The Radical Act of Testing Your Material 🎤

Whether you need to charge your creative battery or simply add a little seasoning to your daily routine, I highly recommend stand-up comedy. Better yet, catch a night when comedians are testing new material—like New Material Mondays and Tuesdays at Hotbed Comedy in D.C.

There’s something electric about witnessing someone take a risk in real time. This past Monday, a comic looked out at us—this one big, breathing audience organism—and said after a dud, “Yep… judging by that silence, YOU don’t like that one.”

The room chuckled.

Minutes later, the next comedian landed a joke so well I wiped away tears.
She smiled, “Well, you liked that one,” and jotted down an asterisk, I imagine, in her notebook.

Watching this unfold felt like a masterclass in communications and public relations: test, listen, adapt.

Sometimes the only way to know if a message lands is to put it out there. Whether it’s a new tagline, podcast, a bold narrative shift, or an editorial voice you’re still developing, feedback—whether roaring laughter or awkward silence—is a hidden blessing. It's data. It's direction.

Caption: Jacqueline Lara, CEO of Mpact PR, host of Radical Acts Uncut

At Mpact PR, we see it as a radical act to show up before something is perfect. To test, learn, and grow with your audience in real time.

Because real creative freedom—for founders, creatives, and communicators—isn't just about saying something. It’s about daring to say it out loud… and then staying open enough to refine it.

Related: Radical Acts Uncut Episode: “Black Women Lawyers-turned-Comics who are Revolutionizing Political Discourse through Laughter.”