Executive Humor at Meetings

I don't encourage managers to wear funny hats, appear in self-deprecating skits, or otherwise emulate Saturday Night Live in an attempt to manufacture an image as, "Look, folks! I'm just one a' the guys!" If clients insist, I do what I can to help. I want the money. But it's not usually such a hot idea.

I know it's done. Frequently. And I read reports of the exhilarating effects created by executives who deliver call-to-action keynotes dressed as a gunfighter or sumo wrestler. I notice, also, that these reports are usually written by those who work for the speaker, or by meeting producers retained by the speaker's company.

A field sales force may see their management only once or twice a year; usually at the annual sales meeting. They need to know that those running the store have a clear vision of where the company's going, and what it will take to get it there. And giving them Bozo the clown doesn't do a hell of a lot to convince a sales force their future is in good hands.

Conventional wisdom tells us the confident and secure executive isn't compromised by a little benign buffoonery. Well, maybe. In my experience, however, confident managers are secure enough to bypass situations that often succeed in converting respect to ridicule. It's usually the uncertain manager who clutches at these moments in an attempt to create a public charisma that personal performance has never provided.

The bottom line for the executive comic? Don't get beaten by your own shtick!

http://www.thewritingworks.com

John Mackenzie has been creating award-winning corporate communication elements for 30 years. He's also co-founder of The Writers Roundtable, a group of self-employed business communication writers who met (occasionally) at the Writers Guild of America in New York City. During 15 years of operation, The Roundtable maintained a standing door prize for any writer who had a client that paid in 30-days. The prize was never collected.