I start this blog to compile, consolidate and share information I have on being a great emcee, or otherwise known as master of ceremonies or in short, MC. It will also share my bits and pieces of being a MC in Malaysia.
Being a great MC is more of what you see yourself as, not too much what others see you as. Really, in fact YOU are a great MC. Everyone is a great MC! If you see yourself as a great MC, you are already in the first step to becoming one. In fact, it is the first most important step to become one!
What is a Master of Ceremonies?
A master of ceremonies, MC or emcee is a conductor of an event. Dictionary.com defines a master of ceremonies as a person who directs the entertainment at a party, dinner, nightclub, radio or television broadcast, or the like, acting as host and introducing the speakers or performers. In other words, just as a director of a movie directs a movie, as a MC, you direct the event! It is the most important role to play DURING an event.
What is the role of a Master of Ceremonies?
A master of ceremonies directs and conducts an event. You control the time, performers, speeches, directs people to go on or off stage, and ensuring the smooth flow of an event. Thus, it is very important that you know exactly the flow of the program as well as the people involve in each slot of the program. You cannot call the VIP on stage for a speech when everyone (including the audio controller, lights technician, stage curtain assistant and floor manager) is expecting a dance or performance.
It is also important to liaise with all parties involved BEFORE the start of an event. If you knew that you are going to have performers on stage after a certain speech, ensure that the audio, lightings, curtains, performers and microphones are all ready for the performance. You may say, "Oh I am a MC, not the event manager" - remember that you ensure the smoothness of the program flow and you will not want your audience to stare at you blankly or wait for 15 minutes when things are not ready. There are events with experienced floor managers - it is always good to go through the list of items in the program flow with him to ensure everything is in line.
If food is part of your program - ensure you have spoken to the captain or supervisor to have the dishes ready, let them know what is the signal of getting the food out or even get someone ready to quickly inform the captain to ensure dishes are ready. I have experienced this before - even after telling the supervisor my signal, dishes need to be ready right after the speech and during the speech I even sneaked to the kitchen to inform the dishes must be out right after the speech, the dishes came out 10 minutes late, despite the supervisor boasting to me that they have done so many events and have so much experienced with all these events before - I was lucky to have prepared some jokes and things to say to keep my audience entertained while waiting.
You are also expected to represent the host and it is very important to ask the host what exactly they expect from you and what would they like you to say on behalf of them. You will need to go as low as to apologize profusely when things go wrong. In cases where an event gets sour before the event starts, such as a low turnout, wet weather or even a guest who is dissatisfied with the reception, you still have a chance to help rectify the matter during the event because YOU control the event when you grab the microphone. It doesn't matter if the host is very arrogant to apologize. The fact that if there is someone apologizing on behalf of them, he or she is even much happier because you save their "faces".
As a representative, you should also thank audience profusely for spending their time attending the event. In fact, without a good turnout, an event is normally consider unsuccessful.
Convey to the audience the objectives of an event. Do not assume everyone knows why they are there. In fact, conveying the objectives makes sense because it is also partly helping your host to promote what they have. For example, a business networking event could be to bring together a company's staffs, trade unions, and their clients together so they could exchange ideas and knowledge. It is a noble objective but if it is not conveyed, no one knows the meaning behind the event. Knowing the objective of an event also helps participants feel important at the event, and feeling that they have spent their time more meaningfully.
As a MC, you are the entertainer of the event. No one likes boring events. Even an event with royal attendance which sounds solemn and boring could be turned into a happy, meaningful and well-entertained event. Who says royals do not like entertainments or a laughter or two? Unless you are emceeing for a funeral, be entertaining! But I would love my funeral to be entertaining and fun, not a solemn one please!
Keep a list of clean jokes and scripts relevant to the event. Although you are an entertainer, it will never be a good idea to say, "Hey, you people must be very familiar with Tarzan because this place is really a jungle!", although what you may want to say is that you appreciate the nature around you.
...to be continued
