Nobody knows just how humor works. We all have a sense of it, and different things tickle each of us. This April 1st, though, let’s talk about how to avoid being unkind when we’re joking around.
To be funny it’s essential for us and our audience to feel playful. The more playful we feel the more things might seem funny, but later people often are left with a bad feeling of distaste or hurt if jokes can be interpreted to be unkind. Other characteristics of humor include being contradictory, or being creatively illogical.
Things to ask yourself before telling a joke, or enacting a practical joke:
- Can it be excluding or insulting?
- Will it make someone feel uncared for?
- Will it cause extra work for someone if it’s a practical joke?
- Is your audience in the right mood for some playfulness?