Consciously choosing to eliminate a litany of announcements to begin the meeting, you instead walk to the front of the room and begin unexpectedly by saying something like “I need everyone to please stand up. I’m going to read a statement. If you agree with it, please go and stand against that wall (point to the room wall on your left). If you disagree with it, please go and stand by that wall (point to the room wall on your right). No one is allowed to stand in the middle.”
You read your first statement.
You’ll have their attention immediately by not beginning with a preamble of announcements or club business and rather just starting the meeting.
After the room has divided, you go to the wall with the fewest people and start getting their reasons for standing against that wall. Then you go to the opposite wall and get the reasons from some of them for their wall selection.
No conclusion is reached. However, interesting viewpoints are expressed. Conversations have begun.
You then might go on to read one or two other statements – allowing members to change walls if they wish. However, again no one is allowed to stand in the middle. If you’ve written your statements using the principles below, many will want to stand in the middle.
Here’s the key. Every statement that you create must SOUND specific but in actuality be ambiguous. There must NEVER be a right or wrong answer to the statement. In the examples below, see if you can pick out the words that make it sound specific and the words that actually make it ambiguous.
Here are three examples of some statements we used in one of our monthly events.
- “YouTube has helped the art of magic as much as it has hurt it.”
- “It hurts magic when magicians keep using the tricks already seen by so many (i.e. The Linking Rings, The Cups and Balls, The Egg Bag, etc.).”
- “It would be better for most people to learn a trick from a video only (without a book) as opposed to a book only (without a video).”
Our hope is that your club finds this an energizing activity too.
Categories: Meeting Activities, Uncategorized
Magic Club Leadership Resources 