Bring a Little Humor to your Job

Amusement..Laughter…Jokes…Scarcasm… humor

Any of these words describe the corporate communication to you?

Humor in the workplace is a touchy subject. Some critics say it takes away from the serious-ness of the work environment, while others believe it is a way to reduce stress and make days a little more enjoyable. We have come to find humor brings positive attributes when moderately used in corporate communication.

To moderate your humor there are many do’s and don’ts, just as there are restrictions when communicating with stakeholders and publics of an organization. To make humor appropriate it is important to always consider the message, make sure to stay away from serious topics or offensive topics, and know who you’re talking to or who your audience is.

As we all know, the show The Office on NBC, stars Steve Carell as Michael Scott, who clearly depicts great examples of humor NOT to use in the work place. Examples such as this can be detrimental to corporate communication in an organization.

When delivering a message to your audience, humor within corporations has also been said to help your audience better understand what you are communicating. According to the Corporate Communications International Journal,  “Humor has been proven to contribute to increases in compliance, learning, attitude shifts and enjoyment. It also contributes to improved organizational cohesiveness.” Sounds positive, wouldn’t you say?

Humor is an important aspect that if done correctly can create a great synergy for an organization’s corporate communication. As long as we stay away from “Michael Scott humor” we all can add a few more smiles to corporate communication.

-Arielle Williams, Haley Williams, Lora Hampton, Danielle Dorantich

Citation: John McIlheran, (2006) “The use of humor in corporate communication”, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 11 Iss: 3, pp.267 – 274