Unique Events To Try

January 8, 2024

Here's a list of some fun events and activities for friend groups and communities:

Sips 'n' Slides

AKA: "Improv PowerPoint", "Slideshow Karaoke"

Fun, short, comedic, improv PowerPoint slideshow presentations

Like the name suggests, it involves (1) sipping beverages and (2) slideshow presentations — improv style.
The catch is: each person has to give a presentation on a PowerPoint they've never seen before - because someone else created it.

(It's like a "Paint 'n' Sip" night, but instead of painting, you're presenting a slideshow you've never seen before.)

Steps:

  1. Each attendee/participant makes a slideshow beforehand and sends it to the host (by at least noon the day of, for example).
  2. Set up a space to present slideshows, preferably with a projector or TV and two microphones.
  3. Put all the powerpoint presentations in a big folder (preferably all Google Slides in a Google Drive folder) in a random order.
  4. Start the night with drinks and encouraging attendees to get loose and just tipsy enough to let those inhibitions down.
  5. Once everyone/everything is ready, let people volunteer to go up to present (play the improv game) either by themselves or in a pair (with a partner).
  6. Get them in front of everyone, preferably with a microphone in hand.
  7. (Semi-)Randomly select a slideshow deck for that person or duo, and put it on the screen for them.
  8. Quickly let them know how many slides are in this slideshow (and hopefully this should be written on the slideshow, as each slide should be numbered).
  9. Let them attempt to create a presentation around whatever slideshow they are given.
  10. Let them tell you when to cue the next slide. (They don't know what's on the next slide, but they can see how many slides are remaining.)
  11. Allow ~1 Q&A, or just cheer them off stage once they finish.
  12. Reveal who created that slideshow.

... Repeat until you're out of slideshows.

How to make a slideshow:

  1. Be reasonable (Could you actually pull it off yourself? "Is this [generally] sensible?")
  2. Choose a cohesive theme
  3. One opening title slide is great
  4. Set expectations ASAP
  5. (Mostly) Images only
  6. Charts, graphs, big numbers, and acronyms are also yummy
  7. Limit it to 5-10 slides
  8. Number every slide ("3/9": current of total)
  9. Make it fun, feasible, and friendly
  10. Send the host the slideshow(s) beforehand

(When you're watching friends try to do improv, you want to see them succeed and have fun. So focus on making it fun and feasible.)



Tiny Talk Time

AKA: "Triple T", "T3"

Fun, short "talks" + Q&A, in the style of "lightning talks".

Simple presentations that get the audience to learn and laugh.

  • Give everyone who wants to participate ~5-10 minutes to give a "talk" (with the option of using a slideshow to present).
  • The talks must be fun. Make it a requirement that each talk will guarantee that the audience will learn at least one new thing and will laugh at least once or twice.
  • Encourage the Q&A to be funny as well.
  • Strongly encourage everybody to not take themselves/talks seriously.


Drunk History Night

Fun, short, comedic presentations on "something historical" while drunk + crappy Q&A

Simply have each participant deliver an interesting presentation on "something historical" (like an account of an event, a person, a time, a place, etc) — while drunk.

  • Encourage slideshows and/or props for the presentations.
  • Limit each presentation to about ~5-10 minutes.
  • Follow each presentation with ~2-5 minutes of "crappy Q&A" (where dumb questions are encouraged).


Film Buff Bluff

(I need a better name for this game, so please give me your suggestions!)

Fun, comedic, improv game that uses shots from obscure movies

Note: I have never actually tried this one yet.

Preparation:

  1. Let people help you (the host) prepare a series of slideshows that are each just ~5-12 frames/stills from a particular movie in sequential order (as they appear in the movie). (One movie per slideshow.)
    • Pick movies that some of the people attending will not know (or will not have already seen).
    • As a general rule, do not include the title of the movie in the slideshow — unless you think it would be fun to.
  2. Set up a space to present slideshows, preferably with a projector or TV and two microphones.
  3. Put all the powerpoint presentations in a big folder (preferably all Google Slides in a Google Drive folder) in a random order.

