“Humor is not just frivolous entertainment, “ says Ron Culberson, President of FUNsulting, etc. in Herndon, Virginia. “Humor is a tool to make our lives better. If we just think about humor as funny movies and jokes, we’re not tapping into it’s potential.” 

Culberson’s company helps organizations that want their people to lighten up by using humor to minimize stress and maximize effectiveness. FUNsulting, etc. has been so successful that Culberson now jets across the country entertaining, inspiring, and tickling funny bones wherever he goes.

“We probably have a tendency to be too serious,” argues Culberson. “Humor helps us get out of ourselves and the seriousness of the moment. In adversity or stress it changes our perspective. In fact, the nature of a joke is that it takes you down a path and then leads you a different way. It’s that shift that leads to the laughter. When we face problems, that shift of perspective keeps us from focusing on the stress.”

“We can’t usually laugh at the adversity but we can often laugh in the midst of it,” observes Culberson. “There is a difference. When you laugh at it, you take the risk of offending others but laughing in the midst of it is just laughing at something funny that is happening at the time.

Actor Kirk Douglas is known to have said that a toothache delayed his death, a story related in his book My Stroke of Luck. Culberson believes it is a dramatic example of the power of humor during an overwhelming challenge. “After his stroke, Douglas was trying to regain basic skills and became so discouraged that he attempted suicide. He put the loaded gun in his mouth but as he did he bumped his tooth and began to laugh!  He said that humor saved his life that day. It allowed him just enough distance and perspective to prevent his death.”

Smooth it Over With Smiles

In a variety of social situations, humor can break the tension and make people feel at ease,” explains Culberson. “Here’s an example. Two men in an office were having a very heated argument. One man took the picture of his family from his desk and put it in his briefcase. The other guy said, ‘Why did you do that?’ The first man said, ‘I didn’t want my wife and children to hear this!’ That bit of humor broke the flow of the argument. After something like that, you cannot continue in the same frame of mind.”

According to Culberson, not only does humor make communication easier, research shows people tend to be attracted to those with a sense of humor.

There’s no doubt that something funny gets people’s attention. Culberson claims humor makes information more memorable whether that information is in an email, a newsletter, a formal presentation, or an advertisement. “Research shows that when teachers use humor to highlight specific points, not only do students remember the information but they are more successful in retrieving it. In one study when there was humor on the front of the exam book, it relaxed the students and they performed better.”

Do you remember the Burger King advertisement with the punch line of “Where’s the Beef?”  What about the Taco Bell advertisements with the clever Chihuahua? Even years after these ads were popular, we remember them. More recently, many of us laughed while watching the Joe Boxers gentleman dancing and bouncing to the music wearing nothing but white briefs. “According to an article in USA Today, the top ads of 2003 had humor as a theme,” says Culberson.

Funny Business

One sign of a great workplace is laughter. “Humor makes the work place more fun,” observes Culberson. “If you have a playful or fun work environment people want to be there and they contribute more. There is less conflict and more teamwork. Humor is a part of Southwest Airlines’corporate philosophy, and not only is the airline profitable, it consistently ranks in the top 10 best companies to work for in the United States.”

Staid work environments can present a challenge for the eager merrymaker. “Humor is not to put people off, but bring them together,” says Culberson. “Forcing people to wear clown noses in a meeting could make people uncomfortable if they don’t want to do silly things in front of others. But you can share a tasteful cartoon, a joke, or a funny story at the beginning of a meeting and the humor will transform the meeting atmosphere.”
 
He continues, “Not long ago I met with a group of U.S. District Court staff. They manage many of the administrative details the courts. A small group talked about how much they hate opening and reviewing all the mail. So, they decided they would put a surprise in the mail for the person opening the mail. One surprise was a candy bar. This made each of them more eager to take their turn at opening the mail. This bit of humor didn’t put people off or make them uncomfortable. The surprise just made the task more pleasant.”

“Think about how to make the process more fun. For example, you might add a humor column to a newsletter or add a cartoon to a presentation. You could try putting fictitious job titles on doors. One company had employees put their own baby pictures on their doors. In another office, someone put a picture from the newspaper above the copy machine and all day people wrote funny captions while they were waiting for the machine to finish copying.”

