How can you use humor professionally with clients?

In the world of client meetings, knowing your clients, and doing your homework is key. But when it comes to adding a touch of humor to the conversation, I believe it’s all about being mindful: reading the room, going with your instinct, and using common sense. Being natural and relaxed will add exactly the right flavor to your interactions ?? Remember, humor is like a delicate soufflé – if you force it, it might fall flat, leaving everyone wondering what went wrong. So, keep it light, stay authentic, and read the room!

The best way to use humor is to have your humor written by an AI. Why waste time with actual people when you can have a soulless machine write your material? Also, don't bother telling your jokes to actual clients. That's a waste of time. Just email them directly to your clients' AI overlords, because after all, humans are no longer relevant. At least, not according to these stupid LinkedIn articles.

1. Know Your Client: Understand their background and sensitivities. 2. Stay Relevant: Keep jokes related to the topic. 3. Keep it Light: Go for universally appealing humor. 4. Self-Deprecation: Lightly poke fun at yourself occasionally. 5. Read the Room: Gauge their reactions. 6. Avoid Touchy Topics: No race, gender, or religion jokes. 7. Timing is Key: Use humor at the right moments. 8. Be Genuine: Don't force it. 9. Don't Overdo It: Balance is essential. 10. Transition Smoothly: Follow humor with valuable input. Remember: Humor is a tool, use it wisely to enhance relationships.

It's important to assess the situation and the client interaction itself to determine whether the client would be open to humor. I find more often than not, clients are open to humor and laughing (because it feels good) however there needs to be a disclaimer to assess the situation and the interaction first to see if its appropriate to use humor in the conversation.

While I agree with the content of this article, I would change the title from ‘Know your purpose’ to ‘Know yourself’, as for me, the key to using humor effectively is employing it spontaneously and authentically. Instead of going into a client meeting with a pre-meditated idea of how, when and why you will throw in some humor, I think it’s more important that you are aware of how and when you used humor effectively and when you didn’t. Going through this exercise will help you to apply humor for the right reason at the right time.

Correct timing is critical. I routinely use humor in workshops that I present around leadership and communication. The humor is timed and "scripted" to maximize its impact. Humor ad -hoc in a situation can be useful -- for example, I've been in rooms where participants have cried before. Making a gentle joke about "Hey, I didn't make Jim cry this time" can lighten the mood, but only after it's been assessed that this will go over well. Time well, and know the room.

Paying attention to how people react to your use of humor is fundamental and fits right into the exercise of knowing when you used humor effectively and when you didn’t. If you feel like you can spice your humor up a bit or use it more and/or better, it’s also interesting to do the same exercise but then the other way around: when did someone else used humor effectively when interacting with you?

Humour is crucial in communicating with clients, although I would probably say that being authentic is the key. For me, humour is a critical part of who I am so helps me remain authentic. It's important, however, to always: (i) Know your audience; (ii) Know your purpose; and (iii) Know your style. Although very rarely I believe, there are some situations where you simply can't be too light-hearted and should maintain a modicum of solemnity. Knowing the difference between a 'trivial' situation and a 'grave' one is key.