ELC 049: How to ‘Find Funny’ When Speaking, Writing and Installing Mufflers

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Mark Shatz, Ph.D., teaches educational psychology, statistics and a course on writing humor at the Ohil University, Zanesville. He’s a coauthor of the book, Comedy Writing Secrets. Can we apply his principles of comedy writing to instructional design?

Research shows that appropriate humor in the instructional setting can set the stage for a positive attitude toward learning. It can enhance interest, build rapport and heighten attention. In this conversation, Mark explains techniques for speaking and writing with humor.

WE DISCUSS HUMOR FOR INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN:

• Defining “funny”
• How to “find funny”
• Why it’s easy to be funny in instructional settings
• The psychology of why people laugh
• How humor can benefit learning
• Whether placement of humor affects learning
• The pitfalls of using humor in learning
• The best style for writing humor
• Beginner mistakes in writing humor
• Techniques for making situations funny
• The structure of stand-up comedy jokes
• Finding your writer’s voice

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TIME: 32 minutes

TRANSCRIPT: Download the ELC 049 Transcript

RESOURCE LINKS:

• Comedy Writing Secrets: The Best-Selling Guide to Writing Funny and Getting Paid for It, 3rd Edition by Mark Shatz and Mel Helitzer
• Enhancing Online Instruction with Humor by Loschiavo and Shatz (Download article on request)
• Does Humor Enhance Learning?
• Teaching Humor: An Interview with Dr. Mark Shatz