Step 5 to Becoming an Amazing Games Leader: Don’t Ask Questions!

In my previous article, I wrote about the importance of sticking to a single rule when leading children’s games. Now I’ll go into step 5: ask no questions.

But before I go into that in detail, let me say that I always ask my volunteers what’s their name, where they are from, what’s their age (if they are kids), what do they do, etc. I am not suggesting that you never interact with your volunteers and make them feel comfortable once you get them onstage.

With that being said, when you ask a question, you relinquish control to the volunteer, even if just for a moment. And if you ask too many questions during a routine or game, you run the risk of ruining that routine or game. By the end of your event, these moments will add up. All it takes is picking the wrong volunteer back to back and you create a giant hurdle to overcome in your event.

Some Common Questions to Avoid

Here is the absolute most overused question: “Are you ready to have some fun?” A better way to communicate the same thing is to say, “Today we ARE going to have a lot of fun!” Do you see the subtle difference?

What if you ask the question, “Are you ready to have some fun?” and the group yells no? What happens in that brief moment is that the audience is in control of your event! A few of these spread throughout the event could spell disaster.

Another popular question is “Do you know what we are going to do?” A better way to say this is “Here’s what we are going to do.”

I admit that not asking questions was a challenge for me. Until one day, I listened to myself and I realized I asked over 50 questions during a 60-minute event. That’s almost one question every minute!

So I began taking out these questions and replacing them with statements. The result is an event that’s polished and works every time.

I challenge you to listen to yourself and replace the questions with statements. It will take you to another level as an entertainer!

Next time, we will look at what you can do to make your games the most exciting games ever played! Watch out for that one!

 

Want to know all seven tips on how to run successful kids games? See the complete list below.

Step 1: Make It Fun!

Step 2: Create Healthy Competition!

Step 3: Simple Is Better!

Step 4: One Rule Is Enough!

Step 5: No Questions!

Step 6: Become a Cheerleader!

Step 7: Kill It Before It Dies!