INTHEBLACK May 2022 - Magazine - Page 45
AT A G L A N C E
The use of humour in
workplace conversations
is an effective means of
building strong connections
quickly.
Research also shows that
banter can enhance the
culture of support within
a team and expedite the
achievement of important
goals.
Another important function
of humour is rebuilding the
connections that may have
been lost or affected by
prolonged working from
home.
Humour is one of the most underappreciated assets at
work. Far from the province of the professional
comedian, it is a teachable skill that can help alleviate
stress, strengthen personal and team bonds and create
a positive culture.
F
ew accountants have capitalised on their
sense of humour to advance their professional
career better than Alan Cameron-Sweeney.
After Cameron-Sweeny graduated as an
accountant from Griffith College Dublin, his intense
dislike of public speaking led him to enrol with
the local chapter of the Toastmasters Club, where
he quickly discovered his ability to rouse a laugh.
This led him to stand-up comedy, and eventually to
coaching fellow accountants and finance professionals
in effectively communicating financial information to
stakeholders at all levels of business.
Cameron-Sweeney says his foray into stand-up comedy
and public speaking has vastly improved his tolerance for
embarrassment and being judged for his ideas.
Another benefit has been building work
relationships of all kinds. “People associate you
with having a good time, and they’re happy to see
you again. People will do more things for you if you
build that rapport,” he says. “It’s those soft skills that
accountants need now.”
MORE THAN A LAUGH
When used well, humour can be one of the greatest
competitive advantages in business, say Dr Jennifer
Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas, who have written a
book, Humour, Seriously, on this very topic.
Aaker, a behavioural scientist, and Bagdonas,
a corporate strategist and lecturer at Stanford’s
Graduate School of Business, have spent the past
decade researching humour in the context of work.
When people have a laugh before launching into a
serious conversation, they are more likely to disclose
personal information, says Aaker, because laughter
shortens the path to connection.
The biological mechanism for this is simple.
Laughter releases “feel-good hormones”, endorphins
and dopamine, while at the same time reducing the
level of the stress hormone cortisol. “As far as our brains
are concerned, laughing is like exercising, meditating
and having sex – at the same time,” Aaker says.
Cameron-Sweeney intentionally uses humour
as a tool to put others at ease and break down
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au May 2022 45