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Secrets Of Effective Office HumorMargot Carmichael Lester loves making good-natured jokes at work. As owner of The Word Factory, a Carrboro, N.C., content-creation company, she looks for employees with a sense of humor. 'I only want to work with people who can take a joke.'Sometimes, though, her jokes fall flat. Last month, at a meeting with insurance-industry clients, she poked fun -- gently -- at how people often view their insurers: 'I mean, who really expects to hear, 'I'm calling from your insurance company and I'm here to help?'' The joke died amid a few titters, she says. While she recovered and completed the client project successfully, the memory lingers. 'If you are funny and putting yourself out there, making yourself vulnerable, and people don't respond? That hurts.'Employers like to hire people with a sense of humor, research shows. And mixing laughter and fun into a company culture can attract skilled workers, according to a study last year in the journal Human Relations. A 2011 study at Pennsylvania State University found that a good laugh activates the same regions of the brain that light up over a fat bonus check.But the office can be a comedic minefield. Making colleagues laugh takes timing, self-confidence -- and the ability to rebound from a blooper.'People will like you better if they find you funny. They will also think you are smarter, ' says Scott Adams, creator of the popular syndicated cartoon 'Dilbert.' But 'if you've never been funny before, trying to start in the workplace -- the most important place you'll ever be in your life' -- is a terrible idea, says Mr. Adams, author of a new book, 'How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.'Fred Kilbourne says his knack for funny banter has helped his career as an actuary, making him a sought-after speaker and participant in professional groups. 'Actuarial work can be pretty dull and deadly, and I'm always looking for a way to make it a little lighter, ' says Mr. Kilbourne, of San Diego. 'People say, 'I can't tell when you're kidding.' My usual answer is, 'If my lips are moving, I'm kidding.''Not that he hasn't had a few missteps. He once cracked a joke in the middle of a serious discussion by a committee on auto-insurance risk, prompting a fellow participant to say, ''You know, we're trying to get something serious done here, and this is not helpful, '' recalls Mr. Kilbourne. 'He was right, ' he says. 