When promoting humor as a means of stress management in the call center, the emphasis should be on constructive humor. Because everyone's sense of humor is highly individualized, one does risk offending others when using humor. However, there are some basic guidelines to help reduce the risk. Dr. Christian Hageseth, author of The Laughing Place, suggests that there are four components to effective, positive humor. It's important to remember that anyone who can hear, see or experience the humor is part of the setting, regardless of whether or not that person was an intended member of the audience.
Timing is twofold.
First there is the timing of humor in relationship to an event. At the peak of a crisis, humor will fall flat. The amount of time necessary is unique to each experience. Second, timing is also important in the delivery of a humorous joke or story. The more it is practiced, the easier timing becomes.