Communication across Culture
This week you will apply the construct of framing humor through observations in your own professional or personal life. Observe a typically non-humorous setting (work meeting, church sermon, political speech or some other otherwise normal situation- not a comedy show or funny movie) – for at least 30-60 minutes. During that time, observe the types and amount of humor being displayed: aggressive (poking fun at someone else’s expense), affiliative (humor that helps build comradeie and relationships), self-enhancing (humor about oneself in a positive fashion) and self-defeating (poking fun at oneself in a demeaning way in order to build relationships) (you can read more about each at Psychology Today (Links to an external site.). Keep track of each and compile the frequency of each. Then, in a 4-5 page reflective paper:
Describe the types of humor you observed and what you believe the intended purpose of the humor was in the moment;
Describe the impact of the humor within the setting. How did it change the dynamics of the situation?
Reflect on how leaders can or should use humor. That is, when have you seen humor used effectively? When have you seen it fail?
Incorporating what you’ve read about framing, how does your understanding of humor fit within a framing construct?
