What’s your funny quotient?
Almost everyone thinks they have a good sense of humor. Those who don’t think so are probably in prison, in kindergarten or in some other institution. Ask around, and you’ll see that I’m right.
In the field of humor, telling jokes is only half the battle. In the field of business, it can be the difference between success and failure. Ad agency software can help, but what you really need is the skill of a Bob Hope or a Red Skeleton.
They knew how to deliver jokes using impeccable timing, as well as work the audience. It’s nifty to consider how practiced they were – every ad lib carefully written, practiced and screened. One lesser known comic is me, your author – Allan Kalish.
Hope and Skeleton, or Benny and Burns, aren’t names you’re likely to know if you’re younger than fifty years of age. Benny was genuinely funny. When he went on stage, he didn’t walk – he strolled, stuttered, slithered and looked very amateur. Yet the audience roared. Just ask me if you’re not roaring or even laughing. I’m willing, even eager, to share.
Me? Once I was arguing with a good friend about the meaning of the word esoteric. We were such good friends that the situation started to get mean. We were in my house. In disgust and anger, I said that I’d get the dictionary (a funny idea now, but this was well before handy little smart phones).
I went upstairs, got the big Webster’s, lugged it downstairs and hit him with it.
Funny although I hate to admit that he was right about esoteric.
Before I was in the ad agency project management software business, we had an account with a huge developer, mostly of single family homes. Their working hours were ridiculous. Our client-planning meeting that day was at 6:30 am, on site in the construction trailer. I took the account executive, Linda, along for two reasons. First, she was the AE on the account and could actually tolerate their foibles. Second, she laughed a lot and seemed to think I was funny. I never found out. She was very clever.
Well, there we sat. Linda and I versus three sleepy, bored clients. Not much was being said. Suddenly, a loud gurgle came from a coffee pot on a nearby desk. It must have been the day starter for this lively crew. At the second gurgle, without taking time to think, I blurted, “Excuse me.” Linda convulsed, the client was offended and I suffered when they fired us. UGH! My sense of humor cost me that time.
Here is my last proof that I’m funny. When I was between marriages I had a date with a very nice woman who lived in a very nice suburban apartment. When we arrived at her building, I noticed a daily newspaper box in the mailroom in the lobby. Having missed the paper that day and being interested in a certain stock, I put money into the machine, removed a paper and learned that the stock had gone up three points. Good news, you would think!
I told her that I was pleased, put more money in the machine and returned the paper to the machine. She was shocked, astounded and confused enough to suggest that she didn’t need to be escorted to the sixth floor. I didn’t think it was so funny that evening but there was something very funny about it in retrospect. Maybe it was my disappointment, or maybe it’s because she really believed I was crazy. Who knows?
Funny? Good driver? Good at reading people? I am. How about you?
Allan Kalish is co-founder and Chairman of Workzone, LLC, a provider of web-based project management software and collaboration tools for ad agencies, marketing departments and any organization needing to manage projects more effectively.
