Humour is Attractive But So Distracting!

Author: Selina Frederick View other articles by this author here.

"Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available." -Jim Beggs
Humour is very attractive!
All of us prefer to work with a pleasant, fun person. In fact, we are all attracted to those who have a sense of humour and use positive humour in their lives.
A positive sense of humour in the workplace guarantees better productivity, job satisfaction, morale, creativity, and teamwork. It also helps to reduce stress and therefore reduce absenteeism.
Humour works by distracting us from those negative things that are causing us both physical and emotional harm. Staying in a good frame of mind, and nurturing a good sense of humour, makes us less likely to get sick and heal faster, if we do end up with an illness.
Injecting a bit of humour is like pushing the reset button. It allows us to take a step back and look at the situation in a more realistic and rational way.
When we take things too seriously, the small things in life grow into imaginary mountains of anxiety and we get sick, become bitter, give-up hope, or burn out.
"Laughter is an instant vacation from everything that troubles us." -Milton Berle

Why should you incorporate humour into the workplace?

Author: Selina Frederick View other articles by this author here.

For an answer to that question, read this sign which appeared in an Optometrist's Office: “If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place.”
How about this sign, which appeared at a passport office: "If you feel as bad as you look in your passport picture, you are too sick to travel." Common sense tells us why humour should be part of your workplace. Humour is good. Work stress can be bad. Humour makes stress seem not so bad. There are also lots of studies, which support the need for humour in the workplace. Dr. William Fry, from Stanford University, found that 20 seconds of intense laughter, even if it is faked, can double the heart rate for three to five minutes. It would take three minutes of strenuous rowing to do the same thing. I don't know about you but I would pick the laughter over the rowing any time. Dr. David J Abramis, a psychologist at the California State University's School of Business Administration, in Long Beach, studied 341 workers and found that those, who had the most fun at their jobs, were likely to be the most productive. Humour distracts us from the stresses in our day. Injecting a bit of humour is like pushing the reset button. It's like stepping back to catch your breath ---- only you follow through with a good guffaw. Think of the times when you had fun at work. Was humour not present? When humour is sucked out of a situation, out goes the fun. Are you really surprised when you read that healthy people tend to be more productive? Laughter contributes greatly to mental and physical health. Laughter improves circulation, stabilizes blood pressure, and changes the body's chemistry. Encouraging humour in the workplace creates a fun atmosphere. It relaxes mental tension and, ultimately, allows employees to focus more intently on their work. How can I effectively incorporate humour into my workplace?
Using humour does not mean you have to be a stand-up comedian. It doesn't mean you have to have people laughing all day or be telling jokes every time you see them. Many people fear using humour in the workplace because they are afraid of encouraging a lazy attitude or a lack of focus on important work. They think it will take away from the productivity, if the workplace is fun. But, worry no longer. It is possible to create an enjoyable place to work without losing credibility. Just remember that humour is like seasoning. If you put too much in your soup, you can’t swallow it. Just a sprinkle and it is delicious. As a manager or leader, you have influence over your work environment. If you are responsible for hiring new staff, ask candidates if they like to have fun. Ask them how they might use humour on the job. Look for positive attitudes in potential employees. Successful companies hire people for attitude and then, teach them the skills.As a manager, you can also add humour to meetings, presentations, newsletters, emails, and bulletin boards. The more fun you add, the more your staff will want to be there. Here are some simple ways to add humour to your workplace: • Use a light, playful tone when writing memos. Your memos may be the only ones that get read all the way through! • A little self-deprecating humour can do wonders. Say, "I don’t make stupid mistakes. Only really, really clever ones.” Don’t say, "Oops". Say, "Hmm... now, that is interesting.” • Keep a file of the funny things you find. Then, if you need something humorous for a presentation or meeting, you have a ready resource file. • During the next staff meeting, stand up and say, "I have forgotten to bring my lunch today and I want a standing ovation." • Page yourself over the intercom. Don’t disguise your voice • Designate a bulletin board as the humour board and post it in an area where employees gather. Encourage people to submit cartoons, jokes, and other funny items for consideration for posting. • On a piece of toilet paper, write a list of all the people who have angered you. At the end of the week, flush it down the toilet. To end, I want to share my favourite humour tool for the workplace --- a red clown nose. I have often put it on during a tense situation. The ensuing laughter relieves the tension and offers a break in the stress. Rather than losing focus, we regain it. Often times, great creativity and problem-solving flows out of the laughter.

Humouris Communication Made Easy!

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

Positive Humour vs Negative Humour

Author: Selina FrederickView other articles by this author here.

Humour has the power to build up or tear down; to harm or to heal. It is essential that we use this power responsibly.
Negative humour clashes with the needs and self-esteem of others, causing personal injury.
It is positive humour that we want to incorporate into our daily lives. To do this, we must be careful when poking fun at something that cannot be changed. By ensuring that our humour is about situations rather than people, we can realize and share humour's many healing benefits.
The myth that laughing is disrespectful, was created and is fed by the misuse of humour.
"Humour is like salt. If you put too much in your soup, you can't swallow it." -Selina Frederick

The Many Benefits of Humour

Author: Selina FrederickView other articles by this author here.
Over the last ten years, we have witnessed a change in attitudes towards humour. It was not too long ago when humour was considered "not appropriate" or "silly nonsense". Today humour has become a topic that is studied and welcomed throughout society. Many professions and organizatons have come to appreciate and acknowledge the power of humour and its benefits.
Humour is one of the most powerful tools to heal, create rapport, reduce tension, build bonds, persuade others, deflect criticism, remove barriers, reduce burnout, bolster trust, boost morale, elevate self-esteem, create motivation, manage conflict, sustain positive attitudes, reduce stress, stimulate creativity, and trigger memory.
The exciting thing is the list of benefits grow almost daily as we continue to research and study this topic!

