Sarcasm and Humor

Humor has its time and place in almost all interactions. Using humor and sarcasm appropriately can help build relationships, reduce stress, and help get the point across. Of course, the use and delivery of humor can vary greatly across cultures, settings, and generations.

For some clients, it’s something that has to be explicitly taught. It can be difficult to read the nonverbal cues.

Sarcasm

Sarcasm is a type of humor that usually makes fun of someone or something. It’s a verbal statement that means the opposite of what is happening, but facial expression and intonation convey the sarcastic intent. Sarcasm is often used with native English speakers in the U.S. It’s also heard frequently in TV shows and movies. Here are examples of when you may use or hear sarcasm.

1️⃣ When someone says something obvious: For example, two people are walking to work in the rain. One says, “it’s very wet outside.” The other says sarcastically, “Tell me something I don’t know!”
2️⃣ When somebody does something wrong: For example, a driver makes a wrong turn and gets lost. The passenger says, “Great job.”
3️⃣ When something bad happens to you: For example, you break your favorite glass and say, “Well, that’s just perfect.”
4️⃣ When something unsurprising happens: For example, a friend leaves her bike parked out front of a store unlocked, and when she returns, it is missing. You ask, “You didn’t see that coming?”

Because sarcasm can hurt people’s feelings, one must be careful when and how often it is used. It should not be used in professional settings or interpersonal relationships as this could have the opposite effect and have negative consequences. It can be viewed as disrespectful or unsympathetic.

Discuss

Here are ideas to address sarcasm with your clients.
👉 Have the client come up with examples of when they heard sarcasm (e.g., in conversations, TV, movies). Ask them to explain the scenario and if the sarcastic comment was funny or hurt someone’s feelings.
👉 Have the client list settings/scenarios in which it is ok to use sarcasm and when it is not (think of at least 5 each).

How do you teach sarcasm to your clients? For ideas on joke-telling, ask Alexa.