Tips to being the competent Master of Ceremonies

A viable stream of income from public speaking entails providing master of ceremonies services to clients and other interested parties. If you have a public speaking career and want to veer into this aspect which could prove lucrative if you know how to market your brand properly then you have come to the right place.

Whether it is a wedding, a birthday party, a seminar, a dinner or some other function or event; your job as the master of ceremonies could be a lot easier and better if you would apply the following tips:

The first thing you need to understand is that being a master of ceremonies is actually public speaking but with a few other intrinsic details added to the mix so this piece will take for granted that the reader already knows one or two things about the art of public speaking.

Language - The effectiveness of good communication can only be judged to be on the high side when the intended reaction from the audience or recipients has been obtained. Simply put you should have the ability to communicate your message using the simplest language possible.

Knowledge - Increasing your knowledge base is a fundamental requirement if you really want to be a world class master of ceremonies. Your audiences will most likely comprise people from all walks of life and with different experiences and backgrounds. Take for instance when you need to be the host at a seminar for lawyers would you not acquaint yourself with the legal profession assuming you have a different academic background? There is no crime in knowing something about everything.

Charisma and Confidence - These are innate qualities that you need to take time to nurture and develop to the utmost. I have never seen a master of ceremonies who was not both confident and charismatic at the same time. The best way to increase your confidence and charisma is to know your personal style and identify what works best for you.

Use of Humour - There can never be too much of humour in this case and depending on the kind of event it might just be the tool you need to carry the audience along. All you need to do is know and develop your own style of humour and use it to effect. It costs nothing to practise it on friends for the purpose of getting honest feedback.

Be the link - For every event there is always a chain of activities otherwise called an agenda. The competent master of ceremonies is the one who can create a link from one activity to the next so as to give a seamless presentation. There should be no vacuum as this link will enable for a smooth transition from the beginning to the end. This is where personal creativity with words plays a vital role.

Connection with audience - There are certain questions you need to have answers to for example, ‘What are their likes and possible dislikes?’ ‘Are there any common interests?’ ‘What languages do they speak?’ What are their educational backgrounds? A business dinner in the financial services sector will most likely attract a different audience from one in the entertainment industry for instance.