Adding some humor in your professional business writing can give you a critical edge. But it can be a dangerous play as well. The following points can help you be more effective.
Write for a larger audience than what you are expecting. A corny office joke may not be so funnywhen it is read by people outside of your office.
- Humor in business writing shoud be applied in moderation. Think of it as sugar to help the rest of your article go down. Keep this in mind when re-reading your writing, humor should be a seasoning, not a main ingredient.
- Poking fun at yourself is an excellent tool, but be careful not to use it too much. After your reader is through you want to be thought of as a skilled writer, not a clown.
- Make sure you write to the intellectual level of your audience. Certain references may make you sound like a genius, but to others it will leave them unconnected to the piece of writing.
- Humor can be used in repetition so don't be afraid to use that one funny joke multiple times. Just be sure it is a funny joke and fits with the writing or you will wind up provoking repeat groans instead of repeat chuckles.
- Absurdity can be remarkably effective. Consider bringing in some out of the box references to grab your readers attention. Their repsonse may be pleasantly suprising.
- As a rule of thumb, avoid sarcasm or cynicism. While it may actually be funny, it can also rub a reader the wrong way and paint the writer as close-minded. This is hard for people to avoid but if you can be funny without being overly negative it will pay off in the long run.
- Confident people are funny people, however if you are unsure at how your humor will be recieved, error on the side of caution.
Refernces:http://www.essortment.com/all/businesshumor_rshx.htm
haha Nice post!!! I loved it really. I think the rule of thumb part is so true. people are sensetive and we need to avoid using sarcasm and cynicism !!! I would say confidence is important everywhere but specially when people are making jokes it is all aboute confidence in Ones speach!! and Of course we need to respect each other's values and culture and dont make jokes that are not common for individuals.
ReplyDeleteGood Job Matt !!
P.S any image or video could be usefull too.!!
Ohh , U do hace image!! sorry It came up late on screen.
ReplyDeleteBeing funny and showing the people around you that you have a good sense of humor is extremly important in all relationships you will develop, whether thy are related to business or not. People who able to tell a joke and make be laugh usually don't have issues with stage fright and are also able to interact with business clients without getting nervous or all choked up. They are the type of people you want on the front line dealing with customers and making the money, rather than in the back room on the the computer.
ReplyDeleteProfessional writing humor is tricky. Good advice. I like your graphic.
ReplyDelete