by Top 5 Tips on Hosting a Trivia Night for Beginners
If you have childhood memories of your parents screaming and jumping about in the living room with their friends, they were most likely hosting a trivia night. And the louder the game, the better it is!
There’s no denying the thrill of cheering on your teammates when you’re just a few points ahead, as well as the excitement of winning, no matter your age.
If your time has come to host your first trivia night with friends, here are a few tips to ensure it goes off without a hitch.
- Choose the Right Participants When Hosting a Trivia Night
It goes without saying that the friends you invite over for your trivia night need to actually enjoy playing a friendly-competitive game or two. If you have friends that prefer to sit and catch up all night, or perhaps those who are a little shy or anxious, they might not be the best fit.
In short, make sure to gather the right crowd so that everyone is on the same page. Another good idea is to ensure that you know these friends well enough in order to choose the right type of trivia genres. For example, you wouldn’t choose trivia on the hit show Bonanza if your friends weren’t in the right age group!
- Agree on a Simple Trivia Format
Do your friends prefer to keep things digital or keep it ”old school” with a good ol’ pen and paper for scorekeeping? You also need to think about how you’ll present your questions during the game.
Will you write each question out on a whiteboard, use a projector screen or simply pull questions from a hat? Agree on a method that’s easiest for everyone.
- Lay the Ground Rules for Scoring and Answering
Trivia game rules can cause the night to take a sour turn if they aren’t clearly established and understood from the start. Especially with those secretively competitive friends (we all have one). The last thing you want is to dupe your friends out of points they deserve, too.
Before you kick off the game, lay down the ground rules for scoring and acceptable answering format so that there’s no room for confusion later down the track.
- Ensure Questions Are Clear and Concise
There’s nothing like a touch of written ambiguity to stir the pot on trivia night. That’s the funny thing about the written word — we all tend to interpret it in different ways.
You want to avoid this at all costs by ensuring your questions are well written. Essentially, this means they should be as simple and clear as possible. Avoid long-winded, complicated sentences.
- Offer Prizes That Are Worth Winning
Finally, you want to inspire the participation of your friends with prizes that are actually worth their while. This tends to up the stakes and makes your trivia night all the more thrilling.
Good prizes will also inspire your friends to come back for more and commit to reoccurring trivia nights if you plan to host more in the future. Some great prize ideas include gift cards, gift baskets packed with goodies, massage vouchers, and there’s nothing like cold hard cash, too!
Become a Faultless Party Host
Want to become known as the ”hostess with the mostess” among your friends?
Hosting a trivia night that’s packed with excitement, healthy competition, and great prizes is a good place to start. You can also boost your knowledge on hosting by exploring the rest of this blog! We offer articles on all things entertainment, lifestyle, travel, and more.
