Drew Tarvin is a humorist, author, and speaker who has built a career around one deceptively simple idea: work is better when people laugh. As the founder of Humor That Works and the author of "Humor That Works: The Missing Skill for Success and Happiness at Work", Drew has helped organizations use humor to improve communication, leadership, creativity, and company culture. Long before that became his full-time mission, he was balancing a career at Procter & Gamble with nights doing improv and stand-up comedy.

I had a feeling this conversation would be fun, but I didn't expect it to get so practical. Drew doesn't just argue that humor belongs in the workplace, he explains why it works, where it goes wrong, and how almost anyone can use it without trying to become the office comedian. We talk about improv, presentations, brainstorming, leadership, why PowerPoint so often puts people to sleep, and the surprising psychology behind what actually makes something funny.

We compare notes on stand-up, hip-hop, puns (far more than any reasonable podcast should contain) and why some of the best lessons about communication come from comedy clubs instead of conference rooms.

I especially enjoyed hearing someone who thinks about humor as analytically as I do, while never losing sight of the fact that the goal isn't to be the funniest person in the room. It's simply to make the room a little more human. If you've ever had to give a presentation, lead a meeting, or wondered whether work really has to feel so serious all the time, I think you'll get a lot out of this one.