How to Choose a Stage Hypnotist

There are a lot of hypnotists out there, today.  More than you would think.  Many of them are good at what they do.  Many more are not good at what they do.  How do you choose a stage hypnotist?

In a crowded marketplace, when it’s your entertainment budget on the line, how do you know that you’re going to get your money’s worth?  It’s not just the money, either.  You’re trying to create a great experience for others to enjoy.  Memories will be made, and people will talk about the event long after it’s over.  Your reputation as an event planner will, to some degree, be connected to those memories and stories.

You’ve got to do your homework.

When you’re thinking about booking a stage hypnotist, consider the following:

Do they have legitimate training?

Stage hypnotism is an unregulated profession.  That means that stage hypnotists don’t need licenses to operate.  If you don’t ask about a stage hypnotist’s training and credentials, you could be hiring someone who learned hypnotism by watching YouTube videos.  There are several training programs out there where the hypnotist is being certified after just a weekend of training.  Be brave and ask questions about their qualifications!

How many years of experience does the hypnotist have?

A stage hypnotist could have a certification that demonstrates they did official training with a trainer, yet have very little experience actually performing.  In fairness, you’ve gotta’ start somewhere, right?  But your event may not be the one for a newly aspiring stage hypnotist to “earn their chops” at.  It’s fair for you task about their level of experience.

Can they connect you to past clients that you can talk to?

Any savvy business owner has testimonials ready and provides them freely upon request.  It worth a little bit of your time to reach out to those former clients and ask them:

• Is the hypnotist a good communicator?
• What was the quality of the show like?
• What was the material of the show like? Was it appropriate for the audience?

Does their show concept feel like a good fit for you and your audience?

It’s a common misconception that stage hypnotists do lots of different material and can do just about anything you want on stage.  Stage hypnotists, like many other entertainers, want to put a consistent product on stage so that they can control the quality delivery of that show.  We work on timing, and crafting hypnotic suggestions to get the best effect from our volunteers.  It’s important to match the show concept to your audience.

If your audience is a bunch of high school seniors, and the hypnotist is doing a show with music and cultural references from the ’90’s, it’s probably not going to go over very well, but if your audience is a bunch of corporate professionals who grew up in the ’90’s, they’re going to love it.  Most hypnotists have a demo video that shows you their show concept.  Ask them if they can provide you with one.

What About Pricing?

Like many purchases in life, pricing is negotiable.  Stage hypnosis shows are sort of like buying a car.  You can get yourself an economy car or a Ferrari, and the price will reflect what you’re getting.  If you get quoted less than $1,000 for a stage hypnosis show, that should actually be a red flag.  Standard stage hypnotism shows today book for between $1,500 and $5,000, depending on the hypnotist.  When you get a quote below $1,000 it could mean that the only thing the hypnotist has to be competitive in the market on is their price, because the show isn’t that good or they don’t have a good reputation.  There are always exceptions, but definitely start looking into the hypnotist more when you’re getting those low quotes.