"You are truly a gifted woman. Thank you for using and sharing your God-given talents. (Was that in two minutes or less? Ha Ha!)" Debra Durant, When It Comes From You Training of Trainers participant.

"After listening to your address, I was extremely pleased that you had accepted my invitation to speak to our group. The compliments on your presentation are still being received by my office. Oftentimes an audience will quickly lose interest in a speaker, but not this time. It was an excellent presentation." Marshall Tofte, Nebraska Association of County Officials

"On behalf of the firm I want to personally thank you for the workshop you put on at our annual meeting. We have had a lot of people make presentations to our group over the course of many years. I must say yours was the most enjoyable, entertaining event we have experienced. You were very effective at getting and keeping all participants actively involved throughout the day. Thank you for sharing your humor with us and showing us how we can use it to our advantage on a daily basis." Jerry G. Colvert, President and CEO, McDermott & Miller, P.C.

"Thank you so much for your outstanding presentation at the AAA Vendor Weekend banquet. The feedback we've received from our agents and auto travel counselors has be so positive. You made us laugh and helped us understand that humor is beneficial in the workplace. We are so grateful." Margo Steward, AAA Kansas Travel Agency

"Shirley did a superb job of getting our people to interact throughout her program and teach them the 'benefit of humor in the workplace.' Our people [firm's owners and senior management] thoroughly enjoyed this program and are still talking about it. That in itself should be a testimonial to Shirley's talent as we have had many high-powered speakers from around the country over the course of time and Shirley's presentation is the one they have enjoyed the most. "Our group of professionals is very conservative and reserved by nature, but Shirley was able to penetrate this characteristic and get everyone to 'think and act outside the box.' " Norman D. Saale, Firm Administrator, McDermott & Miller

"Shirley, your enthusiastic presentation and down-to-earth message was the perfect cap to a great lunch. Your laughter is contagious, and it enhances the point that...we all need to pay a little more attention to: Don't let 'em get you down! We all need that reminder from time to time — thank you! Tracy Hill, Beef Empire Days coordinator

"Thank you very much for providing the program at the recent [Secretaries Day events]. Your program was very entertaining...and wow, you have lots of energy! You adapted your program to fit the needs of the audience very well. The fun part of your program was the way in which you used so many funny visuals; it kept people interested." Julie Siepker, event coordinator, Iowa Central Community College

With Staff

"Thank you for speaking at 'Cruisin' the Millennium' business education conference. Your presentation set the stage for a fun and educational weekend. You truly helped us rediscover how powerful humor can be in the classroom to help our students learn. We business teachers, as you may know, need someone to help us relax, have fun, and motivate us for another few weeks of teaching at this stressful time of year." Murleen Bellinger, President, Alpha Upsilon Chapter - Delta Pi Epsilon

"You certainly do have a way of helping start a school year off right! Our staff nearly died when you demonstrated what schools are like from a kid's point of view. Then nearly died laughing when you introduced Izzit?! to them! I can't thank you enough for helping set a tone of enthusiasm for learning the way you did. Your laughter exercise was a great reminder of how important it is to get oxygen into our brains so we can think more clearly. I'm sure we will see reminders of your messages throughout the year." Dennis Wentz, Superintendent, Fairbury (NE) Public Schools

"Shirley, Thank you for a great keynote presentation on our opening day workshop. It was a tremendous way to start off the school year! I heard many compliments from my staff about your presentation. You are right...we all need to laugh more. Have a successful year -- I know we will! Doug Ackles, Superintendent, St. Paul Public Schools

"Thank you so much for agreeing to present the 'keynote' for the opening day of staff in-service for us this year. Our staff has been through a great deal of change and turmoil in the past year with the decision to go to block scheduling and the ever-present pall of school finance.... Your presentation was 'on the mark' and many of the staff members commented positively to me and the other administrators regarding your program." L. Dale Eberhart, Superintendent, Ord (NE) Public Schools

