A successful Murder Mystery Party is one that is well paced and exciting. To keep the pace of your Murder Mystery Party going, here are 3 simple techniques from professional Murder Mystery hosts South African Murder Mysteries.
1. Use a bell
2. Take breaks
3. Time your meal
Use a Bell: At South African Murder Mysteries we’ve hosted some pretty rowdy Murder Mystery Parties, and chances are yours will get pretty rowdy too. Instead of trying to shout above your guests, or running after them with important information when they go for a cigarette, use a bell. At the start of your night explain that when you ring the bell you need everybody to resume their seats and keep quiet as you are about to reveal information essential for them to solve the Murder Mystery. Use your bell whenever things get rowdy to let guests know you have a clue or instruction coming.
Take Breaks: The average human has an attention span of about 20 minutes – the average Murder Mystery Party is 3 to 4 hours. Hmmmmm. If you don’t give your guests regular breaks by the end of the night you will lose them. Some will be wandering outside for a smoke, some will be chatting about the football, but they will not all be focused on your Murder Mystery. So at the end of every scene in your Murder Mystery host’s handbook, ring your bell and announce a 5 minute drink break. Remind your guests that when they hear your bell again they need to sit down. These short breaks will keep guests sharp and focuses.
Time your meal If you break for dinner but your meal isn’t ready, your guests will naturally fill the time with conversation. This may be about your Murder Mystery game, but more than often it isn’t and your guests slip out of character. The longer they are out of character the more difficult it is for you to get the energy of the Murder Mystery Party going again. So don’t cook a fancy new meal you haven’t tried before. Stick to something you’ve cooked a hundred times, that you know you won’t have to watch like a hawk and that you know will be ready for the end of that scene when you ring your bell. That way you don’t spend all your time in the kitchen watching dinner, and there is no lull when you move from Murder time to supper time. Controlling the pace of your Murder Mystery with these simple tips ensures that your Murder Mystery remains focused, character driven and manageable providing a fun Murder Mystery Party for everybody.
This blog entry was contributed by South African Murder Mysteries, professional Murder Mystery Party hosts. Check out their Murder Mystery Party website for live Murder Mystery Dinners in South Africa.
