In our previous article, we shared the researched benefits of humor in mission-critical training. Research conducted at Australian National University suggests that exposure to humor increases perseverance1 on challenging tasks.
Trainers in mission-critical industries should use humor as a break from intensive content. It helps to counteract mental exhaustion or disinterest and revives a serious training atmosphere.
There are many ways to add humor to a high-consequence training scenario:
- Set a humorous atmosphere at the start. "Panic first, think later!" could be a punchy reminder to stay calm in the face of an emergency! Humor will help to set nervous learners at ease and capture their attention. It may build rapport and help to prepare them to plunge into the mission-critical training activity.
- Weave a scenario demonstrating some consequence or feedback using humor. Yet, take care not to diminish the seriousness of the consequence in any way. Engage learners with light-hearted remarks, while emphasizing the gravity of the situation. The trick is to insert humor at the right places. You must use words with care and cleverly make jokes, cartoons, audio, or video elements amusing, witty, or entertaining.
- Use humor to illustrate a complicated step. Funny effects will reinforce the importance of reacting in the correct sequence.
- Try referencing something that most learners are likely to remember. It could be an inside joke (that isn’t offensive or controversial) or a funny mnemonic. Include a punch line the team knows well, or a topic of interest to the audience. The goal is to drive the point home without much effort.
Humor can also become a liability – use it with caution!
Light-heartedness can be counterproductive to your genuine intentions. You must use humor strategically in mission-critical training programs:
- Avoid using too much humor, as this can reduce the training exercise to a joke
- Keep the humor relevant to the information you want to communicate or emphasize
- Maintain a fine line between subtle and exaggerated humor
Humor can go horribly wrong when it:
- Refers to racist, ethnic, political, religious, or sexist tropes
- Has no relation to the content
- Is extended and dragged out, overshadowing critical information and messages
- Insults someone or everyone or treats them irreverently
Respect for all role-players is vital in safety-related simulations and scenarios.
To sum up, in high-consequence industries, practicing actions and behaviors in high-stakes situations is a serious affair. You should “lighten the load” by optimizing the power of humor in your training. It impacts on learners’ attention, mood, and ability to encode information. It drives home a message, boosts knowledge retention, and an understanding of concepts. It also helps to increase empathy and to reduce prejudice.
If you employ humor creatively in your simulation and scenario-based training modules, your effort to create engaging training won’t go unnoticed. It will inspire greater enthusiasm.
So, don't laugh it off!
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References:
1. Cheng, D., & Wang, L. (2014). Examining the Energizing Effects of Humor: The Influence of Humor on Persistence Behavior. Journal of Business and Psychology, 1-14. doi: 10.1007/s10869-014-9396-z
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