Ray Hanania presents an overview of the importance of humor and the significance of strategic communications
Comedians performing in London in November 2007
Humor is a powerful form of communications and can be used to help bring tensions down in societies, change perceptions and separate those who really hate from those who appear to hate because they can’t control heir fears, apprehensions an suspicions of the other.
This is part of a video presentation that I offer in my speaking tours around the country on “The Power of Humor.”
I hope it helps explain why humor is important, and also to explain the most important aspects of strategic communications, something that the Arabs deflate and that Israelis inflate. Communications makes a difference in achieving goals or failing, and humor is a critical part of what’s needed to make strategic communications successful.
2007 ABC News report on Ray Hanania’s comedy performance for a mostly Jewish audience in Jerusalem
Hanania comedy performance in 2008
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
Click here to send Ray Hanania email.