Gundars (Gundy) Kaupins spoke on how to incorporate humor in the workplace at the Process Improvement Symposium in early February.
To be creative when using humor, individuals should go crazy, build on others’ ideas, and do not criticize. Criticism will reduce ideas because of the fear of rejection. He conducted an experiment by asking the attendees to find 50 creative uses for a paper clip. The experiment showed how groups can create many ideas such as playing miniature tennis and flossing teeth.
In the second half of the presentation, he had participants share some jokes that people can relate to. There were a bunch of good hits.
“The best jokes,” Kaupins said, “help listeners use their knowledge and experiences to understand what is said. Using such humor can help bring people together in the workplace.”