Steve Cody is the founder and chief government officer of Peppercomm, a strategic communications company he named in honor of his late Black Lab, Pepper.
Heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio’s Snort USA, Blue Collar Comedy, and Jamie Foxx’s Foxxhole stations, Clayton Fletcher is an American slapstick comedian who lives in New York Metropolis. He has served as Chief Comedy Officer at Peppercomm for 15 years.
Take a look at Half One, “The Significance of Laughing at Work,” right here.
As enterprise leaders, we use comedy abilities to speak to our groups that we’re all on this collectively, as evidenced by the truth that all of us agree that the safety officer within the workplace constructing talks too loudly. We’ve laughed collectively about how the migration to the brand new server didn’t go so easily. And our CCO had us all in stitches about what her four-year-old triplets did over the weekend. Because the laughter flows, so does the work.
Stacey Jones of Honeywell put it higher than we ever might: “I’ve discovered that humor is essential to diffusing stress. Typically conferences go on for too lengthy or nothing fabulous arises from brainstorming. In occasions like these, it’s vital to assist individuals loosen up or to interrupt the stress within the room—and humor can do it.
Humor additionally helps get us out of a ‘loop’ that drags down creativity so we will open up pondering. Nevertheless it’s necessary to do not forget that humor doesn’t have to return from leaders. I like it when somebody on my group simply cracks us up with a witticism or joke or humorous ‘take’ on the state of affairs. It brings us collectively and boosts morale.”
Making a collaborative office tradition through which laughter isn’t solely allowed however anticipated is a crucial step in constructing what we name TOAST:
- Belief
- Openness
- Authenticity
- Storytelling
- Teamwork
TOAST (with or with out butter) is important to any wholesome collaborative atmosphere.
A examine printed within the American Psychological Affiliation’s PsychNet journal discovered that humor triggers “optimistic socioemotional communication, procedural construction, and new options.” Using levity improved group efficiency in each the quick and the long run. This was significantly true in what the researchers recognized as “low job insecurity local weather situations,” or what we determine as workplaces the place staff aren’t overly involved with getting the ax. This makes good sense to us, and we’ll delve into this space extra totally within the subsequent chapter.
What all this implies for your corporation is that by harnessing the prodigious energy of your individual distinctive particular person humorousness, and empowering your staff to do the identical, you may enhance morale, collaboration, communication, and productiveness. Yow will discover new and sudden methods to attach together with your exterior stakeholders. And you’ll have enjoyable doing it.
Somewhat love potion goes a great distance.
Preorder “The ROI of LOL” right this moment, and catch Cody onstage this November at Ragan’s Way forward for Communications Convention in Austin .
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