When Culberson worked in a psychiatric hospital the majority of the staff were young professionals, 25 to 35 years old, and they were dynamic, fun, and playful. “We used to play practical jokes on each other. For instance, a coworker would say you had a phone call. You might just find that the phone had K-Y Jelly in the earpiece! It made the workplace more fun and the pranks helped us to cope with the stresses of the job.”

Clowning Around for Creativity

According to humor expert and comedian Allie Bowling, using humor can increase a group’s creativity. “When people are asked to meet and brainstorm on a subject, that puts tremendous strain on the group. Basically you’re telling them to come up with ideas on the spot. I always suggest to people that they do something humorous as a group before they brainstorm, for example, they can watch a humor clip such as I Love Lucy for 10 minutes. I tell the audience why I showed them the clip. Since they feel so good, they understand right away.”

She emphasizes, “When you have a good laugh it releases endorphins and you feel good for a time. You don’t have to laugh for 10 minutes. Even if you have a great laugh for 30 seconds it clears your mind, you’re happy, your muscles relax, and you have a feeling of euphoria. This prepares you to concentrate.”
 
Bowling continues, “Humor takes your mind completely off other things. When people come together—as with brainstorming—maybe someone just finished talking to their spouse about a problem or someone else is up against a deadline. In some way they aren’t quite there with you. I truly believe humor helps people sit down and focus. You lighten the attitude in the room to get the creative environment you need for your business.”

Bowling clarifies, “Humor isn’t about telling jokes. They are really quite subjective. I don’t think you should expect your staff or the facilitator to make it funny. Make it neutral. Use something that’s been out there and is already a very accepted, PG form of humor.”

Bowling says someone could read something by a humor writer. Authors Garrison Keillor, Erma Bombeck, and Dave Barry are among the many possibilities. The story should be short, humorous, PG, and inclusive, that is, everyone can relate to it. The length of it should be relative to the amount of time you’ll be together. Bowling explains, “If it’s 60 minutes, then use the first five to ten minutes to get relaxed through humor. If you have 30 minutes, then allow two to three minutes to get the group in the mood. The activity should be done collectively during the meeting so they have the experience at the same time. That’s important for the group dynamics.”

“You have to start slowly,” states Bowling. “You cannot say, ‘Ok, we’re going to have more fun.’ You also don’t have to walk on eggshells with humor particularly if you have a number of ideas up your sleeve. You’d be surprised what energy humor starts when it’s used at the beginning of a meeting or work session.”

Bowling adds a caveat, “My experience is that when you ask people for something funny, they often come up with something below the belt. I worry about that. You don’t have to do that to have fun.” 

Celebratory Shenanigans

Are celebrations in your office feeling less like fun and more like obligations or interruptions in the middle of a hectic day? Culberson acknowledges, “If it’s bland it isn’t going to be fun. The people who want to have fun—the humor experts already there--are the people who should have responsibility for the event.” 

Culberson spent 10 years working as a social worker, a middle manager, and a senior manager in hospice care before he launched FUNsulting, etc. “When I worked for hospice, we had an annual night out to recognize staff and volunteers for their work. We wanted to have food and fun. One year we gave fake academy awards. For example, someone got stuck in the elevator during the year so we gave him the ‘Stuck on the Way Up Award.’” 

Culberson adds, “Humor should not be targeted at other people unless you know they are o.k. with it. You have to know them well or ask permission. I once hosted a program with Tony Randall. He was about 76 and had just married a woman who was 26. I spoke to him ahead of time and asked permission to poke a little fun at him. At the very beginning of the evening I said, ‘You know, Mr. Randall, we have something in common. We both married 26 year olds. But I married mine when I was 27!’ That got a lot of laughs because it had a feeling of being a taboo subject.”

“There are theories that suggest there is always underlying anger or aggression under all humor. There is probably some truth in that,” says Culberson. “We’re poking fun at an imbalance or a disconnect. But if you’re doing it with someone’s permission, they can take it in stride. If it’s not someone you know well, it could be construed as offensive.”

Management-Approved Mirth

If your workplace needs to lighten up, Culberson gives this advice: “It can only work in an organization when it is approved from the top. Most executives don’t mind it but they often don’t understand its benefit. Sometimes we have to sit down and talk about it. We can say why we think it would be helpful and then say, ‘I hope you’ll support this.’ My experience is that the front-line people love it. Similarly, the top echelon of organizations love it because they often have a creative or visionary perspective.”

