I remember a Magnum PI episode where he was stranded out at sea and had a shark circling him. He gave the shark a name and talked to it (which to me watching the show as a adolescent was funny as hell).

I've used that tactic with my daughter for the "monsters under the bed" when she was little. I had her picture the monster wearing something funny ( a pink tu-tu), and make it clean up her room (that monster always did a lousy job at cleaning).