Humor is the single most underused influence tool in professional communication.
And the reason it’s underused isn’t that people aren’t funny.
It’s that nobody taught them the difference between humor that builds influence and humor that detonates credibility.
So most experienced professionals make a quiet decision:
Better to stay safe than risk it.
Which sounds reasonable, until you realize what it’s costing you.
Humor is a rubber sword—it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.
Because in most rooms, the person who can release tension without losing direction becomes the person the room follows.
It’s not about being the loudest or the most polished.
You want to be the person who makes thinking easier. When properly applied, humor can help get you there.
What Humor Is Actually Doing
Let’s focus on exactly what I mean by this.
Humor is about being funny.
But in professional settings, funny is not the goal—it’s the mechanism.
The real value is what it unlocks.
Used well, humor makes truth easier to hear and perspective easier to consider.
Because underneath most high-stakes conversations, people are filtering:
Is it safe to say this?
How will this land?
Is this the moment to push—or hold back?
That filtering creates friction.
And friction is why smart rooms stall.
The right kind of humor reduces that friction just enough for people to engage honestly without lowering the standard of the conversation.
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The Distinction That Matters
There are two kinds of humor in professional settings.
One tries to be clever.
The other reveals something true.
Clever humor pulls attention to you.
Insightful humor returns attention to the situation.
That’s the line.
And your audience, especially at your level, can feel the difference immediately.
The Framework: The LENS Method
If humor is going to increase your influence, it has to do more than land.
It has to make the room see something more clearly than it did five seconds ago.
That’s what this model is for:
LENS Method
Because you’re not trying to be funny.
You’re helping people see what they’ve been avoiding with just enough levity that they don’t resist it.
Giphy
Let’s get it…
L — Locate the Tension
Before you say anything, notice where the conversation feels off.
Not logically—socially.
People agreeing too quickly
Overly polished language
Energy dropping when a topic comes up
That’s usually where the real issue is sitting.
No humor yet.
Just awareness.
E — Expose It (With a Lift)
Now you say it—but in a way that softens the edge just enough.
This is where humor actually shows up.
Not as a joke.
As a slight tilt in how you say something true.
Instead of:
“We’re not aligned on the problem.”
You might say:
“We’ve built a very strong answer… I’m just not sure it’s to the same question.”
Or:
“I feel like we’re all agreeing very professionally right now… which usually means we’re not actually agreeing.”
That second one—that’s humor.
Not because it’s hilarious, but because it creates recognition and a small release.
People think, “Yeah… that’s exactly what this is.”
N — Normalize the Reaction
Now you make it safe for people to engage with what you just surfaced.
You don’t leave them exposed.
You bring them in.
“Which happens—especially when the stakes are high and nobody wants to be the one slowing things down.”
Or:
“We’ve all been in meetings like this.”
There’s a quiet, human acknowledgment there.
And that’s what keeps your comment from feeling like a callout.
S — Steer Back to Substance
Now you use that opening.
“So let’s pause for a second—what problem are we actually trying to solve?”
Or:
“Before we go further, can we align on what success actually looks like here?”
This is the part that protects your authority.
You didn’t just point something out.
You moved the conversation forward.
The right kind of humor doesn’t make you lighter. It makes your thinking easier to accept.
LEVEL UP
The Part Nobody Says Out Loud
Most people avoid this move for one reason:
They think it will cost them credibility. In reality, the opposite is happening.
In rooms full of experienced professionals, everyone already assumes competence.
What they’re looking for is:
Can you read the room?
Can you say what others won’t?
Can you do it without creating friction?
That’s influence.
And it’s also where opportunity starts to open up.
Because the person who can move a conversation forward—without forcing it—becomes the person people look to when things matter.
POLL
How Do You Use Humor Right Now?
CURATED ROUNDUP
What to Review This Week
Read: Humor That Works: The Missing Skill for Success and Happiness at Work by Andrew Tarvin
Listen: Jerry Seinfeld Interview: How to Write a Joke | The New York Times
In Case You Missed It!
The Bottom Line
Humor isn’t a performance skill. It’s a precision tool.
Used well, it doesn’t distract from the work. It makes the real work possible.
Because in most rooms, the hardest part isn’t solving the problem.
It’s saying the part of the problem no one wants to say.
And the person who can do that, without tightening the room, is the one people listen to.
Thanks for reading. Be easy!
If you’ve ever left a conversation replaying it in your head…thinking,
“That’s not what I meant to say.”
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