Discovering Your Comedy IQ

Since 2018, I've been teaching standup comedy. Many people, even those who never paid for a class, ask me what the formula is. When I ask if they mean the work ethic or the joke writing, they just say, "How can I make it if I wanted to?" For the past decade as a stand up, I can say there was a time I would think it was the perfection of the setup + punchline. Later I would tell you it's the getting up every day for at least 5 years to find a voice and comfortableness. Maybe I would have told you it's the amount of vulnerability a comic reveals on stage. And all of those are true. But I think I finally cracked a formula that is at the heart of stand up. 

It's the existential exercise of combining different types of intelligence to develop a unique voice. Setups and punchlines are great, but they aren't always effective. Getting up daily is crucial, unless you're just practicing the same crappy jokes. Vulnerability feels like a way to get good, but that can actually get depressing if not done in the right tone. But combining all of those ways works itself out with this simple equation: 

Verbal IQ + Intellectual IQ - Emotional IQ = Comedy IQ 

Confused? Then let's go down a rabbit hole together. I promise. You'll be a more aware comic within minutes. 

What Does IQ Have To Do With Comedy?
IQ is basically a way to assess your human intelligence. We have IQ tests with numerous puzzles that assess your ability to use reason and logic. We think usually only in terms of intelligence. But we've also learned that people with high IQ's can be their own worst enemy, overthinking everything, while mid-level IQ people excel because they're too dumb to quit. There are many types of IQ's. Here is a "layman's" summary. I'm not a doctor, but as an educator (former English professor) I can tell you a few things I picked up in my graduate studies.  

Verbal IQ assesses your ability to speak and read. When I was in kindergarten I had the verbal IQ of a 5th grader. I was able to listen, understand, and respond at a much higher rate than my peers. This was a blessing in my youth, and as a public speaker, but a curse when everyone else was speaking a much lower level. Your Verbal IQ is also represented in how fast you respond. Roast battle comics can have a great verbal IQ, whereas maybe someone with a more relaxed style might struggle to spit out jokes.   

Intellectual IQ looks at your problem solving skills. It lets a professional know you have quick mental reflexes or strong decision making skills. This type of IQ can reveal strong math skills or the ability to recognize patterns. These people are good at STEM jobs, but might lack wisdom. They clearly know if you do X then Y will happen, but they don't always think about how this will make people feel. Like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, Intellectual IQ is a blessing and curse.  

Sports IQ is how we evaluate a Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, or Hulk Hogan. These people have almost MCU level abilities to see the whole field or court. They might not be the "brightest" guy in the room but when it comes to reading plays or using their body, they are geniuses. In fact, one joke we all have seen is the inarticulate jock, because they have a low Verbal IQ.        

Musical IQ is one's ability to play music or sing or produce albums. Whether we are talking about a 3 year old Beethoven, a multiple instrument playing Prince, or a Quincy Jones balancing multiple artists at once - these people see the notes - literally - fly off the page and can make them do things average people never could. Some say they learned to play from the Devil, and those people are called the family members I don't talk to anymore.   

Emotional IQ is the one I want to focus on today. This is the measurement of one's ability to read people. We hear the word empath, and if they truly can feel other's feelings or see the joy or pain in others, they would have a high Emotional IQ. Emotional IQ is the filter that keeps you from being a jerk. Nice people who really listen have a great Emotional IQ. Some might put the dumb in the word dumbbells, but they will love you and help you even if they have to suffer a bit. They usually are aware of their own needs as well. We call this Interpersonal (dealing with others) and Intrapersonal (dealing with one's self) intelligence. 

Comedy IQ is not a real term, but it is a symbolic and quantitative way to best describe your ability to perform comedy at your highest level. Universally, there are certain people like Jon Stewart, Paula Poundstone, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Lucille Ball who have a very high Comedy IQ. They consistently made people laugh - and have large fan bases in the process. They all share the same ability to communicate and hit the right emotional cords. Those who lack in the above IQ's tend to struggle more.        

Why Understanding IQ Matters
Often people try stand up comedy and find it really hard, but then there are others who pick it up quickly. I am going to argue their different IQ's will determine their ability to rise the ranks faster than anything else. Clearly, no one doing "traditional" stand up comedy needs a high Sports or Musical IQ. While sports stars can tell funny stories and musical comedians can have much success, it is not those forms of intelligence or talent that make their comedy work.
But all comics must have a combination of Verbal IQ, Intellectual IQ, and Emotional IQ. Too much of one, and you'll lose the crowd. Too little of another and you might alienate the crowd.

Understanding Your Verbal IQ
People with a high Verbal IQ might use too many words, losing the rhythm of the joke; but too low of a verbal IQ and they sound like Forrest Gump, lacking any charisma or confidence. Even when comedian Drew Lynch had a stutter, he still possessed a high verbal IQ. There are many comics who can't properly express themselves because they lack a strong vocabulary and flow of speech. We think of them as slow thinkers. It's almost as if they say something, send it to a verbal satellite in the sky and wait for it to send back another sentence. As a comic, this can truly hurt your most important tool: Communication. 

Many comics struggle with crowd work or a quiet crowd because they have a low Verbal IQ. This doesn't mean they aren't intelligence, but they'll never start a Tony Robbins like cult. Suave seducers have a high verbal IQ. Successful car salesmen, lawyers, and pastors share high verbal IQ's. This is a comic's greatest weapon, even if they have little substance to their act. 

