Humor: Serious Business

YOU, oh fearless leader of the future (and maybe present). Are very important. You will make critical and far-reaching economic, political, and social decisions in your quest beyond Stanford to change lives, change organizations, and change the world. That's serious stuff. So, why humor? The late journalist Eric Sevareid said "Next to power without honor, the most dangerous thing in the world is power without humor.: Our goal is to pin you down and not let you leave Stanford without a healthy dose of humanity, humility, and intellectual perspective that only humor can bring. This class is about the power (and importance) of humor to make and scale positive change in the world, and also - surprise! - to achieve business objectives, build more effective and innovative organizations, cultivate stronger bonds, and capture more lasting memories. We will explore various aspects of levity and humor, reveal insight into what makes people laugh, and provide tools to harness humor safely and effectively in business. By the end of class, you should: Discover: (Re)discover humor in your stories and life; understand your unique style and the styles of others. Play: Apply techniques from comedians and play with incorporating humor into otherwise unfunny moments. Lead: Embed humor into your leadership style; understand the nuance of how to do this as your status shifts across roles and contexts. Activate: Amplify humor, using it to create cultures of levity in teams, organizations, and in the world. Welcome to your (re)introduction to humor. This course is a compressed version of MKTG 346.