Pilot Activity Re: The “Artist Within” 3rd Training “YOUR INNER CLOWN, HUMOUR STRATEGIES AND OTHER COMPETENCES Leipzig, Germany
Seminar “Humor strategies as a conflict solution” Name and contact of the person: Emanuele Sileo emanuele.sileo@gmail.com | www.euro-network.eu Target group: Youth workers of different Basilicata associations. After the training course held in Leipzig from the 3rd to the 11th October, I have organized, as a Pilot activity, a seminar titled “Humor strategies as a conflict solution”. The seminar has been organized on the 12th November in the FEEM’s office in Marinagri - Policoro and it’s been attended by 10 youth workers from different organizations. The aim of the seminar was to present a part of what I’ve learned during the training course in Leipzig and to stimulate a discussion about the topic between all the participants. According to my colleague Chiara we simulate a “tense situation”: she was on time in the seminar room with all the participant and I was hiding in an other room, while they all were waiting for me, Chiara, instead of distract the participant was lead them to complain against my late: “He is always like this, He’s always late, he doesn’t respect you, he doesn’t not care..etc” in order to create a kind of little “conflict”. After 30’ minutes almost all the participant joined Chiara in the complain and only than I went into the seminar room! I was wearing my red-nose and i started to tell them an absurd and funny story about a whale met in the motorway and suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed. Asking them sorry to be late I explained that everything was simulate in order to show them in a practical example that the humor could be used to avoid
Pilot activity Report - Emanuele Sileo - Page 1
confrontation and disagreement, to resolve arguments, to reduce tension and anger, reframe problems, and also put the situation into a different and positive perspective. After this “strange� start the seminar began normally and i presented, giving practical example, different humor strategies as conflict resolution. The exaggeration of the problem poking fun at the behavior or the attitudes that are
causing it, the use of funny voice, the telling of a funny and impossible story, the use of jokes etc. I explained when humor and play are used even if the effects aren’t immediately visible, humor changes things for the better. Furthermore I also explained how communicating in a humorous way could help to say things that might otherwise be difficult to express without offending Pilot activity Report - Emanuele Sileo - Page 2
someone. And i focus the attention of the participant about offending someone saying that it’s important to laugh with the other person, not at them, it’s important to poke fun at the problem not the person. After this introduction we had a free discussion about the topic of the seminar and the discussion was very animate! In fact almost everybody agreed that humor could be used to soft some contrast or avoid arguing, but the two or three persons who do not agree were strongly state that using humor, instead to soft , could increase and enlarge the problem. Trying to moderate the discussion i explained that like any strategy also the humor has to be appropriately applied, punt into account the situation, the person with who we are talking and always keep on mind to respect the others. I remember that we can use humor skillfully, we’re well positioned to apply this basic rule of thumb in situations that aren’t funny at all, an d furthermore using humor in a good way can be very effective in establishing a human connection between parties in a conflict, and thereby defusing the conflict itself, though it can be very hard to remember when the heat is really on!!! Than I ask the participant to tell if in their life they had casually used humor to avoid conflict and after some minute of reflection lot of them were able to tell a particular story of their life in which, with out any planned strategies, they had used humor to solve an argue. Tighter with all the participants we try to identify the strategy used in each situation and figured out if it was a good choice, if it had reach the point or if ti failed, if it cloud be a better idea do not use humor etc. Finally, to end with a very big laughing, we had a very amazing and crazy “Oh James Session” that has confirmed what we had said for all the seminar: Laugh is POWERFULL!!!
Copyright
Pilot activity Report - Emanuele Sileo - Page 3
Recipients are free to use all or parts of this document for personal use however are requested to inform the author. Recipients are requested to acknowledge The artist within – Applied eMOTION consortium and the author in any reference to the content of this document. In the event of any further queries please consult the author. Acknowledgements This project was possible with the financial support from the Erasmus+ program. The methodological resources and inspiration came from the The artist within – Applied eMOTION long-term adult education project (www.theartistwithin.eu). The generosity from the fund and these organizations is much appreciated.
Pilot activity Report - Emanuele Sileo - Page 4