Posts Tagged ‘humor’
10 Clean Comebacks to Trivia Night Hecklers
Friday, May 27th, 2011
It’s probably one of the most understated guilty pleasures of the bar trivia experience, for both the host and the audience: watching a heckler get slapped down. Trivia nights are fun and informal, and when done right there is a free and open engagement between the participants and the quizmaster. At my events, I actually encourage heckling, so long as it’s humorous- then again, I’ve been known for my quick-witted comebacks since middle school (only now it doesn’t land me in detention).
Here are 10 common heckles, followed by clean comebacks to lob at hecklers who – in good spirit or bad – try to take the quizmaster down a peg. Sometimes the audience wins, which is good- I don’t mind being the butt of jokes, so long as they’re funny! However, after hosting these events for so long I’ve gotten pretty reflexive in my heckler hit-backs, so watch out!
All of the below heckles & family-friendly comebacks have been used on the field of pub quiz combat – and, I’m proud to say, I’ve emerged as the undisputed victor every time. Enjoy!
1) “You Suck!”
Response: “Yes, but I’m not wearing a baseball hat.”
2) “This round is boring!”
Response: “This from the guy drinking water.”
3) “Lame question!”
Response: “Yes, but the host is adorable.”
4) “Lame answer!”
Response: “Don’t blame me, blame Wikipedia.”
5) “This is old person trivia!”
Response: “We should start carding at the door again.”
6) “This trivia night blows!”
Response: “We’ll refund your entrance fee.” (only works at free events)
7) “Nice sideburns!” (okay, maybe this is kind of specific for me)
Response: “At least I have hair somewhere on my head.”
8) “Why are you going so fast?”
Response: “Why are you so drunk on a Monday?”
9) “Repeat the question!”
Response: “No.”
10) “F*^# you!”
Response: “This is a family bar, my friend- so F*^# you!” (okay, not so clean. But sometimes, you have to fight fire with fire. Whatever. I have a microphone).
So long as the heckling isn’t mean-spirited, derogatory or downright offensive, I welcome it at bar trivia, and view it as a positive addition to an already enjoyable experience- the same goes for corporate events, if the crowd seems like they can handle it, which they often can.
Hit me with your best heckle in the “Leave a Reply” section- see how fast I come back!
Humor Tricks for Struggling Quizmasters
Friday, May 20th, 2011
So you’ve begun your gig as a quizmaster, hosting live trivia events at the local pub. You’re diligently armed with good public speaking skills, a happy demeanor, pens and an armload of fun, challenging trivia questions, and are ready to conquer the world. The only problem is, you’re not funny.
As I’ve argued many times in this blog, humor is perhaps the single most important skill a quizmaster can have. In order to keep a crowd engaged – especially in attention deficit zones like New York City, where I live – the trivia party host has to bring more to the table than great questions. Commanding the room for two hours requires a high degree of enthusiasm, wit and comedic timing. However, let’s face it: by and large, we quizmasters tend to come from the world of AP class and chess club, and aren’t the most naturally dynamic kids on the block.
Even if your humor skills are sub-par, there are several ways you can make your trivia nights more fun by giving the illusion that you are funny. You don’t have to force it – in fact, this is a surefire way to guarantee you WON’T come off as funny. Rather, let the audience work for you, and provide you with the comedic material you need to come off as a funny quizmaster. Try these tricks out at your next gig, and see what happens:
Dwell on Team Names – Rather than trying to come up with great humor all on your own, use the gifts of comedic fodder that attendees give you in the form of team names to maximum benefit. Especially after round one, as you are reading out the standings and people are hearing everyone’s team names for the first time, draw this out- you are most certain to have multiple funny team names. Ask the funny teams to identify themselves, then ask them how they came up with that name, what other names they considered & rejected, etc. Repeat the funny stuff they say on the microphone, laugh along with the crowd, and you’re done. No need to add any commentary of your own, this is funny enough.
Celebrate Wrong Answers – Teams always put wrong answers, and very often they are hysterical. If you’re not a natural comedian, you can always read out the funniest wrong answers given on each round, and perhaps give a point to the team with the “best” wrong answer. This goes over well, and also encourages more outrageous incorrect responses – thus providing more comedy material for you.
