It has often been said that humour is a highly effective communication tool. Celebrities - including actors, singers and even politicians - take great pains to inject humour into their communication in an effort to create a greater impact with their audiences.
It has become increasingly evident that humour can help organisations and individuals to differentiate themselves from the competition. It can boost staff morale. It can help you achieve instant rapport with customers and clients.
According to Howard Putnam, CEO of Southwest Airlines, "Fun is a pervasive spirit that encompasses an organisation and enables it to think positively and be productive". Many organisations have learnt that injecting fun into business can also contribute to the bottom line.
The Pike Fish Place in Seattle, Washington is an example of a company that has become world famous for introducing the concept of 'Play' into their work place. Their fishmongers entertain customers by throwing and catching fish as they go about their daily work. Their CEO remarks that they are "not really working but playing…"
Even in Singapore it is interesting to note that many senior managers and executives including those from the public sector have been attending seminars on how to have fun at work and how to inject humour into their management style.
Even our senior minister has become very adept at using humour in public speaking. When Mr Goh Chok Tong first became prime minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, then the senior minister, remarked that Goh was "wooden" It was not an insult but more an observation that he needed to be more relaxed when addressing the public.
Looking at Goh's performance today, we can conclude that he has learnt to use humour effectively in public speaking. Also, his use of humour has also influenced other leaders to do likewise, resulting in more entertaining and memorable speeches in parliament and other public forums.
In public relations there are many situations where the use of humour can help us to achieve greater impact with the media. I remember one occasion when I was trying to interest the press to provide coverage for the signing of a joint venture agreement between my client and his German counterpart. My client was in the portable toilet business and his company was signing an agreement with the largest portable toilet company in the world.
It was the kind of event that would hardly interest the media. So we decided to use some humour to spice up the signing ceremony.
We convinced the two CEOs to seal their deal by shaking hands whilst seated on the portable toilets. They were game for it and we thus managed to get a full-page story in The New Paper with the headline "Flushed with success". Our clients were overjoyed with the coverage.
Ikea is an example of an organistion that uses humour not only in its commercials but also in promotions. Some years ago they conducted an in-store promotion that required customers to spend the night on their favourite piece of furniture after which they were allowed to take it home free of charge. The promotion not only resulted in overwhelming response from customers but also generated extensive publicity in the media.
From furniture manufacturers to portable toilet distributors, from politicians to fishmongers, irrespective of the nature of their business or profession, they have all benefited from humour.
Matt Weinstein, the author of the best selling book "Having Fun At Work" has listed some factors to be considered when using humour. They are:
- Humour must be relevant to the audience. We should introduce humour that is appropriate to the audience in terms of age, education, social background, etc.
- Humour must be simple in form and delivery. It is most effective when it is simple in substance and easily understood. It should also be easily conveyed or presented.
- It must not be offensive. We should be aware of taboo subjects like race, religion and even gender.
To end on a humorous note I would like to share a quote: "If you take yourself too seriously, there is an excellent chance you'll wind up seriously ill" -- Matt Weinstein
About the author:
James Suresh is the Managing Director of Training Plus International. James will be speaking on Working With Humor at SIM Members' Day on 6 Sep 2008 at 9.30am. For details and registration, visit
http://www.sim.edu.sg/membersday/. Enquiries: 65-62489447 or email
patricialee@sim.edu.sg
About the Singapore Institute of Management:
SIM is the largest and most comprehensive solutions provider of higher education and professional training in Singapore. It was founded in 1964 as a membership society under the Economic Development Board and today, boasts over 27,000 corporate and individual members. Its extensive range of membership programmes, activities and resources provide an important nexus for SIM students and executives to network and learn.
