A Quarterly Newsletter

 
June 1999 - Volume I:3


BOOK REVIEW GROUP TO BEGIN IN JUNE

The Women's Resource Center will launch a Book Review Group in June. The initial meeting on June 16 will be a pacesetting gathering. Monthly meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of each month at the WRC, Panhellenic Hall, Basement Suite 2, noon to 1 p.m.

Dr. Ramona Milhorn-Williams, director of Undergraduate Advisement, will facilitate the book review group during the 1999 summer. The participants will select and discuss published works by and about women. Come, bring your lunch and enjoy a lively discussion of a new book!

Humor as a Management Tool Helps Women Lighten Up
by
Sarah Cook
Free-lance writer for Women In Higher Education©

Men tell jokes, women listen to jokes. Some women get tired of pretending to be amused and decide humor doesn't belong at work. They're missing out on an important management tool.

Just because women don't tell as many jokes as men doesn't mean they lack a sense of humor. While most jokes are at another's expense, the humor more typical of women grows out of real-life situations. "The world is basically absurd," Suzanna McCorkle said. When you acknowledge the absurdity of a situation, you can draw on it to ease tensions, pull a group together, alter perspectives, build consensus and promote organizational change.

She and Jane Ollenburger, respectively associate dean and dean of the College of Social Science and Public Affairs at Boise State University ID, led a workshop on humor at the NAWE conference in Baltimore in March 1998. McCorkle finds humor a valuable tool for conflict management in her second hat, as director of the university's office of conflict management services, which consults with business and industry in the area.


Good humor, bad humor

Humor is tied up in the dynamics of power. When the boss tells a joke, everyone laughs. That's not a reason for leaders to avoid humor, but rather to use it differently. Humor can dominate or equalize, silence or empower. McCorkle described a continuum of uses:
• Controlling humor. "We're most familiar with humor as an instrument of control that hurts and silences people," she said. Good old boys' jokes and ethnic jokes degrade and make people uncomfortable.

There are always losers. People who use humor for control say things that would be outrageous if they didn't masquerade as wit. "Can't you take a joke?" or "just joking" they say, labeling objectors as spoilsports.

One reason women are sometimes stereotyped as humorless is that many have gotten up the courage to protest offensive jokes. Speaking up without a smile can sometimes communicate effectively; in other cases your message may get past people's defenses when you speak both clearly and with humor.
 • Social humor. Humor can be valuable in diffusing a difficult situation. When a meeting gets tense, a shared laugh can pull the group back together and help it get on with business. Social humor breaks the tension and builds solidarity. For an individual or a small informal group, it's a great relief to laugh about a rough day at the office with sympathetic friends
. • Empowering humor. More than easing the moment, it brings positive growth, bonding groups and communicating difficult truths without hurting anyone. With a light touch, you can:

1.Make people feel good about where they are and what they do;

2.Move the group from hierarchical interactions to a more collaborative style;

3.Suggest a new perspective or a different way of looking at things.

A job candidate faced a room of male interviewers, all the same age, wearing identical suits. "Where did you hide all the women?" she laughed. Breaking the tension, she made her point without attacking or appearing defensive, showing she could see the situation and work within it.+++

 

• Opportunistic humor. This type makes the best of a tense situation. "If we're in a meeting and something goes wrong, something will happen to fill that gap. If someone spills a cup of coffee, it's an opportunity to step in with humor to relieve the tension," she said.

One day a student was sobbing in McCorkle's office about not being allowed to drop a course. Suddenly one of McCorkle's earrings popped off and flew across the room. With opportunistic humor, she was able to turn the mishap into an asset. "The situation gave us a common experience. It had an equalizing effect. We were able to talk more freely after that."

The ability to seize and lighten the moment can be used to control, break tension or empower. If we don't develop skills to use spontaneous humor wisely, someone else's wisecrack could reassure part of the group at the expense of the rest.


Using humor as a leadership skill

Humor is a skill to be learned through study and practice. Research suggests it's well worth learning. Amid the hassles and stresses of everyday life, lack of humor is associated with high levels of burnout and low self-esteem. With the self-confidence to use humor effectively, you can reduce the risk of burnout for yourself and those around you.

It's important to be able to laugh at yourself. Low self-esteem may cause some women to put themselves down by inviting others to laugh at them. But with high self-esteem you can use your own foibles to build solidarity.

McCorkle recently gave a budget presentation when she was coming down with pneumonia. The meeting ran late and the audience was half asleep. Instead of apologizing for her conspicuous sniffles and scratchy voice, she told the drowsers, "I want you to know that sniffling and coughing are post-modern signs of enthusiasm!" They awoke with a laugh and listened more attentively than if she'd asked for sympathy.

There are pitfalls. You need to know the context and be aware of the power dynamic in the situation. If you joke without cultural sensitivity to the listener, your humor may fail to bring the group together despite your good intentions. And your humor must be sincere; a fake smile can destroy it.

If you're not comfortable using humor, find safe places to practice. Work to expand your repertoire across the continuum: from social humor to humor that empowers, from humor in predictable settings to impromptu humor in contexts you can't foresee. Humor is a powerful and positive addition to your management toolbox.


Reprinted with permission of Mary Dee Wenniger, editor & publisher of the Women In Higher Education Newsletter©, August 1998 issue.

