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How do I Choose the Best Open House Wording?
If you will be hosting or speaking at an open house, you may be wondering what you should say and what you should not say. While the exact open house wording is best determined by the occasion, there are some things that you should consider that may benefit you and the guests. These include the purpose of the open house and the audience. You also want to avoid using that time to tell people things they already know.
An open house is usually held for a specific purpose, such as to acquaint people with facilities, products, or services. It is important to keep this purpose in mind when deciding on the open house wording. This is especially true when you are likely to have a mixed interest crowd.
For example, if you are speaking at a university, you will probably have students and their parents in attendance. If the purpose of the event is to acquaint the guests with the campus, then you must realize that most of what you say should be aimed at the students. On the other hand, if the purpose of the open house is to acquaint the guests with the billing policies, you may want to formulate your opening words for the parents.
Even when all of your guests are likely to have similar interests, you should tailor the open house wording to fit the crowd. A real estate agent who has an open house for first time home buyers should not say the same things as she would at a general open house. Make your guests feel understood by addressing their special concerns or circumstances.
If it is your intention to generate interest in things other than what the guests believe they are present for, you should use the open house wording to make a subtle introduction. Some real estate agents, for example, have found that open houses are more effective in generating interest in properties other than in the one actually being shown. In such a situation, it is appropriate to make a quick reference to the availability of options. This does not mean, however, that you should go into a sales pitch for items that your guests have expressed no interest in.
Whichever open house wording you use, in most cases, it is best to keep it brief and informal. You may think people are expecting a lengthy presentation if they show up, but many people do not want to be subjected to long spiels where they are required to sit quietly and be attentive. Many would prefer a more interactive environment.
Do not include details that most of the crowd is likely to know already. If you find the need to make statements like “I’m sure you’re probably all aware…” then whatever follows should be excluded. You should provide information that is useful and engaging, such as major selling points and incentives.
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![A real estate agent will tailor the open house wording to fit the crowd.]()
By: highwaystarzA real estate agent will tailor the open house wording to fit the crowd.
Discussion Comments
@Mor - It does depend on what kind of open house event we're talking about though. If it's just for a school or something like that, then I don't think an advertisement needs much information. I would put most of the details on the website.
If you're giving a speech or a tour or something like that, generally there is going to be some kind of specific information you are expected to convey. If it's a school, for example, you might have to go into a brief recitation of the history of the place and of the surrounding community. It's also always a good idea in a speech to thank anyone who contributed to the planning and setting up of the open day, since it often takes a lot of work behind the scenes that might not otherwise be acknowledged.
@Fa5t3r - Usually open days for houses don't need that much fancy wording anyway. It's the real estate listing that needs the decent description to make it pop. In my experience, people who are going to open days anyway will just write down every one in the area that is for a suitable house and then will visit all of them, so you don't need to be super specific in the advertising.
If it's an open day for something else, though, you probably will have to be specific about who is allowed (for example, children, pets, etc.) and how much it will cost and what attire is expected.
If you are looking for appropriate open house wording, particularly for an invitation or advertisement, then definitely take a look at the way that other people have composed invites to similar events. Real estate open houses, in particular, often have very precise wording intended to convey a large amount of information in a small amount of space.
I know it might seem easy to write real estate listings, because they tend to be very similar, but if you look at them closely, they do follow a very particular style and if you deviate from that style people might not trust that you are professional enough to host an open home event.
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