Sometimes you just need that one joke to make all the difference. Here’s an example from my past. When’s the best time to tell people they aren’t getting raises? Two days before your company holiday party, of course! 12 years ago, I arrived at an event to an incredibly tense and glum atmosphere. The client told me the group had just gotten the news. Great! This holiday party had all the makings of a disaster . . .

5 minutes into my act, I knew I had to clear the air, so I did it with (of course) humor. One line acknowledging what they were going through made all the difference. They laughed so loud I thought the ceiling was going to come down. Here’s the joke:

corporate joke