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By Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
Strategic humor has the power to build relationships, relieve stress, and boost creativity, along with many other outcomes beneficial to the workplace. So how does one begin to implement it at the office? It’s as simple as creating a Humor Habit! Why Set the Stage for Humor? Want to know something crazy? Humor doesn’t just work while it’s happening; it can also work before it happens! How? Thanks to a little something called the anticipatory response. When people anticipate something, they psychologically, emotionally, and physically “prepare” for it. Whether that “something” is good, bad, sad, or even painful, this phenomenon happens just the same, and it can be used to your advantage when developing your sense of humor. When you know something funny is about happen, you shift into a mindset that’s open to laughter. You’re ready to receive and react to the impending hilarity. This state of anticipation has some of the mental and physical benefits of a good laugh, such as stress reduction and an immunity boost, before the humorous event has even occurred! In other words, you can have happier and healthier employees by simply adding a little levity to the workday. It’s a fun and free solution to office woes! Humor by Choice, Not Chance Now think of a coworker, past or present, who has an amazing sense of humor and is always ready to make people laugh. You walk into the office every day happily anticipating the witty banter, one-liners, or (good-natured) office pranks this person always has in store. They set the expectation of a dose of humor to break up the office monotony. It’s a chance to destress and return to your work renewed and refreshed, having shared in a good laugh. This person is certainly professional, never viewed as a clown. They simply understand the value of a strategically executed joke on a stressed and often overly serious workforce. They choose to create opportunities for humor because intentional humor drives results. Humor by chance—those happenstance laughter-inducing occurrences—is entertaining, but when you take these occurrences and consciously add them to your daily workplace routine, you then create humor by choice. Leveraging levity (there’s a tongue-twister!) in the workplace creates a more optimistic mindset among employees and sets a humorous tone off which others can play. When this tone is combined with high performance expectations, your organization becomes bulletproof. Your team is happier, more relaxed, and more engaged—truly the recipe for success! How Can You Set the Tone? All of these outcomes can be yours if you just take the initiative to walk the talk and form a Humor Habit! Whether it’s a 5 minute dance party on Mondays, High-Five Fridays, or simply sprinkling more cheesy jokes into conversations (when appropriate, of course), you can start creating your habit today. Brainstorm a few ways you can set a more strategically humorous tone to your organization to build a culture of openness, friendliness, and creativity! Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success!
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By Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
Employee Engagement and Corporate Culture: these are two buzzwords that have been trending over the past few years. But there’s a reason they’re trending – these circumstances can make or break an organization! I’ve worked with a lot of executives and high performers who have been passionate about improving employee engagement and their corporate culture, and it’s incredible that leaders are recognizing the impact these two factors have on today’s workplace. But let’s back up for a moment. Why are employee engagement and corporate culture so important? New Workforce A recent study reports that 35% of working Americans are aged 21 to 36 (Pew Research and MarketWatch). That’s a huge percentage. The workforce is getting younger, and in addition to this, people are moving in and out of organizations with increasing speed. Your organization needs to put effort into attracting and retaining this large new talent pool. A “firings will continue until morale improves” culture won’t cut it, especially in today’s corporate world. There are plenty of online tools (like Glassdoor) available to give candidates a sense of your corporate culture before they even walk in the door—not just after they are hired. Humor Your Hires If you want to get the best candidate in the door, and keep them there, you need to have an attractive corporate culture. People (especially leaders) and organizations that use humor in a fun and engaging way are at an advantage in this instance. A corporate culture that appreciates the value of a good laugh sees much more success, both in the short-term and long-term, than those that are more rigid. If you can engage your workforce with appropriate humor, you’ll see amazing results from your employees and your bottom line, and what organization doesn’t want that!? When you’re using strategic humor, you’ll see:
Pushback I’ve gotten some pushback from leaders in the past. It usually goes a little something like this: “If we allow humor in the office, nothing will get done!” That’s simply not true! Correctly-implemented humor in your corporate culture lends itself to higher employee engagement. Here’s the Secret If you set high expectations but don't allow humor, people will feel a sense of drudgery, which can negatively affect productivity. If you set a humorous tone that isn’t tempered with high expectations, a scene similar to Animal House may ensue. A good leader is going to set high expectations AND a humorous tone! You need both in order for people to:
