Below is an excerpt from the eBook I wrote for the Humor That Works site, available soon by signing up for the HTW Newsletter.
Excerpt:
A Personal Story
When I first started performing improv and stand-up years ago, I never knew it would turn into such a huge passion of mine. In fact, it’s rather atypical for a person like me to even be interested in comedy and humor. I’m a computer science and engineering major. Not only do I have the methodical nature of an engineer, but I also have the introverted tendencies of a computer nerd as well.
In actuality, it was both of those traits that helped me realize just how powerful humor is. My education in computer science taught me the value of re-using things that work (object-oriented programming anyone?). My work as an engineer has trained me to look for the most effective and efficient way to get things done.
As it turns out, humor is 1) re-usable and 2) effective and efficient. It’s re-usable in the sense that humor can work in any number of situations. It can bring people together over a silly joke, ease the tension after a stressful situation with a pithy observation, or even burn calories through laughter. It’s effective and efficient as it demonstrates understanding, confidence, and gets people on your side. What’s amazing is that humor even works in the more subjective areas of work and life, such as leadership or relationships.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The point is that I started learning that humor can be a huge component of success. And while I started seeing this from my own experiences, I wanted proof I wasn’t just crazy. Not because I didn’t believe my own experiences or think I might be insane, but because I wanted to prove that I was right.
I ended up being righter than I could imagine. And that’s the point of this eBook, to show you how right I am, to share with you what I’ve learned about the use of humor, both at work and in life.
Below are 15 ways that humor will improve your work and life, backed not just by my own experience but by various studies and smart people. Once you’re convinced of the power of humor, head to the Humor That Works site to find out how to start using humor today.
Let’s get started.
