Humor Eases Difficult Messages

Have you ever had to deliver a difficult message?  Or a boring one?  Remember that a little dose of humor may just be the “spoonful of honey that makes the medicine go down.”  For example, does anyone enjoy the messages that the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) has to give to let people know what to do at airports?  Well, the TSA in San Diego did just that with this fun, short video… take a look (it starts out like usual, but quickly turns FUN!):

What can you do to make difficult messages easier to take?

• Set the stage ahead of time.  Laugh at yourself whenever you make a mistake.  No one is perfect, so we shouldn’t try to make people think we are… and we definitely shouldn’t give other people the impression that we think we are.  Being “human” always beats being “perfect.”  And difficult messages are much easier for others to take when they’re delivered by someone who is human, rather than by a perfect “humanoid” who doesn’t seem to know what it feels like to make a mistake.
• Use your sense of humor, whether verbally or in writing… or even in film!  Depending on your business, you may be able to create (or at least suggest) brief videos or longer training videos that use a sense of humor to deliver its message. You don’t have to become the “office clown”, but you can use your sense of humor in personal interactions, e-mails, announcements, newsletters, blogs… everywhere you have an opportunity to appropriately connect with others on another level – through their funny bone!