The Hump Day Humor at Work E-zine
Give Your Memory a Humor Boost
Having trouble remembering what you forgot to remember? A little
humor may help. A few studies have suggested that the next time
you can’t find your car keys, simply laughing may help you find
them. Who knows why? Maybe laughter simply helps you relax so that
your subconscious mind can filter through the debris faster?
A study reported in the current issue of the International Journal
for Humor Research also suggests that people have a higher recall
rate for funny photos than for inspirational photos, and for facts
that are associated with something humorous. The upshot? If you
want your messages to be more memorable, a bit of humor might help.
Humor and creativity might also help you improve your own memory. In
the very entertaining book, “Moonwalking With Einstein-The Art and
Science of Remembering Everything” by Joshua Foer, Foer makes the
argument that creativity and memory are highly linked, perhaps even
opposite sides of the same coin. What his research and experience as
winner of the U.S. Memory Championships suggests is that thinking
creatively and making outrageous, funny mental associations to the
things you want to memorize is perhaps the most effective way of
remembering anything for a long, long time!
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Mike’s Fun at Work Tip
Look for outrageous opportunities to help your customers have
more fun and, as I always stress, get some free publicity at the
same time, such as the hotels in California this summer who are
offering guests a free upgrade by performing live at the check-in
counter. The Shorebreak Hotel, Pacific Edge Hotel, Hotel Erwin and
Hotel Angeleno are offering one upgrade per hotel each day to the
first guest who sings one of the selected songs. Not only should
this make it fun for the guests and the employees, the hotels have
already received loads of free publicity. And they’ll continue to
capitalize on the fun by posting the performances on You Tube and
offering a grand prize for the best performance.
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Quote of the Week
“A good laugh sends a reassuring message: We’re on the same
wavelength, we get along.” Daniel Goleman
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It’s a Wacky World
From the Huffington Post, here’s a few of the weirdest college
classes being served up in the U.S.:
- How to Watch TV (Montclair State University)
- The Joy of Garbage (Santa Clara University)
- Zombies in Popular Media (Columbia College)
- Looking at Animals (Evergreen State University)
- Maple Syrup: The Real Thing (Alfred University)
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Copyright Michael Kerr, 2011 www.humoratwork.com
Leaders with a Sense of Humor Create More Relaxed Workplace Culture
Having fun at work, according to the CEO of Beryl Call Centers,
isn’t optional. It’s a core value and a huge asset and one of the
key reasons Beryl is so successful. Beryl has learned that when senior
managers show off their fun side, the entire organization breathes
a little easier. And, according to the CEO Paul Spiegelman, when the
senior leaders poke fun at themselves it sends the message throughout
the organization that there is no class system, that everyone is
approachable, and that everyone is “in it” together.
Which is why, if you work at Beryl, you might encounter the CEO
on roller blades wearing a matador outfit, or dancing a wacky dance
in a lime green suit, or poking fun at himself with other senior
leaders in a funny holiday celebration video.
Now perhaps that’s a wee bit extreme for your culture or your
personality. The point is, when people at work, and in particular
the senior managers, take themselves less seriously the entire
culture can benefit tremendously.
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Mike’s Fun at Work Tip
Try out this idea from Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream either once a
month as a wacky theme day, or try it out in a meeting: every time
someone says the word serious, everyone must (choose your favorite)
either put on a pair of Grouch Marx glasses OR a clown nose or
do the fun dance. Sure, it’s a tad silly, but summer is approaching,
and what better time is there to stir in a little silliness.
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Quote of the Week
“A thing is funny when in some way that is not actually offensive
or frightening it upsets the established order. Every joke is a
tiny revolution.” George Orwell
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It’s a Wacky World
Friday, June 24th is “Take Your Dog to Work Day” and it’s also
“Ugliest Dog Day”, so why not combine the two and bring a really
ugly dog to work with you Friday? (Of course, best not to tell
the dog why you finally decided to bring him to your work.)
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Copyright Michael Kerr, 2011 www.humoratwork.com
Humor at Work: Tips to Keep Momentum Going When You Lose Steam
So you’ve tried some new ways to inject some energy, passion and
fun into the old workplace. At first, people were excited. But soon
folks lost steam, and the new initiatives began to fizzle. Oh well.
