Being funny is a skill, and Andrew Tarvin has the data showing most of us never practice it. He studied computer science and engineering, managed projects at Procter & Gamble, and joined his first improv group only because his best friend needed someone organized enough to run the meetings. He was terrible at it.
Today he runs Humor That Works, has trained 250+ organizations and his TEDx talk on the skill of humor has passed 16 million views.
Somewhere between those two points is a method, and this episode walks through it.
I opened this one with a confession. I have a physics and computer science background, I tinker with tech all day, and I truly cannot remember the last time I made someone laugh. So I asked Drew to treat me as the test case.
In this conversation, we get into:
- The eight separate skills hiding inside "being funny", and why you probably already have at least two of them
- The one habit Andrew's own assessment shows only 30% of people keep, and what it changes about how you see your day
- The three reasons a joke breaks trust at work, and why the joke itself is rarely the problem
- Why AI is the worst possible audience for your humor, and the one job it is actually good for
Andrew's Humor Intelligence model treats humor as eight competencies you can measure, practice, and point at real problems, instead of a personality trait you were born with or without. If you have ever been told you are not funny or you stay quiet in meetings because a bad joke feels riskier than silence, this episode gives you a place to start this week.
🟪 Timestamps
(00:00) Two Nerds and The Theory of Funny
(01:21) The Hidden Payoff of Being Funny
(06:42) The Eight Competencies of Humor
(10:32) Engineering a Laugh
(14:53) The Two-Part Practice
(19:54) Funny Without Telling Jokes
(23:07) Where Humor Goes Wrong
(30:41) Forms of Humor
(34:54) How to Not Break Trust with Humor
(41:06) Where to Practice Humor
(46:35) AI and Humor
(50:58) Action Point
🟪 About the Guest
Andrew Tarvin works with top organizations–including IBM, NASA, and the UN–to solve human challenges with humor solutions. A best-selling author, Andrew has been featured on Dry Bar Comedy, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC, and was named a ‘Visionary Alum’ by the P&G Alumni Network. His TEDx talk on the skill of humor is one of the Top 50 most viewed TEDx talks on YouTube with 15+ million views (only half of which were from his mom). He has delivered programs in all 50 US states, 36 countries, on 1 planet (Earth). He loves chocolate and singing the Hokey Pokey with his 4 year old daughter (because that's what it's all about).
🟪 Connect with Andrew Tarvin
- Humor Intelligence Assessment: https://insights.humorthatworks.com/assessment
- Humor That Works: https://www.humorthatworks.com
- Humor Intelligence coaching app https://studio.com/apps/humor/intelligence
- Personal Website: https://drewtarvin.com
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/drewtarvin
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theandrewtarvin
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theandrewtarvin
🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca
- Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca
- X/Twitter: https://x.com/gabemarusca
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca
