The article examines the issue of humour development as a professionally significant competence of a teacher. Conducted theoretical and empirical studies among students of secondary schools, tertiary education students, teachers and university professors have shown that students of secondary schools and university students, in comparison with school and university teachers, used humour more often in complicated situations. There were also differences in the choice of types of jokes by the respondents. The results of the study of humour reflects the ambiguous attitude towards humour that still exists in the teaching environment. The researchers have recorded the insufficient use of the possibilities of humour by teachers as an effective tool of pedagogical activity. The reason might be found in the current educational paradigm. A teacher is perceived as serious and even authoritarian. The development of this professionally significant quality is not given much attention in the process of training of future teachers. The use of humour as a pedagogical tool will help create conditions for the development of an individual style of professional activity, contribute to an increase in professional competence, pedagogical skills and will become one of the conditions for the effectiveness of solving various professional problems.