Funny You Should Say That!

By Barb Springer Beck

July 2004

For those of us old enough to remember (and you youngsters, too) there’s a great line from a song in a Disney movie about Mary Poppins that goes, “I love to laugh, loud and long and clear. I love to laugh, so everybody can hear!”  The singer is simply full of appreciation for life—a good place for anyone to be.  So what can a discussion about humor and laughing offer that would be of use to you?  Read on and find out!

Using humor is more than telling jokes, although that’s a skill that can come in handy.  Humor can take many forms, including that of a witty remark, a light-hearted observation, a funny story or anecdote, a play on words (Did you know that one definition of “coffee” is a person who is coughed upon?), or even a quote that resonates with people and makes them smile or laugh.  Humor can be subtle or laugh-out-loud, make-your-stomach-hurt funny.  Many humorous moments are unplanned and their spontaneity adds to the delight created in the moment.  The important thing to remember about humor is how it makes people feel—it makes people feel good. 

Humor is one way in which people share common experiences (this may be one reason people laugh so hard at jokes about bodily functions and the problems associated with getting older) and make connections with each other.  So here are some games for when we are older: Kick the Bucket; Red Rover, Red Rover, the Nurse Says Bend Over; Hide and Go Pee; and Musical Recliners.  Think about a time when you listened to a joke, and then “got it.”  When a number of people “get it” at the same time, a sense of rapport develops.

If you’re employed at a Ranger District, you probably kid about how difficult your work is made by the folks at the Supervisor’s or Regional Offices and vice versa.  At a recent going-away party for a Ranger District employee moving on to a job in the Supervisor’s Office, some rules for “appropriate behavior” were presented.  The rules included such advice as: funding your own needs before sending any money to the district, keeping the best vehicles in the Supervisor’s Office, scheduling many meetings for which the district employees must travel in to the Supervisor’s Office, and sending all e-mails marked urgent with a reply due by an already passed deadline.  Everyone at the party, those attending from the Ranger District and those from the Supervisor’s Office, got a kick out of poking fun at the stereotypical beliefs about “the other guys.”

Humor can help people understand that they have something in common with others, and it can also add levity or relief to a tense situation.  Sometimes the more tense the situation, the more humor is needed.  Done respectfully, a funny story about something done by the deceased told during a funeral service can even allow grieving friends to share a laugh and a smile. 

You can also use humor to get off to a good start and get people’s attention.  Many speakers start their talks with a joke.  By telling a joke they are showing that they don’t take themselves too seriously and that they want to connect with their audience.  If you use this technique make sure the joke is appropriate to the audience and you have it down pat.  Of course, screwing up the punch line can be funny too, but in front of a lot of people that can be stressful!  When I facilitate meetings I usually begin with a list of ground rules about how participants are expected to communicate with each other.  Along with the serious ground rules I usually pass out a spoof of Robert’s Rules of Order on parliamentary procedure.  The spoof titled “Please Come to Order” addresses points of ourtrage, personal attack, harassment, grudge, posturing, and redundancy, all things that have happened to each of us in meetings before.  This allows people to begin their work with a light moment, yet also reinforces the message of what behaviors are expected to make the meeting productive.

The value of cheering a co-worker up can be priceless.  Maybe they are discouraged about a big project on a tight schedule.  You’ll endear yourself and brighten your workplace if you are able to lighten their heart by making them laugh or smile.  A woman out with hepatitis was asked by her co-worker asked if her jaundice was abating.  The ill woman replied that it was difficult to see the day-to-day change, but she thought she was improving.  In response, the co-worker, a soil scientist, suggested that she get a Munsell Color Chart—a chart for determining soil types using soil color--and hold it up to her face for comparison.  This of course elicited a laugh from the woman with hepatitis.

Humor can be used to provide a different way of looking at things.  Cartoons are great at giving us alternate perspectives on things, such as plugging politicians into nursery rhymes.  “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams has a real knack for presenting the cynical side of popular management initiatives.  For example, his comic strip titled “The Seven Habits of Highly Defective People,” a take-off on a best-selling self-improvement book, is really funny because it draws upon irritating behaviors by others that we’ve all been subjected to in our careers.

If you want to use humor but are unsure of how best to do so, observe how others use humor.  Make note of the elements of the situation, what was said, in what way, and how was it received.

Now that you’ve heard about the virtues of using humor, a caution is probably appropriate.  One of the reasons humor can delight is because it’s often on the edge of sensibility.  On the edge is where you want to be, but you don’t want to be over the line.  Let me offer a couple of simple ground rules.  First, it’s generally not OK to embarrass or poke fun at someone else unless they’ve started it and even then, proceed with caution.  Second, ethnic, gender, and dirty jokes, tempting as they may be, really have no place at work regardless of whether you are “with your own kind” or not.  It’s simply unprofessional. 

Also, recognize that sometimes although your remarks and jokes don’t offend, they may simply bomb and no one will find them funny.  The master of wise-cracks that the intended audience doesn’t find funny is Chandler Bing on the television show “Friends.”  If this happens to you, just shrug it off, learn from it, and try again.  Nancy has learned that if her joke attempt fails, she can get a laugh by following the bomb with, “A little humor there—very little.”

Unfortunately, life isn’t all fun and games, but there’s every reason to try to add humor to everyday life including at work.  And, studies have shown that laughing hard even produces health benefits because it revs up your heart and lungs.  So, do your part for your mental and physical health and maybe even your career and laugh away.  But don’t stop there—go out on a limb to make others laugh, too!