What is a Show and Tell Party?
A show and tell party is simply the adult version of show and tell in preschool: get your friends together and have everyone bring their favourite thing to share with the group! The ‘thing’ they bring doesn’t even have to be a tangible object. While it can be something tangible – such as a cherished antique with a backstory, a favourite pair of shoes, or a lifechanging book or movie, it could just as well be an awesome podcast, website, favourite new band, or virtual program/community. It could be a groundbreaking idea someone’s stumbled upon or anything else that has made enough of an impact that they can’t not talk about it. Basically, a favourites show and tell party is where everybody gets a chance to share whatever burning fascination is on their mind – with a rapt audience and good refreshments!
This is a unique theme that doesn’t necessarily fall into the format of most other party themes. That gives you a lot of flexibility in how you host your party. Here we’ll cover the basic gist of adult show and tell as well as planning ideas and universal party basics, and you take it from there!
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How to Throw a Show and Tell Party
1. Create a Comfortable and Inviting Space
A show and tell party doesn’t require decorations but, by all means, feel free to decorate with party streamers and such if you so choose! You can usually find inexpensive party supplies if you know where to look.
The important thing is to make your space look nice. This goes for any party. Clear clutter (a good practice to do anyway), maybe rearrange/optimize your home décor to better showcase your favourites (on topic, we are), and set out any decorative throw pillows and the like. You also want your space to be comfortable, so ensure that each guest will have some kind of decent seat, whether that’s a chair, spot on the couch, or soft cushions on a rug. Pleasant aromas from scented candles always add a very cozy touch during a party (and all the time).
Background music helps to make a relaxing and upbeat party vibe. Whatever music you choose to play, make sure the volume is low enough that everyone can easily hear one another as they show and tell their favourite things. There is no one-size-fits-all – your choice of audio depends entirely on your taste. The only universal party rule is to not play anything offensive, blaringly negative or stressful. Other than that, have something fun or pleasant in mind to play. Just remember to stick strictly to background music during actual show and tell, as you don’t want it to distract from what your guests are sharing.
2. Prepare Finger Foods and Beverages
Whether you provide all refreshments or whether you request that guests bring a snack to share, make sure there’s plenty of tasty food to share! While it’s easy to spend a lot on food, you can spend less by preparing your own dishes rather than buying pre-made party platters. This means you need to plan your party menu and set aside time to prepare food in advance (included in your time block to-do list below). While that takes more effort and preparation on your part, it also gives you more freedom over specific ingredients. This is important, say, if someone is gluten free. You can always budget by inviting guests to BYOB and/or bring edible items to share. Most people are happy to contribute (see 3. Guest Participation). But regardless, be aware of any invited guests’ dietary restrictions and provide at least one or two decent food/drink options for them.
It’s easiest to stick to finger foods at a show and tell party. Depending on how many guests you have, the majority of the party may likely involve actual show and tell. It’s tricky (and potentially messy) to show and tell your favourite thing with a plate full of pasta on your lap. A plate of appetizer type foods is simply easier to navigate, even when you’re listening to another guest share their favourite thing. Consider dishes like a cheese board, nuts, popcorn, chips and guacamole (unlike salsa, guac doesn’t try to escape a paper plate), finger sandwiches, and other easy apps.
Offer a variety of beverages. If you (and any of your guests) enjoy alcohol, basics like wine and beer are always popular. Or you could get fancy with fun mixed drinks. Always provide delicious non-alcoholic beverages like juice, flavored sparkling water, or tea.
3. Establish Guest Participation
Guest participation is how you’d like your guests to participate or contribute to your party. Of course, a show and tell party can only exist with guest participation! Everyone participates by sharing/discussing their favourite thing. But you can, for example, additionally request that everyone bring a snack to share, too. Or you could make it BYOB. If you do ask others to bring food to share, just make sure that as the host you provide at least one large dish that is both tasty and filling.
Always choose your guests mindfully and with their interests in mind. Prioritize friends who you know would most enjoy showing/talking about their favourite thing. Most people have no problem talking about something that lights them up, but it may not be everyone’s cuppa.
It’s a good idea to suggest to guests, on the initial invitation, to bring a notepad and pen. That way they can jot down notes if somebody shares something that they really like and want to check out later!