Customers Views Helps Firm Find New Revenue!

Customers Views Helps Firm Find New Revenue!
Author: Robert (Mr. Bob) Cassels View other articles by this author here. Discuss this Article For more details click here.

This article is based on an interview with Joan Milne of the Taylor Enterprises by Editor George Appleton, Appleton Communications and accurately relates her comments and sentiments. Printed in Business Bits'N'Pieces Magazine November 1995


Taylor Enterprises sells business management services to associations. When its President, Joan Milne wanted to evaluate how those services were being received, she did not go to her own staff. She hired Bob Cassels of The Cassels Corporation.

Milne says, "You get better feedback if somebody feels they can be totally honest with the answers. Perhaps, to us, they might hold back a bit."

Milne describes Taylor Enterprises' services as everything needed to make a non-profit organization run smoothly.

She says the results of Cassels' survey showed the company was already doing a good job. Milne says the survey provided an opportunity to sit down with board members from the 20 associations Taylor has on contact.

Milne says, "We brought all of our clients together. They all sat around a table and talked about what they do, what their association is all about. Then we had a think-tank on how you attract new members. It was very interesting to see the directors actually helping each other. They actually came up with ideas that Taylor could use to help them more, which would ultimately give more fees as well."

Milne says the exercise yielded very positive results. "I think what came out of it, more than anything, is that the associations want us to be more proactive and that's the one single thing I found out about the survey. A lot of times we are reactive because of the business we are in. We are dealing with volunteers. We are having to pick up a lot of things that have been allowed to fall through the cracks by the volunteers. We put everything together so it seems like everything ran very smoothly"
She says she had some concerns going into the think-tank but adds they didn't last long. "I don't need to be afraid of bringing our clients together in one room. It is a positive thing. It is good for the clients to speak to each other and get a better feeling that Taylor is the focal point of success for their organization."

When asked if the same results could be reached without the Cassels survey, Milne replies, "I have to honestly say I don't think so. If I hadn't had the survey, I would never have brought the associations' board members together under one roof to have the think-tank session. All the reports I received from them were that it was dynamite."


She says Bob Cassels brought a great deal of valuable experience to this project. "Bob has worked as a volunteer in a lot of associations. I think that Bob's background within the volunteer sector made him able within the volunteer sector made him able to come up with the sensitivity needed and the right questions to ask."

Milne says she is very happy with the results of the Cassels survey. "It was very beneficial. It was certainly a worthwhile exercise to go through and it is something I will probably do again in a few years."

The Cassels Corporation helps organizations grow and prosper by meeting their needs in an affordable and efficient manner.

Research or Public Relations

Research or Public Relations? Author: Robert (Mr. Bob) CasselsView other articles by this author here. This article appeared in Business Bits’N’Pieces magazine Interview with Bob Cassels – April 1995

Research has traditionally been a one-sided endeavour. An organization decides to find out information on a particular product/service. They either perform this function internally or hire a research firm.
But times are changing. Organizations are now realizing that they need to identify what their customers want and how their employees view their role in the organization. This represents a major shift in the way we do business. Click here! The most acceptable method of obtaining this information is to perform a customer survey or, in the case of identity how motivated your staff is, an employee survey.
At this stage organizations approach their traditional suppliers – internal or external and give them the responsibility of conducting the research. Because time is at a premium and the organizations executives recognize the importance of having a third party perspective and leave the details to the experts.
Again, times are changing. Executives are recognizing the importance of survey – to identify solutions within their organizations. They understand the need to actively participate in the development of these surveys, prior to passing them on to their survey suppliers.
Here are some Issues to consider:
Before doing a full-scale research project, do a test or overview customer survey, to identify the key issues that should be addressed. You can’t fix everything at once, so zero in on what’s most important.

• A third party or independent supplier offers your customers and staff a confidential way to voice their real views and opinions. Don’t waste time on what are not real issues.
• Training has traditionally been broken down by subject matter – i.e. time management, motivational seminars’ etc. The current trend is to do a needs analysis by surveying your customers or employees, then build the relevant training programs around the results.
• Customers and employees appreciate that senior management has not lost touch with their needs. So grab this opportunity and make sure that the “Captain of the Ship” authors the survey. By showing that the captain cares about customer and employee relations, credibility and added value will be gained.
• Sales presentations have traditionally been one-sided affairs – “Let me tell you what a wonderful product/service we have for you…” Instead, asking your customers about their needs allow your sales staff to focus on ways to better serve them. The results are that you work together, as partners.
• Do you want all the details, or just the facts? Busy executives are looking for the overall picture – a concise executive summary - rather than long, detailed reports. Don’t buy what you don’t need.
• Determining the effectiveness of your customer and employee relations programs can be difficult. A survey will identify how programs are performing , and will establish a Benchmark to measure progress.

The bottom line, customer and employee surveys are much more than “just research”. They allow an organization to accurately access customer needs, as well as to discover ways to ensure that their employees are working effectively to meet those needs.

A recent survey by consulting firm Bain & Co., separates the fads in management tools from the systems that really pay off. After surveying 463 companies, Bain found that of 25 commonly used management tools, the two most popular were mission statements, with a whopping 94% usage rate, followed closely by customer surveys at 90%. Total Quality Management, or TQM, came in third with 76%. Bench making and re-engineering was next.

Customer surveys, the second most common tool, provided the most financial benefit . What matters most is applying the right tool to the right job.

Maintaining control of these projects is essential to the success of your enterprise. A properly conducted survey can serve as a springboard to increased sales and customer/employee relations. So are surveys research or public relations?