Meeting Theme: Sleightless Card Tricks

By Dave Arch on March 23, 2024

Schedule For The Evening

Prior to the meeting four table leaders selected for their ability to teach a simple yet impactful sleightless card trick and facilitate others in sharing one, are briefed on the flow of the meeting and the goal of having each person who’s there leave with a new card trick.

As people enter, they are asked if they have brought a sleightless card trick to share and if so asked to wear an “Ask Me” button (see below) along with their name tag (which everyone wears).

7:00 PM – Welcome by the MC who presents an Evening Overview

Round 1 (7:05 PM) At what we called their “Home Team” (just wherever they happened to sit), the Table Leader teaches his/her Sleightless Card Trick – encouraging others at the table to share theirs as there’s time.

Have extra decks available so people can always hold a deck in their hands – following along as each trick is taught. Encourage them to do so.

Round 2 (7:25 PM) In our case, everyone at the table excepting the leader (who will not move) numbers off by four and moves to another table. Performance and Explanation by each in the new group now occurs by those who brought a sleightless card trick to share.

(7:45 PM) Back to their Home Team tables for the Raffle Drawing and Brazen Head (after event jam session) Announcement

Round 3 (7:50 PM) Each person reports to their Home Team members any cool tricks they saw from their other table group.

We found the after-meeting time exceptionally active as people continued to share ideas or get ideas clarified about something they saw but couldn’t remember.

Optional Activity: Anytime a meeting like this one depends so heavily on the uncertainty of people coming prepared to share, I have a group activity using my Discussion Decks for a back up if the energy starts to lag at any point during the evening.

And I was prepared with a card trick of my own to go to a table or even to the front of the room to teach the card trick – helping ensure that the meeting goal of each person leaving with a new card trick would be met.

Please Note: As much as possible, we work to keep our table size between 5-7 people in all our activities. If we get below 5 people, extroverts can dominate. If we get above 7, introverts may cease participating, and in the case of this meeting, getting groups of less than 5 people increases the odds that you won’t have sufficient card tricks of high enough quality to help meet the goals of the meeting.