Qualitative study investigates humor's impact on coaching relationships, highlighting differentiation from AI coaching.
This study investigates the role of humor in coaching processes and its impact on both coach–client relationship and its role as a differentiator between human coaching and artificial intelligence (AI) coaching agents (AI coachbots). The research is qualitative and used semistructured interviews with experienced coaches. It identified six interlinked themes: (i) humor and trust, (ii) timing, (iii) humor as a catalyst, (iv) humor as a tension reliever, (v) risks, and (vi) alignment. The paper offers practical insights for coaches as to how and when humor may support their work.
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Passmore et al. (2026) studied this question.
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