And the flag is a big plus
Readers of these missives will know that my Friday editions are always on the humorous side and try to look at business and investing in a less serious manner.
And if you ask me, in the business world we all need to use more humour. If done well, it can significantly increase our business success and enhance our career chances. Bradford Bitterly, Alison Brooks and Maurice Schweitzer have put humour in a business environment to the test and found that a funny and appropriate joke will enhance the perception of the person who tells the joke.
For example, they gave volunteers the task to rate testimonials about Switzerland. The serious testimonial they evaluated was: “The country is beautiful. The scenery is truly breathtaking!” Meanwhile, the humorous testimonial was: “The mountains are great for skiing and hiking, and the flag is a big plus.” The chart below shows how the two people who delivered these testimonials are rated in terms of status.
Status rating for testimonials about Switzerland
Source: Bitterly et al. (2017).
Note, that I am not showing how funny the respondents perceived the testimonials to be, but the status they inferred to the teller. If you are making a successful joke in business, you are not just lightening the mood, you are elevating your status in the eyes of others. In a series of experiments, the researchers showed that by telling jokes we are perceived as more powerful, but also more competent and confident and people are thus more likely to trust us. And trust is what drives sales in most businesses.
I chose this example of a humorous testimonial about Switzerland because having lived there for 21 years, I can confirm that the Swiss rightfully have no international reputation for being funny (says the German…). Instead, in a Swiss business setting it is predominantly about competence. Swiss businesses make brilliant products, and they think if the quality of the product is high, you don’t need to do anything else to sell it. However, the research above shows that you can appear more competent than you really are just by being funny. Or as my father-in-law says: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bulls**t.”
So, please, use more humour in business. It will help you sell more and come across as a nicer and more competent person. But be aware that humour can be a double-edged sword – as I have found out by writing these missives whenever I make a joke that a reader doesn’t get or doesn’t find funny. I hereby apologise to all my readers for making unfunny jokes. I did not mean to upset you.
And I know, these failed jokes reduce my status in your eyes and make me look less competent. Because that is what the research says it does. So, for all of you who like to try out more jokes in a business setting, make sure never to use unfunny jokes like dad jokes (see here for a sample). Also, a no-no are puns, unless you elevate them to an art form like this guy. And particularly bad and totally forbidden are rude jokes like these. I really mean it. Also, never ever use jokes like these. And please, never use any of these jokes. They could get you into prison.
Better to try some harmless and self-deprecating jokes like these. Or these.