'I was a serious contributor for the rest of the meeting.'Office jokesters must be ready with a funny comeback if they drop a clunker, making sure to deliver it in a warm, non-sarcastic tone, says Michael Kerr, a Calgary, Alberta, speaker, author and consultant on humor at work. Turn the joke on yourself. For example: 'It takes a special human being to do what I just did, ' or, 'This is great. I was feeling a little under-stressed today, ' Mr. Kerr says.It is also important to read the nuances of co-workers' moods and attitudes and pick the right context for jokes, says Andrew Tarvin, a New York City humor coach. Mr. Adams says he watches listeners' body language. If they tense up, or they avert their gaze or narrow their eyes, it isn't a good time to crack wise.Most people know the taboos: Divisive racist, ethnic or sexist jokes, are out. Beyond those boundaries, a jokester should consider the ramifications if a joke showed up on Twitter or Facebook.One way to keep humor positive is to apply the 'yes -- and' technique used in improvisational comedy, says Zach Ward, managing director of ImprovBoston, a Cambridge, Mass., theater and humor-training school. (Many students come there, he says, to build interpersonal skills they can use in the workplace.) A co-worker who hears a joke might 'actively add to what you have you have said, ' he says. If the sound system crashes during a presentation, for example, the speaker might say, 'Was it something I said?' while other employees might play off and extend the witticism with, 'It must have been your electrifying humor, ' or 'Whose turn was it to pay the electrical bill?'The best office humor brings people together, often through shared pranks or inside jokes, Mr. Tarvin says. For nearly three years, employees at Silver Lining Ltd. held monthly 'corporate jargon days' when they tried to use as much vague, bureaucratic language as possible, says Carissa Reiniger, founder and chief executive of the New York City-based small-business management consulting firm.The goal: to goad the group to break the buzzword habit. Before going to lunch, she says, 'we'd joke about having a three-hour strategy session to do a SWAT analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Subway vs. McDonald's, considering how we could all get into alignment and move forward together as a team.' After the lesson was absorbed, they dropped the ritual.Teasing or kidding co-workers can allow people to disagree or deliver criticism in a playful way, without arousing anger or defensiveness, says Kevin Cruthirds, an assistant professor of management at the University of Texas at Brownsville and co-author of a 2006 study on workplace humor. A boss might joke with an employee about spending $80 on a hotel minibar during a business trip, making a point while also getting a laugh, he says. (This approach shouldn't be used in more serious situations that might affect someone's performance record or compensation.)A study published earlier this year in the Leadership & Organization Development Journal says executives and managers who use self-deprecating humor appear more approachable and human to subordinates.Paul Spiegelman, co-founder of BerylHealth, a Bedford, Texas, medical call-center company, stars in annual office videos. One year, he was shown applying