Solicit Jokes From the Audience – At some point, ask attendees to write a joke down on their answer sheets, and offer a point for the best one. You’ll suddenly have a whole slew of material to pick from, read out, and get laughs out of. Best of all, if the jokes aren’t funny and completely fall flat, no worries- they aren’t your jokes!
Hold a Doodling Contest – As a “mini game” in between rounds, ask teams to provide you with a work of art, and offer a point to the team with the funniest piece. Trust me, everyone will participate; you’ll then have a nice trove which you can then display/describe to the audience, the humor of each being self-evident.
With time, you will find your stride and learn how to inject humor into the event on your own, without having to rely on the audience for material. However, these tricks are great, easy ways to fill your event with more laughs, while making you come off as a comedic genius.
Give it a shot, and let us know how it goes! Good luck!
Guilty Pleasures of a Trivia Event Host
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
Naturally, I love creating trivia events. There’s just so many things about them that provide me with an opportunity to smile, I have fun just thinking about it! I do enjoy playing pub quiz, for sure, but believe it or not I’m actually not all that good a trivia myself- nor am I very competitive by nature. For me, the real enjoyment comes in producing the event from scratch, with the express purpose of giving other people a great experience.
What do I love most about being a quizmaster? Here’s a brief list:
- Writing Trivia Questions – I love writing creative, humorous trivia questions which are custom-made for the audience in mind. Over the years I’ve become quite adapt at this, and it gives me a lot of enjoyment.
- Coming Up With Round Themes – Each round of questions has a theme, and I love coming up with new ones. Sure, all of my events have staple themes such as “General Knowledge,” “TV & Movies” etc. But how about “What Comes Next,” “Junk Food” and “High School English Class Books?” I feel like my own JEAPARDY! category generator, and it’s such a blast!
- Positive Attendee Reactions – For me, few things are better than watching people react exactly the way I want (or better) to the trivia I’ve written. Laughter is the best response, because it means I’ve struck a chord and done something right.
- Funny Team Names – One of the few areas of a trivia event outside my control, I always look forward to the funny, wacky and occasionally borderline inappropriate team names the participants come up with. It gives me an opportunity to laugh at other people’s sense of humor, and I usually am the one laughing the hardest at the best ones.
- iPod Round – Typically my events will include an “iPod round,” where the employee team building / corporate event organizer (or bartender, if it’s a pub quiz) will prepare a 10-song playlist for the crowd to identify the song title/artist. Whenever possible, I make a point not to review the playlist in advance; I’d rather experience the songs for the first time right along with everyone else, so that my reaction will be authentic- especially when there are some terrible clunkers included.
- Making People Happy – The ultimate driving force behind my passion for hosting trivia events, I love seeing people extremely happy as a direct result of something I’ve done. If I can create an experience for people which is enjoyable, memorable, and leaves a lasting positive impact, that’s all I really need.
There are of course a million other reasons why I love creating live trivia events, but these are the ones that most immediately spring to mind. Do you host a trivia night in New York City or elsewhere? Please share below what YOU love most about being a quizmaster!
Less is More When Hosting a Trivia Event
Monday, May 2nd, 2011
When people find out I host trivia events professionally, often they ask me, “what is it you do differently from other hosts?” One of the things they assume is that I talk a lot, in order to keep the event flowing nicely and to ensure a positive atmosphere. This assumption is actually correct- to a point.
People love to hear the sound of their own voices, and we quizmasters are no different; however, moderation when hosting trivia events goes a long way, just like everything else. In order to deliver high-value, high-impact trivia team building activities, corporate entertainment or branding events, the host should make a point to limit his or her “on air” time, so as not to outshine the event participants- after all, the event is for their benefit, not the emcee’s.
Below are some things to keep in mind when hosting a trivia event, to ensure that you are not inadvertently “taking over” and that the action is focused squarely on the attendees:
- Use Humor Sparingly – This may sound counter-intuitive, as humor is perhaps the single most important item in the quizmaster’s arsenal. While it’s okay to be funny, don’t overdo it; a 2-hour trivia event is typically comprised of 40-50 questions, with 40-50 corresponding answers. A skilled & witty host can likely find something funny to say for each, but do you think people really want to sit through that? Probably not. Pick a few funny things to say each round, but no more- the humor will go over better if it’s not interminable.
