“Laughter is an instant vacation.” -Milton Berle
When you laugh, stress hormones in your body are annihilated as quickly as when you hit the beach, without the preparation and expenses and sand everywhere. A laugh bonds strangers into buddies and breaks the tension from foxholes to boardrooms and says more than a dissertation ever could.
Chris Voss (former FBI hostage negotiator) points out in his book “Never Split the Difference” that when you get someone to laugh, they are noticeably more receptive to your message in the short term and loyal in the long. Humor has been a part of politics and sales for as long as they have existed, because in the end influencing another is easier if they are at ease and that is exactly what laughter does to the body and mind.
Joke around as appropriate in your meetings and clients will want to share you with their world.
