As previously discussed, bombing refers to a situation where the joke doesn’t go over with

the crowd and gets no laughs. When it comes to the worlds of comedians, getting no
laughter is usually given violent words like bombing, choking or dying. Dealing with a falling
flat joke defines the professional skill of the performer. This can be applied to anyone. It is
highly important to not lose morale over a bombed joke. Covering the bombed joke with
confidence or in fact using it to make a win win situation is what businesses can truly benefit
from.

Bombing in a business setting can truly backfire specially if the style used is aggressive
humor or self enhancing humor. It is easier comparatively easier to cover self depleting or
affiliative humor. However they also lead to a rough and icy situation. There are two ways to
handle a bombing situation. Firstly, it is essential to not panic and maintain cool while being
confident. Either the person should move on to another topic or should make light of the
bombing situation and crack a joke on it. Both need to have specific strategies to follow
them.

Bob Kulhan, A New York based professional comedic improviser states that humor in the
workplace is not about forcing the funny. ‘It is about letting the funny happen and then
taking advantage of it when it does.’ He explains, in doing so, ‘A level of honesty and
vulnerability comes with the spontaneity and those traits should certainly be welcome in
business.’ Through this we can understand that it is possible to create a win win situation
after a bombing situation by either slyly creating a shift in conversation or owning and
further creating a joke on the bombing. These require courage and somewhere a knack for
effective verbal communication.

Dan Nainan, a former Intel engineer turned professional standup comedian states that
people respond to jokes differently and hence knowing the audience is extremely essential
before using humor at workplace. He states it is easier to handle bombing in a comedy club
or TV but it might become highly inappropriate in the workplace. In a workplace, the
chances of bombing worsening the situations are much higher than humor doing any good
to the situation. Hence he notes, ‘When in doubt, take it out.’ What can be seen essential
after a bombing session can be to know whom to look at while saying something afterwards
and knowing whether to control the conversation of the room or let someone else takeover
and also being a dynamic speaker.

To curb bombing, it is essential to use the joke at the right place and right time. For
example, a good place for humor is during a demo or a presentation. However, using humor
during an extremely stressful situation can be tricky and should be avoided if in doubt. Using
aggressive style humor always has a higher chance of leading to bombing in a workplace if
not used with the right person. Using it with a senior professional will increase the chances
of backfiring.

Let us look at some reasons as to why joke ends up being bombed. Chances are the planning
is at fault. In a workplace, using spontaneous humor can be risky if you do not have the
aptitude for it. Planning must involve thorough audience research. Audiences interests and
values should be taken into consideration while planning the humorous element. For
example, using an in joke reduces the chances of bombing. Using in jokes in fact increases
group bonding and can help generate laughter. In jokes are a great way to cover the
bombing as well. Using jargons and buzzwords with sharp communication can really help
establish a bond between the speaker and audience and can help reduce the cold ice after
bombing.

It is also possible that the joke is bombed even after being funny. Reason being that the joke
was funny however you were not telling it right. Firstly, there should be no nervousness
during the delivery of the joke. The timing and correct pauses are essential for the joke to
land. Some words can be replaced by gestures or verbal intonations and language can be
simplified or made fancy by editing based on the audience. Too many words and the lack of
punchline in the end can make a perfectly humorous situation sound like a story. Hence
using editing is a must before delivery of a joke.

A joke can easily be bombed if not said at the appropriate time. For example if something
else is urgent and people are busy, probably cracking a joke at this time is not the best
option. However, it seems interesting to know that handling a bombed joke situation well
can break attention to your matter instantly. This usually helps build rapport as well as a
strong corporate image.A well practiced and skilled communicator can use humor by even
adjusting the situation to his liking and need. Hence confidence, communication skills and
people skills are extremely important for using humor even after bombing the first few
times. After all, in a work setting, bombing a few times can really backfire.

Let us say that a serious bombing situation has already taken place. You can have four
options at this moment.
1) Blame the audience
2) Ignore the entire bombing and continue work or further plow through jokes as if
nothing’s wrong
3) Shift gears and say something very different from what is being said to grab
attention and increase chances of laughter and then move further with work.
Spontaneity is required.
4) Try some crowd work after acknowledging the bombing.

Crowd work seems like the best option as it allows to understand the audience through
interaction, increases the feeling of belongingness between both the audience and speaker
and the audience ultimately becomes more receptive to humor as well as becomes a win
win situation sometimes.