Planning your virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to book your healthcare speaker! By Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
Fun fact: In January 2019, Southwest Airlines reported their 46th consecutive year of profitability. They also ranked #11 on Fortune’s 2019 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. One of this company’s standout qualities is its dedication to a humorous corporate culture. Their flight crews are encouraged to be funny, and the numbers don’t lie - that sense of humor is paying off! No, this post isn’t sponsored by Southwest Airlines! They’re just an excellent example of how a company that values a good laugh achieves success. This is High Performance Humor at work (literally!). High Performance Humor: Let’s Break It Down High Performance Humor (HPH) is the strategic use of humor in a professional setting in order to achieve a more successful work environment. Every organization can benefit from incorporating HPH into their workplace; however, before you can give HPH a seat in the boardroom, you have to understand how to properly employ it. I’ve identified the components to HPH that will help you develop masterful use of strategic humor in the workplace. These are The 7 Building Blocks of High Performance Humor... 1. Content: This is what you’re aiming to communicate to your audience (via an anecdote, joke, observation, etc.). It could be anything from a stressful project to your work buddy’s tie, and it can be used to create a lighthearted moment in the middle of any situation. 2. Bond: This is the relationship between you and your audience. Humor can help establish and reinforce connections between leaders, coworkers and clients. In fact, a sense of humor has been found to be a key trait in effective leaders! 3. Safety: This one is so important! The physical and emotional safety of your audience must always be considered when employing humor, both within and outside of the workplace. Respect is key! HPH never alienates, harasses, or otherwise harms another. 4. Distance: This refers to the emotional and temporal distance from a painful event. Recognizing that certain events and occurrences can be funny, but only from a certain distance, helps you discern how to deliver certain instances of humor. And remember: some topics are better left untouched! Use good judgement and always err on the side of caution. 5. Confidence: This is the self-assurance you feel in relation to your abilities or qualities. Humor has been shown to actually project confidence to others! As you continue to practice incorporating humor into your workplace, you’ll grow more confident in yourself and your abilities. 6. Competence: This refers to your level of skill, proficiency and mastery in a given topic. Understanding the topic you’re joking about helps you deliver a more impactful and nuanced message to others. This brings me to my second point about competence: communication! Knowing how to communicate with the different personalities you’re surrounded by improves bonds with others (see Point 2) through establishing shared emotions and a common goal. Get to know those around you and learn how to best connect with them! 7. Authenticity: While I’ve discussed the importance of considering those around you when employing humor, there’s one rule that I really want you to remember: Always be authentic! Learn about your unique sense of humor, and from there, learn how to translate it to different humor styles in a way that remains true to yourself. Grow We each have our strengths and weaknesses within the 7 Building Blocks, so identify yours and use that as a starting point. Build on your strengths and understand your areas of improvement. With a little practice and time, you’ll be an unstoppable force of High Performance Humor, and your workplace will thrive! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
We all know the old saying: “Laughter is the best medicine.” And it’s true! When you laugh, you’re:
Allow me to save you some time and summarize this awesome finding: Chronic stress, manifested in the hormone cortisol, takes a toll on your brain over time, eating away at your learning and memory functions. When you laugh, you reduce cortisol levels, increasing your memory and recall functions, as well as your capacity to learn. All this to say, who couldn’t use more memory space in the hard drive that is your brain? If it can make such an impact on older adults, imagine how much it can do for your brain if you begin seeing humor today! So, next time you’re stressed at work and chugging toward that deadline, take a moment to do something that makes you smile or laugh, and stop that pesky cortisol in its tracks. When you come back to the task at hand, the ideas will be flowing! Start seeing the funny in everyday life, both inside and outside of work, and blast through that stress to a more clear and composed state of mind. You’re one good laugh away from your next great idea! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
So, you want to make people laugh, huh? That’s easy! Okay, maybe not. But don’t worry! I’m here to help. Let’s dive into some scenarios and I’ll give you some things to keep in mind before your meeting, performance, company party, or whatever you’ve got going on! There are a lot of steps to leveraging other people’s laughter. So, let’s break it down. What’s the setting?
