tips

5 Tips for Corporate Entertainment Success

By on November 21, 2011 in How-To Humor

I’ve had the pleasure (and sometimes pain) of doing and seeing a wide variety of corporate entertainment events for a number of different organizations. Many of them have gone phenomenally well, others weren’t quite as lucky.

Many times, the bad shows weren’t a result of bad performance or even a bad audience, but rather misguided planning. Here are 5 Corporate Entertainment Tips to help sure you have a successful event:

1. Be Clear About Your Expectations.

As someone who (presumably) knows the audience, you can help the entertainer get crystal clear on what’s appropriate, what’s inappropriate and what will result in getting the mic turned off. Some comedians are more risqué than others, knowing the audience, and sharing it with the entertainer can help make sure everyone goes home happy.

Expectations to be clear on: start time and end time (and amount of flexibility), content rating (G, PG, PG-13, R), size of audience, AV equipment, room layout, attractiveness of audience (OK, maybe not this last one).

2. Shorter is Better.

Even if you want to go “all out” for your group, rarely does more than 60-minutes of comedy go well (particularly if it’s been an all-day event). Keep it short and keep it fun. The audience should be left wanting more, not wanting the show to end.

If you do have more than 60-minutes scheduled, consider a keynote or workshop that is fun and educational.

3. Don’t Schedule Comedy During Dinner.

While it might seem like an efficient way to schedule the agenda, eating + comedy don’t go well together. Either no one laughs because they have food in their mouth, or no has food in their mouth because they’re laughing.

The best time-slot for comedy is before dinner or right after the desserts have gone out (just make sure to tell catering not to clear plates during the show).

4. Don’t Forget About Bio Breaks.

Before the comedy happens, make sure to allow time for a bio break and announce it! Nothing interrupts a comedy show more than a mass exodus to the restrooms, or worse, someone who laughs so much they… well let’s not get into that.

5. Tailor the Comedy to Your Audience.

Finally, as an event planner it’s important to consider your audience when selecting a comedian or group. The entertainment should be appropriate for the size of the audience, setup of the venue and the energy of the event. After all, you wouldn’t book U2 for a show in a conference room.

A good corporate entertainer will help you understand all of the nuances to consider.

Have any questions or concerns? Feel free to send us an email at entertainment@humorthatworks.com. Ready to book some entertainment for your next event? Check out our Corporate Entertainment Offerings.

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How to Build Relationships

By on October 24, 2011 in Learn with Humor

The final post in our series on relationships is on how to build relationships. If you’ve missed any of the previous posts, it’s worth checking them out first:

  1. The Importance of Relationships at Work
  2. 7 Types of Work Relationships
  3. 5 Stages of Relationships
  4. Stages of Relationships Model
  5. 7 Qualities of Meaningful Relationships

Unfortunately, there’s no magic process to building relationships, whether professional or personal. But by having a strong understanding of the concepts above, you’ll be on your way to building stronger relationships, not just at work, but in all walks of life. To help you in the right direction, here are 10 Tips to Building Relationships:

  1. Listen more, talk less. Rather than constantly force your ideas on others, listen to what they have to say and build from there.
  2. Pay attention to non-verbal cues. In one-on-one interactions, up to 93% of communication is non-verbal. Pick up on how someone is really feeling to truly understand what they are trying to / wish they could say.
  3. Learn the other person’s name. Use it. Often a person’s favorite word in any language is their own name, use it to show that you care enough about them to have learned it, and that you’re trying to connect with them.
  4. Follow the Platinum Rule. Treat others how THEY want to be treated.
  5. Be honest. Just be honest about how you feel. Lying is more difficult and instantly breaks any trust you’ve built.
  6. Keep your commitments. If you’ve said you’ll be somewhere or do something, be that somewhere and do that something. Breaking your commitments is a form of dishonesty.
  7. Walk in their shoes. Try to truly understand where they are coming from and how it makes them feel. Empathize with them.
  8. Have a sense of humor. Not only is humor a great way of establishing and maintaining relationships, it’s also a great mentality to have when things become tense or stressful.
  9. Don’t forget about yourself. The best relationships are the ones where two independent people come together. If you don’t work on your own issues, problems and insecurities, you’ll never support the other person as much as you truly could.
  10. Divorce your non-friends. Not everyone deserves to be around you. If the person is detrimental to your work or well-being, find a way to not be around them (whether through finding a new job or choosing not to hang out with them).

How to Build Relationships By following these tips and building the qualities of meaningful relationships through to the Continue stage, you can build relationships that will improve your work, increase your workplace satisfaction and make life more fun.

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10 Tips for Using Humor in the Workplace

By on August 29, 2011 in How-To Humor

There are plenty of reasons why you should use humor in the workplace. Humor can reduce stress, improve health, increase productivity, develop creativity, expand learning, strengthen relationships, create opportunities, enhance leadership, earn you more money and make you happier.

But knowing how to properly use humor at work can be tricky, so here are ten tips to using humor to achieve better results, at work, at home, and in life.

