An emcee is that person who acts as the facilitator and host of any occasion. It can be a party, wedding, conference, seminar, and more. Till the time you are on the microphone and keeping the audience engaged, you are the emcee. The main work of an emcee is keeping the crowd warm and engaged until the main event starts. As an emcee, you will have to set the tone and introduce the members and participants in the event. Besides, you will be the one responsible for making sure that the entire program runs smoothly. You will also have to be aware that the transition from one segment to the other does not become boring for the audience. You can check out the story of Sylvia Tham, professional emcee based in Singapore, for more tips on emceeing.
Tips to become better at emceeing
Now that you are aware of what role an emcee plays in an event, it is time that you take some tips to be a better one at it. Here is a list of a few things you must keep in mind before you step on-stage for an event.
Prepare for an opening
Before the start of an event, the audience is usually restless and a lot of them want to go away if nothing is happening on-stage. It is now your work to keep them glued-back, and the best way to do that is with a fantastic opening. So, you have to prepare what you say as you enter the stage because it can make or break the mood of the event. Also, it is a fact that the first impression of any person lasts till the end. So, it is like your chance to create that first impression on an entire crowd. If you can be witty and charming, the event is already a hit!
- Be energetic and positive
You do not necessarily have to jump around everywhere if it does not require you to do. What you should do however is to sound energetic and positive throughout the show. Imagine that you are a part of the audience in a big event, and the emcee lacks confidence, energy, and positivity. Will you find it cool? Of course, NO! The case is the same here because if as an emcee you lack energy, everything else will look dull. Moreover, the participants and speakers of the event will lack motivation when you dully introduce them. Your energy level is going to reflect on the audience. So, if you can charm them with your positivity and stage presence, they will be hooked to the event. If not, you might as well see half the audience leaving by the middle of the event.
- Setting the tone
As mentioned earlier, one of the main roles of an emcee is to set the correct tone for an event. For example, you as an emcee, need to be serious or funny depending on the genre of the event. Ultimately, you cannot just be all over the place, and in confusion. It is because, in such a situation, the audience will be confused about what they should expect from the event that they have come for. Also, you must maintain a proper balance of character on stage. It means that you don’t need to look all stiff and grumpy if the event agenda is serious. You can still be easy with the audience and talk about other relevant topics.
- Control the schedule
There is, of course, a stage manager in any big event, but as an emcee, you have the ultimate say over the timings of the event proceedings. It is because it is your overall responsibility to make sure that an event begins and also ends on the pre-mentioned time. You cannot keep the audience waiting till 8 PM when the invitation card mentions that the event will begin at 6 PM. It will bring the organizers, members, and the entire event time some bad reputation. So, you are kind of single-handedly managing the goodwill of the team. Ideally, you should see if one segment drags for too long, you have to find a way to cut-off some time from the next segment. Again, maintaining the balance properly makes you a good emcee.
- Self-introduction
One thing that a lot of professional emcees often miss out on is introducing them when they are up on the stage. Well, that is crucial because otherwise, you are confusing the audience with why you are talking to them. If you feel that you are popular enough, it is still important that you give an introduction of yourself because there may be a lot of new faces in the audience too.
So, here we have the five most important tips that will help you own an event and charm the audience with your emceeing skills.
