A lot of lessons stand-up comedians learn on stage can be translated to successful leadership in the workplace. Here are some tips from a marketing professional who does stand-up comedy on the side.

• Get to the point. In comedy, you have seconds to grab the audience’s attention—if the punchline takes too long, you’ve lost them. The same goes for presentations. Keep your message short and clear.
• Read the room. Good comics notice what lands with the audience and what doesn’t and adjust accordingly. Be attentive to your listeners and willing to adjust and rework your message if necessary.
• Laugh at yourself. It’s rare that comedians don’t poke fun at themselves. Not only are mistakes and flaws a great source of material, but talking about them is a way that comedians make themselves relatable and likable. Similarly, leaders who can admit and laugh at their own mistakes can create a relaxed and trusting atmosphere on the team.
• Be real. Audiences can always tell when you’re pretending. Drop the polished message and just say what you mean.
• Recognize the power of laughter. Take the scariness out of failure—if you can laugh about it, then you and your team can see it’s okay to take a few risks, even if they don’t work out. Laughter shows that you’re human and that others around you are allowed to be human. Humor breaks the tension and connects people.  

To get more advice from marketing professional Kellie Walenciak, read “Leading With a Laugh: Lessons From the Comedy Stage.”