Culberson talks about the folks who are shy or more reserved. “I don’t like to force people to have fun. In time, people will come around on their own. If someone doesn’t participate initially, they are still getting the benefit of the others in the group.”

“I am careful about the jokes I tell,” says Culberson. “Humor needs to be clean and bring people together, not turn people away. We don’t need to be foul or put other people down to have fun. If I have any doubts at all, I err on the conservative side. Self-deprecating humor or nonsense humor is usually fine.”

Just as humor at work can improve the time there, surrounding yourself with humor can make life easier. Bowling says, “I have little whimsical things in my home and office. I have funny cards from my friends and I have a picture of Lucille Ball on my computer. I have an American Express advertisement that’s a picture of two women wearing wigs that look like cotton candy. The ad text is ‘Take risks in life but not with your credit.’  I like words that I can read over and over again but still make me laugh. Photos of animals are usually funny. I save humorous things and put them up so they are always in front of me.”

“Look at anything that isn’t fun or seems like drudgery,” suggests Culberson. “Then ask, ‘ How can we make that process more fun?’ I know someone who shared the fun through their answering machine message. The message said, ‘The answering machine is out of order so this is the refrigerator. Leave a message and I’ll write it down and stick it to my door.’”

Culberson’s family has “family nights” that are intended to be fun. “We play games, have pizza, or maybe go to a movie. With our hectic schedules, these are ways to be sure we have family time together. Even simpler, at dinner we can have more fun by each sharing a funny thing that happened that day. Harpo Marx’s son said at the end of the day his dad would ask them to tell the worst thing that happened that day. Then Harpo would twist it into something funny.” 

“To lighten up in personal relationships, it’s the same as in business relationships,” says Bowling. “I do the same things but I have more flexibility and I have the luxury of continuing a relationship,” says Bowling. “You’ve just got to make the best of things. You have to look at the funny side. You have to roll with the punches. Life is short and unfortunately we don’t realize how short it is until we’re dealt a blow.”

Bowling concludes, “When people meet me and when they find out I speak about humor, they never say, ‘Oh, I have enough of that.’  To the contrary, they say, ‘Who couldn’t use more of that?’ I believe there is a humor deficit in our country and there doesn’t have to be.”

April Fool’s Day: Start of 28th Annual National Humor Month

“ ‘All Fool’s Day’ has been sanctioned frivolity and pranks ever since the 1500’s,” says Larry Wilde, founder of National Humor Month. To learn more about how you can commemorate the month or learn more about humor, take a look at these websites.

www.aath.org
The Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor promotes the advancement and understanding of humor, laughter, and play. Click on “resources” for an extensive reading list on this subject.

www.alliebowling.com
Allie Bowling is the speaker with a mind for business and a mouth for humor. Bowling shows people how to incorporate humor into their work and life activities to maximize their professional and personal relationships.

www.funsulting.com
Through his presentations and seminars, Ron Culberson teaches how humor can reduce stress, improve communication, and create a healthy new perspective that leads to better creativity, team work, and productivity. Find out more at this website.

www.funcilitators.com
Gail Hahn has a page on her site where you’ll find things to help you in your humorous efforts.  On the home page, click on  “parFUNalia.”

www.humorproject.com
The HUMOR Project, Inc. is “Making the world happier, one smile at a time” and is the first organization in the world to focus full-time on the positive power of humor. Join Ron Culberson, Goldie Hawn and others for 50 practical and inspiring sessions during the 19th Annual Humor Project International Conference, April 16-18, 2004, in Saratoga Springs, New York. The conference theme is “The Positive Power of Humor, Hope, and Healing.”

www.otaql.umd.edu/amst/humorcenter
The Art Gliner Center for Humor Studies at the University of Maryland supports the study of the vital role of humor in social and cultural life through research and teaching.

www.thehumorcollection.org
The Humor Collection provides humor resources to health care services, community programs, and individuals who enjoy a good laugh or chuckle. Check their large resource list or, if you want an immediate grin, go to the “links” section and click on “A Collection of Jokes and Other Fun Stuff.”

Laurie Lindsay, RD, LD, loves to laugh. She is a contributing writer for The Voice of the Hill. As a registered and licensed dietitian, she specializes in food and nutrition communications, particularly presentations and writing. She is the author of Making the Breast of It: A Cancer Survivor Talks About Reconstructing Her Life with Resilience, Resolve, and a Robust Sense of Humor. See www.LaurieAomari.com for more information