Using Humor in Professional Environments

How to Use Humor to Communicate Effectively Without Losing Professionalism – 3 Proven Steps In my 25+ years leading teams and managing complex operations, I’ve learned something surprising, your ability to make people laugh can be just as important as your ability to make them listen. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. Let me take you back to one of my earliest leadership meetings. The room was tense, budgets, deadlines, and a few frayed tempers. I made one quick, light-hearted comment about our ‘collective caffeine dependency’ and suddenly, shoulders dropped, people smiled, and the discussion became productive. That’s when I realized: humor, done right, is a leadership tool, not a distraction. Why this matters: Research from the Harvard Business Review shows leaders who use appropriate humor are seen as 27% more competent and 23% more respected. But here’s the catch, humor only works when it serves the conversation, not your ego. Here’s my 3-Step Framework for Using Humor to Communicate Effectively (without crossing the line): 1. Read the Room – Humor is like seasoning; too much ruins the dish. Pay attention to energy, body language, and timing. 2. Aim for Relatable, Not Risky – Shared experiences build connection. Avoid sarcasm, politics, or personal jabs. 3. Tie It Back to Purpose – Use humor to reinforce your point or reset the tone, not to derail it. Example: If you’re rolling out a new process that might overwhelm your team, instead of diving straight into the technical details, acknowledge the challenge with light humor: “Yes, this looks like the Ikea instruction manual from another planet… but here’s how we’ll make it easy.” Humor here isn’t just a joke, it’s a bridge. It builds trust, lowers resistance, and makes your message stick. So here’s my challenge to you: Over the next 7 days, try weaving in purposeful humor into one difficult conversation. Watch how it changes the tone, and more importantly, the results. If you want more strategies like this, ones that combine leadership, emotional intelligence, and practical communication skills, subscribe here. I post new tips every week that you can apply in under 5 minutes. #LeadershipDevelopment #CoachingTips #HumorInLeadership

Recently I heard another CFO call himself "CFO Funny" and I immediately related so hard to that comment that it made me laugh outloud... The implicit assumption in that comment is that it's a pretty low bar to be a funny CFO which is part of the reason the comment is funny in the first place. It builds on the stereotype that Finance leaders are the personification of a Venn Diagram between the Fun Police, Analytical wonks, and Serious/Scary people.... (and also are people who describe themselves in the visual of a Venn Diagram 🤦♀️ ) But the secret to all of this, is that Humor is an incredible skill in life and business and more importantly, it works. Research shows that leaders with a good sense of humor are seen as 27% more motivating. And in Sales, adding humor into the sales pitch has shown in research to have a 20% increase to the willingness to pay from buyers. For those of you who don't believe you are funny - may I offer a few suggestions that are 'easy' (with the obvious caveat, that all of this humor should be of a professional, work appropriate manner) 1. Self depricating humor is always a good place to start. Nothing can open up more connections than a leader who is willing to poke fun at themselves. So (hypothetically) when people compare you to Shiv from Succession (really happened to me) then you might as well take it in stride, discuss your love of capitalism and that your husband's name is Tom (also, actually true...) [did you see what I did there? 😉 ..] 2. Read your team and meet them where they are at. If memes over the Slack channel are the way your team comunicates, then you need to throw one in every once in a while. If a "Dad Joke" is the start to every group meeting, than look some up and be ready for when it is your turn. I find the bar is pretty low for the actual funniness of the content, especially from leaders, the act of choosing to participate is where the connection is born. 3. Disarming Humor: I have been told that I use "disarming humor" to influence situations in a positive direction. Essentially if you are in an uncomfortable or contentous situation, Humor is an incredible tool. I often choose to deflect becoming angry, frustrated or nervous, by offering a light hearted joke to the group I am in discussion with prior to sharing the harder hitting point of view or opinion about a situation. The science behind is that laughter releases hormones that increases engagement, calms nerves, and bonds people together. All of which are important when working through difficult situations together in a group. PS: If you want to dig more into Humor in business -- This is a short TED talk from two incredible Stanford professors on the power of Humor at work (and it's where I got some of the stats I shared). It is worth the listen. 📈 Hi, I'm Sarah, CFO at Tipalti 🔔 Connecting with other Finance leaders is a passion of mine.  Follow me here: Sarah Spoja

𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞: 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠! Let’s face it—accounting isn’t exactly known as the most fun-loving profession. Numbers, deadlines, and compliance pressure - where do we even start when people ask us "Why so serious? But adding a bit of humor to the workplace? 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫! A little laughter can relieve stress, improve team morale, and create an engaging and inviting work environment. A happy team is a productive team, and humor plays a key role in making everyday work more enjoyable. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 😄 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐝𝐨𝐭𝐞 – Especially in review meetings, where tension can be high. A light moment helps everyone ease into discussions. 👏 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐲 – When moving around the office, I try to acknowledge small wins or share something amusing that relates to a team member. It creates a connection! ☕ 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 & 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 = 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 – Work is important, but so is taking a break, talk about passions, sports, or weekend plans to make relationships stronger.  😂 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 & 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐬 – A well-timed meme on an internal chat can crack up the team and make those long workdays feel less intense.  🎉𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐫 – Birthdays, work anniversaries, or project completions—why not have some fun with lighthearted awards, funny titles, or team banter? 💡𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 – A workplace that embraces laughter fosters creativity, better teamwork, and an overall positive vibe. At the end of the day, we spend too many hours at work not to enjoy it. So, let’s make humor a habit—𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬! P.S - This moment with Shalaka Joshi and Dipali Phadke was beautifully captured at Finsmart #Bootcamp2024. How do you bring humor into your workplace? Drop your best tips below!  #WorkplaceHumor #HappyTeams #AccountingLife

April 1st is my birthday. Which means I’ve spent a lifetime bracing for bad April Fools’ jokes. Some are harmless. Some … not so much. Because humor, like leadership, is all about how it’s used. I’ve worked with leaders who use humor to connect, break tension, and make their teams feel at ease. And I’ve seen leaders who use it to deflect, minimize, or shut people down. The difference? Good humor builds trust. Bad humor erodes it. If you want to bring humor into your leadership: - Make sure people feel safe laughing with you, not nervous they’ll be laughed at. - Use humor to lighten the load, not dismiss real challenges. - Read the room. (Seriously.) The best leaders don’t take themselves too seriously. But they take their impact seriously. Because humor at work isn’t just about getting a laugh - it’s about what that laugh does. Does it create connections? Or does it make people feel small? Great leaders know the difference. And they use humor to build trust - not break it.

Humor can build teams - or break them. Comedy lightens the mood, builds trust, and makes leaders more approachable. But when humor misses the mark, it hurts team dynamics by making people feel small or excluded. I’ve experienced the impact of humor in my own leadership journey. When appropriate, I let my guard down and embrace playfulness to show my team I’m not just “the boss,” but someone they can relate to. However, as a senior leader, I know these lighthearted moments carry implied power. A joke that feels harmless to me might land differently for someone on my team - and I must take responsibility for ensuring these moments build trust rather than break it. I learned this from one of my favorite books, “Humor, Seriously,” by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas. The book explains the science of humor at work, offers tools for using it thoughtfully, and even includes a quiz to help leaders identify and adapt their humor style. If you want to harness humor at work, I highly recommend checking it out. For example, I learned that one of my humor styles is the “Sniper” - may make me a witty cocktail party companion, but as a senior leader, I need to be especially mindful about how I unleash that weapon at work. In high-pressure environments where teams tackle serious challenges, comedy can serve as a grounding tool. It can reduce stress, make tough conversations easier, and strengthen bonds. But it can also be a point of contention, so leaders should be thoughtful about how they handle their standup routines. Nail the punchline, and you’re building relationships. Miss it, and you might just break them. #humorseriously #leadingwithhumor #authenticleadership