High School Post Prom and Grad Nights - What to Look For

When hiring a hypnotist for your high school post prom or grad night, there's  more to consider than cost!

Right now, I'm getting inquiries for high school post prom and graduation parties. A number of them come from online booking sites, which can often mislead committees to think that cost is the most important factor when hiring a hypnotist or other entertainer for students.

What should you look for when hiring a hypnotist for your event?

For many planning committees, cost is the deciding factor. This is understandable, since most have limited budgets. This is why I always ask about budget restrictions when making a quote. On one hand, pizza and bottles of water are pretty much the same, so seeking the lowest price probably won't make much of a difference.

But hiring a hypnotist is another matter. This person will be working with the students' minds. The number one thing to look for is maturity.

A number of the hypnotists on the online sites are inexperienced and have little education. Most might have taken a "stage hypnosis" class, have no hypnotherapy, counseling and/or psychology training, are uninsured, and will usually work for a fraction of the experienced and mature hypnotists, just to be on-stage. And some of their hypnosis skits will show the maturity level. They might be hysterical to the high school audience, but deemed completely inappropriate by the adult chaperones. In fact, inappropriate skits are the number one complaint I hear from prospective clients. "Last year's hypnotist did so and so, the kids laughed but the parents were appalled!"

That's why you need to ask what skits they do, or at least what movie-rating they would give their show.

So, this year, when hiring a hypnotist for your event try to get a feel for the maturity of the person you're about to hire. Do they really understand their craft? What do they do when something goes wrong?

​Don't be fooled by a super-cheap price, it may reflect a new hypnotist and an inappropriate show!

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