How can you use humor to build connections with your team?

I have used low key humour in situations in the past but only where appropriate. I think knowledge of your team/audience is key to avoid any inappropriate comments. I would avoid this with an audience I was not familiar with.

Self-deprecating humor is a potent tool for building connections and promoting a positive workplace. Here's how leaders can use it effectively: 1?? Share Relatable Mistakes: Occasionally share relatable mistakes or moments of vulnerability from your own experiences. It makes you more relatable to your team. 2?? Keep It Light: Use self-deprecating humor to address minor errors or harmless quirks, not serious or sensitive issues. The goal is to create a light-hearted atmosphere. 3?? Balance with Confidence: While self-deprecating humor shows humility, it's important to balance it with confidence. You want your team to trust your leadership, so don't overdo self-criticism to the point where it undermines your authority.

Being willing to laugh at yourself can go a long way in building positive workplace connections. Remember, you don’t have to be constantly hilarious to make a positive impact. Poking fun at yourself when you make a mistake, or sharing an unexpected humorous observation creates an opportunity for others to express their sense of humor. For example, I facilitate a monthly virtual leadership training course at my corporate job for supervisors nationwide. Something inevitably goes wrong with the technology, no matter how many times it is pre-tested – and I broke the ice at the first session by poking fun of my inability to resolve it. Now laughter, openness and proactive sharing is a regular part of our monthly meetings.

Humor can be a powerful tool to motivate and inspire your team when used constructively. You can employ humor to celebrate achievements, acknowledge hard work, and convey gratitude. Additionally, it can be used to boost team spirit, provide encouragement, and offer feedback. For instance, consider sharing a humorous meme, a clever remark, or a playful nickname to express appreciation or create a more relaxed atmosphere. However, it's vital to steer clear of using humor to criticize, ridicule, or assign blame to your team, as this can erode trust, morale, and overall performance.

Bottom-line, it’s always best to avoid inappropriate, aggressive humor in the workplace. Making negative, discriminatory comments can be demoralizing, divide teams and violate your company’s human resources policies. Nobody wants to be that jerk, right? Think about the people you work with and be sensitive to their needs and the environment overall. Instead of making someone else the butt of a joke, blurt out a self-deprecating one liner or limit humorous observations to a situation.

Humour can be used to break the continuity with slight twist. It is important that it should not be targeted or based on personal aspects of any individual but should resonate with all the group members. One way to do so is by relating any instance with the present situation or conversation and sharing whatever has happened out of ordinary

“Use humor to build connections, not to create barriers” - I love that statement. Humour is an amazing way to make oneself approachable. Sure the generation of your audience may need adjustment to your presentation and that’s where your authentic presentation helps. Showcase respect nevertheless.

Bringing in a healthy dose of levity to the workplace is a good way to improve morale, create shared connections and give people the space to be vulnerable.