On this episode of The Productivityist Podcast, I’m joined by Andrew (Drew) Tarvin. Drew is the world’s first Humor Engineer teaching people how to get better results while having more fun. He has worked with 35,000+ people at 250+ organizations, including Microsoft, the FBI, and the International Association of Canine Professionals. He is a best-selling author, has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and FastCompany, and his TEDx talk has been viewed over 4 million times.
Drew and I talk about his book Humor That Works: The Missing Skill for Success and Happiness at Work. We discuss the ways you. can infuse humour into the workplace, why it’s important to bring hummer into the workplace, how you can overcome those who think adding humour to the mix is a waste of time, and more. As someone who has been immersed in humour in my previous life I was happy to have Drew on the program to talk have a comedic conversation that can take productivity to greater heights.
Talking Points
- Drew shares why introducing humor is important at work and why fostering it is as well
- Is Drew’s primary interest performing comedy or is it something else?
- This is how Drew got started with improv
- What is the goal of using humour in the workplace?
- This is the definition of “humour that works”
- How to deal with a “Beatrice” at work as opposed to a “Bill” at work
- What is a “humour map”?
- How can humour be used to diffuse conflict in the workplace?
- What can leaders learn from stand-up comics?
- These are Drew’s thoughts on authenticity in the workplace
- This is one of the most important attribute you need in the workplace
- What would Drew say to the person that thinks adding humour to the mix is a waste of time
- 31% of people leave their workplace because of this
- Drew and I spend time talking about commitment
- Why was it important for Drew to contract the book the way he did?
- Drew talks about the “conversations” that he had with his editor throughout the book
“Many of you are likeable people… at home.“
– Drew Tarvin
Helpful Links
- Humor That Works: The Missing Skill for Success and Happiness at Work
- Bill Burr| Paper Tiger
- HumorThatWorks.com
- @DrewTarvin on Twitter
- @DrewTarvin on Instagram
- The Productivityist Podcast Pick of The Week: How Did This Get Made?
I’ve always believed that infusing humor in the workplace – and in life overall – is healthy and important. Being able to speak to someone who feels the same way and has taken the time to write an entire book on the subject was a real treat. I hope you enjoyed our conversation as much as I did (and, better still, I hope you had a few laughs along the way).
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