What's Your Humour
Style at Work?

When someone compliments my work, I accept it and might even offer another example or two to support their point.

When recounting a story about other people, I sometimes take on their voices or mannerisms to bring it to life.

When I'm writing a message or email, I sometimes rework a sentence specifically to make a joke land more cleanly.

When I've made a mistake that others witnessed, I'm more likely to bring it up again as a joke than to hope everyone has forgotten it.

I hold back my humour if I'm not sure how it will be received.

I find it uncomfortable to laugh at something I don't genuinely find funny.

I notice unintended double meanings in what people say almost automatically — and I usually have to decide whether to flag them.

I tend to steer clear of humour that might make even one person a little uncomfortable, even if others would find it funny.

I'm conscious that my reaction to a joke — how I laugh, and when — can matter as much as the joke itself.

When someone puts me on a pedestal — through a compliment or a flattering introduction — my instinct is to bring myself back to earth quickly.

I'm careful not to make jokes at my own expense in professional settings — it can undermine how others see me.

I tend to reserve my laughter for moments I find genuinely, not just mildly, funny.

When I pass on a funny story that someone else told me, I make sure to credit them — and I like them to see the reaction it gets.

If a dignified executive delivered a witty speech and then fell into the swimming pool, I suspect I'd laugh harder at the fall than the speech.

I've been told — or noticed myself — that my expression gives very little away when I'm about to say something funny.

I prefer humour that lands immediately with everyone in the room rather than requiring any decoding.

When tension arises in a conversation, my instinct is often to say something self-deprecating to defuse it.

When the energy in a room drops, I sometimes make a wry remark to try to wake it up.

When someone accidentally says something that rhymes, I nearly always notice — and often can't resist pointing it out.

When I sense someone has a funny addition to what was just said, I find a way to get them to share it.

A colleague makes an unexpectedly funny remark about a goof-up they made in a team meeting. What happens next?

Imagine you're making a presentation in a town hall to a large group and, as you step onto the podium, trip on the top step and — while not falling fully — stumble awkwardly, clutch the podium for support, and get to the mike amidst laughter at your clumsiness. Which of the following is your most likely response?

The one-hour meeting has already run over by 20 minutes. The boss says something light about energy visibly flagging (which it is) and calls for a 10-minute stretch break. No one leaves the room as coffee and snacks are right there. The mood is still serious. You are most likely to:

You're the chair of a 10-person board of a medium-sized company. The last quarter results were poor, the board has been grilling management to the point where they're getting defensive, and the meeting is losing focus. Some light intervention is needed. You are most likely to: