reserved and feeling a little self-conscious to embracing and owning our commonality of laughter. The invisible barriers that had been in place at the start of the meeting were lowered (and in many cases removed altogether) allowing relationships to develop and the foundation of the new larger team was formed. In the workplace, building great teams is essential to the success of a business and laughter helped us take a big leap forward in creating this new team." – Teresa Cresswell, Manager Partner of Parfitt Cresswell
Such was the success of the laughter well-being session that the Manager Partner of Parfitt Cresswell, Teresa Cresswell, wrote about the successful outcomes in the foreword of Sam Rehan's well-being book, Laugh More: Soar in your Health, Career and Relationships.
Healthy communication, stress management, connection, collaboration, mental and physical health, relaxation, teambuilding, stronger teams, common goals, creativity, performance, productivity.