Humor in Training

[Janaki Ram]

Here is an excerpt from the book ‘Laugh and Learn’ 95 ways to use Humor for more effective Teaching and Training By Doni Tamblyn

“If you communicate with humor, you will by definition communicate creatively and playfully. You can use humor beautifully and expertly without telling a single joke.

Many trainers use humor in classroom training very effectively, then why is it not being thought of in e-learning courses.
The case for using humor in training
The case against using humor in training

[Jay Cross]

Are you trying to be funny? Lots of early eLearning was a joke. Snicker, snicker.

Seriously, though, humor makes learning more engaging and fun. Two reasons people shy away from it:

1. Fear of looking unprofessional or frivolous. Work is supposed to look serious.
2. Humor doesn't come easy. It's easier to provide "just the facts."

That said, permit me to tell an illustrative story:

A guy sees a sign in front of a house: "Talking Dog for Sale."

He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the
backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a black
mutt just sitting there.

"You talk?" he asks.

"Yep," the mutt replies.

"So, what's your story?"

The mutt looks up and says, "Well, I discovered my gift of
talking pretty young and I wanted to help the government,
so I told the CIA about my gift, and in no time they had me
jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies
and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be
eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for
eight years running. The jetting around really tired me out,
and I knew I wasn't getting any younger and I wanted to settle
down. So I signed up for a job at the airport to do some
undercover security work, mostly wandering near suspicious
characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible
dealings there and was awarded a batch of medals. Had a wife,
a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what
he wants for the dog.

The owner says, "Ten bucks."

The guy says, "This dog is amazing. Why on earth are you
selling him so cheap?"

The owner replies, "Aw, he's just a big liar. He didn't do
any of that shit."

[Janaki Ram]

Thanks for your insight. You are spot on. I believe eLearning professionals had to go though the whole learning cycle. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Game based learning is another cycle we are going through. My team built a few game based training modules and it was a learning experience for us. I have seen serious games that are a joke. That kept me thinking why not a joke that is serious.

Humor doesn't come easy. Yeah! It's easier to provide "just the facts." After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: when you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut. Maybe I have suicidal tendencies. I feel like roaring.