10 Tips for Using Humor in the Workplace aka HUMOR RUMOH

  1. Have Fun – Humor is about having fun in the workplaces, and chances are, if you think something is fun, other people will think it’s fun too.
  2. Use What You Know – Humor works best when it’s honest (“truth in comedy”), so use what you know best: yourself. Find your own style and be willing to poke at yourself.
  3. Make it a Ritual – Humor is incredibly versatile and can improve nearly any situation. Start enjoying work more by adding add a little humor to your work every single day.
  4. Opt for Positive, Not Negative – Humor has the power to bond people, but it can also be used to ostracize. Keep your humor positive and inclusive and you’ll create a more supportive environment without secluding anyone.
  5. Recognize the Value of a Smile – Humor doesn’t necessarily have to cause laughter, evoking a smile is also success. When in doubt, go for humorous instead of funny.
  6. Retain Your Professionalism – Humor is great but it can be overused. Don’t overdo it and stay work appropriate—you don’t want to be seen as immature or as a clown.
  7. Own It – Humor is never guaranteed to work, but one of the best ways to help it is by being confident in your use of it. Take pride in what you’re doing and often that alone will help you succeed.
  8. Mix Original with Produced – Humor is so prevalent in the world it would be a shame and a waste if you didn’t leverage the great work done by others. You don’t always have to be the source of humor, you can also share humor created by others (just be sure to give credit).
  9. Understand Your Audience – Humor is subjective to the receiver, so it’s important to learn what works and doesn’t work with different groups of people. Not everyone has the same sense of humor so tailor it to your audience.
  10. Help Others – Humor can help just about everyone. Encourage other people to use humor and help them out by smiling, laughing, and letting them know you appreciate their use of humor.

It’s impossible to distill everything there is to know about using humor into a single page, but the above ten tips will help you on your way to effectively using humor in the workplace.

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5 Reasons You Should Always Carry a Pen

By on January 21, 2010 in Learn with Humor

photo by brokenarts

One of the things that has always stuck with me from the stand-up comedy world was always having something to write with. You never know when inspiration will strike, and when your job relies heavily on creativity, you want to capture every idea you can.

Even though I now do most of writing and note-taking on my phone, I still always carry a pen with me, and here are 5 reasons you should do the same:

1. To Capture that Great Idea

I already gave this one away, but the number one reason to always carry a pen is to be able to take note of anything at a moment’s notice. And don’t think that this doesn’t apply to you if you aren’t a comedian–the solution to the budget crisis at work could come to you while standing in line at the grocery store, and you’ll want to make sure you’re able to remember it.

It also helps to have a notepad with you, but it’s much easier to find something to write on (such as a receipt, napkin or your forearm) than it is to find something to write with.

2. To Speed Things Along

While having a pen isn’t always required, there are instances it can speed things up. How many times have you been at a diner paying for your grilled cheese and chocolate milk only to have to wait 10 minutes as the cashier searches for a pen that works? When you have one in your pocket, there’s no wait.

This may not happen every day, but when you consider all the things that require your handwriting (credit card receipts, deposit slips, autographs for adoring fans), carrying a pen is easily justified.

3. To Highlight the Important Stuff

A recent revelation I had was that I could just as easily highlight key passages in a book or magazine using a pen as I could using a highlighter. Now instead of needing an additional utencil in my bag or at my desk, I’ve always got one in my pocket to take note of that life lesson from Watchmen.

4. To Improve Motor Skills

Before the days of iPhones and other gizmos, you had to find more creative ways to stay awake in class or meetings. With a pen, you can not only entertain yourself but also improve your motor skills and impress the one girl in your computer engineering class with your pen-flipping skills.

OK, so maybe flipping a pen won’t attract the opposite sex, but it can help prevent Alzheimers.

5. To Open a Letter

With the gradual decline of snail mail, a full-fledged letter opener seems a bit overkill. But when the mail fairy does bring you that special handwritten letter from a friend or loved one, you’ll want to be able to open it without destroying the letter inside. With a pen, it’s easy to do. Using the pen cap and a little finesse, you’ll have yourself a pen /letter opener in no time.

Got a utencil you love or a unique use for a pen? Share it in the comments.

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What I Learned on the Internet, Writing Edition

December 18, 2009

In many businesses, the most effective way to get something done is to put it in writing.  Business writing helps drive clarity and accountability, and gets things done.  Below are some tips from around ‘net to improve your writing. Note: This is part of the What I Learned on the Internet Series. Write Efficiently – [...]

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What I Learned on the Internet, Productivity Edition

October 2, 2009

The Internet is full of sites that can help you procrastinate, but it’s also filled with tips on how to be more productive.  The articles below can help you get things done better, faster, or in some cases not at all. Note: This is part of the What I Learned on the Internet Series. The [...]

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6 Tips for a Better Global Team

August 4, 2009

With the advent of the Internet and the growth of International companies, building an effective team across timezones, languages and cultures is becoming increasingly more important. Gone (or perhaps going) are the days when your entire team resides on the same continent, let alone floor, and it’s becoming more common to be working with someone [...]

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5 Productivity Tips from the Stand-Up Comedy World

May 12, 2009

Unlike the corporate world, the realm of stand-up comedy is less structured and requires more personal discipline to be productive. There is no boss to assign you something to do, and there’s no one looking over your shoulder making sure you do your work. And while some comedians are blessed with the ability to just [...]

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7 Things I Learned from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

January 12, 2009

Stephen R. Covey gives us The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  Well I give you 7 Things I Learned from 7 Habits (that aren’t just the 7 habits).  If you can, try to read this post in 7 minutes, then share it with 7 friends and drink a 7-up. 1. “To know and not [...]

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