July 24, 2009 – Saskatoon, Sask.: Did you know that women comedians don't get as many laughs as their male counterparts? Its shocking but true: even in comedy, we have greater hurdles to success.
I attended a National Speaker's Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, where I attended Stevie Ray's presentation on the Psychology of Humor. We all know the comedian's job is to get laughs, and if they don't come through we blame them. But I was surprised to learn that the most laughter comes from male comedians with a female audience. The next highest on the laughter meter is a male comedian with a male audience, and third in line is a female comedian with a female audience. Finally, a woman comedian with male audience gets the fewest laughs. Why is this?
Stevie explained that men are trained to interrupt and be the center of attention, so they are more comfortable pouring out their stories than passively waiting for others to tell them. In other words, men are socialized to dominate conversation, while women are raised to be good listeners. He also said that human beings are hierarchical and laughter is a great leveler. I certainly found this when I was working in corporate. Humor was my secret weapon to relieve stress, to gain acceptance, and to divert attention from a potential argument. I also saw humor as a great antidote and a way to provide perspective to an issue. Every time I was faced with a catastrophe, I would reassure myself by repeating one of my mother's favorite sayings: "It will make for a good story later."
Here are some tips for women to use humor in business:
1) Don't be offended if you are the target of a joke as that's what it takes to be considered part of the group.
2) Once you are part of the group, the easiest target is yourself. Self-deprecating humor works best. As women, we know that when we fight aggressively we may win the battle but most often lose the war. Why not we use humor to lighten our load and build support?
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