Naomi BagdonasEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

By lightening up your communication, you can build serious connections. Humor in communication isn’t all fun and games. According to Alison Wood Brooks and Naomi Bagdonas , levity is one of the most serious tools we have in building successful connections. Wood Brooks and Bagdonas, both teachers, authors, and experts in the field of communication, recognize how crucial levity is to our professional and personal interactions. “It’s easy to think of [humor] as this extra bonus thing,” says Wood Brooks. “What we find is it’s incredibly core to how people are relating to each other.” Bagdonas agrees: “When there's the presence of laughter in team meetings, those teams are more successful and more creative. Leaders with a sense of humor—not even a good sense of humor—are seen as more motivating, more admired, [and] their teams report being more engaged.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Wood Brooks and Bagdonas join host Matt Abrahams to explore levity as a mindset, or as Bagdonas puts it, “Navigating life on the precipice of a smile.” Together, they share how lightness and humor can break barriers, bridge connections, and unlock the door to better communication. To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium . Episode Reference Links: Alison Wood Brooks Alison’s Book: Talk Naomi Bagdonas Naomi’s Book: Humor, Seriously Ep.13 Make ’Em Laugh: How to Use Humor as a Secret Weapon in Your Communication Ep.73 Listen Up: Why It’s Better to Be Interested Than Interesting Ep.89 Listen, Listen, Listen: How to Build Deep Connections Ep.169 Don't Be a ZQ: Make Your Conversations Count Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts</s

Stanford experts answer live questions on leadership, authenticity, and communication. What happens when four top Stanford thinkers take live questions from a room full of leaders? In Part 2 of this special Think Fast, Talk Smart series from the Stanford LEAD Me2We Conference, Matt Abrahams and his panel of expert GSB faculty— Allison Kluger , Naomi Bagdonas , Christian Wheeler , and Nir Halevy —answer questions from a live audience. They cover real-world challenges around leadership, authenticity, psychological safety, and managing your reputation in complex environments. With honest reflections and actionable advice, their answers offer a candid look at what it takes to lead with intention while staying true to yourself. Episode Reference Links: Allison Kluger Book Allison Contributed to: Brand Up Naomi Bagdonas Nir Halevy Christian Wheeler Ep.2 Communicating Our Multiple Selves: How to Effectively Manage Your Reputation Ep.13 Make ’Em Laugh: How to Use Humor as a Secret Weapon in Your Communication Ep.30 Dissolve Disagreements: How Communication Impacts Conflict Ep.18 Managing in the Moment: How to Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io Think Fast Talk Smart >>><a href="ht

Effective leadership begins with the way you communicate. Leading with impact isn’t about speaking louder—it’s about communicating in ways that resonate with what people already value. In Part 1 of this special two-part series from the Stanford LEAD Me2We Conference, Matt Abrahams brings together four expert GSB faculty— Allison Kluger , Nir Halevy , Christian Wheeler , and Naomi Bagdonas —to explore how to lead and communicate with intention. They share how authenticity builds trust, why discomfort is essential for growth, how to design space for serendipity, and the role AI can play in expanding—not replacing—human potential. From managing reputation to staying present in high-pressure moments, this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart offers insights to help leaders connect more effectively, show up with purpose, and inspire meaningful action. Episode Reference Links: Allison Kluger Book Allison Contributed to: Brand Up Naomi Bagdonas Nir Halevy Christian Wheeler Learn more about the Stanfor

Join us as our host, George Kamel, talks with Naomi Bagdonas. She’s a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an executive coach. Naomi is also a coauthor of the bestselling book, Humor, Seriously. In this episode, she shares the benefits of humor at work, the different humor styles we use, and what to do when a joke doesn’t land. Later, George chats with Kacy Maxwell—the executive director of marketing for EntreLeadership. He shares when not to use humor at work (from personal experience). When figuring out what type of humor is appropriate for the workplace, it’s important to be aware of the fine line between stuff we should and shouldn’t say. You’ll learn: • Why you should laugh more at work • The four styles of humor at work • How to recover from a bad joke at work • How humor can go completely wrong at work Sign up for The EntreLeadership Podcast takeaways—a weekly email where you’ll get three tangible takeaways and a tactical action step related to each episode: https://bit.ly/podcast-takeaways Support our sponsors: • Hite Digital: https://bit.ly/HiteDigital • Kyro Digital: https://bit.ly/KyroDigital • NetSuite: https://bit.ly/NetSuiteEntre • Trainual: https://bit.ly/TrainualEntre Links mentioned in this episode: • The EntreLeadership Podcast : https://bit.ly/TheEntreLeadershipPodcast • Humor, Seriously by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas: https://amzn.to/3BML5lV • Take The Humor Typology Quiz to find out your humor style: https://bit.ly/3Ljr1Ld • Naomi Bagdonas and Jennifer Aaker’s TED Talk: https://bit.ly/3RPr9Et • Sign up for your 30-day free trial of EntreLeadership Elite: https://bit.ly/3x40ASS Learn more about EntreLeadership Events: • EntreLeadership Master Series: https://bit.ly/EntreLeadershipMasterSeries • EntreLeadership Summit: https://bit.ly/EntreLeadershipSummit Learn more about EntreLeadership Coaching: • Elite: https://bit.ly/3tI2fN8 • Advisory Groups: https://bit.ly/EntreLeadershipAdvisoryGroups • Executive Coaching: https://bit.ly/EntreLeadershipExecutiveCoaching • Workshops: https://bit.ly/EntreLeadershipWorkshops Listen to all the Ramsey Network podcasts anytime, anywhere in our app. Download the Ramsey Network app: https://apple.co/3eN8jNq Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the kickoff to our Summer Learning Series, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes. This interview features Stanford GSB faculty members Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas and gives specific insights into how humor can transform your communication at home and at work. At the time of this episode, their book Humor, Seriously was just set to launch. Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn , Instagram , YouTube Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn ******** Thank you to our sponsors. These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost. Unleash your Superhuman potential with AI that meets you where you work. Learn more at superhuman.com Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

