While you may need to rely on experience, training and a variety of soft skills to get through tricky project management hurdles, there is a school of thought that suggests humour could be the key to great project management. Here, we take a look at why humour is vital within project management, and how to use it effectively for project management success.
Humour in project management why it matters
There are a variety of benefits in using humour within a project management environment:
- Reduction in stress – As an industry, project management is relatively stressful. Humour and laughter release endorphins, which can help lower stress hormones and make you more relaxed.
- Improved communication – By using humour, project managers can make themselves more approachable to team members. Humour can also be used to diffuse difficult situations, and provide a welcome break from conflict.
- Better motivation – In a more lighthearted environment, creativity is more likely to flourish. This can help give a sense of belonging to team members, which can boost motivation.
- Stronger teams – Sharing a joke together can strengthen a team, leading to better collaboration.
Using humour as a project manager
Humour can be a great tool for project managers as well as those in other leadership positions. For example, it can help build rapport with stakeholders, team members and suppliers. By being approachable and relatable, people are more likely to approach you with questions, problems and ideas.
In addition to this, using humour as a tool to resolve conflict can diffuse situations before they become too tense, allowing for people to take a step back and reassess the situation before speaking or acting out.
Tips for using humour in project management
As with anything, it is important to balance humour with levity, particularly when there are tight deadlines or problems within your project. There are some things to keep in mind when using humour within project management:
- Know your audience – What is funny to one person may not be to another. It is vital never to cross the line into insults. A joke should be shared between everyone rather than be directed at someone.
- Keep it relevant – The humour you use must be related to the project at hand, as irrelevant communication can distract from the work you and your team are undertaking.
- Time it right – If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Read the room to ascertain the mood of the audience and only use humour where appropriate.
Don’t be the joker
While you can use humour in everyday project management, too much can see you turn into a figure of fun rather than a competent leader. Humour may make you approachable and feel more on the same level as your team members, but it is important to recognise that you still have authority over people and the project itself. There is a time and a place for humour in project management and knowing when that time place is appropriate is something that you will not likely learn in PM courses.
To sum up, humour can be a great tool for a project manager to use, but it must be balanced with soft skills and competencies that give you a solid grounding and help you get the job done.
