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Updated: April 1, 2025

No joke: Here's how to use humor at work

By Nancy Marshall, Marshall Communications

If you know me, you know that I love a good laugh. One time, my former boss told me, “You speak too loudly.” I tried to be more quiet, but it didn’t last very long. Sometimes, I just get so excited that I have a hard time tempering the volume of my voice — or my laugh. It just spills out.

Illustrated version of Nancy Marshall
PR maven Nancy Marshall

Humor is often perceived as a weakness in business. People seem to think that you can’t have a laugh while also being professional and productive. But that’s not really true. For me, humor is part of my brand—professionally and personally — and people often enjoy listening to my laugh, even in a business meeting or during a presentation. (Don’t just take my word for it — that's what people tell me.) 

If you’re in a meeting or presenting something, don’t be afraid to use humor to your advantage. It helps diffuse tension and lighten the atmosphere, whether it’s in a boardroom or at a cafe.

The numbers back it up. Over 70% of consumers would choose a brand that uses humor over the competition, with more than 90% of people preferring brands to be funny. Another 88% of people are looking for new experiences to make them smile and laugh.

So give it to them! According to research from Pennsylvania State University, parents who use humor actually have better relationships with their children. There is a reason why comedians are so popular these days. People need a reprieve from the daily anxieties and stressors in their life, even if it’s just for a minute or two. You know what I mean: The world around us often seems crazy.

Of course, you can’t force humor, and there is obviously room for seriousness at work — most of your working hours should be “serious.” Your target audience, including business meeting participants, will definitely be able to tell if you are just trying to be funny for the sake of being funny. But there are a few ways to leverage laughter properly:

Use humor in small doses. Let’s say you are presenting a new product or service: Following the “90-10” rule is helpful, whereby you spend 90% of your time being serious and 10% breaking up the seriousness with a quick joke. As long as the joke is professional, and ideally related to your presentation, a slight detour can be powerful. Just don’t ignore the main road.

Do not use any humor that could be in poor taste or potentially controversial, such as a sexual reference. Insulting a group of people based on race, religion, or whatever else is obviously unacceptable. If there are any potential victims, don’t use humor. That is always a no-no — with no exceptions.

Self-deprecation can go a long way. If you are the victim, it is acceptable to be self-deprecating with your humor, cracking a joke about your outfit or your way of speaking. As long as you are not seriously undermining your business credibility — that is, your perceived knowledge of a particular subject — then feel free to joke about yourself here and there. For example, I often joke about my extroverted personality (as you read earlier), saying that I wish I was a “wall flower” or something else to that effect.

Humor can project humility. It helps people warm up to you, and that eventually leads to people knowing, liking, and trusting you at work. It can even lead to connections outside of work because people come to associate you with that joke about professional sports or your upbringing — it adds layers to your personality and, by extension, your personal brand. You don’t want to be perceived as someone who takes life too seriously; you want to be serious with a playful side (again, as long as it’s respectful).

Especially in today’s day and age, people are craving social interactions that they can’t find on LinkedIn or TikTok. They want to be entertained spontaneously, not just by scrolling on a screen. So try to make that a superpower of yours.

I can’t tell you how many business colleagues and even clients have become close friends because one dash of humor spiced up our work relationship. If I had never cracked a joke or they had never laughed, those connections wouldn’t exist.

It’s not a problem to laugh out loud. People don’t mind. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

About the author

Nancy Marshall, a regular Mainebiz columnist, is CEO of Marshall Communications.

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