What are effective ways to use humor to drive results?

It’s about your intention. In my work (leadership & wellbeing coach & org trainer) I stand infront of audiences a lot. I use humour in a CLEAN way. I’ll make jokes about myself, my past behaviors, the lessons I’ve learned. One sentence I say (about the victim mindset) is “I was reaaaalllyyy good at being a victim”. It lets the audience know that I’m not perfect, I just live and learn. And they can too. ?If I make a mistake eg in an email (sending it without the attachment) I’ll use humour. So in the next email (with attachment) I’ll say “Apologies! it’d be great if the attachment was actually in the email!) ?I don’t use humour to put myself or others down. Nor do I use sarcasm. ?In trainings funny (& relevant) stories keep the energy up.

Using humor is a way of illustrating your vulnerability, and shows that you are only human. When you are willing to be vulnerable in front of others, it helps them open up as well. Humor is a great way to break the ice and break barriers in communication.

Be it to catch attention, detonate bad marketing, or take up on a competitor, it is important to be empathetic at all times. The purpose of using humor should be very clear in order to ensure it is sensitive. It is also helpful to learn about different types of humor that can be used and are relatable to your target audience.

People will remember how you made them feel. If you keep your message to point yet light hearted (and funny) you will be more memorable.

Instead of humour I would say playfulness is something every leader should adorn. Firstly this whole thing is a role play so why be dead serious about anything. Nobody likes sarcasm or contractions or any such remarks . Every individual we meet is the most important person on this earth. If it is to break ice it’s about genuinely knowing someone or greeting someone and observing if they need anything at the moment and assisting them. Challenging situations are a way to steer the team towards the objective rather than treating it subjectively. To challenge a status quo one has to be reasonable instead of passing remarks. The authenticity of the leader will be coming into play. Be a bit playful every moment and carry the role well.

The best way to go about using humor that is relevant to your audience is to create personas, and if possible talk to a few people who fit in the said personas to understand what kind of humor is able to hold ground. No matter the audience, being respectful and empathetic is the key to ensuring your humor does not turn against you

Knowing a person genuinely is what makes the moment important and the people involved remember it. Backgrounds and preferences are okay to understand and be sensitive about it but don’t let your own biases as leaders come in the way. Instead treat the individual as a separate living entity. At a professional level it’s a beauty to stick to the objectives at hand. As a leader engage the team and be playful not dead serious. Humour will have its own colours and as leaders it’s best to be colourless. Every situation is a new one focusing on the process will be more beautiful than focusing on results which will actually push you to humour instead be playful and enjoy the role play. Nothing is permanent not even your audiences views ??

It is important to remember that you didn’t always get it right. So many times, leaders forget that they were once on the other side trying to figure out the very thing they are now speaking on. That growth didn’t come adversity-free. So, recall a relevant instance where you messed up. Maybe poke a little fun at it. But conclude with how you worked through that situation. When doing that, four things will happen: 1) You will have the opportunity to connect with the audience in many ways. 2) You will gain the trust of the audience because you’re speaking from experience. 3) The humor breaks up the monotony of speech, providing comedic relief. 4) They want to hear what you have to say next.