Why this matters
Humour has immense unifying power. We see a huge correlation between the presence of humour in a team and not only their engagement indicators but more importantly, their resilience.
The mechanisms of pleasure and motivation are a lot more complicated than we should explore here but suffice it to say the dopamine hit we get from something that’s funny is not applicable only to our own self but to the team as well - and enough of it will reduce our stress hormones and increase the serotonin and endorphins (the happy ones). And better yet, a positive mood has been proven to be contagious.
When we share laughter we solidify both the foundation of trust of the team and we strengthen the habit of being courageous as we now have faith it will land well and we don’t impression manage for fear of appearing in a negative light.
How to run it
- 1
The team all has to prepare with a link or image with their top three of these categories: Jokes, Memes, Online Videos, Titles of Comedy Shows;
- 2
In the meeting, the team leader can first play a short lighthearted comedy video to set the stage;
- 3
The team leader to prepare a virtual board where everyone can post their image and take turns;
- 4
Team leader to call out each category and try and create some excitement for the next one “Ohhh comedy show recommendations, I bet Alice has some good ones!” then start by showing their first photo or link before inviting the next team member to show theirs and ask them to nominate the next - “Sam - what’s your go-to top meme? Post it for us”, then so on till everyone is out of examples;
- 5
Make sure you create the space to let each other react - research “comedic timing” for more tips;
- 6
Agree on a couple of themes for another Humour Workshop - i.e. “Most politically incorrect/dark humour ones!” or “Jokes about corporations”, “Quaranmemes” etc. Make sure you give people enough time to brainstorm before offering any suggestions.
What next
Keep an eye on improvement variation for 3 months then return if you have not achieved the desired result.
Related resources
- How We Laughed (article)
- How to Organise a Humour Workshop (video)