Guide to Running a Successful Quiz
What makes a good quiz? Difficult questions? Big prizes? Fierce competition? Loads of beer? Well, if you are planning on running a quiz night you should definitely aim for a few of these!
Questions
It is a myth that the questions need to be really challenging for them to be considered good. Yes, quiz participants will want a challenge, but a balance will need to be met between the really tough and reasonably easy.
I generally aim for 20% reasonably easy (I would expect most people to answer these), 20% difficult (I would expect most people not to answer these) and the rest of medium difficulty. You don’t want to exclude the occasional quizzer with ridiculously difficult questions but you want to separate the winners.
How big should the prize be?
Generally I find that people don’t enter a quiz night to win the prize – they do it to be social, to be challenged and to have fun. They also do it to wrestle with the knowledge of the other participants! However, giving out the prize can be part of some mild entertainment by getting the winning team to bet their claimed prize for something even better!
Get them to pick from an envelope, spin a wheel, play a game of some sort – whatever you can think of that will get everyone laughing!
The QuizMaster
The quizmaster needs to be confident speaking to large numbers of people, fair but firm, patient with the quizzers and good humoured. They should never allow themselves to be bullied into giving an extra point for an answer that is almost right. Their decision should always be final.
Do I need a load of beer?
Not an essential ingredient (unless held in a pub!) but a few beers for a fundraiser or social event can create a fun party atmosphere. You don’t want to make people feel like they are taking part in an exam! Make it as fun as possible.
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