Humor is absolutely necessary—whether in every day life, family chaos or even in the business world—humor can make all the difference between the most impossible of days and a reasonably good one. Customers and clients will respond more warmly to someone who has a sense of humor and an appropriate sense of humor sends the message that a person is flexible, competent and in control. Why then, do we have such a hard time letting our humor shine through in our home businesses?
We think that we need to show we are serious and hardened in order to let folks know we are competent and reliable. Yes, we DO need to be serious sometimes, but we also need to demonstrate an ability to roll with things and show a little vulnerability and humanity. Humor is one of the best ways to set people at ease, relax a tense situation, and create a human connection with someone else. How can these elements be bad in business?
Of course, like anything, humor can be overdone—cracking bad jokes every three minutes or trying to break up a serious moment with an inappropriate way. Adolescent humor or other attempts at bad taste are surely not welcome, but a healthy, feel-good sense of humor is a must for any business person. Being able to laugh away mishaps or find humor in every-day issues are ways that we can break the ice and relate to our customers and clients—not to mention that it just helps us keep the stress level lower and it feels good!
Instead of trying to keep your humor in check when you are networking and working with customers and clients, let a little shine through and see if it doesn’t improve your working relationships as well as make work a bit more fun.
Also: Mix in Some Humor and Play
Some Business Bloopers are Funny