Humor and teamwork engagement

After participating in this session, students will be able to implement humor while working in group settings, in order to display teamwork engagement.

Using humor in group situations is a fantastic way to create a positive group dynamic and memorable group experiences. Humor is something we all use as humans. It allows us to foster good relationships, ease tension, and even be essential when communicating. For example, when individuals see others using humor, they feel they can be themselves and create a positive connection. Exploring group dynamics while using humor allows people to be better in group settings while enabling them to enjoy and understand those they are working with. Humor has been used in interpersonal communication for centuries to bring people together and build relationships. Still, many different humor styles, such as aggressive humor, affiliate humor, self-enhancing humor, etc., need to be used at certain times to avoid miscommunication and keep a relaxed environment.

Humor can bring people together by allowing people to share emotions and laughs. Creativity and communication often flourish in groups that use humor while working together. People begin to feel a sense of belonging when those around them and themselves use humor, which enhances comfortability. In school settings, students who use humor around one another have a better time working through high-stress environments when there is tension in the group. These students can communicate more effectively, which eases thoughts, creating a relaxed atmosphere. In work settings, humorous environments can relieve stress and reduce high-anxiety moments, causing people to have more motivation and an overall better time at their workplace. Creating a long-lasting group that uses humor is essential to demonstrating healthy group cohesion and inclusivity. 

This skit demonstrates the use of humor in a stressful situation. The skit focuses on three students trying to finish a group project. The project is due in a few days, and no one has completed anything. Everyone is overwhelmed and stressed until one of the group members uses humor to ease the tension. The tension gradually eases once the member begins to use laughable comments and jokes, allowing everyone to discuss and complete the project efficiently. I used extensive research to create the script to ensure the overall concept of using humor to build group cohesiveness. This skit highlights the importance of humor and teamwork engagement by showing a real-world example of how groups often get stressed when working and don't know how to cope. Using humor puts everyone at ease, allowing thoughts to flourish and creating a productive atmosphere.

Gheorghe, A., Fodor, O. C., Curșeu, P. L., Trif, S., & Cirebea, L. (2023). The effect of humor and perceived social interdependence on teamwork engagement in student groups: Research and Reviews. Current Psychology, 42(27), 23830-23841. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03482-4

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