How to play the improv game:

  1. A player (or two) volunteer(s) to go. Put them up front.
  2. (Semi-)Randomly pick a movie slideshow for the player(s).
  3. Show the player(s) the first slide (the first frame/still from the movie) and double-check that they have not seen this movie. (If they have already seen it, select a different movie/slideshow until you find one they haven't seen.)
  4. Work with the player(s) to given them a "role" / "character" to play in relation to this film, such as:
    • "a script-writer pitching the movie to a producer",
    • "a film critic on Rotten Tomatoes",
    • "a professor (or student) at a college film appreciation class",
    • "an actor table-reading the script",
    • "a friend trying to convince his friend group to watch this movie for movie night",
    • "a scholar providing a summary report on the movie as if it were a documentary",
    • "the director who is explaining the scene to the set crew and the actors"
  5. Then let the player(s) go! They will present the entire slideshow "in character".
  6. At the end, reveal what the movie actually is.

... Repeat until you're out of slideshows.



Pandora's Panel

Fun, comedic "expert" panel of people who give awful advice

Note: I have never actually tried this one yet.

  1. Encourage every guest/attendee to bring a "problem" (a personal life issue of some sort) that they would be willing to share and "seek advice on".
  2. Select (and rotate in/out) participants to be picked for the "expert panel".
  3. Seat the "expert panel" on a "stage" and have them face the audience.
  4. (Optional: Give a very brief introduction of the "experts" in the panel, letting panel members come up with improv characters that might have particular "areas of expertise".)
  5. Get an audience member to approach the "stage" and address the panel with their problem.
  6. The panel then proceeds to provide the absolute worst advice they can — just really crappy suggestions.
  7. Swap people in/out of the "expert panel" every few questions to let others try on the role of being a part of the "expert panel".


YouTube Night

Make a group YouTube playlist and then get together to watch it

  1. Get all the attendees to send you (the host) a YouTube video (that is less than ~5 minutes, and preferably their recent favorite or an old classic).
  2. Put all these videos into a big YouTube playlist.
  3. Get everyone together to watch through the playlist (on a TV or projector).

(Additionally you can make it a "guess who added this" game, where you pause after each video to try to guess who was the person in the group who picked the video that just played. Award points to each person who gets it right, and then tally totals at the end to pick a winner.)



The Question Connection

(I need a better name for this game, so please give me your suggestions!)

Break into small groups to play rounds of this question game

Preparation:

  1. Pick a theme.
  2. Ask each attendee to bring 3 different questions that are meaningful and open-ended but all related to the theme.
  3. Set up a space where you can break up the group into smaller 3-6 person groups and have conversations without overhearing the other groups.

How to play:

  1. At the event, break into small groups to play each round. (Preferably put people into groups of about 3-6 people).
  2. The breakout group gets into a circle and picks a person to start the round.
  3. This person will ask their first question to the group.
  4. Then the group will go around (clockwise or counterclockwise — to the right or left of this person) and have each person take turns to answer the question until it comes back around to the person who asked the question.
  5. The person who asked the question will answer the question last.
  6. After, the next person in the circle will ask their question, and so on.
  7. Repeat until all people in the small circle have asked a question (and everyone in the breakout group has answered that question).
  8. At the end of a "round", bring everyone back together into the larger group again.
  9. Let people share highlight moments with the group at large.
  10. Repeat ~twice more (however many times it takes to get through the number of questions you asked everyone to bring).
    • Break everyone out into different small groups each round.


Personal Passion Projects

AKA: "Triple P", "3P", or "Craftspeople Club"

Sharing creations of content, art, and media

Get a group/community of creatives together to share and present projects — their (most recent) creations or "works in progress" — such as: content, art, media, etc (videos, songs, images, designs).

One at a time, each person gets up to talk about their creative process, how they created their project, what they learned, what worked well/what didn't work, and how they feel about the whole production overall.

Give each creative about ~5-10 minutes to present. And give the audience about ~2-5 minutes to ask questions, give feedback, etc.