Another fad, another gimmick, another band-aid solution fallen
into the dumpster of new ideas that sounded good at first, but failed
to catch on and create real change. Sound familiar?
Here’s a few ideas that might help you regain that lost momentum:
- Talk up the “why?”. Why were you making the changes in the first
place? Why is it important to your success?
- Focus on the specific behaviors that can easily become doable
habits, because once something is a habit, it’s hard to kick.
- Remind yourself and your team of how much you really have
accomplished. It’s often easy to minimize the actual amount of
progress that has been achieved.
- Remind people that having a bit of slump or backslide is a natural
part of any change process that you can and will overcome.
- Remind yourself and your team of the negative consequences of
NOT sticking through with the new behaviors
- Create some mentorship or coaching alliances. Support people
or teams that can help offer advice and serve as role models
- Make it fun. Break it down into bite-sized chunks, simple
steps or weekly milestones, and then celebrate reaching each
step in a fun, even outlandish way.
- Create a fun vision board that serves to remind people of
what success looks like using funny photos, fake newspaper
headlines, funny quotes and visual reminders of the milestones
achieved thus far.
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Mike’s Fun at Work Tip
Tomorrow (June 16) is official “Recess at Work” day, so plan
a 30-minute break with your team and do something fun: hold an
impromptu hula hoop, fun dance or paper airplane flying contest.
Bring ice cream in for everyone. Report the office bully to the principal.
Or, do what we all did as kids when recess rolled
around: remind everyone of the need for a mental and physical
health break and head outside to the nearest park or green space
to clear out the old cobwebs and get the oxygen flowing.
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Quote of the Week
“One person with passion is better than forty people merely
interested.” E.M. Forster
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It’s a Wacky World
A Taiwanese man failed in his attempt to sue his neighbors for
training their mynah bird to insult him! (Maybe the judge thought
it was to mynah an offense for the courts to deal with?)
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Copyright Michael Kerr, 2011 www.humoratwork.com
The Persuasive Power of Humor…and Frogs?
A study conducted by Karen O’Quinn and Joel Aronoff demonstrated,
yet again, the potential power of a little humor to help persuade
people. In the study, participants had to negotiate with a seller
over the purchase price of a painting. The seller made a final
sales offer in one of two ways: half the time the seller said
he’d accept $6,000, the other half of the time he gave the same
final offer, but this time he added a little humor by offering to
throw in his pet frog. The impact of a little humor had a huge
effect. Regardless of gender and regardless of the degree to which
the seller’s final price was above the amount originally offered,
would be buyers made a much greater compromise when offered the pet
frog. So, either everyone in the study had a 10 year-old boy at
home, or, as the study authors suggest, the humorous aside helped
relax the buyers and put them in a more generous frame of mind.
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Mike’s Fun at Work Tip
Look for fun opportunities to cheer on your local sports’ teams.
The Boston Pizza restaurant chain has temporarily rebranded its
62 B.C. restaurants as Vancouver Pizza to support the Vancouver
Canucks hockey team in their run for the Stanley Cup. The idea
was conceived more than a year ago when the marketing folks at
Boston Pizza realized that it might be a possibility for Boston
to face off against Vancouver. It’s a simple, fun and inexpensive
idea that will likely generate enormous publicity for the pizza
chain. So look for creative, fun ways to tie into events, including
your local home town minor league sporting events!
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Quote of the Week
“Businesses have a misguided sense that work and play are opposites. If you can make the work intellectually challenging and you have a worthwhile goal in mind, it’s very much like play.” Tom Kelly, Cofounder IDEO Design
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It’s a Wacky World
If you were thinking of getting a cat, here’s an alternative to
consider: the Japanese company Neurowear has created a headband
with cat ears that move and wiggle like real cat ears in response
to your emotional state by reading your brainwaves. What next?
Catnip for humans? (Oh wait, I guess we already have that!)
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Copyright Michael Kerr, 2011 www.humoratwork.com
Humor at Work: Hockey Team Offers Lessons for Inspiring Teams!