REQUEST for POETRY, SHORT STORIES, and OTHER WORKS of EXCELLENCE

With so much creative talent available at ETSU through the 1,000+ faculty and staff women, the Women's Resource Center would like to extend an open invitation to all faculty and staff women for submissions of original literary projects. The WRC quarterly newsletter will feature one presentation per issue.

This is an opportunity to have your respective literary talents featured in a campus publication devoted to the issues and concerns of women. Many of you can offer a great deal of insight and enrichment for the readers of the WRC newsletter.


Browse through your literary endeavors and highlight your talent today!

TELEPHONE, FAX, & WEB SITE UPDATE

The Women's Resource Center has new telephone and fax numbers. The new office number is 423-439-7847 and the new fax number is 423-439-7886. For any additional happenings or updates to our quarterly Calendar of Events, please visit the WRC web site at http://www.etsu.edu/wrcetsu. Also, the WRC web site may be accessed through the Administration section of the ETSU home page.

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Women's Resource Center
Calendar of Events

For more information on the events listed contact the WRC at 439-7847.



JUNE

"Personal Investing Series"
Tuesday, June 8, East Tennessee Room, Culp Center, noon.
"Financial Issues for Women" will be the topic of this investing seminar. Helen Whitson, vice president of investment counseling with the Bank of Tennessee, will discuss financial investing principles and practices.

"Book Review Group"
Wednesday, June 16, Women's Resource Center, Panhellenic Hall, Basement Suite 2, noon.
The Women's Resource Center will launch a monthly book review group. Dr. Ramona Milhorn-Williams, director of Undergraduate Advisement, will facilitate the group during the 1999 summer. The participants will discuss published works by and about women. Come, bring your lunch and enjoy discussing a new book.

"Women's Health Series Lunch Break Seminar"
Tuesday, June 29, East Tennessee Room, Culp Center, 3rd Floor, noon.
"Menopause: Indicators and Treatment" will be the topic of this women's health seminar. Thomas Jernigan, M.D., physician with First Choice Healthcare, will provide insight on indicators and treatment relating to menopause. Also, the seminar will cover the relationship of menopause with the possible onset of osteoporosis.

JULY

"Book Review Group"
Wednesday, July 14, Women's Resource Center, Panhellenic Hall, Basement Suite 2, noon.
The monthly book review group continues. Come, bring your lunch and enjoy discussing a new book. (NOTE: The meeting date is rescheduled for the second Wednesday during July only.)

"Women's Health Series Lunch Break Seminar"
Thursday, July 22, Meeting Room 3, Culp Center, 3rd Floor, noon.
"Women and Heart Disease" will be the topic of this women's health seminar. A. Robert Blacky, M.D., F.A.C.C., cardiologist with Cardiology Consultants of Johnson City, PC, will discuss indicators and treatment of heart disease in women.

AUGUST

"Women's Social Change Series Lunch Break Seminar"
Tuesday, August 17, Culp Center, East Tennessee Room, 3rd floor, noon.
[THIS SEMINAR IS CANCELLED, WILL BE RESCHEDULED AT A LATER DATE.]
This new series begins with "Being Positive in a Negative World." Briget Boshell, head Women's Golf Coach at ETSU, will discuss how to approach life with a positive focus regarding the unsolicited negative influences in our career and personal lives.

"Book Review Group"
Wednesday, August 18, Women's Resource Center, Panhellenic Hall, Basement Suite 2, noon.
The monthly book review group continues. Come, bring your lunch and enjoy discussing a new book.

"Women's Social Change Series Lunch Break Seminar"
Tuesday, August 24, Culp Center, Meeting Room 3, 3rd floor, noon.
This series continues with "School Violence: Warning Signs and Prevention Efforts." Dr. Peggy Cantrell, professor of psychology in the ETSU College of Arts and Sciences, will discuss the warning signs and prevention strategies regarding school violence.

Other Upcoming Events

JUNE

National Association for Women in Education - "Women Leading: Today and Tomorrow" - 15th Annual National Conference for College Women Student Leaders - June 10 through 12, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Contact: NAWE, 202-659-9330.

National Women's Studies Association - 20th Annual Conference - June 17 through 20, Radisson Hotel & Conference Center, Albuquerque, N.M. Contact: Beatrice Thompson, Conference Coordinator, 405-850-0625.

JULY

Independence Day Holiday Closing. The University will be closed and classes will not be in session on Monday, July 5. Classes will resume and offices will reopen on Tuesday, July 6.

International Storytelling Concert featuring Kendall Haven. July 16, 7 p.m., Culp Center-Auditorium.
Contact: Dr. Flora Joy, 439-4297.

International Storytelling Concert featuring Mary Hamilton. July 20, 7 p.m., Culp Center-Auditorium.
Contact: Dr. Flora Joy, 439-4297.

International Storytelling Concert featuring Syd Lieberman. July 24, 7 p.m., Culp Center-Auditorium.
Contact: Dr. Flora Joy, 439-4297.

AUGUST

ETSU Pride Week - 3rd Annual Event. Details TBA.
Contact: University Alumni, 423-439-4218, or Chamber of Commerce, 423-461-8000.

Fall Semester Classes Begin - August 30. For information on undergraduate admission to ETSU, call 423-439-4213 or 1-800-GO2-ETSU. For information on graduate admission, call 423-439-4221. For a schedule of classes, registration, or more information, call 423-439-4230.

East Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution and is fully in accord with the belief that educational and employment opportunities should be available to all eligible persons without regard to age, sex, color, race, religion, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Printed by East Tennessee State University Press.
TBR 220-067-98 2.5M

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