George Gilbert’s Motivational Humor

Many improv exercises can be used to improve team building and customer service. One such exercise is “Yes, and.”

The purpose of this exercise is to improve customer relations. When a customer requests something which is not available or impractical, rather than responding negatively and putting the customer on the defensive or upsetting the customer, this exercise will train you to respond in a positive way.

Form a circle and start with an outrageous story. The first participant continues the story by saying “Yes, and…” Continue this exercise until everyone has had a chance to respond at least one time. This version has everyone participating, learning to respond in a positive manner, and also enhancing their listening and creative skills. You can also play this game where you eliminate those that don’t respond by saying “yes, and..” until there is only one left.

The Golden Rule of Customer Service is treat the customer as you would want to be treated when you are a customer. Be polite. Say “please” and “Thank you.”

When you go into a store or other place of business how would you feel if:

• You’re ignored
• You’re treated as if you are an interruption
• You’re treated abruptly or redely
• You don’t feel as if your business is appreciated

One of easiest ways to leave a lasting impression of appreciation with your customer is to thank them for their business. It sounds so easy but it is often forgotten.

How many times, after purchasing something at a store has your transaction ended with one of these:

“Here you go”, as you are handed your package

• “Next!”
• “Bye”
• “Have a nice day”, nice but still not a thank you.
• Or nothing said as the sales clerk just turns and continues a conversation he’s been having with a co-worker.

Whatever else you say, remember to thank your customer.

After speaking to Axicon World Imports from Canada they wrote me and said they were going to make “laughter a part of our job description.” What a great idea, humor and laughter as part of a company’s job description

More and more companies are incorporating humor into the work place, companies such as Southwest Airlines, AT&T, General Electric and even the IRS. Lets face it, if the IRS can incorporate humor into the work place then any company can incorporate humor. But why are these companies using humor? To motivate their employees.

Harvey Mackay once said in an interview in Success Magazine that fun was the most important thing to keep his employees motivated. He said, “We manufacture fun, and there are a gazillion laughs around the plant all the time.” Good advice from a man who runs Mackay Envelopes Corp., a company with 550 employees, that makes 20 million envelopes a day, and has sales of $85 Million a year.

I recently spoke at the National ADP convention at the Venetian. One of the questions that came up was, “How do I get a co-worker with no sense of humor to laugh?” Someone in the audience suggested it starts with a smile. They are absolutely correct. Victor Borge once said “A smile is the closest distance between two people.” Before you try and make them laugh, see if you can get them to smile. Start by smiling at them. If they smile back you have made the first step. Second, ask them questions that will trigger a positive response. When my grandfather was in a retirement home my mother would go and visit. She would ask many of the residents, “How are you today?” They would reply, “I don’t feel well” or “My arthritis is acting up.” So my mother changed her questions to something positive, “Don’t you look beautiful today.” They would then smile and respond in a positive way, “Thank you, I just had my hair done.”

So start asking questions that will get a positive response and put that person in a good mood. Once they are answering questions positively it will be easier to inject humor into the conversation. It is also important to remember that everyone has their own sense of humor and what might make you laugh will not seem funny to someone else. Try to find out what the other person’s interests are and then it will be easier to find out what they find funny. When we say someone doesn’t have a sense of humor it usually means they don’t laugh at our jokes or find funny what we find funny, but there are also those who don’t want to laugh. The most important thing to remember is to keep your sense of humor. Don’t let those around you get you down. Just because they don’t want to enjoy life doesn’t mean you don’t have to.

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What makes a company a great company to work for? Is it great health benefits? Is it a good 401k plan? Is it the salary? You can have all of this for your employees and they still may not be happy working for you if you don’t treat them right. If you have the attitude of, “Well you ingrates I pay you enough so do your job and don’t expect to be thanked”, chances are you are going to have disgruntled employees. Fortune Magazine recently came out with their top 100 companies to work for and J.M. Smucker’s was rated number one. The Co-CEO’s Tim and Richard Smuckers live by the code that their father Paul Smucker set for the company, “Listen with your full attention, look for the good in others, have a sense of humor, and say thank you for a job well done.” I think that would make a great mission statement for any company to follow. It’s so simple and yet so effective. Listen to your customers and employees and they will listen to you. Find the positive in others and they will respond. Find the humor in the situations around you. Don’t take yourself so seriously and be sure to show others you appreciate them. Maybe that’s why they say, “With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good.”