Humour, Seriously

If you think being funny is unprofessional, think again.

Some people think the workplace is no place for funny business. But in fact, the upside of humour for our careers is significant. A recent survey of more than 700 CEOs showed that 98% prefer job candidates with a sense of humour, and 84% think that funny employees do better work.

Comedian Naomi Bagdonas and psychologist Jennifer Aaker's research into humour has shown that exhibiting humour in the workplace can enhance our influence and status, build bonds and defuse tension within teams, enhance creativity and problem-solving and even make us more likeable. Humour unlocks our authentic selves, which helps us lead with greater purpose and levity has been proven to make us healthier and happier.

Humour is the most under-leveraged tool for power in the working world. No joke! And yet research shows that we fall off a humour cliff around the time we enter the workforce.

Based on one of the most oversubscribed courses amongst Stanford MBAs, Humour, Serious Business will teach you how to:

-Find your own type of funny
-Employ the techniques of stand up comedians
-Lead with a good sense of humour
-Create a culture of levity
-Learn what type of humour to use in different situations

In this smart and funny book about how to be smart and funny, Aaker and Bagdonas share the best tips from the masters - like comedian Seth Meyers, writers for The Onion, and performers from the Upright Citizen's Brigade - and distils the insights of leaders who are creating cultures of levity at companies like Twitter, Apple, Andreessen Horowitz and IDEO. Along the way, they share the hilarious tales of their own (vaguely mortifying) adventures in pursuit of a punch line.