Humor That Works » Humor Talks

Hospital Humor… An Interview with Sally Franz

Andrew Tarvin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:11:06 +0000

What would you do if you suddenly became paralyzed from the waist down? Well, if you’re Sally Franz, you write a book about the experience. I sat down with the Scrambled Leggs author to talk to her about her book and how she uses humor as means to an end. What end? Listen and find out.

Sally Franz

You can listen to the interview below:

Highlights include:

What Scrambled Leggs is about (0:56)
What an ocean liner, ice skates and wheelchair have in common (3:45)
How the Greeks used humor (12:16)
Humor for pain management (16:30)
A list of things you love (20:27)
Choosing what makes you happy (23:47)

For more, check out:

I’ve transcribed the interview for those who prefer reading to listening (note: it has been edited for clarity). You can find the transcription at Hospital Humor from Scrambled Leggs.

Note: This is the fourth Humor Talks interview, a series with some of today’s thought leaders on the topic of humor in the workplace. You can sign-up for the Humor Newsletter to stay up-to-date with new interviews or get all future interviews via Podcast.

The Gift of Stress, an Interview with Zohar Adner

Andrew Tarvin — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:55:01 +0000

Zohar Adner is a stress release coach and author of The Gift of Stress – How to Act on the Urgent Message That’s Trying to Save Your Life. I sat down with Zohar to talk about his new book, his work as a stress release coach and the role humor plays in stress release.

Zohar Adner

You can listen to our interview below (note: there was a phone problem about 6 minutes in so you hear me switch to speakerphone).

Highlights from our talk include:

The Gift of Stress (0:35)
Why We Suck at Handling Stress (5:50)
Can You Become Stress-Free (9:40)
The Seven Rs of Stress Release (16:30)
The All Important Reminder (20:14)
Humor as a Diffuser (27:15)
The Stress of a Haircut (32:06)

For more on Zohar or his stress release work, check out:

The Gift of Stress (on Amazon.com)
The Gift of Stress website
Stop Stressing Out
Stress and the City – Zohar’s Stress Blog
Stop Stressing with Zohar and Michele – Zohar’s Radio Program

I’ve transcribed the interview for those who prefer reading to listening (note: it has been edited for clarity). You can find the transcription at:

Note: This is the third Humor Talks interview, a series with some of today’s thought leaders on the topic of humor in the workplace. You can sign-up for the Humor Newsletter to stay up-to-date with new interviews or get all future interviews via Podcast.

Talking Improv Wisdom, an Interview with Patricia Ryan Madson

Andrew Tarvin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:00:30 +0000

Patricia Ryan Madson, author of one of my favorite books on improv, Improv Wisdom, has been teaching for more than four decades, with a quarter century of experience as a instructor in improvisation. I talked with Patricia about her book and the value of improv in life and the workplace.

Patricia Ryan Madson

To hear our discussion, check out the audio below:

Highlights of our talk include:

What is Improv Wisdom all about? (0:43)
Want 40% higher self-esteem? Take improv classes. (7:10)
Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up. (10:35)
Raise your hands and say, “Tada!” (16:28)
The value of stating the obvious. (21:15)
Improv makes really nice people. (23:56)
“Mommy! There’s a monster in my closet!” (32:09)

For more, check out:

Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up
Patricia’s talk at Google (or Patricia’s YouTube Page)
Improv Case Study at CERN
Improv Wisdom Website
Improv Wisdom Blog
Patricia on Twitter
Patricia’s Email: improvwisdom@comcast.net

And last but not least, I’ve transcribed the interview for those who prefer reading to listening (note: it has been edited for clarity). You can find the transcription at:

Note: This is the second Humor Talks interview, a series with some of today’s thought leaders on the topic of humor and fun in the workplace. You can sign-up for the Humor Newsletter to stay up-to-date with new interviews or get all future interviews via Podcast.

The Mind of a Funsmith, an Interview with Bernie DeKoven

Andrew Tarvin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:00:05 +0000

Bernie DeKoven, Master Funsmith and author of DeepFun.com, JunkyardSports.com, and MajorFun.com, has over 40 years of experience with games and play for both kids and adults. I sat down with Bernie to talk about the value of play, not only in the workplace, but in life in general.

Bernie DeKoven

You can listen to the interview below:

Some highlights from the talk include:

What it means to be a funsmith. (0:30)
How teaching games to adults turned into an hour of playing Duck Duck Goose. (10:27)
How playing games relates to our adult lives. (14:40)
How you can learn system dynamics from games. (21:14)
The value of play in the workplace. (26:43)
The most creative Olympics you’ll ever watch. (29:30)
The serious side of fun. (34:10)

A few of the resources and names Bernie referenced include:

Finally, the interview has been transcribed for those who prefer reading to listening (note: it has been edited for clarity). You can find the transcription at:

Note: This is the first of what will hopefully be a number of interviews, called Humor Talks, with some of today’s thought leaders on the topic of humor and fun in the workplace. You can sign-up for the Humor Newsletter to stay up-to-date with new interviews or get all future interviews via Podcast.

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm