223. Laughing Matters: Levity, Leadership, and Lasting Connection

By lightening up your communication, you can build serious connections.

Humor in communication isn’t all fun and games. According to Alison Wood Brooks and Naomi Bagdonas, levity is one of the most serious tools we have in building successful connections.

Wood Brooks and Bagdonas, both teachers, authors, and experts in the field of communication, recognize how crucial levity is to our professional and personal interactions. “It’s easy to think of [humor] as this extra bonus thing,” says Wood Brooks. “What we find is it’s incredibly core to how people are relating to each other.” Bagdonas agrees: “When there's the presence of laughter in team meetings, those teams are more successful and more creative. Leaders with a sense of humor—not even a good sense of humor—are seen as more motivating, more admired, [and] their teams report being more engaged.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Wood Brooks and Bagdonas join host Matt Abrahams to explore levity as a mindset, or as Bagdonas puts it, “Navigating life on the precipice of a smile.” Together, they share how lightness and humor can break barriers, bridge connections, and unlock the door to better communication.

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Episode Reference Links:

• Alison Wood Brooks 
• Alison’s Book: Talk
• Naomi Bagdonas 
• Naomi’s Book: Humor, Seriously
• Ep.13 Make ’Em Laugh: How to Use Humor as a Secret Weapon in Your Communication
• Ep.73 Listen Up: Why It’s Better to Be Interested Than Interesting
• Ep.89 Listen, Listen, Listen: How to Build Deep Connections
• Ep.169 Don't Be a ZQ: Make Your Conversations Count   

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• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (03:33) - Talk Tour Insights
• (04:53) - Top Advice on Asking Questions
• (07:03) - Guiding Principles for Leaders
• (09:37) - Importance of Levity
• (11:37) - Why Humor Matters
• (13:26) - Letting Go of Comfort
• (16:44) - Overthinking Levity
• (18:50) - Creating Space for Levity
• (22:22) - Conclusion

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