How to Emcee like a Pro!
Tasked to emcee an event and you don’t even know where to begin? Well, follow my lead and advice as one of Singapore’s top emcee and you won’t have to fret. If you don’t want to be at a loss for words, or fumble when you are on stage, you need to think about your role as an emcee for this specific event. You need to plan, prepare and even practice so that when you emcee that day, you will connect with and energise your audience!
How to Emcee like a Pro!
TYPE OF EVENT Understanding the type of event can help you know the style of emceeing needed. For example, a corporate event, product launch may need a slightly more formal approach while for a dinner and dance gig or a family day setting, you could emcee with a casual and fun style. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE Knowing the size and type of audience you will be presenting to is key. How you pitch to a C-suite type of audience or a largely production crowd is way different. Activities to suit a larger or smaller crowd can be different as well. Age group, gender or even nationalities can play an important part in how you emcee an event. VENUE AND EQUIPMENT Picking the right sized venue that has the right sort of equipment for your presentation is key. If choice of venue is not yours to make, then a proper recce of the actual venue is paramount. Ensuring that the venue has the right sort of AV equipment and stage is equally important. PLAN AND PREPARE To ensure that your role as an emcee goes smoothly, you should plan well in advance and practice, practice, practice. Write down all the key points that you need to cover. Arrive early on that day and ensure that everything is set up and tested well in advance. STRONG INTRODUCTION As they say, first impressions count. A strong introduction will set the stage for the rest of the show. Starting out confidently will let the audience know the role you play and that will connect you with the audience. And once you are able to connect with the audience, they will likely be interested in what you have to say for the rest of the event. AUDIENCE INTERACTION It is always important to involve the audience where possible. People generally have short attention spans. Engage the audience by polling them a question on a certain topic. For example, if you are hosting a wedding, to ask for a show of hands for those that are married for 10 years, 15 years, 20 years… get the rest of the audience to applaud them. You can also think of icebreaking/networking activities depending on the type of event. This can help lighten the mood and keep your audience engaged for the rest of the event. CLOSE ON A HIGH All professional emcees try to end or close their event on a high. That is why some events hold their lucky or raffle draw right at the end. My point is that you have to end the event with something that the audience will remember. So craft an awesome closing speech or a group activity, mass dance, etc.. A good emcee always ends an event on a high leaving the audience wanting more… With these simple tips, you can at least look into the key points to help you plan, prepare and practice so that you can emcee like a pro. But if you want one of Singapore’s top emcee to helm your hybrid/virtual event, your Dinner and Dance, corporate event or conference, if you want a true professional who will exceed expectations and take your event from good to amazing…. Believe the hype today and contact Emcee Cyril for your next event.