With Students

"Thank you for sharing your talent with our students.... We appreciate your correlating your topic with our 'Respect Shines Through' theme for this year. The students were excited about your visit and 'Izzit?!' portrayed critical like skills that our students could see. Your work in dramatics and interpretation enhanced the performance." Harriet Gould, principal, Raymond Central Public Schools

"Shirley taught our English as a Second Language students over a three-day period, providing humor as a method of teaching. These students range in language ability from newly arrived in the US to several years of acculturation. She tailored her teaching to accommodate the beginning language students as well as the advanced ones. "We especially liked the way she brought humor into the classroom and her use of literature. She incorporated lessons about trust, grammar, punctuation, abstract vs. real, interpersonal skills, and natural body chemistry vs. chemical dependency. "Our students enjoyed this experience immensely. It was particularly fun for us to watch them play with words. Many of them have continued to find rhyming words in the materials they read. They are also much more aware of body language and facial expressions. We feel the lessons were not only fun and entertaining, but also very valuable." Sheila Garrison, Tracy Liesemeyer and Anne Hubbell, Culler Middle School

"Shirley, Thank you so much for coming into my classroom and working with my second grade students last week.... The students enjoyed the literature selections you chose to reinforce the concepts we had discussed prior to your coming. Your creative spontaneity was contagious to them. They were soon looking everywhere to find more exclamation points like the one you 'discovered' in Sam's flattened fruit roll-up and his shaved head. "The activities to reinforce rhyme and repetition had them thinking in new ways, and finding many examples of those elements in their personal reading. "In my opinion, the most obvious indication of the success of the time you spent with my students was in the students' writing. They were really cognizant of the elements of exclamation points, rhyme and repetition. If you knew the students as well as I, you would recognize some outstanding individual efforts that were the result of the connections you made with them." Nancy Anderson, second grade teacher, Lincoln (NE) Public Schools

"My, lady...I don't believe we have ever worked a speaker quite as much as we did to you!! That was three speaking engagements in one day. The kids enjoyed the time you and Izzit?! spent with them and both lady's brunch and luncheon went without a hitch. "You are a truly gifted lady. You can target an audience and get the message across and be entertaining at the same time. Yes, that's a gift. We have had feedback from many that 'you reached them' and 'touched on subjects they needed no hear.' Thank you for enhancing our Women's Ministry not once, but three times!" Darla Neemeyer, Trinity Lutheran Church, Columbus, Nebraska

(RE: Pre-Program Questionnaire) "I must say I have been involved in association management for over 20 years and this is the most professional pre-planning of a program I have ever encountered. I commend you on your time and commitment to this presentation and look forward to the end result." Larry Breeding, Iowa Association for Home Care

"I wanted to let you know again how much I enjoyed and appreciated ... the week you and Izzit spent in [Hays, Kansas]. Several staff and parents from various schools have commented ... about how they and the students enjoyed your school presentations and Izzit's Vizzits in each of our elementary schools. "The highlight for me, of course, was the day-long workshop on 'Humor in the Workplace' for all the staff at our center. I am aware that some were initially skeptical of the subject content and format. But the final results were wonderful! "We work in a high-stress profession, so it was a great -- and rare -- opportunity for our entire staff to spend a day laughing with each other, and being able to see and share a different side of ourselves. This was one workshop where staff remained highly involved (and in the room) until the very end! We're going to have to try this again some year. But we better take two weeks!" Karen Beery, Community Outreach Consultant, High Plains Mental Health Center

"On behalf of the students and staff here at Francis Tuttle Vo-Tech Center, we would like to whole-heartedly, and enthusiastically, endorse your outstanding work on humor and communications. Your seminars were packed with tons of very practical, fun, and usable information which was "custom-tailored" to our needs. Not only did you creatively present the information, but more importantly, the students actually got the opportunity to apply this new knowledge. Your fun and refreshing approach to improving communications left our students and staff eager for more information." Pat Vaughn, Respiratory Care Instructor

"I want to take this opportunity to thank you deeply and sincerely for the excellent contribution you made as Guest Speaker to my program at the 2nd Annual International Society for Humor Studies Humor Seminar.... Your contribution was creative, informative and provocative. Your material and presentation developed strong audience participation and I am sure will be vividly remembered by the students for many years. I consider myself to have been fortunate that you were able to participate in my program." William F. Fry, M.D.

