I’ve always been intrigued by the art of stand-up comedy. I love getting wrapped up in the storytelling of a skilled comedian who can leave me breathless with laughter!
Humor is so unique and specific to each of us, but it’s also a universal connector. Even when you don’t speak the same language, have the same economic status, or share similar life experiences, if you can find one thing to laugh about together, you’ve built a strong bridge. And you’ve communicated!
The best comedians have a brilliant ability to weave what’s happening in the world with their own deeply personal life in a way that feels authentic and real. They build tension, guide you through a narrative, and then bring you to an unexpected end that relates beautifully back to something they said at the very beginning.
Watching them is like a masterclass in communications. There is so much instruction in that kind of storytelling.
But there’s a flip side to the coin, too.
I’ve seen comedians completely lose a room and, rather than pivot, get visibly annoyed that the audience isn’t laughing. When a performer blames the room for “not having a sense of humor,” they instantly alienate the very people they are trying to reach.
There’s a good strategic communications lesson here. You have to meet your audience exactly where they are, not where you think they should be.
When a message misses the mark, whether it’s an internal rollout to your team or a public campaign, we can’t blame our stakeholders for “not getting it.”
Sure, it’s easy to get frustrated when an audience doesn’t react the way we anticipated. But just like the comedian on stage, it is our job to read the room, adjust the rhythm, and respond to what you’re learning.
If they aren’t listening, buying, or buying in, it’s on us to revisit messaging, question our assumptions, and bring the discipline and curiosity our work requires.
The medium changes, the tools change, and the cultural landscape shifts daily. But the need for clear, audience-centric thinking matters more than ever.
The crowd is not the strategist. You are.