One of the best-kept secrets to mitigating stress in the workplace is laughter, says motivational speaker and author Karyn Buxman.
The self-described “neurohumoritist” this afternoon encouraged attendees of Business Report’s Influential Women in Business luncheon to use humor as a strategy for resilience and as tool for overcoming the daily challenges of business.
“I think the most important thing is to really strategically and intentionally start using humor and not just let it happen by chance, but by choice,” Buxman says.
As someone who researches the neurobiology of humor, Buxman is the author of a series of books focused on how professionals in various fields can use humor to stay sane, maximize potential and increase a company’s bottom line.
Buxman encouraged today’s women in business to change their perspective on the stress they encounter in their daily lives and channel their energy into more positive thoughts. “Imagination used in a positive direction is creativity,” Buxman says. “If it is used in a negative direction, it is called worry.”
She stressed the power of humor and its ability to help people physiologically, psychologically, socially and even spiritually, and encouraged women in business to embrace humor in the workplace.
“It seems like a lot of women in business think if they have a sense of humor, it will be seen as a sign of weakness, but actually men do not see humor as a sign of weakness,” Buxman says. “You see men using humor all the time so don’t be afraid to use it and use it strategically, intentionally and purposefully.”
To prove her point, Buxman left the audience on their feet after leading them through a series of dance moves to show them the inherent and immediate benefits of humor and laughter before attendees headed back to their workplaces. “If you start looking for humor you will find it, and the more you look for it, the easier it becomes,” Buxman says.
The 2015 Influential Women in Business is an annual event and was sponsored by Acadian House Kitchen + Bath Design, BusinessFirst Bank, Kean Miller and Fresh Kitchen. Honorees are D-D Breaux, head coach of LSU Gymnastics; Melissa Campesi, CEO and chairman, LCTA Workers’ Comp.; Renee Chatelain, executive director, Manship Theatre (recently named president and CEO of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge); Missy Epperson, senior vice president, Regions Bank; Debra Lockwood, president and CFO, Provident Resources Group; Andrea Lewis Miller, chancellor, Baton Rouge Community College; Nanette McCann, principal, Baton Rouge Magnet High School and Lee High School; Dr. Meredith Warner, orthopedic surgeon and founder, Warner Orthopedics & Wellness; and Angela Zeringue, plant manager, ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Polyolefins. Read their profiles in Business Report. —Gabrielle Braud
