Humor in the Workplace Blog
Rudeness Sucking the Fun Out of Meetings
Is Rudeness Sucking the Fun Out of Your Meetings?
Just thought I’d ask, because I’m noticing more and more rude
behavior in meetings. Even in my talks people in the front
row will talk on their cell phones or text message! Now it
could be that I’m just boring the socks off them, but I tend
to think it’s a matter of simple manners, or lack thereof.
Seems I’m not alone. An OfficeTeam survey found that:
- 66% of workers say it’s impolite to use a smart phone
during a meeting
- 48% say BlackBerrys should be banned from meetings
- 24% say Blackberrys should be checked at the door
What do you think? Go to www.humoratwork.com for our poll:
Should electronic devices be banned from meetings?
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Mike’s Fun at Work Tip
Weave an unusual “word-of-the-day” into your next meeting in
order to win a prize from a co-worker. Two soap opera stars
from the Young and the Restless do this very game – where one
has to weave a word seamlessly into a scene to win a prize
(Okay, so I got bored in the checkout lane yesterday.)
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Quote of the Week
“If you give up having fun – you’re done!” Brenda Gooder
(Mike’s sister. And now she owes me ten bucks.)
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It’s a Wacky, Wacky World
Happy “Clean Off Your Desk Day” AND “Blame Someone Else Day.”
(So if you have a messy desk still at the end of today, I
guess you can blame someone else for it.)
Humor at Work Video Contest
Your mission is to create a one minute or less video with your team explaining why your workplace is in desperate need of a Humor at Work workshop.
The Fun Theory and Piano Stairs
Piano stairs! I want these in my house! Check out www.Thefuntheory.com for two great lessons in adding humor and fun to the work mix.
United Hates Guitars Video – Part Two
The second part of the trilogy of David Carroll’s “United Hates Guitars” music videos, is now up on you tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-UoERHaSQg .
Seeing is Not Always Believing
The buzzword of the year in my business has got to be “optics.”
WestJet Capitalizes on United Breaks Guitars Song
By now you’ll have heard of the hilarious You Tube music video, “United Breaks Guitars” posted by disgruntled United Airlines passenger Dave Carroll. Another great story on so many levels.
Humor at Work is No Band Aid Solution
I cringe, yes, physically cringe, when I hear stories of people misusing humor in the workplace. The most cringe-inducing stories for me are the ones where people do hokey, gimmicky type things as a temporary band-aid solution.
Stand Out from the Herd
People have heard me say it over and over: it’s not good enough to be good, you also need to be different. To succeed in this crazy dog-eat dingo world standing out from the herd is imperative. And a little humor can be all it takes to stand out.
Customer Service with a YES!
To use humor in the workplace effectively, you need to have a “yes and…” attitude. A “yes and…” attitude opens your mind to new ideas, to trying new things, to possibilities and to having more fun. It’s a playful state of mind. As comedian Robin Williams once said, “Humor is about saying yes, when everyone else is saying no.”
For Humor in the Workplace to Work – Ignore the Fun Suckers!
Perhaps the number one humor in the workplace question I get asked is this: “What do you do about the fun suckers?”