In this episode, Bryan Buckley does another Book Breakdown, this time on Humor, Seriously by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas. Most professionals think being serious shows competence, but the research says the opposite: humor works as a Click Accelerator that makes you seem more confident, competent and trustworthy in the 1st 5 Minutes™. You don’t need to be a comedian: you just need to find the funny and create a smile.
Main Topics Covered
- The Humor Cliff and why we stop laughing at work
- Four Deadly Humor Myths the research disproves
- The Four Humor Styles and how to find yours
- Finding the funny through truth, surprise and misdirection
- Timing, one-liners and signature stories
- How to avoid humor that backfires
Timestamps
00:00 – Laugh Audit And The Humor Cliff
05:40 – Research That Busts Humor Myths
10:12 – Free Levity Self-Evaluation Tool
11:21 – Identify Your Humor Style
16:06 – Find The Funny With Truth
18:58 – Timing, One-Liners, And Stories
25:12 – Avoid Inappropriate Jokes And Take Action
Featured Book
Stanford professors Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas based this book on their popular Stanford Graduate School of Business course. It uses behavioral science to show why humor is one of the most underused tools in business. They explain how levity builds trust, strengthens leadership and makes people more memorable, and they show that humor is a skill anyone can learn.
Cheat Sheet
Humor isn’t a personality trait you’re born with. It’s a skill you can learn. This free cheat sheet distills Humor, Seriously by Stanford’s Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas into a one-stop reference guide. It covers the Four Deadly Humor Myths, the Four Humor Styles, six key lessons with moves you can use right away, and the research on why a shared laugh builds connection faster than almost anything else.
Watch the Video
Prefer to watch? The full episode is available on YouTube.
Podcast Resources
30 Connection Questions for Stronger Business Conversations
A curated set of questions designed to elevate the quality of your conversations and help establish stronger connections within the 1st 5 minutes.
The System Elite Connectors Use to Remember Names
A practical, step by step approach for improving name recall and strengthening your ability to build relationships in professional environments.
The Book
This book presents the complete framework for creating powerful first impressions and developing meaningful connections from the very beginning of a conversation. It expands on the strategies discussed in this episode and offers practical techniques that can be applied in networking, business, and everyday interactions.