Be sure to keep in mind:
Before letting all of your family holiday party jokes fly, consider your audience. If you have to think about whether or not something is appropriate—play it safe and leave it out. You’re a creative person! Find a better alternative. Details, Details, Details! Don’t forget about the details! There are plenty of nuances in your setting. Here are some key things to keep in mind: Nuances:
One of the biggest keys in getting people to laugh, especially in a group setting, is to make sure they can see each other. Whenever possible, make sure you leverage the seating so that people can make eye contact with other people. Why?? Because laughter is contagious! Trust me. It makes things SO much easier. Our brains contain mirror neurons and when we can see others smile and laugh, we automatically respond in kind. And when we hear laughter—even if we don't know why others are laughing—we begin to laugh as well (thus the science behind sitcom laugh tracks). If you keep these factors in mind—then the next time someone in your audience starts to bust up laughing, you’ll quickly have your whole audience belly laughing! IMPORTANT NOTE: You don’t want people to be TOO comfortable. For example, a group of people that just ate a huge meal maybe had a couple of drinks, and are ready for a nap…probably not the right audience! They’re just focused on getting back to their Puffy Lux. Make sure you and the audience are in the right state of mind. You want a crowd to have energy that you can harness and turn that into laughter! Tap into their pain Now, the pain has to be something they’re emotionally detached from. It's a bit of a delicate balance. Zero discomfort will result in indifference. However, if it sparks a threat response, the humor will fall flat. For example - The lack of parking in your organization.
"Here at Acme Corp, "getting lucky" means finding a parking place!" Weave some things in that come with a little bit of pressure. Leverage the pressure and give them release. Boom! You just successfully leveraged laughter! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
Flying can be stressful any time of the year, but the holiday season can be especially nerve-wracking: Fretful flights. Cranky crews. Pissy passengers. Instead of instructing people to buckle their seatbelt, flight attendants might be better served to have people fasten their straight jackets! If only there was a way to deal with the strain… But wait—Popeyes Chicken comes to the rescue! Many passengers traveling through the Philadelphia International Airport during Christmas week 2018 skipped the Philly Cheesesteaks and grabbed a to-go box that also served as an Emotional Support Chicken. Yes, I said, “Emotional. Support. Chicken.” These chickens don’t bite, they’re TSA-friendly, and they’re “cheap” comfort food. (Sorry, I just can’t resist a good chicken pun.) Popeyes Chicken thought this emotional support animal wouldn’t ruffle any feathers…but they were wrong. PETA and its supporters squawked that this stunt was insulting and in poor taste:
Whether it’s politics, religion or how a dress affects the visual perception of your derrière, people are hesitant to joke about nearly anything these days for fear of offending someone. And while I’m all about inclusive humor, the fact of the matter is that jokes always have a target. I love Mike Birgbilia’s insight in his brilliant one-man comedic show, “Thank God for Jokes,” that jokes are, by nature, a volatile type of speech. His mom once posed the question to him, “Well can’t these writers just write jokes that aren’t offensive?” He turns to the audience and observes, “I thought about it. And I said, ‘I’m not sure that’s possible, because all jokes are offensive to someone’.” In my book, Funny Means Money. Strategic Humor for Influence & World Domination (ForbesBooks, 2019) I discuss how to make your humor 99% safe. But safe isn’t always going to get you to your desired outcome. While Popeyes may have offended a few, they entertained and comforted thousands of passengers—and they reached millions more on TV, radio and social media…Especially after PETA took them to task and created a twitterstorm. But they seem to have shot themselves in the foot, as the vast majority of people didn’t take offense, and, in fact, they thought that emotional support chickens were hilarious. Many tweets were similar to this one: “Emotional support chickens are FUNNY. And all this brouhaha makes me hungry for chicken!” In my estimation, Popeyes’ strategic use of humor was a savvy marketing move. Their digital footprint is still spreading as we speak! Scowl if you must, but I’m putting Popeyes Chicken on Santa’s “Nice” list for delivering holiday cheer and spreading humor to a population that is hungry for it. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