Canucks’ Teamwork Pays Off
For the non-Canadians reading this, allow me to preface this
blurb by letting you know that Canada is a hockey-crazed
nation. So hockey-crazed, that during our recent federal election,
one of the leaders’ televised debates was rescheduled to accommodate
a playoff hockey game. So crazed, that about 80% of Monday’s
news coverage on the CBC national news was devoted to hockey.
So, the Vancouver Canucks are up against the Boston Bruins in the
Stanley Cups finals. Part of the reason for the Canucks’ success
has been attributed to the inspiring team culture they have created
off the ice. According to coach Alain Vigneault, the team
has taken ownership of the team’s performance like never before,
have communicated with each other off ice like never before, and
have held each other accountable like never before, all great
hallmarks of an inspiring team. Plus, according to the coach,
they seem to be having fun! What a great concept! So, as you
vie for your own Stanley Cup (I know, very corny) at work, take
a cue from the Canucks, who will, sad to say for the Boston fans
out there, bring home the Stanley Cup after five games.
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Mike’s Fun at Work Tip
Hold a “Greet everyone as though they are your best friend” theme
day. Here’s the deal: studies show that people are a whopping 90%
LESS likely to approach someone who does NOT make eye contact or
smile at them. Smiling warmly at a person not only makes YOU
feel happier, it helps you come across as more confident,
approachable, interested, friendly, attractive and even (according
to some studies)more intelligent! And if you imagine every person
to be a long lost pal it becomes easier to focus 100% of your energy
on them, and it will maybe even trick your subconscious mind
into thinking you really like the person. Holding a theme day
dedicated to this could be a fun, sometimes even a wacky reminder
of the importance of interpersonal interactions at work, a reminder
to your customer service people to check how receptive they are coming across, and
a reminder that it’s the small interactions at work that build trust. Remember, with
every interaction you have a chance to
either pass along some positive energy, or be an energy vampire.
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Quote of the Week
“Sarchasm”: The gulf between the author of a sarcastic wit and the
person who doesn’t get it.
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It’s a Wacky World
Get ready for an exciting and wacky June, because, yup, June is
official Smile Month, Lemon & Mango Month, Surf Music Month,
Bathroom Reading Month and, my personal favorite, Accordion
Awareness Month! Which raises the question: just how accordion
aware are you?
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Copyright Michael Kerr, 2011 www.humoratwork.com
Humor at Work: Improv Lessons for the Workplace
Improv Lessons for the Workplace
I just read Tina Fey’s autobiography Bossypants, a hilarious
read which included an insightful sidebar on work/life lessons
she gleaned from her years doing theater improvisation with
Second City in Chicago. As someone who uses theater improv from
time to time in my training workshops as a vehicle to talk about
creativity, humor, communication and leadership at work, this
naturally tweaked my interest. Here are Tina’s three lessons
(and yes, she and I are on a first name basis):
1. Improv only works well if you agree to the premise being
offered you, which means saying yes all the time. Imagine how
much greater your workplace might be if everyone said ‘yes’ more
often than they said ‘no’?
2. To build on ideas you need a “Yes, and” mentality in improv.
Same holds true if you want to be more creative at work. Fostering
a culture that supports “Yes, AND how can we make this idea even
better” mindset vs. a “But we tried that in 1957 so it’ll never
work” mindset is crucial for success.
3. There are no mistakes in improv, only opportunities. Applied in
the workplace, rather than “blame-storming” when mistakes happened,
what if everyone focused on brainstorming new opportunities that
might emerge out of a setback? What if you created an environment
where ideas are discussed without fear of judgment or ridicule
- where ideas are all accepted as potential right answers? And
what if you, the way BMW and other companies have done, created
programs to reward “smart mistakes” in the workplace?
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Mike’s Fun at Work Tip
Create a fun ritual or rule that helps you keep your meetings
focused and ending on time. A wacky example comes from the
company that created the popular photo-sharing site flickr.com.
They created a “16 ounce rule” for meetings, wherein everyone must
drink a large glass of water at the start of the meeting, and then
as soon as the first person has to go to the bathroom, the meeting
is officially over!
