What is appropriate humor?
You can choose your style of humor, but be aware that some choices aren’t appropriate for the workplace. Business humor can’t be rude, crude, physically dangerous or counterproductive. It should be positive, well-timed and tied to the task at hand. A good joke can be useful, but many people are about as comfortable telling jokes as a politician telling the truth. The most common complaint is they can’t remember them. If you hear a good joke that you think others would like, don’t just try to remember it — write it down and make sure you understand it. You can get great results from a joke if you test it and practice delivering it a few times to get your timing down. If it doesn’t work, dump it fast. Here’s a pointer. Don’t say, “Hey, I’ve got this joke I want to tell everybody!” It’s better to tell a joke in the flow of the conversation. You also can improve the effectiveness of a joke if you personalize it. Don’t start with, “One day there was this guy.” Instead, try “Once I …” A gr