4. The Name of the Game: Favourites Show and Tell
After everyone’s arrived and has had a chance to fill their plates and pour their drinks, have your guests sit down together for show and tell! Whether you have everyone sit around a table or cozied on the couch and/or floor of the living room is up to you – everyone’s space varies, but you want people to be comfortable and to be able to continue snacking/sipping.
Show and tell is as simple as it sounds: start with anybody (to keep it simple and to set an example, maybe start with yourself – the host) and have them talk about their favourite thing. If it’s a tangible object, this is where they show it off for everyone else to see. That’s all there is to it! Any normal discussion related to their favourite naturally follows – this isn’t a monolog. But for each person’s turn, the topic is on what they have chosen to share.
Ensure that everyone has a fair share
It’s a good idea to set a couple of ground rules in case anyone tends to get a little longwinded. Certain people, with the best of intentions, can get so excited about sharing a topic of their own interest with others that they tend to never stop. This isn’t a problem if you aren’t at work or don’t have kids or anything important to do (in other words, if you have unlimited time on your hands). But at your party, you want to at least make sure every guest has a fair shot to share their favourite. After all, that’s the whole point of your show and tell party! So set a time cap for each person before show and tell begins and clarify that each of them has that much time.
How much time you allot to each person depends on how long you want your party to last and how many people are there. So if you only have six people including yourself and you have at least another couple of hours to party, each of you can expand upon your favourite thing for twenty minutes. And that naturally includes discussion – not a twenty-minute monolog. But within those twenty minutes, the focus of the party is on that specific guest’s favourite thing. So kindly remind others who unintentionally steer the topic elsewhere.
Of course, everyone doesn’t have to use up their entire time allotment – maybe someone shares everything they want or can within five minutes, and there isn’t much discussion beyond that. Roll with it and on to the next person! It isn’t a work presentation, after all, and some people prefer to use fewer words by nature.
The idea is simply that everyone gets a fair shot to share what they love. If there’s time left over, then let the discussion go where it may, like any casual party. The only thing you’ll need to make sure of is that each person has at least the allotted amount of time to share and keep discussion on their topic. This is fairly straightforward but important if, as mentioned above, any other guests are overzealous for the spotlight.
Checklist of Items You Need
These are the things you need for this party:
- Your favourite thing to show/discuss (whether tangible or intangible)
- Food and drinks
- Party supplies such as paper plates, cups, etc. (unless you provide your real dishes)
- Background music/speakers
- Notepad and pen
- Stopwatch (or stopwatch app) to time each guest’s share
- Decorations and/or scented candle (optional)
Preparation Checklist for Your Show and Tell Party
1. First, confirm that people can come on any chosen date:
- Choose party date/time, and preferably alternative date(s) as well
- Choose guest list and establish minimum number of guests you’d like (to make it worth your effort). Also, keep a maximum number in mind (so everyone actually has time to show and tell!)
- Six weeks out, confirm guests’ interest in the party and availability on chosen party date(s)
- If your preferred minimum number of guests confirm interest and availability, have them secure calendar date for your awesome party!
2. Then, proceed with the fun planning:
- Schedule time on your calendar for each step of party prep (securing and/or making food/drinks, etc.)
- Create invitations with all the details and send them out 4 weeks before the party
- Order any desired party supplies and decorations 3 weeks out (so they arrive in time to prepare and set up)
- Shop for any desired party supplies/decorations you don’t order online, as well as non-perishable food/drinks
- In your planned time slots, acquire perishable food/drinks early enough in advance to prepare in time
- In your planned time slots, set up any decorations you choose to use
- In your planned time slots, prepare food/drinks (depending on how long things keep)
3. Day of Party (in your amply planned time slot):
- Prepare any foods/drinks that are too fresh to do any earlier
- Prepare ambience (music, candles)
- Get dressed in your favourite party outfit
- Once everything’s ready, meditate or do any preferred self-care to get in a good head space if you aren’t already. You want to be a relaxed, energized, and happy host – both for yourself and for your guests, who will pick up on your contagiously good vibe and automatically be happier as well!
A show and tell party is a lot of fun. It brings people together, gets them talking about their favourites (the happiest kind of discussion), and facilitates learning and connections. People may become interested in what someone else has shared, and some may suddenly discover common ground. So invite your friends, start planning, and have a great time with it!