Humor in Business is a venue to showcase how humor in commerce is not only a good idea , but sometimes necessary (when appropriate).
When it comes to the world of commerce, everyone has a humorous story or two worth sharing. Humor and business may not seem to be such compatible bedfellows, but in many instances they can effectively work together--even if not intentionally. Humor can help diffuse a difficult situation, relieve stress, or just simply brighten up the workday.
You are invited to submit your own stories of how humor was/is used effectively in your workplace - whether it be on a sales call, during a training class, in the boardroom or the courtroom.
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Many of the captains of industry such as Sam Walton and Richard Branson have used humor to motivate their employees and entertain their customers.
ReplyDeleteA little humour is good for the soul – regardless of how old you may be - Richard Branson
ReplyDeleteI’m not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues - Franklin D. Roosevelt
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ReplyDeleteWnenever I teach a class or give a talk, I always inject humor, especially in the beginning to make my students/audience feel a little more at ease.
ReplyDeleteThere is no business like SHOW business - and that's good!
ReplyDelete"I think people who don't have humor don't understand perspective in every sense of the word. If people don't have perspective when they get to a level where they have big responsibility, they are potentially dangerous.” Richard Branson
ReplyDeleteThe workplace needs laughter. According to research from institutions as serious as Wharton, MIT, and London Business School, every chuckle or guffaw brings with it a host of business benefits. (The Harvard Business Review)
ReplyDeleteCelebrate your successes. Find some humor in your failures. - Sam Walton
ReplyDeleteLaughter is timeless... - Walt Disney
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've learned over the years is that the average customer is usually far smarter- and more appreciative of a joke - than big businesses give them credit for.
ReplyDelete- Richard Branson (Find My Virginity)
Delivering humor successfully takes skill. Knowing when/where/what are critical.
ReplyDeleteI try to make sure everyone keeps their sense of humor through it all. -Richard Branson
ReplyDeleteA flight attendant on a Southwest flight just after the plane lands: “Please use caution when opening the overhead compartments, as shift happens.”
ReplyDeleteIf you are small company taking on a big company, you need to have a sense of humor. - Richard Branson
ReplyDeleteA sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done. - Dwight Eisenhower
ReplyDeleteHumor in the business of politics: When I went to vote in the mid-term election, the poll worker said I can put my "...ballot in the machine, it doesn't matter how". When I asked (jokingly) how about diagonally? The poll worker laughed and said to her co-worker "You know that's what makes this enjoyable, people with a sense of humor".
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ReplyDeleteAmong the "secrets" Richard Branson offers for public speaking:
ReplyDelete"Placing witty lines at the beginning and end of a talk, putting a laugh in the middle with serious stuff on either side, and concluding with a smile". (Inc. Magazine)
Humor can not only improve a single situation, but also employees' mindsets if it's part of an organization's culture.
ReplyDeleteRobert Half International survey: 97% professionals replied it is important managers have a sense of humor.
ReplyDeleteGood humor: It is a business asset. — Grenville Kleiser, Author
ReplyDeleteCelebrate your successes. Find some humor in your failures. Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart
ReplyDeleteMy keyboard must be broken, I keep hitting the escape key, but I'm still at work. Anonymous
ReplyDeleteLoosen up, and everybody around you will loosen up.
ReplyDelete- Sam Walton
I choose a lazy person to do a hard job, because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it. - Bill Gates
ReplyDeleteMany people quit looking for work when they find a job. - Steven Wright
ReplyDeleteLawyer: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
ReplyDeleteDoctor: No
Lawyer: Did you check for blood pressure?
Doctor: No
Lawyer: Did you check for breathing?
Doctor: No
Lawyer: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
Doctor: No
Lawyer: How can you be so sure, doctor?
Doctor: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Lawyer: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
Doctor: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicimg law.
“The question, ‘Who ought to be boss?’ is like asking, ‘Who ought to be the tenor in the quartet?’ Obviously, the man who can sing tenor.” Henry Ford
ReplyDelete"(Herb) Kelleher (founder of Southwest Airlines) was famous for his infectious humor and personality. He wasn't afraid to dress up as Elvis or the Easter Bunny, and that attitude spread throughout the company."
ReplyDelete-Bizjournals.com
"If you don’t know what to do with many of the papers piled on your desk, stick a dozen colleagues initials on them and pass them along. When in doubt, route." -Malcolm S. Forbes
ReplyDelete"There’s an enormous number of managers who have retired on the job." - Peter Drucker
ReplyDelete"Good humor...It is a business asset.."
ReplyDelete—Grenville Kleiser
"If one of our customers comes into the store without a smile, I'll give them one of mine." - Saam Walton
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ReplyDeleteDave Barry
ReplyDelete"If you had to identify in one word the reason why the human race has not achieved and never will achieve its full potential, that word would be 'meetings." - Dave Barry
"The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he fills out a job application form." - Stanley J. Randall
ReplyDelete"There's no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery. You can't do business from there." Colonel Sanders, Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken
ReplyDelete"If someone is willing to take the risk to create some levity, there is incredible value in that." David Hornik, Venture Capitalist
ReplyDelete"Humor is a serious thing. I like to think of it as one of our greatest earliest natural resources, which must be preserved at all cost." James Thurber
ReplyDelete"Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls-Royce to get advice from those who take the subway." - Warren Buffett
ReplyDelete"There’s no secret about success. Did you ever know a successful man who didn’t tell you about it?" Kin Hubbard
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ReplyDelete"I think it's wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly." - Steven Wright
ReplyDelete"We were hoping to build a small profitable company, and of course, what we've done is build a large, unprofitable company." -Jeff Bezos
ReplyDelete"I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it." Frank Clark
ReplyDelete"Success is just a matter of luck - ask any failure." - Earl Wilson
ReplyDelete"A little humor is good for the soul" - Sir Richard Branson
ReplyDelete"Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get." Ray Kroc
ReplyDeleteThe first 5 days after the weekend are the hardest.
ReplyDelete