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Quote of the Week
“Humor loosens up your brain to think of more possibilities and
to be open to wild and wacky ideas.” Dr. John Morreall
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It’s a Wacky World
Quick, it’s not too late to celebrate! Wednesday, May 25th is
official Nerd Pride Day! So break out those orange pants, proudly
Display that pocket protector and don’t be shy about sharing everything
you know about the classic “The Trouble with Tribbles,” episode #44,
of the original Star Trek series. Remember, as Bill Gates once said,
“Nerds rock!”
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Copyright Michael Kerr, 2011 www.humoratwork.com
Humor at Work: Humor Buddies and Brain Trusts
Much has been written lately about the tremendous growth of
mentorship programs in the workplace, and about how successful
these programs are at not only helping new employees but also
in providing seasoned employees an opportunity to expand their
skills and stay inspired themselves. But a traditional mentorship
program is just one of many workplace relationships that can
benefit employees greatly. Here are some other interesting
relationships that you may want to nurture in your workplace:
- Develop a relationship with a few trusted people with whom
you could swap problems. Often people are better at seeing
solutions to other people’s problems, so try trading problems
with a colleague you respect and give each other a week or so to
come up with solutions to the other person’s challenge.
- Create “reverse mentorship” programs, wherein brand new
employees gain confidence by mentoring a more seasoned employee
on an area of expertise the new employee brings to the team.
- Firestone, Edison and Ford met regularly to brainstorm business
challenges, so create a brain trust (as they called it) of
diverse people that you can call upon to meet with regularly to brainstorm
and discuss challenges in confidence
- Foster a partnership or mentorship-type relationship with
someone uniquely focused just on work/life balance and stress
issues.
- Find a “humor buddy.” Someone either inside or outside the
workplace with a great sense of humor that can help you with
serious emergencies. Someone who can make you laugh or give
you a more realistic perspective in the face of a stressful
situation.
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Mike’s Fun at Work Tip
Create a fun, fast-paced video around the theme of a “day in
the life of your workplace”. In addition to being a fun team
building project, the video can be used to recruit new employees,
as a marketing tool for your customers, or as a fun orientation
welcome video for new employees and their families.
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Quote of the Week
“If only closed minds came with closed mouths.” Unknown
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It’s a Wacky World
768 Croats got into the Guinness Book of World Records by
creating the world’s largest human smiley face in a downtown
square in Zagreb, thus heading off an invasion by intergalactic
hostile aliens.
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Copyright Michael Kerr, 2011 www.humoratwork.com
Humor at Work: Officer Jokers Can Play Important Role in Workplace Culture
It’s No Joke: Office Jokers Play Invaluable Role
A study reported in the International Journal of Humor Research
looked at the role of “the joker” in three different IT companies
in New Zealand. The study found that the jokers were considered
invaluable members of the organization by both their peers and
managers. The office joker played four key roles: they pushed the
boundaries; they questioned authority without subverting it; they
helped develop a strong culture; and they provided much-needed
relief. Medieval court jesters reminded the king or queen of the”hubris”
that can accompany power; the modern day IT jokers also
played this role to some degree. The jokers in these companies
also played a key role in keeping the corporate history alive,
by retelling funny past stories. And by challenging management in
a humorous way, the jokers were often considered heroes by their
colleagues, which helped cement a sense of camaraderie.
Some brave companies have even taken to hiring outside comedians
to poke fun at organizational policies and management as a way to
laugh at themselves and raise uncomfortable truths that are easier
said through humor.
Now of course there is some risk here. In some cultures perhaps an
enormous amount of risk! But I really like what a senior manager
in the study had to say about the role of the joker: “They are the
glue of the organization and 95% of the time they are good for the
company. The other 5% of the time they might overstep the mark,
but overall, the good definitely outweighs the bad.”
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Mike’s Fun at Work Tip
Add a “I’d like to take the moment to thank _______” section to
your meetings, and give everyone around the table a moment to thank
someone. This simple gesture, once it becomes a normal routine, can
help remind everyone of the need to build a culture of appreciation
and respect.
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Quote of the Week
“What is funny about ourselves is precisely that we take ourselves
too seriously.” Reinhold Neibuhr
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It’s a Wacky World
Today is official “Eat What You Want” day! (You’re welcome!) And
for all you cat lovers out there, tomorrow, May 12th is “Hug Your
Cat” day!