for jobs as a short-order cook and a theater projectionist because he didn't 'feel valued any more at the company.' Another year, in a parody of 'Dancing with the Stars, ' he donned in-line skates and a matador costume and danced with his chief operating officer.Humor 'breaks down silos and flattens the organization, ' fostering employee loyalty and productivity, says Mr. Spiegelman, who recently sold the company to SteriCycle Inc., where he is chief culture officer.Any employee, however, can use 'self-enhancing' humor to make light of failures, polish her image or rise above stress, Dr. Cruthirds says. One study cited a team of co-workers who kidded each other almost constantly. In a meeting where one employee delivered a document with a mistake in it, a laughing co-worker accused him of failing his word-processing training. The perp's comeback drew another laugh: 'I find it really hard to be perfect at everything.'Beth Slazak's part-time job in a physician's office requires taking calls about medical records from people who are often tense and rushed. To lighten things up, Ms. Slazak, of Cowlesville, N.Y., answers the phone with fictitious job titles. Her first one, 'This is Beth, Office Ray of Sunshine, ' made a co-worker sitting nearby spit out her coffee, Ms. Slazak says. Others include Dragon Slayer, Narnia Tour Guide, Zombie Defender and Hope for All Mankind.Her boss and co-workers in the small office approve, she says, since they're not the only ones who laugh: Callers almost always do, too. 'If you can get somebody who sounds uptight to giggle, it's totally a win, ' says Ms. Slazak.via: 华尔街日报译文重点词（10）syndicate['sindikit, 'sindikeit]n. 辛迪加；企业联合；财团 vi. 联合成辛迪加；组成企业联合组织 vt. 把…联合成辛迪加；在多家报刊上同时发表parody['pærədi]n. 拙劣的模仿；诙谐的改编诗文 vt. 拙劣模仿contributor[kən'tribjutə]n. 贡献者；投稿者；捐助者ethnic['eθnik]adj. 种族的；人种的criticism['kriti,sizəm]n. 批评；考证；苛求syndicate['sindikit, 'sindikeit]n. 辛迪加；企业联合；财团 vi. 联合成辛迪加；组成企业联合组织 vt. 把…联合成辛迪加；在多家报刊上同时发表parody['pærədi]n. 拙劣的模仿；诙谐的改编诗文 vt. 拙劣模仿contributor[kən'tribjutə]n. 贡献者；投稿者；捐助者ethnic['eθnik]adj. 种族的；人种的criticism['kriti,sizəm]n. 批评；考证；苛求compensation[,kɔmpen'seiʃən]n. 补偿；报酬；赔偿金cite[sait]vt. 引用；传讯；想起；表彰prank[præŋk]n. 恶作剧，开玩笑；戏谑 vt. 装饰；打扮 vi. 炫耀自己；胡闹corporate['kɔ:pərit]adj. 法人的；共同的，全体的；社团的arouse[ə'rəuz]vt. 引起；唤醒；鼓励 vi. 激发；醒来；发奋办公室的幽默之道戈·卡米歇尔·莱斯特(Margot Carmichael Lester)是北卡罗来纳州卡勃罗(Carrboro)一家名为词语工厂(Word Factory)的创意公司的老板，喜欢在工作时开些无伤大雅的玩笑。她在招聘时青睐于那些有幽默感的求职者。“我只想跟开得起玩笑的人共事。”可是有时她的玩笑也没什么“笑果”。上个月，同保险公司的客户开会时，她微微调侃了人们对保险公司的态度：“我觉得，有谁会愿意接到这样的电话呢，‘我是您投保公司的代理，很高兴能为你效劳’？”她说，这个玩笑只引起了几下短促的笑声而已。虽然她后来恢复严肃并成功拿下了项目，但是那个尴尬的画面却挥之不去。“如果你愿意开玩笑，把自己放开，就处在相对弱势的状态。所以当别人没反应的时候，滋味很不好受。”40岁的Brett Cromwell是一家医疗设备公司领导力发展项目的成员，他参加了波士顿的一个即兴表演课程以提高自己的演讲和沟通能力。调查显示，雇主喜欢雇佣有幽默感的人。去年，《人际关系》(Human Relations)杂志的调查结果表明，将笑声与欢乐融入公司文化可以吸引更多的高技能人才。宾夕法尼亚州立大学(Pennsylvania State University)在2011年的一项研究也发现，开怀大笑跟拿到一张数额巨大的奖金支票时所刺激到的是大脑中相同的一些区域。但是，办公室也可能成为玩笑的雷区。跟同事逗趣需要把握恰当的时机、有自信──还有从冷场中恢复的能力。