Author: Selina Frederick View other articles by this author here.
"The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished." -George Bernard Shaw
Good communication is often complicated by the fact that we are stressed and overloaded. We often have to compete for attention and interest.
Good communication is all about "Getting Their Attention" and "Making a Connection". There is no better tool than humour to achieve this.
Get Their Attention
Teachers, managers, supervisors, and leaders, can expect barriers to exist between them and those with whom they are trying to communicate. Humour breaks barriers to acceptance. It overcomes objections. It creates a positive emotional disposition towards both the message and the messenger.
Humour relaxes listeners and helps open their minds to the possibilities being expressed. This state of relaxed alertness is the most effective environment for communication and learning.
Humour is an effective tool for easing into sensitive or awkward topics. Used appropriately it can be usedful for "testing the waters" before delivering bad news or dicussing topics that might cause anger or frustration. Humour can be used to get a negative message across in an inoffensive way.
Make a Connection
Connecting with people is all about being able to "sell" your thoughts and ideas and have "buy in". This is especially important if our goal is to motivate people into action.
Humour triggers memory and facilitates the retention of subject matter. When something is funny, we tend to repeat it both verbally and through our actions. We do this to recall the good feelings generated by the laughter within ourselves and with others.
Research into sales techniques has shown that a buyer was willing to pay a higher price when the seller used jokes and verbal humour.
Humour is motivational. When we laugh, we feel physically better and emotionally stimulated. This creates enthusiasm for the subject.
"The shortest distance between two people is through humour." -Victor Borge
"The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished." -George Bernard Shaw
Good communication is often complicated by the fact that we are stressed and overloaded. We often have to compete for attention and interest.
Good communication is all about "Getting Their Attention" and "Making a Connection". There is no better tool than humour to achieve this.
Get Their Attention
Teachers, managers, supervisors, and leaders, can expect barriers to exist between them and those with whom they are trying to communicate. Humour breaks barriers to acceptance. It overcomes objections. It creates a positive emotional disposition towards both the message and the messenger.
Humour relaxes listeners and helps open their minds to the possibilities being expressed. This state of relaxed alertness is the most effective environment for communication and learning.
Humour is an effective tool for easing into sensitive or awkward topics. Used appropriately it can be usedful for "testing the waters" before delivering bad news or dicussing topics that might cause anger or frustration. Humour can be used to get a negative message across in an inoffensive way.
Make a Connection
Connecting with people is all about being able to "sell" your thoughts and ideas and have "buy in". This is especially important if our goal is to motivate people into action.
Humour triggers memory and facilitates the retention of subject matter. When something is funny, we tend to repeat it both verbally and through our actions. We do this to recall the good feelings generated by the laughter within ourselves and with others.
Research into sales techniques has shown that a buyer was willing to pay a higher price when the seller used jokes and verbal humour.
Humour is motivational. When we laugh, we feel physically better and emotionally stimulated. This creates enthusiasm for the subject.
"The shortest distance between two people is through humour." -Victor Borge
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