***BEST OF HOW I WORK*** Does business really need to be so serious? Stanford Business School humour lecturer Naomi Bagdonas believes there’s always room for humour, even when you’re trying to accomplish very serious things. She’s found utilising humour can boost innovation, foster creativity, and bolster resilience through hard times. Naomi says bringing levity into your day-to-day exchanges can diffuse tension and help your colleagues understand you on a deeper level. She shares tips from her book Humor, Seriously, written with Jennifer Aaker, on how to incorporate humour into presentations and meetings, how to write a joke, and tips for bringing comedy into your emails. Naomi teaches humour as part of a purpose and leadership course at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. She also coaches top executives in the art of comedy. Assess your own personal humour style: https://quiz.humorseriously.com/ Get your copy of Humor, Seriously : https://www.humorseriously.com/ Sign up for the 21 day Humour Bootcamp: https://bootcamp.humorseriously.com/ Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Jenna Koda Sound Engineer: Martin Imber See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been over a year since millions of people have switched from office work to working from home. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and host Matt Abrahams highlights guests’ top takeaways on how to best communicate, share information, and cultivate a professional presence though the screen. “I think we have to find ways to reduce cognitive overload,” says Professor and Senior Associate Dean Sarah Soule . “I now offer my information in much smaller pieces interspersed with breakout groups.” Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn , Instagram , YouTube Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn ******** Thank you to our sponsors. These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost. Unleash your Superhuman potential with AI that meets you where you work. Learn more at superhuman.com Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

Does business really need to be so serious? Stanford Business School humour lecturer Naomi Bagdonas believes there’s always room for humour, even when you’re trying to accomplish very serious things. She’s found utilising humour can boost innovation, foster creativity, and bolster resilience through hard times. Naomi says bringing levity into your day-to-day exchanges can diffuse tension and help your colleagues understand you on a deeper level. She shares tips from her book Humor, Seriously, written with Jennifer Aaker, on how to incorporate humour into presentations and meetings, how to write a joke, and tips for bringing comedy into your emails. Naomi teaches humour as part of a purpose and leadership course at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. She also coaches top executives in the art of comedy. Assess your own personal humour style: https://quiz.humorseriously.com/ Get your copy of Humor, Seriously : https://www.humorseriously.com/ Sign up for the 21 day Humour Bootcamp: https://bootcamp.humorseriously.com/ Visit amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a short monthly newsletter that contains three cool things that I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co CREDITS Produced by Inventium Host: Amantha Imber Production Support from Deadset Studios Episode Producer: Jenna Koda Sound Engineer: Martin Imber See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Naomi Bagdonas and Dr. Jennifer Aaker are colleagues at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Their book, 'Humour Seriously' explains how humour can be a superpower that many of us aren't utilising and breaks down the data that shows; being funny can bring big rewards. follow us on instagram; http://instagram.com/rebelscreate Get full access to Creative Rebels at creativerebels.substack.com/subscribe

Humor does more than just make people laugh. It allows you to connect with your audience, diffuse tension, elevate status, and compel others to your point of view. Humor can also help you and your message stand out, yet most of us hesitate to use humor, especially in our professional lives. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Matt Abrahams speaks with Stanford GSB Professor Jennifer Aaker and Lecturer Naomi Bagdonas about when and how humor operates in the work place. “Many believe that humor simply has no place amidst serious work,” Professor Aaker says. “Yet showing your sense of humor can make your peers and your friends attribute more perceptions of confidence and status to us while also cultivating a sense of trust.” Aaker and Bagdonas are are the authors of Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life , which comes out in October of this year. Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn , Instagram , YouTube Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn ******** Thank you to our sponsors. These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost. Unleash your Superhuman potential with AI that meets you where you work. Learn more at superhuman.com Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.