Stress is a HUGE problem in America. A recent Gallup study revealed 8 in 10 Americans are afflicted by stress! So how can Americans begin to reverse this trend and reduce their stress levels? An easy way to start is with humor! You might be thinking… Stress relief from laughter? Really, Karyn? It’s no joke! Now, a good laugh isn’t going to cure all ailments, but it certainly helps most! Here are some of the short and long-term benefits of laughter (Mayo Clinic): Short-Term
Check out some of the long-term effects: Long-Term
Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
It was a dark and stormy night…(really) and I was waiting to board a flight along with around 200 fellow passengers. We were already delayed an hour and a half and the mood was as dark inside the terminal as it was outside. We were finally cleared to board, and folks—while anxious about the delay—were relieved to finally be moving out of the gate area and onto the plane. The flight attendant sprinted through her safety routine while I and others nervously calculated if there was any way we were going to make our connections. We rolled onto the tarmac and the pilot announced we were #17 in the lineup—seems there were a LOT of folks trying to get-the-heck-out-of-Dodge that night. Slowly we taxied closer to the runway. #15…#12…#8—the pilot periodically would announce our progress. But the next time we heard his voice, it was anything but progress. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. While we were waiting for clearance, another band of storms has moved into the area. There’s a high degree of lightning and we’re grounded until further notice. We can’t go back to the gate so we’ll have to sit it out here on the tarmac. We’ll be dimming the lights. Please remain in your seats. We’ll keep you posted.” A cacophony of curses and groans filled the plane. My stomach sank. My shoulders tightened. A stream of worst-case-scenarios flashed through my mind. Would I be stuck here overnight? Would I miss my speaking engagement tomorrow? Would the client be able to find another speaker? The more I thought about it, the sicker I felt. I pulled out my phone to review my itinerary. And then it occurred to me that I had downloaded an audio of one of my favorite funny authors onto my phone. I fumbled for my headphones and turned on “David Sedaris Live at Carnegie Hall.” I scrunched back in my seat (exit row, aisle: everybody follow me if the plane goes down!) and listened as Sedaris read hysterical yet poignant stories of his life. I began to smile. Then he got to one story that has become a traditional favorite in our house (Santa and The 6-8 Black Men—the story is so far from what you’re probably thinking). I began to laugh. As the story became more outrageous, I began to laugh harder. Then he came to the climax of the story and I began to guffaw—now totally unaware of the people and circumstances that surrounded me. I laughed so hard tears ran down my cheeks. As the flight attendant walked down the dimly lit aisle, she misconstrued my belly laughter for uncontrollable sobbing. She knelt beside me and tried to console me. When I realized what she was doing, the absurdity of the situation combined with the cleansing release of laughter created the ultimate catharsis—and I lost it. I laughed so hard, tears ran down my leg. Did the distraction of the funny audio change my situation? No. But it did distract me from focusing on circumstances that were beyond my control. It provided a brief respite in the midst of a stressful trip. I could sit in my seat and worry about what might happen, or I could sit in my seat and be amused. It would be the same amount of time either way. I keep a number of humorous distractions within reach at all times. I suggest you do the same. You’ll enjoy the journey a lot more. You have a choice. Choose humor. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
