08.22.08
Funny Feedback
Just read an e-newsletter article by Jack Canfield. His advice was that one of the best things we can do in our lives is to change the way we react to negative feedback.
Using our sense of humor also gives us valuable feedback. Maybe the person listening to you didn’t get your joke. Solution: You can change your style of humor, simplify it, adapt it to his or her style of humor.
Maybe the person is offended. You just learned how far NOT to go with that person.
In the first case, you could have thought the person isn’t too intelligent. You are brilliant! Why didn’t he get my joke? And you would have stopped there. And your connection would have been severed. But instead, you didn’t take it personally. You just adapted to the situation until you found a way that the two of you could connect.
In the second case, you could have deemed the person too prudish or close-minded. And you would have stopped all connection. But instead, you realized that some people are more used to a certain boundary in their lives, including in their style of humor. You are ok, and so are they. You’ll know better next time.
Being funny isn’t just about getting laughs–although that is a worthy goal. It is about making a connection, proving your humanness, and building trust and credibility. When you use the feedback you get from your humor, you can begin to build those connections, and then you can help others to, “Get Your SHINE Together!”
So–you think you’re funny? Let us know!
