When I run storytelling sessions, I often start by asking people to share a story of passion with a partner.
It usually raises a few eyebrows, but the difference afterwards is clear. People laugh, smile and seem more at ease. Part of the point is simply to get their story muscles warmed up by talking about something they genuinely love, whether that is a person, a place or a pastime.
That is quite different from the way many people speak about work.
Once we move into stories about work, the language changes. We leave the language of people and passion behind and move into something more po-faced, full of process and policy, and some of the life goes out of the story.
That is one of the reasons I make a point of highlighting humour and laughter in relation to leadership stories. Used well, they bring some of the humanity back and make it easier for people to stay with something serious.
David Attenborough is a good example. The subjects he speaks about are sobering, sometimes devastating, and yet he still leaves room for warmth.
Genuine enthusiasm and a pinch of light humour can rise above the noise and stir wonder in people of all ages.
I was pleased to be featured in Sally Percy’s recent Forbes article on humour in leadership, which touches on some of this. If you’d like to read it, it’s Here