Pebbles
 

Got this emailed to me and I thought I posted it here..! Now is this the Natural Way.....? Thinking on the spot!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Pebbles Without a Cause
by Bolshevik
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I was at the bar chatting up two adorably
mischievous looking girls who shared my snarky
sarcasm and we were all enjoying each others'
company. At one point the energy of the
interaction just plummeted as the enthusiasm of
whatever we were discussing dried up. It was one
of those sudden dead zones of conversation that
ust lingers in the air for all to feel until
someone says, "So, anyway..." in attempt to
jump start the momentum again.

Instead of transitioning into another piece of
material my mouth simply blurted out something to
spackle over the silence and I quipped, "I have a
Monopoly board. Do you wanna be the thimble or
the top hat?" And suddenly the set jolted back to
life as they chuckled, we all agreed that
Monopoly sucked and imagined someone bringing a
board game to a bar. That moment and the
efficiency of that line stuck in my mind and I
used it again successfully later. The next night
I seized opportunities to throw out similar
quick-hitting pebbles that packed the same little
punch...

"We're all gonna dress up as the Village People
and sing karaoke. Do you wanna be the cop or the
Indian?"

"We're all gonna hop on the bar and dance like
Coyote Ugly. Did you bring a cowboy hat?"

They both worked and it struck me that the
template was simple:

A quick, silly suggestion and then a tightly-
worded, whimsical question that invites them to
be creative and play along.

Ever since, I've been amusing myself by winging
them out during lulls in conversation. As soon as
I sense an empty gap in an interaction, I have
fun by blurting out "We're all gonna..." and then
dare my brain to string together some random
silliness on the spot. If it's fun, spontaneous,
zany and mischievous it works and the energy
spikes back up.

"We're all gonna play naked twister. You're
flexible, right?"

"We're all gonna team up and tickle somebody. Who
should it be?"

"We're all gonna go outside and egg cop cars. Can
you run fast?"

"We're all gonna pile into the bathroom and
serenade someone in a stall. What song should we
sing?"

"We're all gonna drink whiskey and go break my
dad out of jail. Can you bring the saw?"

"We're all gonna have a dance-off. Will you do
the robot?"

"We're all gonna climb up and touch the Hollywood
sign for good luck." (credit: Style)

Use these pebbles to fill a silence, get a
chuckle and then transition right into another
story, routine, or even open an adjacent set,
once you've already social proofed. You're not
being serious when you say this or even expecting
an answer. Toss it out there, let them in on the
fun and maybe they'll want to add on or run with
it, but be ready to stack to the next thread.

You're just being silly, amusing yourself. Don't
scan their eyes for a response. As is the mantra
of pick-up, be non-reaction seeking. Make it up
on the spot or memorize a few of these so you
always have a cute, fun line cocked and ready to
fire. Have a blast!

Very good.
I generally throw out random stuff during silences suchas :

Aren't [penguins/flugal binders] cool
Or...
Why are [cereal boxes] so [square]?

Loving your technique though, gonna use this.

A classic example of a good use for canned stuff. Very useful indeed.

Very cool!
Definitely gonna be using the naked twister one.

I think the point is to think of something random on the spot

The fact that it is blurted out rather than canned gives it edge and keeps not only you, but the targets/girls on there toes with energy and excitment. Wicked stuff.

Loving this. I hate these moments and seems like a good response to it.

just remember that you are not their entertaining monkey for the night, silences can be powerful-- sure be awesome and lay down the banter until youve hit a level of comfort with them, but dont fear a silence - see if they fill it themselves--if not they dont give a shit about the intereaction and you, so eject
Me 'im bored now im off'

remember you are high value they should contribute to the intereaction

woah, this thread brings back memories!