Don’t become the punchline: How to approach humour in the workplace

Trying to be funny in the workplace but falling flat is a humbling affair that many have experienced throughout their careers. Here are some ideas on how to avoid that.

We recently spoke with David Crisante, founder of the Sydney Comedy School, about humour and how it resides in the workplace. He shared some insightful perspectives.

Mr Crisante explained that in a workplace especially, there’s a difference between humour and a joke, and understanding that key differential is crucial to getting it right.

“There’s a difference between humour and a joke, right? And it’s really important to differentiate between the two. A joke has a punchline, and typically, a punchline has a victim. That is risky to do in the workplace, and I don’t really recommend it,” Mr Crisante said.

“It can fail to land and a whole bunch of other things. But with humour, that’s what we see a lot in sitcoms. There’s no punchline; it’s just entertaining and fun, and there’s a reason for it.”

Often, with humour, if you point out something happening at that moment, it resonates much better with the people surrounding you than perhaps a manufactured joke or jab that you only find funny.

“If you’re experiencing troubles and everybody can see it, and you say that you are, people will react physically, and often, that physical thing will manifest a reaction which will be thorough laughter. The reason for that is when something’s happening, there’s heightened tension, and that’s what makes laughter so fun,” Mr Crisante said.

He relates the momentary humour to that of a story. The person who enacted that moment of humour is the storyteller, and they engage the people around them.

“We’re actually telling a story, and we’re raising the tension; we’re more invested in the story as the audience because something interesting is happening. And what’s really nice is [that] then the storyteller finds a way to release that tension. And when you do it through humour, you laugh, and it feels really good,” Mr Crisante said.

In situations similar to this, comedy creates cohesion in the workplace, people feel more connected, and an overall bond can be formed and further enhanced through the tool of humour. This can be a vital skill in a team environment.

“Laughter makes it feel like we’re all on the same page. The best thing about humour is, if you use it effectively, you can be sure that the audience is understanding what you’re saying, because you can’t make somebody laugh if you’re not a clear communicator. It’s a really good skill to employ,” Mr Crisante said.

There are dangers with humour, though, and often, in team environments, individuals can fall into the trap of trying to be the funny person, which can come across as very unauthentic and extremely cringey to people around them.

This can often come about from the individual attempting to elevate their status within that team environment, which, when it comes to humour, can be an ill-advised mindset because it can result in punching down to your audience (fellow workers) and weakening those relationships and bonds.

“One of the things that I think happens in the workplace, where people get it wrong, is they try [to] make themselves funny. So, them being funny is about them elevating their status and maybe they’re coming in with ‘jokey matey’ vibes, and it’s not landing,” Mr Crisante said.

“The reason is because in order to evoke humour, you actually need to make it about your audience. As long as you’re putting your audience at front and centre of what you’re doing and saying, and as long as you’re elevating their status to yours so you guys are equal in high status, it’s really impactful.”

When it comes to the business advantages of humour, caring about the person you’re communicating with is crucial. Directly insulting them in an edgy attempt at humour won’t work in this context.

“When you are trying to make other people laugh or feel good, you’re doing it because you care about them, not because you want to be seen in a particular way,” Mr Crisante said.

“When we’re engaging with somebody [from] a business perspective, want them to be very engaged with what we’re saying, not all the auxiliary things. In order to do that, if we employ these techniques [caring], we can win them over.”

It’s important that employers and managers attempt to employ humour as a bonding tool. Often, workers will shy away from expressing their personalities due to fear of embarrassment or a lack of understanding; employers can work to negate that by creating a positive environment. A “work hard, play hard” mentality can bode well through a workplace.

“Being honest with your team members and gamifying and bringing some playfulness to some serious topics is not going to undermine them. If anything, it’s going to strengthen the fact that, hey, we’re all being honest with each other, we all see the world in the same way, and we value each other so that we can work hard, but we can also play hard,” Mr Crisante said.

There’s a key balance and understanding of how to incorporate humour into the workplace at all levels. It’s important to have a grasp on the concept of trying to be funny in a team environment like the workplace, or you could risk getting booed off stage or, in this case, your desk.

According to Indeed, here are some of the key benefits of having humour in the workplace:

• Creates better employee-boss relationships.
• Increases meeting involvement.
• Contributes to persuasion.
• Helps set positive norms.
• Builds team unity.
• Helps create empathy.
• Bridges cultural divides.

The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full conversation with David Crisante, click below: