Pitfalls to Humor

I’ve been told in different ways over the years that I have an intimidating presence. I’m 5’11” and I don’t slouch. I have opinions and speak them respectfully yet assertively. I like to diffuse the intimidation factor with humor. Used sparingly, self-deprecating humor can be particularly effective. You do have to be careful, however, not to appear to be fishing for compliments nor to seem like you have extremely low self-esteem because if you don’t believe in you, neither will anyone else.

Some of the most memorable people and brands employ humor to grab your attention or successfully de-escalate a tense situation. Here are 3 key rules to using humor to your advantage:

Know your audience and brand

In 2012, US Senate FCU ran into a bit of a snafu with its loan campaign, “Big Plans,” one of the advertisements of which highlighted an isolated close-up of a woman’s chest. It did not play well in mainstream media, nor among the credit union community. Naturally, this was worthy of commentary from me when I was editor-in-chief of the largest credit union trade publication. The headline: Lessons from the Silicone Beltway. The column is full of puns and synonyms for breasts, and I’ll admit I was a bit nervous about this one, but it went over very well with the audience—most choosing to comment in private. The ad campaign not only affected the individual credit union, but this was an advertisement that went to members of Congress and their staffers whom the credit union lobby, which plays up the role of financial hero to the little guy, was trying to persuade to expand credit unions’ small business lending and alternative forms of capital. The campaign was not good for a cooperative industry, but the play-on-words humor worked well for the column.

Keep humor on message so it doesn’t distract

Insurance companies see a lot of oddball stuff, and Farmers Insurance artfully captures these gems and uses them to its advantage in its marketing. The company brilliantly uses real claims that are pretty darn funny, but then re-imagines them with an absurdist flair. The ads capture attention and memorably demonstrate the breadth of their experience in the insurance business. The commercials always use their trademarked tagline, “We’ve seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything.” Consumers want security, reliability and experience from their insurance companies, so even though the industry is commoditized, the brand really stands out. Check out Farmers’ Hall of Claims.

Be mindful of sarcasm

I love sarcasm. It works for me and probably a lot of Gen Xers. In a business setting, however, it can go horribly wrong. At work, staring down declining revenues a tight deadline, stressed out colleagues (and bosses!) may not find it so funny. Particularly in stressful situation, humor should serve to lighten the mood whereas sarcasm tends to be dark and negative.

On the other hand, humor can help build a bond among colleagues. Someone I worked with at one time bought a snack bar from a hotel mini fridge after his flight was delayed and he arrived in the middle of the night starving. When he submitted his expense report after the trip, the controller gave him a hard time about the pricey expense (probably about $5). The next day, the boss left a wholesale-size box of snack bars on his desk, and it’s an amusing anecdote I am writing about 20 years later.

What are your dos and don’ts of humor in the office or other professional settings?