In business, humour done wrong can damage our credibility, distract from our message and make it hard for people to take us seriously.
So what do we do instead?
Are You Using Humour in the Right Way for Business?
When we talk about humour, we usually associate it with comedy movies, funny YouTube videos, jokes, or going to a comedy bar. However, did you know that you CAN use humour in business?
We are all drawn to people who make us laugh. Using it in business can break the tension barriers, helps with creative thinking, and can build better working relationships when used correctly. But when it comes to successfully using humour in business, the right type of humour is key.
What we DON’T want to do when using humour in business
If you get this bit wrong, humour won’t work for you in business.
When using humour in business, we want to make sure the humour does not damage our credibility as business owners and entrepreneurs. We spend a whole heap of time building our personal brands; we want to make sure the humour we use supports those personal brands and doesn’t distract from them.
It’s good to have a good laugh with others in business, but if you can’t be taken seriously and seen as the leader and expert in your field, humour is not doing its job in a business context.
We also want to make sure that the humour we use does not distract from our message. It’s fun to have a bit of a laugh, but humour hasn’t done its job in moving your message forward if the audience does not understand what you are saying.
Humour for entertainment
When they think of humour, most people think about it in the context of humour for entertainment. That is how most of us have experienced humour – by watching funny YouTube clips online, funny movies, going to stand-up comedy shows or telling jokes with our friends. The outcome for humour for entertainment is focussed on being funny, cracking jokes and getting laughs.
That’s fine in an entertainment context, but it’s totally different in business.
Humour for business
In business, rather than thinking of humor for entertainment purposes, we need to shift our focus slightly by using stealth humour. Stealth humour is all about how you don’t feel like you’re being funny; the audience doesn’t feel like they’re listening to something funny, but everyone is enjoying themselves and having a good time and learning along the way.
Stealth humour vs humour for entertainment
The difference between stealth humour and humour for entertainment is that the latter is all about being funny, cracking jokes, and getting laughs. The former is about getting people’s attention, connection, and engagement. That’s what we really want to focus on when we’re using humour in a business context.
Stealth humour is very subtle and is done with a lot of intent. There is a very specific purpose for the humour, and it isn’t just about having a bit of a laugh.
ACE up your sleeve
When using humor in a business context, we want to focus on these three things: getting people’s Attention, Connection, and Engagement. An easy way to think about stealth humour is to think about it as the “ACE up your sleeve.” This is what will move your business message forward.
Check out this video I recorded to explain the right way to use humour if we want it to work for us in business.
Have fun!
Cheers Kate
Conclusion
There are many tools and techniques people can try out when using humour in business. It takes practice and experience to master the art of using humour in business to move your message forward.
If you want to know more about being funny on purpose and using stealth humour in business, I’ve got a free Funny on Purpose Humour Short Course. Make sure you sign up for that.
The link to the humour course is here.
