Hey this is Mike Ambassador Bruny for Brand Inside a Brand, you don’t have to leave your job to leave a mark. Today I’m going to talk to you about humor at work.
I don’t usually fly SouthWest airlines as the thought of not having a seat before I fly makes a little nervous and it’s only gotten crazier now that I have a kid.
But we took a trip on Southwest not to long along and I was reminded what makes them so special. Their staff has room to play or makes room to play. And when I say play, I mean play. The announcer was hilarious ending every statement with, “For Real.”
- Jokes ranged from, “Dr. Spoke is on our flight. Please stand up Leonard Nimoy aka Dr. spoke. Ha, made you look. Now that I have you attentions and smiles let’s talk about safety.”
- There is no smoking on the flight. If you are caught smoking we will ask you to step out on the wing where you’ll watch our feature film is,’Gone with the wind.”
- What about a message about not forming a line at the bathroom that includes, “jigging ly the handle more than 3 times does not make it open any faster; let those inside be.”
- We all know there are 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 6 ways to exit this airplane.
- Now you could think this is just a rogue employee until another flight attendant comes up to us and tells us to be sure to put on the oxygen mask on ourselves before our child. She shared a story of how it was always a case of who she liked most when traveling with her 3 kids; 2 are in therapy now.
What about your work? Is it too serious to leverage humor? Says who? What could be more serious that safety when flying on a plane. SouthWest does it.
Why is this important? You put your people at ease. You show yourself as relatable and people are more likely to connect with you. Give it a try.
3 ways you can add humor or fun to your job
- Get a book of riddles and /or jokes and share one at your next staff meeting (keep it appropriate people).
- Share funny personal story.
- Invite others to play – this could be a board game in the break room or even one of the Virtual Corporate Events out there to get the whole office having fun and forging that all-important communication.
How can you add a little humor to your work? Remember if you change the last 2 letters in the word “Humor” “o-r”to “a-n” you get the word Human. Be more of that.
Did you enjoy our chat? If “no,” sorry I may not be for you. If Yes, I invite you to join my Brand Inside a Brand newsletter where we will be talking about ways to get better at work so you can have the kind of impact you know you are capable of having.
This is Mike Ambassador Bruny for Brand Inside a Brand. You don’t have to leave your job to leave a mark. Now go have some fun.
