Benefits of Humor in Persuasion
Benefits of Humor in Persuasion
Humor has many benefits for communication and persuasion. Communication through humor is an important way to make stories more memorable, characters more compelling, and causes more accessible. Understanding and appreciating humor is a unique part of being human, and making people smile and laugh is a learnable skill. To truly understand the nature of humor empowers the individual to communicate strategically – to create messages that are “stickier,” or more memorable and persuasive. Persuasive communication involves getting attention, generating interest, creating a desire for change and encouraging action. One thing that is commonly overlooked when attempting persuasion is a person’s mood. In a good mood, people are far more likely to listen and agree with what you are saying than if they were in a bad mood. If done properly, humor is an effective persuasive tool. Ambiguity, puns and comedic situations can make an ad memorable. People tend to remember things that make them smile, possibly leading to a purchase decision. For example, people are likely to remember a soft drink ad that has sketches of adorable polar bears drinking soft drinks while sliding down a mountain. Humor is one part of advertising messages, which usually include substantive messages, such as social acceptance, old-age security and family relationships. Good moods tend to lower a person’s defenses, whereas bad moods raise defenses thereby making persuasion more difficult. Get someone in the right mood and they will be willing to do almost anything for you. When attempting persuasion, you should therefore always assess a person’s mood before trying to influence them in one direction or another. If a person is in a good mood, go ahead with your persuasion attempt or approach them during times when they are likely to be feeling happy. However, should a person be in a bad mood, do not attempt persuasion unless it is your only opportunity to do so. Instead,
Humor has many benefits for communication and persuasion. Communication through humor is an important way to make stories more memorable, characters more compelling, and causes more accessible. Understanding and appreciating humor is a unique part of being human, and making people smile and laugh is a learnable skill. To truly understand the nature of humor empowers the individual to communicate strategically – to create messages that are “stickier,” or more memorable and persuasive. Persuasive communication involves getting attention, generating interest, creating a desire for change and encouraging action. One thing that is commonly overlooked when attempting persuasion is a person’s mood. In a good mood, people are far more likely to listen and agree with what you are saying than if they were in a bad mood. If done properly, humor is an effective persuasive tool. Ambiguity, puns and comedic situations can make an ad memorable. People tend to remember things that make them smile, possibly leading to a purchase decision. For example, people are likely to remember a soft drink ad that has sketches of adorable polar bears drinking soft drinks while sliding down a mountain. Humor is one part of advertising messages, which usually include substantive messages, such as social acceptance, old-age security and family relationships. Good moods tend to lower a person’s defenses, whereas bad moods raise defenses thereby making persuasion more difficult. Get someone in the right mood and they will be willing to do almost anything for you. When attempting persuasion, you should therefore always assess a person’s mood before trying to influence them in one direction or another. If a person is in a good mood, go ahead with your persuasion attempt or approach them during times when they are likely to be feeling happy. However, should a person be in a bad mood, do not attempt persuasion unless it is your only opportunity to do so. Instead,
References: Fabio Sala, Laughing all the way to the bank, Harvard Business Review, September 2003, pp 16-17 R. W. Clouse and K. L. Spurgeon, Corporate Analysis of Humor, Psychology: A Journal of Human Behavior 32 (1995). pp 1-24 Bettinghaus, E. and Cody, M. (1994). Persuasive communication, Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Foot, H. (1997). 'Humor and laughter ', in O. Hargie (ed) The handbook of communication skills (2nd edn), London: Routledge