Second Annual Humour in Business Awards

John Kerwin said they told him to “harden up”

“The answer to NZ’s depression rates is not to “harden up.
With depression rates of 1:4 in NZ and predictions that by 2020 it will be world health burden number two it is time to seriously lighten up“ says Joyologist Pat Armitstead

"It doesn't matter why you laugh. Even in small doses,
it improves our overall quality of life. You can condition people to feel more positive."
Jodi Deluca, Ph.D., Neuroscientist, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida.

Second Annual “Business to Business” Humour in Business Awards celebrate humour and its relationship to productivity in the workplace !
Pat Armitstead, Joyologist

Pat Armitstead is organising the second Business to Business Humour in Business Awards for New Zealand, which invites business people to submit their "winning humour and wit "entries in three different categories, vying for the best score from the jesting judges. Awards need to be documented and submitted by the 1st April 2007 and the winners will be notified on the Awards night World Laughter Day ,May 1st . The Awards, whose major sponsor is the Business to Business newspaper, and Classic Hits FM Radio, are a perfect prelude to the 2007 NZ International Comedy Festival. The trophies are unique awards that are wall décor and a piece of fun themselves and will be awarded at a night of fun at the Academy Cinema in Auckland.

The Awards aim to recognize the contribution humour makes to the lives of business owners, staff and customers. The World Health Organisation says depression is currently world health burden number four and by 2020 they predict it will be number two. Armitstead declares that the awards are a tribute to people who suffer with depression and by 2020 she aspires to convert global pessimism to optimism through the generation of high trust environments where people perform to optimum, having fun doing what it is that they love.

"Entry is free and there are no profits to be made" says Pat Armitstead.

The categories for the awards are
1/ sole operator,
2/ up to 20 staff and
3/ over 20 staff.
4/ Not for profit organisations

An overall winner will be selected from these three. Individuals or businesses can submit an entry based on leadership, team building, advertising, sales and marketing and/or customer service. Armitstead says the purpose is to encourage and discover the essence of being good humoured and how that impacts on encounters and builds relationships. It is not necessarily about the most sophisticated application of humour or the best use of jokes, though these are all part of what it means to be good humoured.

Pat Armitstead says "To be good humoured is to be appropriately responsive and to use the effective communication that comes from that.” Entries need to demonstrate the way in which you have either planned or inadvertently affected business outcomes as a result of a humourous event or strategy. Entries can be submitted in old-fashioned paper form or on digital technology. Either way there needs to be enough content to demonstrate your success!"

The Hon Lianne Dalziel will open the Awards night. Tony Falkenstein from Just Water International, Wade Jackson from the Covert Theatre and Barbara Plester PHD student studying humour and culture in the workplace form the Jesting Jury.

Application forms are available from www.businesstobusiness.co.nz or joyologist[at]humour-resources.com.

ENDS

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