By Brian M. Harman, Stephanie M. Taglianetti
Storytelling is the Language of Leaders
Leaders establish trust through credibility, care, communication, and giving. Their stories are the way they communicate these behaviors. Many leaders communicate lessons with brief statements like, “Never stop improving” or “be decisive.” But that’s not how you create an emotional connection to inspire people. Great leaders tell stories to create meaningful interactions and learning opportunities. Mastery of impactful storytelling also has other benefits. It allows you to deliver content memorably and deliberately. It improves your ability to improvise and relate to people. It is the tool that ignites connections among our species. Generating influence through storytelling is a fundamental behavior for leaders to exhibit their purpose and vision.
Laughter Is Faster
An infectious laugh truly is infectious. Laughter is the emotional contagion that is most easily spread, curing a stale office environment and bringing joy – to the people! By the people! For the people! Laughter is a democracy! In fact, Abe Lincoln himself was a great storyteller and often prefaced important discussions with humorous stories. When his cabinet members didn’t find a particular story funny, Lincoln said to them, “Gentlemen, why don’t you laugh? With the fearful strain that is upon me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die, and you need this medicine as much as I do.” Abe Lincoln: great leader, loves to laugh. He knew the importance of laughter and humor. And some of the best leaders also happen to be the funniest and wittiest.
How Are You Funny?
Being vulnerable and honest leads to the best form of humor. People love to laugh at things that they can relate to or have experienced in some way themselves. Think about stand-up comedians who draw from their own experiences and tell jokes about uncomfortable situations we can all relate to. Because we’ve experienced them ourselves. Sebastian Maniscalco (famously known for jokes that leave him saying “aren’t you embarrassed?”) succeeds at this in his stand-up, often ruminating on the everyday interactions we have with people. He says, “if I can relate to the joke, it’s going to be funny.” Honesty in humor will help instill trust. When someone asks me how to use humor in storytelling and presentations, I will never tell them about the use of a self-deprecating sense of humor. For example, if I’m nervous before a presentation, I won’t say something like, “I’m a little nervous, and I’m sure the folks sitting closest to me will agree that it is possible to smell fear.” Sure, I’ll get a few laughs, but I’m not starting off from a strong and confident place. I’m starting from a position of weakness. If I want to be honest about my nerves, that’s relatable. And you shouldn’t be afraid to laugh at yourself, either. But a first impression shouldn’t be an attack on yourself. You want to stand on a stronger leg than that. Instead, find ways to incorporate intelligent wit, relatable stories, and an animated attitude. Find a way to be honest, above all.
The Psychology Behind Laughter
Laughter is connected to leadership because of its social power. Laughter can wipe the slate clean when things go awry. It can build immediate acceptance in a group setting and establish rapport faster than through talking. It diffuses tension and erases stress. If you think about the physical responses, what happens when we laugh? Our chin rises, exposing our neck. As a primitive response, exposing your neck means you are providing instant approval, vulnerability, or acceptance. You trust the person enough to laugh with them. When you don’t trust someone, their jokes aren’t funny for this very reason. Your brain won’t let you become vulnerable to them because you don’t trust them. Wait a minute; laughter equals trust? Leadership requires humor? How can you build trust and humor as a leader? Tell funny stories in vulnerable settings (or at least try to). By forcing vulnerability, you are reprogramming your mind to accept and embrace vulnerability (and weakness), instead of rejecting it, which is most people’s natural tendency.
Brian M Harman, MBA, PhD student, is an American businessman that has been working in corporate leadership and supply chain management since 2005. He has studied global finance, leadership, and management sciences at the University of Oxford and Pepperdine University, earning his MBA degree from Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business and Management. He is currently completing his PhD dissertation in Global Leadership and Change.
Stephanie M. Taglianetti, MFA, is a versatile writer, artist, performer, and educator who values interdisciplinary collaboration. She received her master’s degree in Writing from the California Institute of the Arts. Her work is highly performative and crosses many different genres, including screenwriting, playwriting, creative nonfiction and poetry. She wrote/directed a musical for the Los Angeles Unified School District, has led creative writing workshops throughout Los Angeles and performs regularly as an artist/musician.
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