April Fool's Day

from Able Leader, April 2009

by Steve Kaye

Most likely you want to do something special on April Fool's Day.

So, in the spirit of being helpful, here are three gags that are guaranteed to cause hysterical laughter in your office. Each of them is complete, with step-by-step instructions. Then, at the end of this article, you'll find the biggest joke of all time.

Gag #1) April Fool Meeting

a) Invite everyone who's schedule is open to an "important" meeting.

b) Arrive five to ten minutes late. Act hurried and out of breath.

c) Begin by saying, "Well, what do you want to talk about?"

d) Wait a moment while everyone stares back with a puzzled expression.

e) Then, before anyone can answer, say, "I didn't want to waste my time preparing an agenda, so I decided we could all waste our time having a discussion."

f) Wait until everyone groans.

e) Shout, "April Fool!"

g) Once the laughter subsides, adjourn the meeting.

h) Or, in the spirit of April Fool's Day, continue the meeting that you started. After all, you do have a room full of people who came to a meeting. So, why ruin their day by sending them back to work.

Gag #2) April Fool Presentation

a) Arrive at a meeting with an armload of file folders.

b) Act surprised when you're introduced. Walk slowly (and painfully) to the front of the room.

c) Start your presentation by announcing that you didn't have time to prepare. Bond with the audience my confessing that you're not a good speaker. Then tell an old joke (something like "So this goose goes into a bar wearing a paper clip. . . . .").

d) Tell the audience that you brought 397 slides. Apologize for not having more.

e) Mention that you might exceed the time allotted on the agenda.

f) Fumble through the file folders while mumbling, "My notes are in here somewhere."

g) After a few minutes, look up, smile, and shout "April Fool!"

h) After the applause stops, proceed with a prepared presentation.

i) Or, continue with the presentation that you started. In many organizations no one will be able to tell the difference.

Gag #3) April Fool E-mail

a) Compose an e-mail consisting of jargon, buzz words, and trendy terms. Avoid using punctuation, capital letters, and (If possible) verbs. Include at least two words from a foreign language. You can find many wonderful samples on twitter that contain all of these elements.

b) Use the Subject: "Decision Needed Today."

c) Mark the e-mail "Urgent."

d) Send this e-mail to everyone in your company. Also, if possible, send it to your partners, affiliates, suppliers, customers, and (hey, why not) relatives. Earn bonus points by putting all of the e-mail addresses in the To: field so that others can use these addresses for spam.

e) Wait an hour. Then send a second e-mail announcing, "April Fool!"

f) Note how many people respond with a real answer. Earn double bonus points for every argument that develops as a result of this e-mail.

g) Prepare to meet with your boss so you can laugh about this gag together.

h) Or, logon to LinkedIn to search for job postings in your industry.

Important legal statement. Your actual results may vary. Amount of laughter may be less than expected. User assumes full responsibility for any and all consequences, including but not limited to a career change.

The Real Joke: People do things like this every day.

Action Item: Call me to talk about workshops that make sure none of your workdays are like April Fool's Day.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300