- Keep Announcements Brief – Besides reading questions, answers and standings, the host typically provides introductory remarks, a format orientation, wrap-up and awards ceremony, among other special announcements. Keep these brief; folks have a limited amount of time to socialize at these events, and if the host is talking, they have to focus their attention on you.
- Share the Stage – At least once during the event, let someone else have the microphone. This gives the organizer, boss, sponsor, host etc. an opportunity to shine and feel valued, and also breaks things up a bit so that it doesn’t feel like it’s all you all the time.
- Don’t Talk About Yourself – It’s easy to slip into this mode when you have a microphone in your hand and are on a roll. Chances are, however, that nobody in the room knows you; not to sound blunt, but if you’re talking about yourself, why would they care? Unless it’s a quick, appropriate plug, or a personal tie-in which is directly relevant to the group, cause or venue, keep personal anecdotes to yourself when hosting trivia parties.
Being brought in to host a trivia event is not a license to take over the room. Keep your “on air” messages fun and flowing, but don’t overdo it- the audience will appreciate it in the end.
Did you find this post useful? Are there things which you may suggest doing differently? If so, what?
Don’t Take Trivia Nights Too Seriously
Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
There are a lot of reasons why bar trivia nights have become so popular in recent years. People love a good mental challenge, which combined with some competition, the chance to socialize & blow off steam after work, and the opportunity to have a fun time making trivia an ideal weeknight activity. Bars of course love seeing business which they wouldn’t otherwise have on an “off” night, and have welcomed trivia nights in New York City and beyond as a crowd-friendly gimmick for generating both patrons and buzz.
But if you’ve been to pub quiz nights, you know that not everyone is there for the lighthearted fun and happy hour drink specials. Lurking just beneath the surface of the otherwise relaxed competitive environment, you will also find a very different cadre of trivia night attendees- and having fun is not on their agenda.
These people who are only here to win.
You may recognize them. They’re the team who comes an hour early to claim a table, and brings their own water. They repeatedly approach the host to argue their score, request frequent “points of clarification” and generously offer their obscure knowledge of arcane facts which would also technically serve as correct answers, and are thus worthy of points. In a nutshell, these are the people who take trivia nights way too seriously.
I am always baffled by this phenomenon. To my mind – and I suspect the majority of trivia night attendees as well – pub quiz is an escape from the stress of the workday, a way to kick back and socialize over beer and friendly competition. Sure, every team at pub quiz wants to win- however, most teams know the odds of them winning are slim, and that the point of the event is to have fun. For some people, though, simply having fun isn’t part of the game plan; they are here because they are great at trivia, love showing how smart they are, and want to beat the pants off everybody else.
I feel like shaking these people and saying, “Relax! It’s only a GAME!” But alas, I guess some people are just programmed that way. One event which stands out particularly in my mind, from my early days as a trivia host: during a jam-packed pub quiz, a clearly agitated young man interrupted me mid-question to demand that I re-count his last answer sheet, insisting that he had 7 points, but that I had only given him 6. I explained that I was in the middle of hosting, but would gladly double-check his score afterwards. No good- he wanted his score updated NOW, or he and his team were leaving. Calling his bluff, I offered to refund his entrance fee – it was a free event, after all (this is a good line to use, by the way- I’ll talk more about this in an upcoming post about dealing with hecklers and other people who disrupt trivia night).
Undeterred and enraged at my snarky retort, he then began whining about how I wasn’t being fair. Having reached the end of my patience and letting my frustration get the better of me, I told him he could take the matter up with our complaint department. As if on cue, 3 very large, scary-looking men observing this exchange jauntily hoisted their beers into the air and proclaimed, “That’s us!” The complainer did an about-face and left; I bought the Complaint Department a round of shots.
(Photo courtesy of Dennis Goedegebuure)
My point is this: if you’re attending a trivia night, go in to have fun, not to win. You’ll be happier in the end.
Are you one of the people I’ve described above, and think I couldn’t be more wrong about this? Tell us your side of the story in the comments section below!
TrivWorks founder David Jacobson blogs daily on a wide range of topics relevant to corporate event entertainment, team building and live trivia. 