"I am writing...to tell you how much I appreciated the time you spent with my staff, teaching and helping us experience the adventures of humor. Never before had we devoted an entire day to the healing power of laughter.... From post-workshop comments, I believe the time was well spent." Kermit George, Executive Director, High Plains Mental Health Center

"Everyone in a high-stress profession should have the opportunity to participate in this seminar. This was the most relaxing, fun and refreshing seminar I've been to." Written evaluation, Missouri Juvenile Justice Association 3-day Professional Retreat

"Shirley, quick note to say once again how much we enjoyed you and the seminar at the lake. We are trying to put your stress relief techniques to work here at the court. In fact, Sandy is becoming notorious (and a pain) around here since she discovered the water pistol. I'm beginning to believe it's not so much for stress relief as it is revenge." K.B. (MO) Juvenile Court

"Shirley, Thanks so much for such a fun and great learning experience. As for K's remark about the water pistol — revenge can be a great stress release!" S.K, (MO) Juvenile Court

"Shirley, Had so much fun — thanks again. I have been trying out some of the techniques, however I don't think using a water gun on attorneys is appropriate, so I'm laughing lots!" L.G., (MO) Juvenile Court

"All of us at the Housing Authority would like to THANK YOU for your entertaining way of showing us how to find HUMOR in our daily living. Also be sure and THANK Izzit A. Live?! for his part in the program. You should be very PROUD of your contribution to making lives a little less stressful, sometimes for the moment, sometimes for the rest of someone's life. Again, THANKS for a GREAT PROGRAM." Sharon Hope, St. Joseph (MO) Housing Authority

"Shirley, Your presentation titled, 'The Wizard of Ha-Ha's!' received rave reviews from the . . . staff . . . Although we had several high-quality presenters, your marks were far and away the highest. The important part of this letter is to thank you for doing an extraordinary job in focusing our attention on the positive. I believe it's usually hardest to laugh when we most need to. "Because of your special talent and careful preparation, you were able to powerfully challenge us to look squarely at what is facing us (Congress eliminating some of our jobs [that very day]!) and to see humor, opportunity and hope. If you ever have occasion to need a reference from a most satisfied customer, I'd be very happy to testify to your wizardry." Michael J. Holland, Director, Job Training of Greater Nebraska

"Shirley's ability to train through humor and getting group participation had a stress relieving impact on me. The seminar was FUN, INFORMATIVE, and NEEDED by all who work in this profession. This was one of the BEST seminars I have participated in. We were not just given a lot of theories and ideas. We were guided in how to relieve our won stress. SPECTACULAR, MAGNIFICENT, CREATIVE, FANTASTIC, REMARKABLE." Written evaluation, Missouri Juvenile Justice Association 3-day Professional Retreat

"Perfect training for this year! What better way to work out the bugs of forty days of rain! Most people will take home tools to tune up and tune out some of those problems that drag us down." Written evaluation, Missouri Juvenile Justice Association 3-day Professional Retreat

"Shirley Trout is delightful and personable. Her experiential approach was excellent. She reinforced what I knew and put an innovative slant on some new ideas. Activities were unique and energizing." Written evaluation, Missouri Juvenile Justice Association 3-day Professional Retreat

"This was a great class. I learned a great deal and had a wonderful time doing it." Written evaluation, Missouri Juvenile Justice Association 3-day Professional Retreat

"I strongly endorse the Nebraska Council's parent education program, 'When It Comes From You.' Having attended the three-day training..., I profited from it personally. In my probation work, which includes juveniles, I often come into contact with parents I know...would benefit significantly from this program." Samuel L. O'Brien, Sr. Probation Officer, District 1, Nebraska