ENDING THE GAME

I think that a proper ending to the Game is as important as any other part. Here, you have done everything you could during the evening to have things go well. The ending is the climax and will leave people satisfied and hopeful for the future or will drop the ball and waste some of the effort you have made.

Communication is not a finite thing, I believe that it is endless, or should be considered so. An expansion of communication is an expansion of life, and is worth promoting in most every way possible.

Therefore, I don't believe the ending of a People Game should be an ending. It should be a beginning. Don't "close up shop." Don't send people home. Let them know you've enjoyed them and that you would like to see them again. Set things up so that they can continue talking with one another and build on the new relationships they've begun. The end procedure shown below will help to do these things.

First, let them know that the Game is not over, that they have the rest of the evening to chat. Do the Communication Assessment to settle out any problems or hangups they might have had with their partners. Invite them to come back to other People Games, and ask them if they would like to participate by being a leader or a host. Talk over the Game with them if they have questions and let them know where the Games came from if they are interested.

Then, don't say, "Good night," which is an invitation to go home. Instead, invite them to stay a while and remind them that there are still some refreshments left over that need to be used up.

Following is a checklist to follow which should make it easy. If you misplace the checklist and don't remember the sequence, you can simply follow the outline in "CONTINUING THE FUN" in the brochure.

THE WINDUP

1.      Interrupt. Get people's attention. Apologize for the interruption and encourage them to continue after you finish talking.

2.      Announce that the Game is over, but that the evening is not. The remaining time (until 11:00) is for additional socializing.

3.      Do the Communication Assessment. This is described in a separate chapter.

4.      Ask if they enjoyed the Game and invite them to come again to some of the others. Mention titles and days specifically if you can to make it real. The more they come the more new friends they will make.

5.      Ask if anyone would like to become a leader or a host.

6.      Ask for questions, suggestions, or comments.

7.      Invite them to remain and chat.