November 2021

Page A4 NOVEMBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A We produce case volume reports for every licensed funeral firm in these States: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin Do you know your market share? We do. FUNERAL CONVERGENCE www.FuneralConvergence.com Phone (831) 221 - 0075 By Nancy Weil To the public, this is not an industry known for its sense of humor, yet humor is an essential coping tool for both the funeral professional and your cli- ents. By using humor and laughter at an appropri- ate time in an appropriate manner, you can improve your day, reduce your stress and build a better busi- ness. It is one of the best coping tools that we have at our disposal. During a time of a pandemic, laughter is even more essential. My motto is: When you feel the least like laughing is when you need to the most. Let that sink in. How does that apply to you? Your staff? The families you serve? Laughter reduces stress, boosts your immune sys- tem, helps with memory recall and retention, aides the respiratory system, levels out our emotional swings and just feels good. In fact, a short bout of laughter can help shift us into a better feeling place instantly. You don’t have to feel like laughing in or- der to laugh…you can just laugh. Try it. Right now. Laugh out loud. No need for a joke to be told or a comedian to step inside your office door. We can laugh for no reason any time we need a boost. We can also use humor and laughter in a more intentional way. Funerals bring out the best and the worst in people. Many families will turn to sto- ries of their loved one when sharing memories with family and friends at the wake or funeral service. So often the moments they choose are filled with hu- mor and joy. They naturally turn to humor because it feels good at a time when their pain is so deep that all they seek is some relief from feeling bad. Professionals can use these same tools to lighten the load. Those of us in the industry know that death care providers are, by and large, a funny group of Random Musings people. When faced with tragedy, it is healthy to turn to comedy to balance the heaviness of the situation. That is not to say that it is suitable to use in front of the fam- ily, instead follow their lead. If they choose to joke, then gauge your response to fit their mood. By allowing your clients to express their emotions without judging them, you can begin to build a trusting, caring relationship. This is key to customer satisfaction. Most of the time the jokes and laughter begin af- ter the family has left. You make a small joke or read something funny that was sent to your e-mail. You share a social laugh with a co-worker. Anything to break the tension and help you separate from the grief energy you were just in. As long as the jokes don’t cross the line into bad taste, you can build camaraderie and increase communication with co-workers through the use of humor. Remember the three rules of humor: 1. Humor is subjective – what you find funny and what someone else finds funny will be different. 2. Don’t joke about anything that cannot be changed in the next five min- utes. Weight, race, gender, religion and other person- al attributes are off limits. 3. Humor is cultural and does not translate well. When working with clients who have English as their second language, a perfectly harmless joke may be misinterpreted, so be cautious. Once you have adopted the three rules, you can begin to put humor to use to improve your life. Build a joy basket at work. Fill it with small toys that you can play with when you need to unwind. Create a file with fun- ny stories or jokes that you can read when the tension builds. Begin a humor plan of action and plan to put humor into your day. DVR or put on your watch list a funny show to watch when you get home from work. Put toys in your desk drawer as an invitation to light- en up and laugh. Watch funny movies, read funny books, find a fun video on YouTube. Begin to create your personal HPOA (Humor Plan of Action). Tough times, like this pandemic, demand a strong response. Don’t go into the useless cycle of worry and anxiety, choose joy and laughter instead. Your business, your co-workers and your clients will all be better served when you face each day with a healthy dose of laughter. A Little Laughter Goes a Long Way Serving as Member Resources Director at the International Order of the Golden Rule, Nancy Weil brings her years of experience working in the funeral industry to funeral directors across the globe. Her professional experience includes serving as Director of Grief Support and Community Outreach at Veterans Funeral Care in Clearwater, FL and at eleven cemeteries in Western New York. Nancy travels throughout the country offering presentations on how to reduce stress, combat compassion fatigue and offer support for those who are grieving through her company, The Laugh Academy. With certifications as a Grief Services Provider and Grief ManagementSpecialist, FuneralCelebrant, Soul InjuryAmbassador and Laughter Leader, Nancy is uniquely qualified to bring new perspectives into how to best meet the needs of the families you serve. For more information on how Nancy can help you and your company grow, visit her website: www.TheLaughAcademy.com or email Nancy@TheLaughAcademy.com. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columns online at The Next Chapter at NMS By Angela Berwald, CEO Angela Berwald In October of 2020 National Mortuary Shipping and Cremation announced both the purchase of the company by myself and the retirement of Diane Smith. This kept with our goal and plan to keep the ownership of NMS within the team members who have made it so successful. It did not take a lot of adjustment for me to become CEO because I have been preparing for this position al- most my entire career. It was like a full-circle moment that was a long-time in the making. When I started at NMS, I was very young and inexperienced in the funeral industry. Throughout the years, Bob, Diane, and all our agents and customers helped me devel- op into who I am today and how I lead our team. The NMS team, agents, and custom- ers have also played a huge role in my life. They have stood next to me as I grew not only in the business aspects but also through major personal life events. I consider them part of the NMS family. During the transition outside consul- tants, while doing their due diligence on the company, confirmed that we have strong policies and procedures. This af- fords us the ability to explore new busi- ness opportunities and ventures that will ensure another 40 plus years of success. I restructured my team to make sure that we had the right people in the right positions. Diane and I have worked for years building a diverse team that has many strengths to work well together. We were able to move our team around into the positions we planned and did not have to hire or promote from outside the company. I have already begun succession planning for my team with the promotion of Kahlen Knapik as vice-president. This has given us the chance to pursue some very ex- citing opportunities for growth. We are doing more speaking engagements and working on ways we can increase our efficiencies and assist our customers with all their out-of-town needs. The staff also went through a transition. Anytime there is change there is uncertainty but keeping the ownership “in house” made it much easier for everyone. Most of them have worked with me for many years. NMS has al- ways been a family style environment and the relation- ships and bonds between the team is what helps keep the company so strong. Even though everyone was used to working with me it was important that I made sure ev- eryone was comfortable and knew that the same mission, vision, and philosophies that have guided us for the last 40 years would remain the same. It was very important to me that not only was my team okay, but so was Diane. I have heard of so many busi- ness owners selling only to regret it later, so I wanted to make sure she was comfortable in both the sale and what her life would be like af- terward. Little did I know, Diane would end up really enjoying retirement! According to Diane, “It has been almost a year since my retirement. I have called it the year of reinventing myself. People kept ask- ing me ‘What’s your plan, what are you go- ing to do, are you really ready to do this?’ My answer was stay busy and yes, I was ready! I am just naturally always on the go, my per- sonality is one that always has to be doing something. So now instead of setting goals for the company I set them for myself. I still go the extra mile but it’s through hiking. I ride out the storm but it’s through biking. I keep my head above water through swimming in pools and in the lake. And I still adhere to the advice of my late hus- band, Bob Smith, ‘make sure you have a great accountant, great attorney, and a great financial advisor.’ I will always have a special place in my heart for my NMS family.” Diane always set a great example for me throughout the years. Now when I try to reach Diane she is always some- where hiking, biking, swimming or traveling, she is al- ways on the go. I watch her retirement and I know exact- ly what I want to do when I grow up. I plan for the days when Kahlen must try to find me, lol. Headquartered in Cleveland, National Mortuary Ser- vice & Cremation operates a licensed embalming fa- cility and crematorium in the state of Ohio. NMS handles mortuary shipping both domestically and inter- nationally with live staff available 24. To learn more visit www.natlmortuaryshipping.com. SEND US YOUR NEWS! PO Box 5159 Youngstown, Oh 44514 1-800-321-7479 info@nomispublications.com