Getting started:
Preparation is the most important ingredient - the subject matter should be popular and quiz questions need to be interesting. There is a load of free resource online enabling anyone to write their own quiz, but this can take a very long time and often it's more worthwhile buying a ready-made quiz pack.
Rounds:
I recommend that most quizzes should begin with a picture round. This allows you to go to each table (if in a bar or pub) asking if they are going to participate and also lets them know the quiz will be starting imminently.
In a bar / pub walk to each table asking if they will be joining in. If they are, hand the sheets to them (usually the picture round and an answer sheet) and collect their money.
Questions: The questions in a quiz need to be challenging, accurate, guessable and interesting. There is no point in setting a question that everyone will know the answer to. When I write a quiz I try to make sure that most people / teams will get at least 50% correct, but I never want anyone to get 100%.
I want the answers to be guessable, so at least those taking part have a chance of getting it correct, even if they're not sure. Another good tip for writing quiz questions is to try to keep the questions interesting. If someone doesn't know the answer, they should want to know.
Crucially, quiz questions must be accurate! I once went to a pub quiz and there was a question along these lines: What is the name of the barrister living at No. 10 Downing Street (at the time Tony Blair was PM)? The answer given was Cherie Blair, but there was a small uproar as some teams had answered Cherie Booth - the name she used professionally. This illustrates how badly thought out questions can cause problems. If a team lost by one point because of this they would have been quite upset (after all, a pub quiz is a serious battle!)
Quiz Master Attributes:
If the quiz is being run for a large number of people, a pub or bar, or fund raiser for example, the quiz master should be confident speaking to a fairly large audience. Injecting some chitchat and humour can be good too, but remember that people are there for a quiz, not a comedy act. Also, they should be fair but firm - the quizmaster's decision is final!
Format:
How the quiz is formatted will vary depending on the event.
For pub quizzes, social and fund raising events, I find that giving out the picture round first whilst collecting the entrance fee works best. Obviously a night in with your friends is a lot more informal.
If it's a tie...
If teams are deadlocked at the end of the quiz the best way to decide the outcome is with a tiebreaker question. Make things more interesting by asking each team to select someone to answer it.
Get the person nominated to the front, and ask each team member the question for them to answer. Most of the time this will result in the rest of their team yelling what they should answer and creates a fun way to decide the outcome.
Prize giving:
Now that the winner has been decided, handing over the well-earned prize can also be done in a fun way. Don't just give them a free drink or some money - entice them to bet the prize for a sweeter one!
They could select from an envelope, gamble on successfully completing a Play Your Cards Right game, answer another question - the options are only limited by your imagination.
Preparation is the most important ingredient - the subject matter should be popular and quiz questions need to be interesting. There is a load of free resource online enabling anyone to write their own quiz, but this can take a very long time and often it's more worthwhile buying a ready-made quiz pack.
Rounds:
I recommend that most quizzes should begin with a picture round. This allows you to go to each table (if in a bar or pub) asking if they are going to participate and also lets them know the quiz will be starting imminently.
In a bar / pub walk to each table asking if they will be joining in. If they are, hand the sheets to them (usually the picture round and an answer sheet) and collect their money.
Questions: The questions in a quiz need to be challenging, accurate, guessable and interesting. There is no point in setting a question that everyone will know the answer to. When I write a quiz I try to make sure that most people / teams will get at least 50% correct, but I never want anyone to get 100%.
I want the answers to be guessable, so at least those taking part have a chance of getting it correct, even if they're not sure. Another good tip for writing quiz questions is to try to keep the questions interesting. If someone doesn't know the answer, they should want to know.
Crucially, quiz questions must be accurate! I once went to a pub quiz and there was a question along these lines: What is the name of the barrister living at No. 10 Downing Street (at the time Tony Blair was PM)? The answer given was Cherie Blair, but there was a small uproar as some teams had answered Cherie Booth - the name she used professionally. This illustrates how badly thought out questions can cause problems. If a team lost by one point because of this they would have been quite upset (after all, a pub quiz is a serious battle!)
Quiz Master Attributes:
If the quiz is being run for a large number of people, a pub or bar, or fund raiser for example, the quiz master should be confident speaking to a fairly large audience. Injecting some chitchat and humour can be good too, but remember that people are there for a quiz, not a comedy act. Also, they should be fair but firm - the quizmaster's decision is final!
Format:
How the quiz is formatted will vary depending on the event.
For pub quizzes, social and fund raising events, I find that giving out the picture round first whilst collecting the entrance fee works best. Obviously a night in with your friends is a lot more informal.
If it's a tie...
If teams are deadlocked at the end of the quiz the best way to decide the outcome is with a tiebreaker question. Make things more interesting by asking each team to select someone to answer it.
Get the person nominated to the front, and ask each team member the question for them to answer. Most of the time this will result in the rest of their team yelling what they should answer and creates a fun way to decide the outcome.
Prize giving:
Now that the winner has been decided, handing over the well-earned prize can also be done in a fun way. Don't just give them a free drink or some money - entice them to bet the prize for a sweeter one!
They could select from an envelope, gamble on successfully completing a Play Your Cards Right game, answer another question - the options are only limited by your imagination.
About the Author:
For a free quiz general knowledge pack visit QuizPack.net - providing high quality, downloadable quiz packs for any event.
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