Is Your Intellectual IQ Getting In the Way?  
Comics with a high Intellectual IQ might speak above the crowd, lacking any relatable material. Ever seen a comic talking about an obscure film or philosophical topic and they're giggling and no one else is?

Ever seen a comic just talk about poop and butts and can't take anything seriously? That's a demonstration of a low Intellectual IQ. 

Many stand ups are victims of both the upsides and downside of the Intellectual IQ equation. While starting out, comics would say things at open mics that were so blatantly stupid, people would just yell out "nope!"

There were also comics who wanted to talk about how the number Pi (3.14) was really a code for...never mind, I'm not smart enough to explain. When people tell me they want to do sophisticated comedy, like George Carlin, I also say, "Carlin talked about everything from dogs to politics. It wasn't all Voltaire inspired madness. 

When people have a low Intelligence IQ, they say things the audience doesn't believe. They lose them quickly. Even if they're a great speaker, they just sound like a dumb great speaker. Like a shallow politician. 

Emotional IQ is the Key to Your Comedy Career     
Emotional IQ could either trauma dump to the point it's awkward or be way too nice to the point of boredom. Emotional IQ is the way people feel and react in the moment. They can literally feel their way through a room or a set. Your Emotional IQ can filter out controversial topics and language that would get the laugh because you might be afraid you'll be less likable. Often, when working with new comedy students, they would say "I don't feel comfortable saying that," and it wasn't anything more than a silly joke. They confuse jokes with statements of belief. Which makes them a great therapist but a less than interesting comic. 

I once heard a comic say the worst thing a comic can say about you is, "He's a nice guy" instead of "He's a funny guy." When your Emotional IQ is out of whack you might be a beloved member of society, but your comedy will suffer.    

Yet, the lower the Emotional IQ on stage, sometimes the better the comic. In the real world, a Bill Burr rant gets you fired from the job. But by giving a "no  f--ks given" attitude, forfeiting the desire to be liked, a comic can become the cathartic experience an audience member wants. People with high Emotional IQ's will ask, "How will people feel if I say this?" People with lower Emotional IQ's will say "How big of a laugh if I say this?"

All those "Say it like is" people you love or hate demonstrate low Emotional IQ's. The Red Pill guys who have no sympathy for single moms and those women who mock men for their height are low Emotional IQ people. They might make good "verbal" or "logical" statements, but they're jerks. That's basically what a jerk it. But a jerk with a joke makes a lot of money in stand up. 

Yet, while some comics demonstrate low Emotional IQ's on stage, they might have a dueling personality, where off stage they are perfectly kind and caring. I remember watching Bill Burr be utterly offended by the mockery taking place when a guest on Kill Tony. There is a "persona" aspect, but Bill still has to reduce his Emotional IQ to say the things he says.

The Comedy Equation     
Verbal IQ + Intellectual IQ - Emotional IQ = Comedy IQ

Eventually, I realized the most successful comics had a strong Verbal IQ, at least a mediocre Intellectual IQ, and a low (but not sociopath level) Emotional IQ when on stage. 

The greater you ability to communicate (delivery, tone, verbage, vocabulary) plus your ability to discuss relatable topics (marriage, dating, kids, jobs, sex) in a reasonable fashion, minus an Emotional IQ (empathy, sympathy) can produce a successful act. 

Often when people complain about Dave Chapelle's takedown of the LGBTQ+ community, those people are coming from a high Emotional IQ point of view. 

When people say Bert Kriescher is just a dude running around with his shirt off, they're attacking his Intellectual IQ. 

In fact, when people mocked Adam Sandler's gibberish from his early comedy days, they are going after his Verbal IQ.

Yet, these comics found the right formula for them. What Dave Chapelle lacks in Emotional IQ, he has Verbal IQ in spades. Kreischer might not be a brilliant man (he'd admit this), but boy does he have the right amount of Emotional IQ, which allows him to say things about his kids and wife no one would say at the company picnic. He has no filter. 

There are rare exceptions to the formula. Gary Gulman has a very high Verbal and Intellectual IQ but he appears to have a high Emotional IQ as well, always staying very pleasant and witty. There is no mean spiritedness, yet he also doesn't command the same fan base as the ones with a lower Emotional IQ.   

I can play this game all day, pinpointing the different IQ strengths and weaknesses of comics, but the point is that if you find jokes aren't hitting, it could be your formula is out of whack.
When your formula is out of whack, so is your act.       

Final Thoughts 
Self awareness is the key to understanding success. Assessing others correctly is a way to give notes that help them. When I taught comedy, I would try to play up a student's strengths. If you find language to be an issue with you, I highly encourage you to practice speaking out loud more often. Practice building your Verbal IQ. 

If you see your topics are not really connecting with the audience, then maybe take some time seeing what people are into. What's trending on Twitter X? What are the top movies and TV shows? What are people responding to? I love 80's and 90's professional wrestling, but most people in comedy shows don't. So I have to adjust my IQ and stay on topic with things I can get a proper response for. 
If you feel people are pulling back instead of laughing, or you find people aren't laughing because everything is sort of too nice, then it's time to adjust your comfort zone and either lower or raise the Emotional IQ. 

​Comedy takes a long time to figure what you can get away with. I find I can't go too mean, but I can be "sarcastic." I have to keep a higher Emotional IQ than I might want to get the response I desire.
Just know there's a place for you regardless, but you might need to work on one of your three IQ's to get into more places.