Humor is a Luxury!

For most of us that have stood in front of a classroom of semi-interested students, we have learned that a little humor goes a long way. I think back to some of the tricks and techniques that I used over the years to keep my student's attention in the classroom. Sometimes it was the inflection of my voice, sometimes it was moving around the room, sometimes it was using a questionable phrase like "bullsh%t", but most often times it was humor. A quick joke or just funny expression would not only grab the student's attention, but it would give me reassurance that they were actually listening. I'm sure that all of you have done the same.

I remember one faculty member telling me that they could win the "teacher of the year" by making the class laugh at least once per lecture. There is actually a large body of work in the psychological world looking at humor and its linkage to stress, depression, children, relationships, and even pain. Yes, there appears to be a paradoxical correlation between humor and pain. Interesting, right? But, this isn't exactly what this blog is about. I'd argue that humor in the work place can be a source of pain!

How many of you have had an attempt at humor be misinterpreted in the workplace? How many people have been counseled or corrected on the job for inappropriate emails that were meant to be funny? How many jokes hurt other people's feelings? I think the number of times these things happen would astound us all! That is why I learned early on in my career that "humor is a luxury".

I was gifted with s quick wit and a dry sense of humor. Whenever I am listening to a presentation, speech, or other prepared remarks, my mind wanders of into areas that would be really funny to express, but I have learned to remain quiet. I certainly learned this lesson the hard way over the years, but once I realized that my words could hurt someone when I was desperately trying to make them laugh...I quit. I'll share with you one painful example from my years as a teacher.

I was in charge of admissions for the College of Optometry for many years. Students thought that I personally opened or closed the door of the college during the admissions process. Hopefully you all know that this was not the truth. I was simply following the recommendations of the Admissions Committee and the decisions of my Dean. But, during this time, I also taught in one of our clinical procedures lab. In the lab we were instructing students on how to do some optometric skill. It was a little complicated, but certainly doable. One of the really bright students in the lab got nervous as I observed the performance of this skill and made a mistake. I joked, "Who let you in here?" In my mind, this joke was directed at me and I expected the studnet to say, "You did!!" But, I could see pain well up in the student's eyes. They thought that I meant that they were not worthy to be here. Nothing could have been further from the truth. I thought this student was excellent and was joking about getting nervous while performing a new skill. I felt awful. I definitely took some steps to repair this student's confidence, but I couldn't take back the pain that I caused. As I said, I sometimes learn things the hard way!

So, my advice to you is...only use humor in the right circumstances. Don't say the first funny thing that pops into your head. Think about your surroundings. Think about who is in earshot. Think before you push the SEND button. Never use REPLY ALL. Think about the consequences of your actions and only use humor when the time, place, and circumstances are right. It is a luxury after all!