Reading and Working the Room: Comedy Skills for Public Engagement and Community-Engaged Research

*An updated version of the curriculum material are available as version 1.1 using the following concept DOI https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21464617 . This version is retained for reference.

The deposited materials support “Reading and Working the Room: Comedy Skills for Public Engagement and Community-Engaged Research”, a two-hour workshop designed to teach research scientists how to apply communication approaches and techniques used by stand-up and improvisational comedians during public engagement and community-engaged research activities. The workshop comprises six modules with discussion questions and activities, and was piloted with 32 participants at the University of Chicago in July 2026. Materials include workshop slides as a PDF and PowerPoint, a facilitator guide with delivery notes, and a survey instrument. The feedback instrument was developed for quality assurance and has not been psychometrically validated. Facilitators are encouraged to adapt the materials as needed. 

These materials are licensed under CC BY 4.0.