Humor is My Mission + Survey Results

And other insights from our reader survey.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been badgering asking you all to take a survey (I’ve felt like the gals in Animaniacs). And after analyzing the results, I’m so happy that I did.

Thanks to the 200+ people who filled it out (and responded on social media), I have a much better understanding of who you all are, what you’re looking for, and how you got here (on the newsletter, I have no idea how you got to Earth, possibly via a stork?).

I wanted to share my three primary takeaways below, but first a few interesting tidbits from the results:

How did you get on this newsletter?

• First, you all are here from all over. Some of you joined this newsletter because you saw me speak at an event, others from my social media, plenty of people know me from organizations like NSA and AATH, and a staggering 20% of you have no idea how you got on my list but you decide to stick around. Also shout out to those of you who have been around since before I left P&G, that was 13 years ago!?!

• The survey took an average of 4 minutes and 47 seconds to fill out. Though, for one person, it took 1 day, 2 hours, and 45 minutes… that is some incredible dedication to humor (or more likely they just forgot they had the tab open).

• The number I was thinking of between 1 and 5000 was “1220,” Pretzel’s (my wife) birthday. Shout out to “Baker” who had the winning guess of 1234. The most commonly guessed number was 2025 (with six people guessing it), followed by 2500 (five people), and 42 (four Douglas Adams fans).

Taking the time to read each individual response while also looking for overarching themes and goals has been incredibly eye-opening. There were three primary insights I walked away with:

1. Humor has the incredible power to change your life.

I first experienced the power of humor personally when I was gently pushed onto the improv stage 21 years ago (thanks, Nate!).

My improv skills were about as good as the quality of this picture.

I later experienced its power professionally when I proclaimed myself the Corporate Humorist of P&G 17 years ago.

And now I experience its power across nearly every aspect of work and life every day since I started working on Humor That Works full-time 13 years ago.

But reading your responses, I saw the power humor has to impact your life. And I saw it from two perspectives: the ones who are already using humor to great effect, and the others who are hopeful of the change it could create.

For example, some people have already experienced the benefits of humor first-hand:

Humor has made me more confident with sales calls and my work in general.

Humor has helped me focus on what is really important and to let some things go.

Humor is a great tool to help create a pause, relieve some stress...and then while we have them hooked, give a dose of learning, connection, and engagement.

Others shared what they were ultimately looking for:

I am hoping that using humor will help me overcome the awkwardness of public speaking.

I think humor can help me get through hard times and be strong.

I just want people to enjoy my company.

Building your skill of humor can help you do all of the above, and more. Which brings me to the next key insight.

2. I have to do a better job articulating the value of humor (and of Humor That Works).

I’m not a great marketer. Or salesperson. Or chef (but this last one isn’t relevant to the survey).

This I can cook.

My inability to properly frame just how critical humor is as a skill is doing a disservice to all the people it could help who are completely unaware of what they’re missing or how they go about learning it.

By better positioning humor as an invaluable skill for the 21st century, I can serve more people who have some of the same hopes and goals of those above, but who don’t even know that humor is a solution.

Similarly, I have to better communicate what we at Humor That Works already does. Many of the topics people longed for in the survey are already covered in our books, courses, or coaching. But you’re unlikely to know that because I’ve done a terrible job positioning how what we do can not just help you, but actually solve your problems.

That’s my biggest learning (thank you P&G for searing that word into my brain): rather than positioning humor as this somewhat amorphous thing to learn, I have to clearly teach how you can use it to overcome challenges or achieve your goals.

Not all challenges, all of the time, but specific hurdles it will help you leap over:

• Overcoming the awkwardness of public speaking

• Getting through tough times

• Creating connections with others

• Learning to enjoy work again

• And, for at least one person, being seen as less of a jerkface in the office.

3. Humor is my mission.

Finally, I reaffirmed my passion for talking about humor specifically.

Throughout the past few weeks, I’ve had multiple people reach out over email, DM, and text to not only encourage me, but also plead that I don’t stop talking about humor.

As one person said, “if I want to learn about introversion, I can read Susan Cain. If I want leadership, I’ll try Simon Sinek, or countless others. But if I want to learn about humor, it’s from you.”

While I’m not the only one who talks about the power of humor (shout out to my AATH and NSA colleagues), I do think I have a unique take on it that’s accessible to many people.

So while I will start focusing on “humor solutions” (thanks Jeffrey) rather than just the broader skill of humor, smart levity will still be at the forefront of what I do. Because as many of you already know, we could all use a little more positivity and joy in our life.

Where Do We Go From Here?

In some ways, the results of the survey are both encouraging and discouraging. They’re encouraging because it doesn’t mean that I have to reinvent the wheel or pivot to becoming a generic “communication expert” that’s devoid of joy and levity. Which is a good thing for everyone involved.

But it’s slightly discouraging because the survey helped illuminate just how much better I need to be at connecting the skill of humor to the results you get from it.

The good news is that I don’t actually have to be great at it (yet). Because many of you are. You know why you’re here (again, on this newsletter, not Earth) or at least what you need help with.

That’s why I’ve already started reaching out to some of you who responded to the survey to see if we can have a quick chat. I want to better understand what you need so I can better frame, explain, and train how humor can be the solution. These conversations over the next few weeks will help steer the direction of where we head next.

If you’re interested in chatting with me for 20 minutes about what you need, and helping shape what we do in 2025, hit reply or leave a comment.

(an)drew

PS. Some people shared that they’re here mostly for the puns, so how about this one: How does Santa Claus vote? He goes to the North Poll.