A CFO’s Take on Humor in the Workplace One thousand, four hundred CFOs were asked, “How important is an employee’s sense of humor in him or her fitting into your company’s corporate culture?” Seventy-nine percent of them said that an employee’s sense of humor was important for fitting into a company’s corporate culture. Seventy-nine percent! Wow! Two things about this impressed me. First, seventy-nine percent is a huge majority. And second, why the heck did they ask CFOs?! One would of thought they’d ask the CEO or director of HR, but I think it’s fantastic that the researchers asked the single most numbers-oriented person in any firm such a “soft” question. The research also revealed that twenty-two percent said it was “very important,” while twenty percent said it was “not at all important.” “A little levity goes a long way toward building rapport among colleagues, and diffusing workplace tension,” said Kimberly Stiener-Murphy, a Regional Vice President for Robert Half (which owns Accountemps, which funded the research.) “Levity by those at the top can also make the office more fun, which can boost morale and productivity, and raise retention rates.” Hmmm…improved morale, increased productivity, and better retention…sounds to me like elements that contribute to a positive ROI.
Kudos to Robert Half and those one-thousand, four-hundred CFOs who participated in this research! It’s gratifying that the observations that humor enhances well-being and success are being supported by more research as time goes on. Funny really does make money! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
In October 1962, the world held its breath as America and Russia went to the brink, with nuclear weapons at the ready. Russia was installing nuclear missiles in Cuba—a mere 90 miles from the Florida coast. The 13-day crisis played-out in real time on TV around the world. As American and Soviet delegates came together to negotiate, tensions were high, and they soon became deadlocked. And then…a Russian delegate told a joke: “What is the difference between Capitalism and Communism? In Capitalism, man exploits man. In Communism, it is the other way around.” Delegates on both sides laughed, and this created a bond among all of them. (Hey, ya gotta start somewhere!) With the tension eased for the moment, talks resumed, and eventually a deal was struck that avoided blowing up the planet—no small feat! Whether you’re negotiating for world peace or for which movie to go to, humor can play a crucial role in your success. According to a recent study on business negotiations, humor has numerous functions in the negotiation process. It can put the negotiators at ease; it can introduce a difficult issue; it can foster togetherness and team spirit; it can help the other negotiator save face; and it can be a way of being cooperative in spite of disagreement. Additional studies show that if you can inject humor into your negotiations, you’re more likely to get what you’re negotiating for. Once when I was negotiating with a potential client over the phone, it became obvious that budget was a delicate topic. I could feel the tension rising, and when he posed the question: “How much is this going to cost me?” I wanted to reduce the tension. I paused and said, “Are you sitting down??” He laughed, and from that point, the conversation about money went smoothly. Those four little words, spoken in just the right tone of voice, have helped me close dozens of deals over the years. Think strategically. Who do you negotiate with? It might be with a colleague, a competitor, a customer, an employee, a boss, a colleague or even a family member. (You do understand, I hope, that getting a child to go to bed is not something that you command, but rather something you negotiate. Some of those rugrats make Johnnie Cochran look like an amateur. And don’t even get me started on teenagers!) What are you negotiating for? Examine it and look for an opportunity to weave in a little humor—like a humorous and relevant anecdote, a funny comment or gesture. You probably want to start with something whimsical. Something short. Something that relates to the situation at hand. Negotiations are often important and intense, so use humor wisely, cautiously and professionally. (No “sharp jabs” like Don Rickles is famous for!) The ability to successfully negotiate is a helpful skill for everyone, but it’s an essential tool for anyone who plans to sell or lead. You may not be called upon to save the world from nuclear war—but I guarantee that sometime soon you will be called upon to save a deal, or make the sale, or advance your agenda in some manner. Humor, used strategically, can make you a more powerful and effective negotiator. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! |
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