| Humor at Work |
ISSUE 712 - Jan. 24, 2018 |
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Neutralizing Negativity With Humor |
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Most of you are likely familiar with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel's regular feature, "Celebrities Read Mean Tweets," where celebrities read horrifically mean tweets about themselves. What makes the segment funny and effective is it demonstrates the celebrity's ability to not take themselves too seriously, and by reading the tweets out
loud in a very public way it takes some of the power away from the mean-spirited trolls.
In that same vein, some businesses do a similar thing by posting their funniest, most offensive feedback: The San Francisco Chronicle used to post their worst, most abusive voice mail message of the week on their website; Big Ass Fans posts some of the hateful comments they get about their name; many restaurants and bars have posted messages on their sandwich boards along the lines of, "Come in and try the worst meatball sandwich that one guy on Yelp had in his life."
Yes, there's a risk here, but rather than letting obviously mean-spirited or bullying comments get the best of you (as opposed to the genuine, thoughtful feedback you should be taking seriously), think about creative or funny ways you, your team, or your company can take the power away from the bullies.
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Mike's Fun at Work Tip |
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I know of three companies that have a simple daily ritual with a catchy name: "High-Five at 3:05." At the sound of a gong, announcement over the PA, or however-you-choose-to-announce it, everybody stops at exactly 3:05 and high fives the people nearest to them.
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Deep Thought of the Week |
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"Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save." Source unknown
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It's a Wacky World |
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The annual "Ig Nobels for Improbable Research" awards researchers for rather odd studies that made people think and laugh. Here are a few of the 2017 winning studies:
- A study looking into how contact with a live crocodile influences a person's willingness to gamble.
- A study demonstrating that regular playing of a didgeridoo is an effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea and snoring.
- A study that found that many identical twins can't tell themselves apart visually!
- A study into liquid sloshing which examined people walking backwards while holding a mug of coffee.
- A study titled, "Why do old men have big ears?"
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Copyright © 2018 Humor at Work. All Rights Reserved.
mike@mikekerr.com
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