Felix Jung, 20×2: Are You Ready?

For this 20×2 event, the prompt was “Are You Ready?”

I’m a big fan of the format, and lately… I’ve been wanting to try something new, something different. I really liked the idea of audience participation, to break through the fourth wall and do more than just a standard talk or presentation.

A favorite past talk of mine involved 100 Kazoos and a shot of tequila. I wanted a similar kind of audience participation, and ended up going with a similar tactic.

This time around? 100 ping pong balls. And also: a shot of tequila.

My goal: spend most of the time getting the audience to get into position. And for everyone to count down to zero, and throw their balls at the same time.

In practice, things didn’t quite go as expected. The audience moved into position faster than I predicted. And one audience member (Mr. Scott Smith) threw me for a loop, as he rushed the stage almost immediately when the timer started.

I had a series of “ball” jokes prepared (hat tip to Alec Baldwin and SNL, circa 1998). Mostly this banter was meant to fill the time, while everyone slowly approached the stage.

Well, the jokes didn’t quite time out and hit that well. I still think they were funny, but the delivery just didn’t quite land. But I think everyone still had a pretty fun time, getting out of their seats and moving closer to the stage.

Towards the end, my goal of having everyone throw at the same time fell apart. You can start to see everyone worried about the timer, and more and more throws taking place. As a nice finish/flourish, Scott rushed the stage again and got a ball into the cup (but I’m also pretty sure Veronica Arreola) also sank a shot, from the outskirts of Stage Left.

I’m glad to have done a more interactive talk, despite things not quite going to plan. Still interesting in doing more audience participation in the future… but I think I’ve exhausted the tequila shot angle. Might not be able to bring that back for a few more years, yet.

Related:
Felix Jung, 20×2 Chicago: Who Cares?
Felix Jung, 20×2 Chicago: Is It Possible?
Felix Jung, 20×2 Chicago: What Did We Miss?
A Sonic Rube Goldberg Machine with 100 Kazoos and a Shot of Tequila