Self-deprecating humor as part of a candidate's branding/campaign strategy

[MT Treasurer]

Self-deprecating humor is one of the most powerful rhetorical-theatrical tools in the interaction with an audience or another individual, but it is also one of the most dangerous ones due to its potential to backfire — self-deprecating humor can quickly turn into self-abasement, and the confidence one intended to project has been revealed as one's insecurity, this time on display in front of a local/national audience. The most famous example of the successful use of self-directed humor was probably Ronald Reagan, who of course made the device look much easier than it actually is, having already had decades of training and experience in playing audiences by the time he first ran for President. Many of the rehearsed 'one-liners' Reagan dropped would be perceived as extremely inauthentic in a less savvy candidate and might even constitute a career-ending faux pas.

Let's say you're advising a candidate who seems robotic and has a hard time connecting with an audience - a less or ideally non-psychopathic version of Dr. Oz, for example. Would you advise him to use self-deprecating humor every now and then?

Looking forward to your answers! (no longer have space for my rec policy in my signature, but it still applies, don’t worry)

[Alben Barkley]

Uh... I'll try again. Not sure why you deleted the previous thread.

"If I had two faces, would I be wearing this one?" - Abraham Lincoln

I think it can work.

[Person Man]

Yeah, but like everything else…not everyone is good enough at it or has the time to get good enough at it.

[Ferguson97]

It depends entirely on their personality. Either it works for them or it doesn't.

[progressive85]

A good, smart sense of humor an underrated, underappreciated part of politics/communication.  We don't want constant comedians in public office, but at the same time we don't want humorless bores either.  If you can make someone laugh with a clever joke (including a self-deprecating one), that's at least getting them to feel something positive towards you, even if they don't agree with you on political issues.  It can help give you personality and stand out from the pack.

[Pollster]

Self-deprecating humor (and all humor really) works best when it humanizes the comedian. This is especially helpful for celebrity candidates like Reagan who have a tougher time being seen as "real people" just because of their status and careers.

It's important, though, that the source of the humor isn't something that is a real driver of actual negative sentiment towards you, and joking about something about yourself/something you did that people find genuinely off-putting is a very bad move and can in fact reinforce negative narratives.

[Crumpets]

Option 1. I would have said option 2 in the past, but Zelenskyy is a very good counter-example of a political novice who used self-deprecating humor to great effect. Maybe not the best option if you are a total nobody running for some local race, but those races are pretty much down to wealth, connections, and luck already.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Self-deprecating humor (and all humor really) works best when it humanizes the comedian. This is especially helpful for celebrity candidates like Reagan who have a tougher time being seen as "real people" just because of their status and careers.

It's important, though, that the source of the humor isn't something that is a real driver of actual negative sentiment towards you, and joking about something about yourself/something you did that people find genuinely off-putting is a very bad move and can in fact reinforce negative narratives.

Conan is one of the greats in self-deprecating humor IMO.  

(Referring to his now-former talk show)

"...thousands and thousands of hours watched by hundreds and hundreds of people."

[Senator Incitatus]

Not sure if the poll was supposed to allow multiple options, but I agree with all of these to varying extents. Perhaps least the first; I don't think you can be careful about humor, because it has to be sincere.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I agree that it depends how it's done and by whom. But usually in my every day life, I always find that a sense of self-awareness is an underrated personality attribute.