I give some light tips and try to stay away from rules other then "shoot the lit shot" for first timers.

-Try not to crazy willie nilly hitting the flippers over and over.

-Try not to hit both flippers at once as it normally ends up with a drain.

-Teach them about cradling a ball and basics of control.

-Provide lots of alcohol (ok this one is not real but it may have a positive effect on some and I want to see if your skimming or reading).

-Baby steps even show them how the plunger and starting a game works.

Sit back and watch them smile and if they don't smile they are definitely not one of us and should be tested for alien blood. Best of luck on pin school.

Let them play, when you step in and make them look like crap they are bored.

Shoot the lights.

Play the video in the game room so they can see what to do. They do not care what you have to say any more than you want to listen to them tell stories.

This

Unless they ask you to play so they can see how you do it, just let them play. And be enthusiastic! If they make a shot say "nice!", if they just miss a shot say "oh, close! try again!", and if they drain say "good ball! you've got another one ready to go".

Mention these basics:

Then if they feel like they're getting the hang of it and getting into it, explain some of the broad rules and while they're playing commentate and tell them what to shoot for.

Also depending on the person, I find that it can make a game less overwhelming to look at if you explain the shots and where they send the ball.

know what you mean, some people just arent cut out for the stuff at all, not having the eye-mind-hand coordination or the reflexes to even really begin playing, or to want to keep trying. I grew up on skateboards, pinball, foosball, guitars etc, some can, some cant.
let them watch you play while calling out what you're doing, things starbase mentioned like a ball catch, maybe a post transfer, and aiming takes practice. they'll catch on and get into playing it, or maybe not. for lots of people direct competitive is a turnoff, ask if theyre gonna beat their own last score? it'll take me a few games to warm up to decent playing a machine too sometimes.

I'm currently teaching my 11 year old cousin how to play.

I told him to aim for whatever is blinking.

Taught him not to hit both flippers at the same time.

Taught him the same thing Yoda taught Luke: Control, control, you must learn control.

He still sucks at pinball, but he really likes it. I can definitely see an improvement to the way he plays. I'm sure when he is 14/15, it will start to click for him. That's when it clicked for me, in terms of knowing how to go for multi-ball and understanding how to slow the game down.

It wasn't until 2 years ago, when I finally learned that pinball has in-depth rules and modes/missions to accomplish. When the arcades died, I stopped playing pinball, except for the 2 years my brother was still married and had one. Once I bought my first, it took my game to another level, but there was a lot of practice involved.

Silver ball...hit with flippers.

Let em flounder around hitting both flippers and playing badly while laughing at them, then scream in their face when they drain the ball...that's how I treat the toddlers.

Seriously though, just inform them of potential shots to make and the game has rules if they wanna follow em.

How did you learn how to play? I went to the arcade, put in dimes/quarters and played the game. Time will get you better. Granted, in '65 the games weren't quite as deep.... but it still took learning the game.

I agree with most of the above. Too much instruction can turn new players off. The thrill is in the discovery. Also, accept that pinball is not for everyone, some folks just don't get it.

Just keep it in play as best you can and forget complicated rulesets. Ball control and flipper skills can be improved as you go along. Chronic double flippers are a sign of a newb.........

You might try starting them out on an EM first, since the rulesets and shot selection are simpler. I see from your collection that you have Toledo, so if someone wants to learn how to play from you, you could bring them to that game first.

When they get that figured out, tell them to shoot for the flashing lights.

Go for the blinking light is usually a decent strategy for noobs, however I find going for Multi Ball is the kill shot.
Once they work towards and get a multi-ball goin, they're hooked all night.

Hopefully your game has a fairly easy means of starting one.

Most noobs assume pinball is nothing more than keeping the ball bouncing around. Once they accomplish something as rewarding as mutli-ball, or in other words - keeping LOTS of balls bouncing around, they usually want to figure out more rules and strategies.

I do this thing where I play the right flipper and they play the left flipper.

A. Makes it impossible for them to flip both at once.

B. Everyone knows whose fault it was when there's a drain. Quite obvious whose flipper was up causing the ball to bounce off the underside and drain. Teaches the principle of fast flips without you saying anything.

C. Causes them to witness advanced stuff that you do, like drop catches and whatever outlane nudging you can do from your side.

D. You can show them tricks like your post pass and make them feel like they're involved in it. Also you can show them principles of ball control by ALWAYS dead bouncing the ball to them. They'll be happy to get the ball more to take easy shots. And they'll also gradually realize that you can relax and let the ball lose momentum the same way.

E. With more invested in watching you play, they will also see how you are punished with bricks after carefully gaining control of the ball. They will see how often a post pass gets things out of control. I think some people resist playing a controlled game because they're punished so frequently and it makes them feel foolish. If they see that this is just part of the game, for anyone, they will be more likely to take it in stride.

I will say that this is a weird thing to do with another man that is not a close friend or relative or something. I would never try this with a stranger in a bar unless it was a lady. And the couple of times I did do it with a stranger lady, it was a great ice breaker.