职场漫画“呆伯特(Dilbert)”的创作者司考特·亚当斯(Scott Adams)说：“如果别人觉得你有意思，会更喜欢你。他们也会觉得你更聪明。”但是，亚当斯也说，“如果你原本不是一个风趣幽默的人，然后想要在人生中最重要的场所──办公室──里变得风趣起来”，这种想法实在糟糕透顶。他最近出版了一本新书《如果几乎全盘皆输，怎样才能保住大头》(How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big)。Adi Heller是一家医院的管理人员，他参加ImprovBoston的课程以培养自己“把握当下”的能力，这种技能对于敏感或不可预测的工作环境很实用。来自 地亚哥的保险精算师弗莱德·基尔伯恩(Fred Kilbourne)说他的幽默在事业上助了他一臂之力，他成了一名备受追捧的演讲者，并加入了一些专业团体。基尔伯恩说：“精算工作沉闷无聊，而我一直在想办法让它变得轻松一点。常有人跟我说，‘我都不知道你什么时候是在开玩笑’，我一般就会回答，‘只要我嘴巴在动，我就在开玩笑’。”当然，他也有过失误。他回忆道，有一次，在一个非常严肃的汽车保险风险会议上，他开了玩笑，一位与会者就说：“你知道我们这次会议是很严肃的，而你这么做是于事无补的。”他说：“那个人说的没错，所以在会议接下来的时间我都非常严肃。”加拿大卡尔加里(Calgary)的公共演说家、作家和职场幽默顾问迈克尔·克尔(Michael Kerr)说，“办公室谐星”在抖包袱的时候，要保证语气友善、不带讽刺，并做好幽默应答别人的准备。他说，要把玩笑对象转移到自己身上来，比如说“一般人可不会做刚才我做的那种事”或者“不错，今天我感觉压力山大”。Jill Braverman是一名瑜伽健身教练，她和Adi Heller参加的是ImprovBoston的同一门课程。纽约的幽默教练安德鲁·塔文(Andrew Tarvin)说，懂得察言观色、恰当选择玩笑内容也很重要。亚当斯说他一般会注意听者的肢体语言。如果听者变得紧张、转移视线或者眯上眼睛，就说明这不是说俏皮话的时候。大多数人都知道开玩笑时的禁忌：种族、民族或性别──这些都不是好的素材。除此之外，开玩笑的人还应考虑的是，如果玩笑出现在推特(Twitter)和Facebook上，会有什么样的后果。马萨诸塞州剑桥市(Cambridge)的戏剧及幽默培训学校ImprovBoston的常务董事扎克·沃德(Zach Ward)说，让幽默保持活力的一个方法就是使用即兴喜剧中的“是的──还有”技巧。（他提到，许多学生来这里学习可以应用于职场的人际交往技巧。）他说，听到笑话的同事可以“积极地顺势把笑话接下去”。比如，作陈述报告的时候音响系统突然坏了，报告者可以说：“是我说错什么话了吗？”而其他的员工可以接上话茬，很妙地说：“你的笑话电力太强，让电线短路啦！”或者“该谁交电费了？”。塔文说，绝妙的办公室幽默，比如共同策划的恶作剧或者内部笑话，可以增强公司的凝聚力。纽约小企业管理顾问公司Silver Lining Ltd.的创始人及首席执行长卡丽莎·赖尼格(Carissa Reiniger)说，公司每月都会有“公司术语日”，这个小节目坚持了近三年的时间。在“术语日”当天，员工要尽可能多地使用那些意义含糊的官方语言。身兼演员、导演和老师数职的John Serpico正在ImprovBoston教授课程。这样做的目的是让员工打破说“流行词”的习惯。她说，午餐之前，“我们会开玩笑说‘考虑到我们要跟赛百味(Subway)和麦当劳(McDonald’s)合作，为了我们的共同进步，我们应该召开一次三小时的会议，用SWOT分析法分析对比两者的优势和短板。’”当目的达到以后，“术语日”就不再进行了。得克萨斯大学布朗斯威尔分校(University of Texas at Brownsville)的管理学助理教授凯文·克鲁瑟兹(Kevin Cruthirds)说，跟同事逗乐开玩笑可以让人们以一种戏谑的方式表达不同意见或批评，而不会触怒对方。他也是2006年一项办公室幽默研究的共同作者。他说，老板可以拿一名员工在出差时花了80美金享用酒店迷你吧食物这件事开玩笑，这样一来，老板可以委婉表达想说的话，又可以博得一笑。（但在严肃场合不应该开这种玩笑，这可能会影响到这名员工的业绩记录或薪酬。）今年早些时候《领导与组织发展杂志》(Leadership &Organization Development Journal)上的一篇研究论文指出，懂得自嘲式幽默的高管和经理在下属看来更易接近、更有人情味。保罗·施皮格尔曼(Paul Spiegelman)是得克萨斯州贝德福德(Bedford)医疗呼叫中心公司Beryl Health的联合创始人，在公司的年度视频中他都会出演角色。有一年，他扮演的那个角色前去应征像快餐店厨师和电影放映师这样的工作，因为他觉得“在公司没有受到重视”。还有一年，他在视频中山寨了一把娱乐节目《与星共舞》(Dancing with the Stars)，穿上滚轴溜冰鞋和斗牛士服装，和公司的首席运营长共舞。施皮格尔曼说，幽默可以“打破上下级隔阂，让公司平面化”，培养员工的忠诚度，提高工作效率。最近他将公司出售给了SteriCycle Inc.，如今他在SteriCycle Inc.担任首席文化长。克鲁瑟兹博士说，任何员工都可以用“自我提升型”幽默来笑对失败、提升形象和应对压力。有一项研究引用过一个经常彼此开玩笑的团队的案例。在会议中，一个员工递交的文件有错误，另一个同事就会开玩笑说他的文字处理训练没过关。这位员工的回应又引发了另一阵笑声：“要做到事事完美还真心hold不住。”纽约州考尔斯维尔(Cowlesville)的贝丝·斯拉扎克(Beth Slazak)在一家医师诊所兼职，有时候需要接听电话，回答关于医疗记录的问题，打电话来的人通常都很紧张很心急。为了缓和紧张的气氛，斯拉扎克在接电话时会使用虚构的工作头衔。她说，她的第一个创意──“您好，我是阳光办公室的贝丝”──让旁边的一位同事喷出了口中的咖啡。她虚构的其他头衔包括屠龙骑士(Dragon Slayer)、纳尼亚王国导游(Narnia Tour Guide)，僵尸防御者(Zombie Defender)和人类新希望(Hope for All Mankind)。via: 华尔街日报原文重点词（10）syndicate['sindikit, 'sindikeit]n. 辛迪加；企业联合；财团 vi. 联合成辛迪加；组成企业联合组织 vt. 把…联合成辛迪加；在多家报刊上同时发表parody['pærədi]n. 拙劣的模仿；诙谐的改编诗文 vt. 拙劣模仿contributor[kən'tribjutə]n. 贡献者；投稿者；捐助者ethnic['eθnik]adj. 种族的；人种的criticism['kriti,sizəm]n. 批评；考证；苛求