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Copyright Michael Kerr, 2011 www.humoratwork.com
Humor at Work: Cow Tipping at Work
Cow Tipping at Work
As important as it can be to inject fun into the workplace, you may also need to spend time removing barriers to fun, creativity and productivity at work. The great book “Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers” by Robert Kriegel and David Brandt, offers dozens of ideas on how to challenge outdated assumptions and rules that may be slowing you down and sucking the life out of your workplace. A few examples I’ve stumbled upon elsewhere include the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop LLP, which created a “sacred cow task force” which identified a whopping 100 sacred cows in their workplace. The CEO of another company brought in “Black and White Cow” baby beanies and encouraged people to throw them at anyone who defended a sacred cow. ================================================================
Mike’s Fun at Work Tip
Hold a naming contest to come up with a killer name for a new
product, project, building, committee or whatever you can think
of that needs naming. It’s a simple way to get the creative juices
flowing and add some fun. And it can work spectacularly well.
The cereal Wheaties were named after an internal naming contest
(the original name was Washburn’s Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes).
Crayola crayons held a naming contest in 1993 that drew 2 million
entries and created such fabulous colors as Tickle Me Pink,
Razzmatazz, Mauvelous and Macaroni & Cheese. Many sports teams’
names (Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue
Jackets to name a few) were created through public contests. And
of course, contests to name new babies at zoos have engaged tens of
thousands of people and generated enormous amounts of free publicity.
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Quote of the Week
“I’ve always felt that there’s no reason that work has to be
suffused with seriousness, that professionalism can’t be worn
lightly. Fun is a stimulant to people. They enjoy their work
more and work more productively.” Herb Kelleher, Co-Founder
and Chair of Southwest Airlines ================================================================
It’s a Wacky World
Scrooge McDuck has topped the Forbes list as the world’s richest
fictional character with an estimated (do you think?) fortune
of $44.1 billion USD. This still places him behind Bill Gates,
which strikes me as rather odd given that it’s fictional! That
means we can’t even imagine someone being as rich as Bill. Not
even a duck!
Happy Hump Day one and all. May the farce be with you.
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Copyright Michael Kerr, 2011 www.humoratwork.com
Humor at Work: Tell Stories, Use Humor to Make Power Points
Making Power Points Without PowerPoint
I had the great pleasure of watching a CEO deliver a talk
recently. Now usually I don’t use the word “pleasure” after I
have listened to a CEO speak. I tend more towards phrases such as
“nails-on-the-wall excruciatingly painful”. Why? Because too often
senior leaders present they stand behind the lectern clutching
it with a steely death grip, they use words that don’t appear in
any dictionary, they use jargon-speak such as “integrative customer-
centric strategic initiatives,” and they read miniature-sized text
off their 367 PowerPoint slides in a monotone voice while everyone
reads along with them. Everyone who hasn’t nodded off, that is.
But what Scott Thon, President and CEO of Alberta-based AltaLink
did in his presentation so effectively was, well, none of the above.
He spoke directly to the audience instead of to the slides. He
was real, conversational, and self-deprecating with his humor.
He told stories. He made a personal connection by telling his
own story. And he made it fun, finishing off his presentation
with a funny video spoof of the Discovery Channel’s “Boom De Ya
Da” promotional ad, starring AltaLink’s own employees (including
the CEO) singing about their core values. (Google “AltaLink Boom
De Ya Da” if you want to see the video and maybe get inspired to
do your own video!)
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Mike’s Fun at Work Tip
Create alternative super hero meeting titles that you only use
during your meetings. Something that captures the real essence
of what you do, or what role you typically play in meetings.
Yes, it’s a bit silly, but lightening the mood in a meeting even
in a simple, silly way keeps people more relaxed, can encourage
more dialogue and spark more creative thinking.
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Quote of the Week
“PowerPoint may be state-of-the-art, but stories are
state-of-the-heart technology.” Peter Guber
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It’s a Wacky World
CareerBuilder.com surveyed managers recently and found some rather
unusual excuses employees coughed up for being late:
- one woman claimed she was late because her karma was out of
sync (don’t you hate it when that happens)
- one man had a note signed “The Bus Driver”
- one man claimed his car was infested with bees
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Copyright Michael Kerr, 2011 www.humoratwork.com