Humans are wired for humor. Look at any baby you know and they’re often looking at something invisible while laughing from the belly. The story goes that babies are looking at funny angels. But, the truth is, humans are wired to love life and to laugh. That’s what makes us human. Obviously, when you mix humor with business it’s going to affect every aspect of your business.
* Makes Marketing Memorable – Just imagine how horribly dull it would be if everything you wrote on social media was serious. Sure, your business is serious, but it doesn’t have to be uninteresting. If you want people to remember you, let them see your sense of humor. We all have one. For some of us it’s laughing at life, for others it’s slapstick comedy.
* Creates Attractive Advertising – There are so many commercials that use humor today. The reason is it works. Think of the pistachio commercials. They used people who had something terrible happen in their life, came up with a great one-liner that related to the incident plus the nut, and everyone loved it.
* Effective Public Relations Tool – Often PR is used to quieten down a problem, but they’re also out there trying to prevent problems and miscommunication to the public. The best way to cover a problem is to laugh it off. Make a joke out of it as if it’s silly instead of serious, and you could win over people.
* Soothes Inter-Office Politics – Sometimes when you spend so much time at work, people get moody. Office gossip, politics, and other things cause people to just start getting on each other’s last nerve. But a well-placed joke can smooth over problems and get everyone back on the right track.
* Assists with Persuasion – Want to convince people to do things you want them to do? Be likable. The more likable and relatable you are, the more they’re going to help you. Most of the communication that we do is a form of persuasion. Emotions play a critical role in allowing someone to be persuaded. If you make them laugh, they’re likely to take your offer.
* Improves Communication – Droning on and on about factual stuff can be so boring and uninteresting, but if you can turn those facts into humorous anecdotes then your communication is going to improve dramatically.
* Makes a Faster Impact – If you stand up in front of people and make them laugh right off the bat, you’re going to make a much faster impact on them than if you don’t try to go for the laugh. It might seem intimidating, but you probably make your friends laugh all the time so why not your workmates?
* Makes Work Fun – Showing and encouraging humor in the workplace makes work a lot more fun. People don’t typically complain about work because of low pay (although that can be a factor); it’s usually because it’s mind-numbing. Why not create an uplifting environment that encourages humor?
Humor makes everything more fun. It makes life more fun. It makes business more fun. If you don’t think business is fun, it could be that you’re not trying hard enough. There is a lot to laugh about, even in business. Give it a try.
