No don't worry, I haven't gone mad ......... this time!
We're still in lockdown but, with the wonders of modern technology, we're still able to keep in touch with the outside world, including friends and family and colleagues. Never before has high-speed internet been more of an essential service, or apps such as Skype, MS Teams, Houseparty and Zoom been as essential as they are now.
Let's take Zoom, for example as that's the one I've been using most. This app was founded in 2011 and offers a video call ("videchat") and online chat service and has been used during this pandemic as a way for teams to keep in touch, hold meetings, interviews, and for educational bodies (schools, universities etc) to hold classes online. Lately we have seen the demand for video-conferencing software skyrocket and as a result Zoom has seen its popularity and usage increase due to all of us who are still working using the platform to hold team meetings, interviews, online text chat, and as a result its share price has increased significantly making the company worth $42b. (1)
Houseparty is no different either. The app has seen a surge in popularity and usage during the pandemic and it has become the sixth most downloaded free app in the Apple App Store in the US, and the most downloaded app in New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom. (2) Like Zoom, it was an app that wasn't really known to the masses; only to those who have to use it, say, as part of their day to day job. And now, they are among the most prominent and downloaded free apps in app stores and a lifeline to our friends and family and the outside world.
Happily, it also allows users to keep in touch with their friends. I've been using it to chat with my friends - 2 of whom are staying at home whilst 1 continues with her role as a frontline worker in a residential care home (legend!) - and one thing we've been doing to keep ourselves entertained is pub quizzes!
It is as simple as it sounds - go to a pub, take part in a fun quiz, maybe win some drinks vouchers or money or another prize that the pub is offering. But the point is that its a fun time and we can have a laugh. Pubs are social setting, and we humans are social creatures. So the idea that we can try and bring a bit of the pub to our homes and still be together is a no-brainer, really!
So I get on a call with my 3 best friends, have a drink at hand (alcoholic or soft, doesn't matter - I've had water with me, personally), and we play a quiz together. Topics have included general knowledge, art, maths, movies, music and 90s game show rounds. Last night it was my turn to be quizmaster and my chance to channel my inner Roy Walker (honestly, go search for him as a game show host, he's brilliant!).
Production values vary depending on our own tech-savviness and willingness to sit down and put a presentation together. I personally like to invest that bit extra into my work, whatever it is, because knowing that I've put the effort into something makes it much more valuable to me and something that I can be very proud of putting together. It also makes the experience more enjoyable when its an interactive presentation that provides a visual experience along with the verbal and cerebral experience.
Put it this way. When presenting something to your boss or the Director of your company or a potential client, simply standing there and reading off a script wouldn't do much good. Sure the information and figures etc will be there, which are important, but what's equally important is the delivery! For instance, you want to sell your company to a client so that they buy goods/services from you. Its important to get facts and information right, but as humans are visual creatures we are attracted to colourful things and so putting a presentation together will give yourself an edge over other competitors. But also, how you deliver it is important. Now I'm not saying you've got to go really over the top and put on a massive spectacle, but the presentation is also about you and not just the info or the visuals.
Admittedly this is where I've got the balance a little wrong at times as I like to try and put some flair in my presentations and put something memorable in there. One time at school, we were tasked to make a case on a particular topic, and mine was whether animal testing should be banned or not. I won't go into the topic as it is an emotive subject, but if we focus on the delivery, I used images passed around to the audience, dressed up in full lab gear - white coat, safety goggles - and had other props such as beakers and glassware around me. I came 2nd, beaten by a classmate who regularly reported on the school sports teams at assemblies, which is fair enough as he did it often and had the communicative delivery down.
Regardless of if you're a quizmaster or a player, think about the learning experience you can get from it as well. As a player, questions that you get wrong you can learn from and take the right answers on board for next time or use in your own work or life.
For instance, I learned the full name of the founder of KFC (Col. Harland Sanders), the painter behind the Scream (Edvard Munch), and that Dortmund is slightly more north in Germany than Düsseldorf. For some of the questions, I searched for some inspiration and in finding that inspiration I also found education. Whether I'll be able to use that education in my later life and career remains to be seen, but the upside is that I became more informed than before I started searching for questions.
The upside is that when playing or when directing or researching, its always a learning experience. I will say that based on my experiences of doing a music intros round, I'm sure there is an easier and clearer way of doing it instead of simply playing a Spotify playlist through my laptop speakers!
Anyway, I've got to create another quiz!
Be safe!
Cover image credit: http://www.clker.com/clipart-726016.html
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