Funny business

- We've already talked about how humor strengthens relationships, but it goes even further. Comedy can also increase the quality of relationships and of communication because it works on so many levels at once. Let's see how. Because of the connective power of comedy, viewers who are amused are more open minded. That means not only that they're more likely to consider your message, but are more likely to show patience if your message is complex, technical, or even unpleasant. If your video was required watching, you need not worry so much about your viewers' patience. But if your video was aimed at someone who can click away at any time, comedy may just keep them there. This is especially true when you're trying to communicate a message many would consider boring. And it's one of the best uses of humor. Consider Kinaxis, a company that offers supply chain management software. Kinaxis' problem is persuading non-experts how they do this job better than their competitors without putting everyone to sleep. Enter humor. Let's take a look at a snippet of a typical Kinaxis video. - Guess who this is? - Sally Ann Perkins. - I'll give you three guess-- Oh, you got it. (laughs) Hi, it's me! Yay! - Oh, Sally Ann, I'm waiting on someone, actually. - Oh, gosh. Look at us. Just bantering back and forth like we never even broke up. Speaking of which, I've been thinking a lot about. - Hello. (lips smacking) (blonde giggles) - Oh. Am I interrupting something? - No, no, not at all. You two know each other, right? Sally Ann Perkins, this is Kinaxis. - Sorry, I didn't. I did not know you two were together. So I'm just working on the math of that. It's a little weird. - It's been great. Kinaxis is so clear and direct. We communicate really well and everything runs smoothly. - I don't understand what you're talking about look, derb. - That's sort of the point. You've always been a little high maintenance. - Can I get you something to drink? - I'll have a medium soy latte, extra foam, two fist regular, three fist decaf with this much sugar-free vanilla, and this much sugar free cinnamon, a half packet of sweetener before you add the milk, and then put it in an extra large cup and fill the extra space with extra whip cream and chocolate, and caramel sauce. - And for you? - Just a coffee. - Oh. - [Announcer] Simplicity, one more reason to ditch the heavy baggage and make a new connection with Rapid Response from Kinaxis. - The idea of depicting the relationship between a corporation and its supply chain management system, as a relationship between a man and woman, is clever, clear and relatable. The old way of doing business, irritating, high maintenance and opaque. The new way, simple, dependable, intelligent, even sexy. What's more, the old way is pesty, hanging around even after agreeing to leave. All of that in a short fun video full of good performances. You may have noticed that the video doesn't communicate much in the way of hard information. Well, that's not its purpose. Those who understand the subject know where they can find the facts, on the company website. What this video is doing is communicating subtextually. Let's look at some of the many levels in which comedy works to communicate and persuade even when the topic isn't intrinsically funny. Comedy communicates tone, the overall feeling the messenger wants to display. With Kinaxis, the tone is lighthearted. They want you to know that just because they make systems that manage raw materials, they're not robots. A different company might go for a different tone. Beer makers often choose body humor to tell their mostly male audiences, they know how to have fun. Or there's observational humor. If you wanna make sure your audience knows you can relate. In this course I try to go for humor that's short and disconnected because we both know that you're just jumping around to the chapters you want and skipping the rest. And yes, it hurts. Comedy sends meta messages too. Giving someone a laugh is a friendly thing to do. The meta message is, I like you. If you're covering a subject that typically meets with resistance, you may have just broken it down some. Also when two people laugh together at the same thing, it signals a commonality in values and experiences. The meta message, we're of the same tribe. Also, we like and dislike the same things. That means your audience can trust you when it comes to matters of taste. Finally, studies have shown that people tend to think a good sense of humor is a sign of intelligence. When you amuse your viewer, the meta message is I'm smart or clever. That's why I try to amuse you. Think of comedy as a lubricant to help your communication machine run more smoothly and effectively.