Linda Henley-Smith

Linda Henley-Smith: Program Outlines

This session offers practical hints on how to lighten up and thrive lest we tighten up and dive. You will learn how to put things into proper perspective, practice the fine art of creative silliness, connect with the “elf” in yoursELF, maintain an attitude of altitude and utilize the Five Points of Enlightenment. You will also learn how to give yourself permission to hang up that super hero costume and put yourself at the top of your "To Do" list. We know that total health is more than the absence of illness. Laughter is the medicine with no negative side effects.

This program explores the mind/body/spirit connection. You will learn about the physiological effects of attitude and how our health is impacted by our moods. You will be given insights in how to live your life in the key of laughter, how to use humor in situations of illness and grief and therapeutic humor. You will learn about the successes of a model Comedy Clinic set up in nursing homes and hospitals and you will be reminded that laughter is a FUNdamental part of survival!

Help, My Audience is Asleep!
So you’re in charge of a meeting! You know your material and frankly, it’s not the most exciting stuff you’ve ever seen. And besides that, you’re not a public speaker so how are you supposed to keep your audience from dozing off? It’s not your job to entertain the troops…or is it?

I AM WOMAN! I AM STRONG!
I AM INVINCIBLE.
I AM POOPED!
This session has become a favorite for women's conferences. We live in hectic times and it seems as if a woman's work is never done! There are so many stresses that plague our gender and we all seem to feel that we have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. It is mentally healthy for us to realize that we can't always do it all! We need to take time to play and indulge ourselves every once in a while. The fact is, there is a time to eat tofu and a time to go for the chocolate! This session addresses how to deal with stress and put things into proper perspective.

Laughter: The Ultimate Team Sport
There is a reason that creativity and teambuilding are paired in this session. Sometimes, we have to be creative, look at things in a new and different way and tweak our attitudes a bit in order to build and strengthen a successful team. Teams are complex machines and sometimes they need a bit of realignment! A tailor-made team building event allow you to take some time away from the workplace and play…which is an incredible way to pique creativity, resourcefulness and free thought. Sometimes, it’s as simple as learning more about the people you work with and sometimes it’s about putting forward new ideas, looking at the team’s vision and mission, and working through communication difficulties or changing work environments.

Creative teambuilding has a positive effect on the morale, motivation and effectiveness of the team, as individuals and as a unit. This positive and fun session will build confidence, give participants a fresh perspective and it promises to pump up any organization’s funny bone and generate a lot of laughter…which is, of course, the ultimate team sport!

Living a "But"-Kickin' Life
You want your staff to be the best they can be for their sakes and for the good of the organization. So many people get stuck and never reach their full potential, due to lack of confidence, fear, low motivation…there are many excuses. I call them big “buts”. You know the pattern: “I would do this BUT…(fill in the blank)! A healthy person is one who learns to kick him or herself in the “but” and break through to the next level of personal development and success.

Managing to Manage
Managing seems complicated, but it really revolves around some basic concepts: respect, communication, listening, steering (not pushing) and understanding that people are a company’s most important resource. An effective manager leads and allows others to grow and excel in their jobs. A successful manager encourages others to be the best they can be…personally and professionally.

Serving Customers: A Recipe Book
No matter what business you’re in, you serve people and anyone who is served is a client of sorts. Face it, there are no many options these days that if you’re not serving your customers, someone else will! Not only do you want to have satisfied clients, you want loyal clients. This session will help your staff to look at your company the way your customers see you.

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Stress But Were Too Tense to Ask
Say the word “stress.” Now say it with a whispery voice and really hiss out the ssssss on the end. It sounds kind of villainous, doesn’t it? Stress can really make you sick and mess up a work environment, as well. The term “stress” was initially coined to denote how much pressure could be borne by beams in a structure before they snapped! Stress can damage our bodies and our workplaces, as well; resulting in high absenteeism, cranky staff and an unpleasant environment. A stressed worker won’t give the customer or coworkers the attention and courtesy they deserve, and besides, no one wants to work with a troll! It is said that everyone brigs joy into the workplace…some when they enter and sole when they leave!

Emotional Intelligence. Are You Smarter than a Sock Puppet?
We live in a fast paced world with hundreds of decisions to be made every day. Stress is rampant and sometimes it feels as if we are living in a pressure cooker. Because we’re caught in the daily rush that seems to carry us along, often we get exhausted, lose our voice when it comes to saying “no” and get swept up in things we don’t really want to do. We begin to feel like we’re losing our sense of self and becoming someone else’s sock puppet. It takes more than knowledge and intelligence to be a success; it also takes emotional intelligence…the ability to recognize the importance of and utilize our emotions in dealing with life’s challenges.

Change is Inevitable but Panic is Optional
Change can be scary and intimidating because it involves replacing something in our current reality. We become comfortable with our patterns; whether healthy or not, and we suddenly are faced with having to replace the familiar with the unfamiliar. To survive and thrive, we can’t fall victim to panic; we must develop resiliency.