When people ask how I did something, I give them the correct answer: who cares?
I mean that kindly. A trick you have to solve is homework, and nobody should get homework at a holiday party. That goes double for lawyers.
Dr. Larry Richard, a lawyer and psychologist who studies the legal personality, has found that the average lawyer scores in the top 10 percent on skepticism (Slaw). I can’t think of a better reason to give them the night off from it.
I’ve performed for rooms like this: The Perecman Firm at Redeye Grill in Manhattan, Bayard Law at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, and about 125 in-house lawyers from the Association of Corporate Counsel at One North Broad in Philadelphia. Here is what I think that kind of party is for.
It isn’t for solving anything
The people in that room look for flaws for a living. Don’t book them another assignment.
What I do isn’t a puzzle, and I don’t present it as one. The fun is in the moment itself: something impossible just happened to someone you know, and everyone at the table saw it.
So when someone asks how it’s done, I’d rather they ask something more interesting. What was it like when I named the thing you were thinking of? What did your boss’s face do?
It’s for having fun together
I often bring people in as helpers, and we banter. That’s a big part of the fun. Nobody looks like a fool unless they really can’t take a joke.
If you know who in the room would make a great helper, tell me before the party.
It’s for giving people something new to talk about
These people see each other all year, and most of what they have in common is work. A holiday party is a chance to talk about something else.
When something impossible has just happened to a colleague, nobody has to reach for small talk. People who rarely speak now have something to say to each other, and they’ll still be saying it on Monday.
That’s why I usually suggest close-up mind reading during the reception. It reaches people a few at a time, in the groups they’ve already chosen, and it needs no stage and no announcement.
The question to ask before you book anything
Picture your firm’s party an hour in. Is anyone working?
If your entertainment asks them to figure something out, they are. Find something that lets them stop.
If you’re planning this year’s party, I’ve written a fuller guide to law firm holiday party entertainment, including ten options and where each one struggles. For firms in the area, here’s more about my work as a Philadelphia corporate magician and mentalist.
December fills up quickly. Check availability here.
