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Do you love jokes at work? You are quite right. Humor – when used wisely – can boost your effectiveness in business. Explanations.
As reported Psychology Todayleaders who abuse humor at work perform better than others.
Positive humor, the key to success?
According to scientists, humor constitutes a formidable means of communication.
Indeed, “leaders who skillfully use humor in the workplace would be more effective than leaders who do not use humor“, they warn.
But the jokes must nevertheless remain “positive“.
Two forms of humor are recommended in the office:
- Affiliative humor, which incorporates a funny story or reference emphasizing common experiences. (“Let’s see if we can’t break the record for longest staff meeting in history“);
- Self-promotional humor, which addresses oneself but remains benevolent. (“VWe all know how my attention to detail is my worst fault.”).
Aggressive humor, which targets others, should, however, be avoided.
“Disparaging others, even by teasing them, can strain the leader-follower relationship and have a negative impact on the target and the team. A leader must also avoid self-defeating humor that focuses on their flaws and makes the leader the butt of jokes“, noted Psychology Today.
Humor increases satisfaction rate
The other advantage of humor? It improves the feeling of satisfaction of employees.
“Employees whose leaders demonstrated humor tended to be more satisfied with them…and they were especially happy with the way team meetings went“, specifies the magazine.
On the other hand, here too, negative humor has no place: it reduces the satisfaction rate of workers.
Humor boosts creativity
Another benefit induced by laughter: creativity.
Leaders who cultivate humor facilitate exchanges between employees: they feel more free to express themselves and share their thoughts and ideas. A cause and effect link that can be explained simply: employees need to feel free and respected to express their creativity.
Humor therefore acts here as a “lever” by causing surprise and breaking many taboos/frameworks.
How to bring out your best jokes at the office?
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