Keynote Speaker Jan McInnis's Book, Now a Required Text at IUPUI

Keynote speaker and comedian Jan McInnis's book "Finding the Funny Fast: How to Create Quick Humor to Connect With Clients, Coworkers, and Crowds," will now be a required textbook for the Fall 2024 "Humor and Communication" class in the Department of Communication Studies.

Jan McInnis, who has over 20 years of experience as a comedian and keynote speaker, is no stranger to the IUPUI campus. Her past guest lecture left a lasting impression on both students and faculty. Mike Polites, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communication Studies, lauded McInnis's engaging approach, stating, "I invited Jan to be a guest lecturer in my college-level Humor and Communication course. Boy, did she deliver! She was able to get her points across interspersed with humor, which kept an often tough-to-engage college class, especially via Zoom, VERY engaged throughout. She offered valuable tips on how to find the humor in everyday events. Students were able to take her message and apply it to their own situations. I've been teaching for 17 years and have invited countless guests to speak to my classes. Jan McInnis is no doubt the best guest speaker I have had in any class I have ever taught." 

McInnis's book, "Finding the Funny Fast," is a practical guide on how to incorporate humor into everyday communication to create stronger connections, whether in professional or social settings. Polites adds, "Your presentation on humor was a HIT with my college communication class! I think it would be perfect for creative writing courses as well. Thank you for sharing your wit, your wisdom, and, of course, your humor. You knocked it out of the park!" 

Students in Polites's class have echoed this enthusiasm. Feedback from McInnis's previous guest lecture includes: 

- "It's intriguing to see the informative uses of humor used within true business settings." 

- "Thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us! It's one thing to learn about communication as it relates to humor, but it's a completely other thing to see it in action!" 

- "I thought it was really neat how confident she is and how she just does what she wants and just is a really cool person. Thanks for the presentation!" 

McInnis's ability to connect with a diverse audience, from seasoned professionals to college students, makes her a unique asset in the field of communication. Her book's inclusion in the curriculum reflects the growing recognition of humor as a powerful tool in effective communication. 

McInnis notes that this book is perfect for many college level classs including communcation, public speaking, marketing, and more.

For more information about Jan McInnis and "Finding the Funny Fast," visit https://theworklady.com/comedy-writing-book/