The Latest from Brad Montgomery
1. Office Practical Jokes
2. Don’t Try To Be Funny. Please.
3. Cool Links to Even More Humor!
Office Practical Jokes
Safe Jokes Can Improve Your Day. (Mean ones can get you fired.)
Those of you who know me know that I love practical jokes. But only some jokes. For me, the only practical jokes to consider are safe practical jokes; victimless practical jokes.
How do you know you’re on the right track?
If your “victim” ends up with mud on her face, is totally embarrassed, or it ends up costing him significant money then your joke is no good.
But if your joke brings more laughter and happiness, then you’re on the right track.
I found a fun site with goofy practical jokes about duct tape. Here’s a fun example:
Sinking Chairs
Here is a fun (and safe) prank to pull on co-workers in an office setting. Most office dwellers have chairs that use a pneumatic piston to control the height. They are also designed to use a persons weight to effect the downward adjustment. While your coworkers are away from their desk, take a strip of duct tape and tape the height adjusting lever to the bottom of the seat. This effectively locks the piston into adjust mode. When they sit down, their weight will cause the chair to bottom out quickly. The looks of utter confusion are priceless. Extra points are awarded to brave individuals who pull this one on their boss!
For more duct tape jokes, go here
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Don’t Try To Be Funny. Please.
Ok, so a huge portion of my business is teaching people how to incorporate more humor into their presentations and stage performances. And, to be truthful, I’m pretty good at it. And I like it a bunch.
But for many people, trying to be funny often leads to trying too HARD to be funny. Most people try to be “stand up comedy” funny. And that bar is just too high. Instead of trying to be hilarious, try to be just “more funny,” (which is a goal that is much easier to attain.)
In other words, don’t try for “hilarious.” Instead go for “more fun than you were last time,” “more entertaining,” or even just plain “funnier.” These are goals well worth your time and investment, that will still improve your bottom line.
I’ve heard some comedians say that, “If you think you are not funny, you’re probably right.” I don’t totally agree with them but they are still partly right.
You can be more funny. You can be more entertaining. You can improve your connection between you and your audience. You can even get people laughing. But it may also be true that you are trying to be hysterical. You’re trying to be a stand up comedian. You’re trying to be Seinfeld. Not only will you probably NOT obtain this goal, but you will probably end up trying too hard and pushing your audience too hard.
And that is DEFINITELY not funny.
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Humor Resources
My keynote speech is now a CD and MP3 recording. It’s called Ordinary Magic and so far the reviews are outstanding. [My mom loves it… what better proof do you want?]
Get it, hear a sample, and take advantage of a reduced rate here.
Are you a believer in the power of levity and lightheartedness and its ability to help your organization get to where it deserves to be? Are you having trouble convincing the masses? Give us a call. We can help. |
