new jobs this week On EmploymentCrossing

506

jobs added today on EmploymentCrossing

24

job type count

On EmploymentCrossing

Healthcare Jobs(342,151)
Blue-collar Jobs(272,661)
Managerial Jobs(204,989)
Retail Jobs(174,607)
Sales Jobs(161,029)
Nursing Jobs(142,882)
Information Technology Jobs(128,503)

Coping With Difficult Situations at Business: Why Everyone Should Cultivate a Sense of Humor

4 Views
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.
One of the best tools for building good working relationships is a sense of humor.

Not only does the right kind of humor make work more fun, but it provides an acceptable method for expressing emotion. A bit of gentle humor can defuse a tense situation, help someone else see your point of view, or make a point that might otherwise provoke hostility.

A sense of humor helped one man I know get a job. Bill was being interviewed by three vice presidents from a dairy company. The interview was not going well; the three men seemed cold and unresponsive. Then one of the interviewers asked my friend how he got into the dairy field. He replied, "Because I have warm hands." Everyone laughed, the atmosphere relaxed, and Bill ended up getting the job. Within six months he had a raise and a promotion.



This illustrates the greatest strength of humor: It allows us to tell the truth about ourselves and our emotions in a socially acceptable way. Chances are very good that Bill had not planned to work in a dairy. The person, who plans from childhood to embark on a particular career and then does it, is very rare. Most of us fall into our careers because of luck, accident or family circumstances.

With a light touch, this man referred to that underlying social truth, tapped a responsive chord, and spoke volumes about the kind of person he is,

The interesting thing about humor is that humorous people, perhaps without exception, are strong people. They are aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and they are not afraid to admit that they don't know everything. They are willing to poke fun at themselves.

Of course, humor is a very personal thing. To use a sense of humor effectively, every person has to determine what works for him or her. For example, some people can tell a joke and have everyone laughing. Another person can tell the same joke and get no reaction at all. Humor can't be forced and it can't be faked. But it can be learned. Most professional comedians say they learned to be funny by studying people's reactions, being sensitive to their audience, and developing a sense of timing.

Because humor is so personal there is always a risk in using it, but there are some general guidelines:

Certainly, of color, sexist and racist jokes, and jokes that be little or insult another person, should always be avoided.

It's also wise to remember that people from other cultures have very different forms of humor. Anyone who has traveled can vouch for the fact that what sets people howling with laughter in England may not do a thing for someone in Japan. So it's best to be very cautious about using American humor when meeting with business people from other countries. If you are not familiar with that culture's humor, at best, a joke will fall flat; at worst, it will offend.

The best humor is spontaneous - or it seems spontaneous. By thinking about a situation and running through possible scenarios, it is possible to develop humorous responses that are easy to use if the opportunity arises.

Appropriate humor certainly has a place in the workplace. There seems to be a close connection between humor and attentiveness to people's needs. A happy office is easy to spot because there is a certain amount of easy banter that goes on. The employees use humor to empathize with each other, and to share each other's achievements and disappointments.

It's too bad that more workplaces don't benefit from humor. Sometimes we get so caught up in the stresses of getting the job done that we lose sight of the humor in a situation. I'm not suggesting that American businesses should be run by a bunch of clowns. Humor can be carried too far. But it also has a legitimate function as a powerful business tool.

Having said that, here's one of my favorite jokes:

A woman was invited as a guest to a jokester's club. During the course of the meeting members would stand up and recite a number - like " 169" - and the rest of the club members would roar with laughter.

Intrigued, the woman leaned over to her host and asked, "What is this? Why are people laughing at a number?"

Her host explained that the club members had memorized thousands of jokes, so just hearing the number of the joke made them remember it and start laughing. The woman was enthralled with this and asked her host to give her the number of a good joke. The host did and she stood up at the first opportunity and said, "98". There was dead silence.

The woman turned to her friend and asked, "What's the matter?" Did you give me a bad joke?"

Her host shook his head and said, "Some people just can't tell a joke."

Unfortunately, learning to use humor effectively isn't as easy as memorizing a few numbers. But it can be done, and it is worth the effort. A sense of humor at the right place and time can be a real boon to your career.
If this article has helped you in some way, will you say thanks by sharing it through a share, like, a link, or an email to someone you think would appreciate the reference.



I was facing the seven-year itch at my previous workplace. Thanks to EmploymentCrossing, I'm committed to a fantastic sales job in downtown Manhattan.
Joseph L - New York, NY
  • All we do is research jobs.
  • Our team of researchers, programmers, and analysts find you jobs from over 1,000 career pages and other sources
  • Our members get more interviews and jobs than people who use "public job boards"
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars.
EmploymentCrossing - #1 Job Aggregation and Private Job-Opening Research Service — The Most Quality Jobs Anywhere
EmploymentCrossing is the first job consolidation service in the employment industry to seek to include every job that exists in the world.
Copyright © 2024 EmploymentCrossing - All rights reserved. 168