Entertaining Hacks That Will Make You Look Like A Pro!
Hosting a party and not everyone knows each other? How do you set the tone for a conversational environment even among strangers? We’ll share with you our best kept secrets that help your guests make a connection!
We’ve hosted quite a few different events to experience the dos and don’ts first hand, so you get to experience only the best at your event! These tips will take your party to the next next and make you the hostess with the mostest!
This post is all about entertaining hacks!
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Background Music
We put our MVP tip at the top because you can’t afford to miss this one, my friends! I will do almost anything to avoid hosting a party if I’m not going to get background music. Even among good friends, a dinner party can face stale moments accompanied by crickets. Once the awkward silence creeps in, it can be hard to get someone to speak up. Background music fixes ALL of this and more! People feel comfortable talking as the background music is eliminating the awkward sound of silence
Choose The Right Background Music
The type of background music you choose is really dependent on the what type of event you’re hosting. While this isn’t always true, I usually recommendation avoiding music with a LOT of lyrics if you want to have a party with more talking than dancing. Songs with lyrics tend to draw more attention to the music than the conversation at the table. Songs like “High Hopes For A Living” is catchy, but sometimes guests get distracted by the music. This is just a suggestion, so play around with your background music and see what works best for you as a host.
AVOID loud music! I can count the amount of times I’ve been to a party or an event where the people have complained that they can’t hear each other talk. Concerts are the only place where people seem to want the music to be front and center. Other than concerts, I have never been to an event where a person is complaining that the music is too low. Unless you make it so low it is practically none existent.
I’m going to list out a few of my top go-to soundtracks which help protect my guests from awkward long pauses.
Pride & Prejudice Soundtrack
When I host my ladies Bible group, I’m playing the Pride and Prejudice piano soundtrack. I like the elegant, cottage core feelings I get from this track and I find women respond to this track very positively.
Movie Classic Soundtracks
This is a great go-to when I am hosting an event with various age groups. This orchestra plays all of the best hits throughout movie history, so all ages catch the references. I find this soundtrack gets the most compliments as it gives my guests a sense of nostalgia.
**Warning! Save The Above Link**
This is the only link I’ve ever found where Youtube hasn’t cut off portions of the music throughout the video. As a host you don’t want to be rushing to your phone to fast forward to the next song as this messes up the flow of your evening. A jarring stop to the music is also not pleasant, so save this link if you like this soundtrack.
Turn The Lights On Early
If you are hosting an event that will bleed into the evening then turn on the lights at the very beginning. This allows a smooth transition from natural light to artificial light. Having a transition prevents a jarring experience which reminds your guests it’s getting late. I’ve watched conversations begin to dwindle as the sudden change in light reminds everyone that it’s getting late and may be time to go soon.
Scents
Hosting a party in a location guests are not familiar with may make them feel out of their element. I make my home feel as comfortable as possible by filling the air with welcoming scents. I’ve watched the shoulders of my new guests relax as they walk through the door and be embraced by the lovely aroma which makes them feel welcome.
PRO TIP: I only light candles if I’m making food that doesn’t create this experience for the person. If I’m making sourdough bread then I’ll let the sourdough bread be the comforting scent compared to having two strong smells competing for attention.
Delegate The Little Tasks To Your Guests
You know that awkward moment where your guests are standing around not knowing what to do and you can’t start the activities because not everyone has arrived? Give them little activities to keep them busy like setting the plates on the table. Some guests really want to help out, so leave little tasks like carrying food out to the eating area for the early arrivers.
{Enjoying our entertaining hacks? Read Our Post On ‘How To Host Overnight Guests
Know Your Audience
As the host, you’re goal is not to be the center of attention, but to help get conversations sparking amongst your guests. I start to ask myself some questions before the event begins:
- Who is going to get along with who the most?
- Who has similar careers, goals, interests?
- Who needs to be introduced to who first? How would I introduce them in a way that sparks conversation among the two when I leave?
Pro Tip: Avoid introducing people by only explaining how you are acquainted with the guest. This doesn’t leave a lot of room for people to expound on conversation when you go off to talk to other people.
Examples
Don’t: “This is Shelly! I’ve known her since we used to work at the Coffee Bean, and she’ll be joining us every Thursday evenings in our Bible study group.”
Do: “This is Shelly! We both used to work at the same coffee shop. She just got back from a road trip to the Grand Canyon.”
The second introduction leaves more room for the conversation to continue should your attention get pulled elsewhere. I typically try to introduce people based on interests I know will create a conversation.
This post was all about how to entertaining hacks!
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This post was all about entertaining hacks
