A detour from the serious route

Our daily routine is a constant act of persuading others to do our bidding. To get our kids to clean their rooms. To get our spouses to pay more attention. To get our colleagues to get with the program. To get another rush hour driver to let us in their lane. To get our Facebook friends to vote for this candidate (or not vote for the other candidate).

Our tactics may be to nag, to scold, to preach or to lecture. We already know their success rates.

We forget that humor is often the most effective and subtle form of persuasion. It humanizes us and offers a gentle tweak instead of a head-on attack.

Everyone is funny in their own way. Some have to work at it, but most have a natural style of getting laughs, intentionally or not. But we can be unnecessarily awkward in incorporating humor in our sales tactics.

Trying to be funny isn’t the same as being funny. We’re often better off leaving out the intentional jokes, given that the opportunity to fall flat increases dramatically with social media.

Those who succeed are willing to play the fool for others. They have a healthy self-awareness. They understand their audience. And they can be humble and contrite when jokes miss the mark.

If we’re willing to laugh at ourselves, can we get others to join in the fun?

Some marketers feel that clickbait headlines and unending outrage are the most effective ways to lure people to their cause. We might find another way forward.

Hit them in their funny bone. Their laughter might open their hearts and minds to our requests.