The role of the clown is to connect with the audience. Their role is to build trust, build understanding and reflect back to the audience what they see through their own absurdity. The role of the clown is to laugh at themselves, to take risks, to show what is possible. At the core of the clown is the ability to show the deep vulnerability in ourselves so that others can see themselves there too. The clown is stripped bare, put on a platter and lies there, unashamed because that's what we all look like when we take our masks off. This is the type of leadership the world requires, the type that shows what is possible, that makes failing okay, that acknowledges the absurdity of life and enthusiastically chooses to participate. The clown is urgent, we need it now more than ever. Michaud Garneau is a professional facilitator with over a decade of teaching and training experience. He's created and facilitated workshops for Fortune 500 companies, not-for-profits, as well as developed curriculum for elementary, high school and post-secondary institutions. Michaud draws on his experience as an award-winning performance artist to create highly engaging and memorable learning experiences. Michaud likes to shake things up. He’s no stranger to helping leaders stretch comfortably into uncomfortable situations. And as founder of Weird is Nrml, he’s on a mission to disrupt the conventional norms of leadership. Professionally trained as a clown and with a background in theatre, he has a gift for teaching people how to trust themselves, take bigger risks, and genuinely connect with others. In 2018 Michaud founded Weird Is Nrml (WIN) because he saw a huge disconnect between organizations asking for creativity, collaboration and innovation from their teams and the way those organizations interacted with and led the humans that make up those teams. Having been a leader in highly creative and collaborative fields, i.e. clowning and experimental puppet theatre, Michaud knew a thing or two about building creative and collaborative cultures and wanted to help. The idea: take the leadership beliefs and processes that worked in art and transpose them to the business world. The result: people are raving about the program as life-changing and that it not only helps in their work life, but their personal relationships too. Building empathy, collaboration, communication and a willingness to be uncomfortable is at the core of the WIN training programs. With a hands-on approach to learning, participants are given the opportunity to practice and develop their skills in a safe and encouraging space. Michaud believes a willingness to be uncomfortable is not some innate bravery, rather, a skill that can be developed through exposure and practice. WIN provides that exposure and practice in a supportive environment that builds teams equipped to handle the challenges of the future. To learn more about Michaud and Weird Is Nrml visit www.weirdisnrml.com or follow him on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/michaudgarneau/ This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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