Andrew Tarvin

In today’s fast-paced, high-stakes workplace, traditional strategies for success are no longer enough. Even high performers are feeling the pressure: 83% of Americans report being stressed at work, and disengagement is costing businesses close to $500 billion dollars annually. While everyone is told to “work hard” and “be resilient,” no one is taught the critical skill that sets top performers apart: humor.

Humor isn’t just for comedians—it’s a powerful skill anyone can learn to sharpen communication, build stronger relationships, and foster creative problem-solving. High performers who embrace humor are more adaptable, better leaders, and surprisingly, more productive. Why? Because what gets fun, gets done.

This engaging session will help you unlock your sense of humor and leverage it as your secret weapon to getting more from work. By combining best business practices with smart levity, you’ll learn how to:

Cut through the noise with communication that resonates with (almost) everyone.
Go beyond resilience and turn stress into a catalyst for change and growth.
Build instant (and long-lasting) rapport with colleagues and clients.

Whether you’re leading a team, closing deals, or climbing the corporate ladder, if you’re ready to work smarter, and happier, it’s time to discover why humor isn’t just fun—it’s your competitive advantage.
 

How effective of a leader are you? Maybe not quite as strong as you think: 81% of leaders consider themselves inspiring while only 18% of their direct reports agree. This disconnect creates the potentially fatal flaw of “unleadership”--the unintentional behaviors that disengage, demotivate, and discourage the people in your organization. 

Today’s leaders have to unlock the talent of those around them, adapt on their feet, and show confidence leading through change, regardless of circumstances. In short, they must improvise. This is not about making things up or “winging it,” but leveraging your experience and strengths to execute in the moment.

In this engaging and interactive program, you’ll learn the vital leadership values needed to lead in today’s fast-changing world. Fusing the latest in leadership theory with advanced techniques from improvisation, you will not only learn what it means to lead on your feet, you’ll also develop the skills to do it, today.

During this program, you will:
Spot and close the gap between intention and action to avoid the pitfalls of unleadership.
Follow the five vital leadership values to keep your team motivated, engaged, and resilient.
Elevate your leadership style for any setting—in-person, remote, or somewhere in between—so you can thrive in any environment.

Change isn’t slowing down, but with the right tools, you can lead your team to excel in the face of it. Ready to turn uncertainty into opportunity? This session will show you how.
 

Let’s face it, humans are the hardest resource there is to manage: they can’t be programmed, don’t come with error messages, and are rife with “emotions” and “feelings.” And yet, mastering human connection is one of the most powerful skills you can develop—especially as a project manager. Whether you’re leading cross-functional teams, collaborating with stakeholders, or explaining the consequences of scope creep for the thousandth time, your ability to foster strong relationships increases effectiveness and drives project success.

Join Andrew Tarvin, the world’s first humor engineer, in this engaging program that will demystify emotional intelligence and teach you how to work smarter without having to work serious-er. You’ll gain powerful, actionable tools to build genuine relationships and leverage them to improve team dynamics, foster collaboration, and deliver projects more effectively—all while proving that project managers aren’t just meeting-having, email-sending paper pushers who are hounding people all of the time.

Learning Objectives:  

By the end of this program, attendees will:
Redefine emotional intelligence into practical skills for understanding and influencing others.
Learn 3 shortcuts for building (and maintaining) positive rapport.
Use a 3-step process to build a relationship with anyone.

In today’s work environment, your success hinges on your ability to connect, collaborate, and influence effectively. This session will not only equip you with smarter strategies for relationship-building but will also have you laughing as you learn. Because working smarter doesn’t just mean being efficient—it means enjoying the journey, too.