E = Emcee Squared: Tips & Techniques to Becoming a Dynamic Master of Ceremonies. Rae Stonehouse
plan. It isn’t about issuing orders that must be followed. It is helpful to think of your role as being that of an orchestra conductor. While strategy is necessary, the event goes much smoother if everyone is working from the same page. I don’t have a musical background but I do know that the conductor leads the musicians to play from the same page, together and adding to each other’s sound. When that doesn’t happen … I guess that’s what they call Jazz!
A helpful tip is to insist on the client designating a single person to be the go-to-person to solve problems. Quite often there can be last minute changes to the agenda or on-the-spot input that can change the agenda. Simply insist that all changes to the agenda and announcements come from the designated client representative. That way the client is in control of the meeting and you look good in their eyes.
An Emcee should have the ability to “ACE” an event.
The three A’s:
•Awake - make them laugh and they will pay attention.
•Alert - look forward to your next quip.
•Alive - even if the speaker you introduce bores them, they will anticipate your return, expecting more fun.
The three C’s:
•Current - talk about today’s news events or this event.
•Clever - intellectually funny, not silly.
•Concise - say it quickly, make your point, get off.
Should the client request a serious set of introductions then you employ...
The three E’s:
•Excitement - about the person or company.
•Enthusiasm - about what they do.
•Energy - to keep attention even if the subject is dry.
“The right Emcee can make or break your event. It is important to position yourself as the right person.”
Source: Unknown
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Get Organized: Event organizing can be a lot like cat juggling
As the Emcee your role is to create order from chaos. Quite often your client has an idea about the way they want their event to flow but really don’t know how to make it happen. That’s where you come in. I liken emceeing to cat juggling. Metaphorically speaking of course! Sometimes the cats fly where you want to and sometimes they have a mind of their own and go where they want to.
Cats are like ideas. Your client likely has lots of them and they are flying all over the place. Your role as Emcee is to get those cats flying in formation i.e. to get all of those ideas to make sense.
Get Organized Think logistically: Consider all aspects of your event
The Five Ws and an H provide the framework for writing any good story. They also serve well to perform a strategic analysis of any event that you are organizing. We will break them down to logistical questions that you should ask as the first step in organizing an event.
Who:
•Who is the client? Contact info?
•Who do you report to?
•Who do you approach during the event if there is a problem?
•Who will be participating or speaking in the program? Examples: keynote speakers, VIPs, dignitaries (Note: we talk about introducing speakers later and the information that you will need to collect from them.)
•Who will be in the audience?
What:
•What is the nature of the event?
•Is the event intended to be educational, informative, entertaining, thought provoking, to provide recognition? Any of the above, or all?
•What does the planned program look like i.e. structure, elements?
When:
•What is the date and time of the event?
•Will you have any duties to perform before or after the actual speaking portion of the event? Example: Meeting & greeting at a pre-meeting reception or post event get-together. Corralling guests from a reception to the main room.
•Are there any plans in place for rescheduling the event if unforeseen and insurmountable challenges occur?
Where:
•What is the location of the event i.e. the street address?
•What specific room will the event be held in at the location?
•Where will you be emceeing from i.e. is there a stage, head table etc.
•Are there any environmental concerns? Example: If your event is outside could weather have an effect on the program i.e. wind, rain, snow etc.
Why:
•What is the purpose of this event? What does the hosting organization hope to achieve? Are there any hidden agendas?
How:
•How will the hosting organization determine whether this event is a success or not?
•How will the hosting organization determine if your participation in the event is a success or not?
Think Logistically: What do you need to know that you don’t know but you really should know?
Thinking logistically is very much like being a detective. It can be quite frustrating to learn a detail that if you had known at the time, it could have saved you a lot of time and effort. This can sometimes result from assumptions that people have. “Oh, sorry, I though you knew that!” On the other hand, there are people that like to control information. Information can be used as personal power. I’m sure you have heard the term “It’s on a need to know basis.” You do need to know!
In the previous section we discussed the five Ws and an H. The Ws provide us with information that we need to work on the How portion of our event. Given the information that we have collected, how are we going to make this event work and be successful?
There was a television commercial a few years back, I believe that it might have been for Holiday Inn. The commercial used the tagline “The best surprise is no surprise.” I keep that tagline in mind when I am organizing an event. I want to know all the details so that I can develop an effective plan of action.
By envisioning how each part of the agenda/program plays out, I can determine the logistics related to each portion. I think in terms of what does it look like if it works? What has to take place for it work? What if it doesn’t work out and things go wrong? What can I do to resolve the problem at the time?
In the next section we discuss how to keep track of the logistics you have identified, on a spreadsheet. At this point, thinking logistically is about identifying factors, conditions or activities that have to take place for something else to go smoothly.
Later in this book we discuss developing a backup plan should something go wrong.
Get Organized: Develop an agenda
It is not that unusual for the event host or organizer