*Also posted in http://jennerabe.multiply.com
I originally thought of posting my CV or Resume to show my qualifications as an emcee. But my better judgment tells me, that being your emcee goes beyond the kind of school or quality education that I have received. So I’ve decided to just write about what I feel is needed to be an effective emcee and how I strive to do my best in these areas.
1. Good Image.
An emcee has to have a good image because he/she will be representing you on your event. And whatever image your emcee has, will of course have an effect on people’s impression of you on your particular event. An image of course is largely created through two distinct human senses… what they see… what they hear…
An emcee that is not dressed for the occasion is either going to feel out of place or the other way around--make the guests feel they are the ones out of place.
An emcee that has a very small voice will of course not be heard by your guests.
And an emcee that has a high pitched or too loud voice will make your guests cringe every time he/she speaks over the microphone.
The good image of the emcee will highly depend on the people’s first impression of me that is why I am very careful when it comes to what I wear and how I look every time I emcee for an event. Even though I am not much of a make-up person, I always see to it that I go to the parlor or (when in a budget) I ask my sister to do my make-up for me. I also make it a point to ask my clients if they have any preference on what I will wear, long-gown? short dress? Pants? Color? (*especially if they have an aversion to a certain color). Sometimes, it can also be a bit costly when I have to buy a new dress for the event (especially if it’s already the referral of another referred client… meaning friend or family nung mga pinag-emcee-an ko na… so I can’t repeat any of the dresses I’ve worn.. hehe) Syempre when there’s budget naman, it would be so nice to shop for new outfits J
Now when it comes to the voice, I’m glad to say that my voice is neither small nor high pitched… it’s properly modulated… (Thanks to Center for Pop Music Center when I was still in Elementary… hehehe)
2. Good Rapport.
An emcee has to have good rapport with you and your guests because he/she will have to be able to catch everyone’s attention and lead the program to its success. This is where the good command of voice combined with the emcee’s personality comes in as the basic foundation of good rapport.
An emcee that only reads from a book or paper in a verbatim manner will surely bore your guests and will not listen to anything he/she says.
On the other hand, an emcee who is spontaneous and easily adjusts to the program as the need arises, can surely keep your guests awake and participative in your program.
Now this is something that I always work hard at attaining and how I do this is by making an extra effort to get to know the client before their event to the point that they could already call me their friend. I believe that my rapport with the guests is highly dependent on my rapport with the client. So on the day of the event, I just bring out my natural happy self and allow myself to be comfortable with the people I’m around. Thanks to the many speaking engagements that I’ve had since college up to now, I’ve had the blessed opportunity to mingle with different kinds of people in all walks of life and to learn how to adjust my emceeing style as needed as well.
3. Good Timing.
An emcee has to have good timing because it is very crucial, most especially in weddings. A few minutes delay can spell the difference between doing your thank you speech in the end with only two or three tables left or still having most of your guests in their seats. It can also spell the difference between having a few hundreds pinned on you for the money dance or having thousands… (hehehe) *The Money or Prosperity Dance is an Authentic Filipino Tradition by the way..
An emcee who decides to eat for a full hour during a wedding reception while the guests are also eating will surely ruin the whole timing of your event. (Unless of course there is really an allotted full hour for the eating)
It is always a joy for me whenever I would see majority of the guests still there until the end of the program. This to me shows two things 1) the clients’ have good guests (hindi sila eat-and-run) and 2) I was able to manage the flow of the program successfully (effective ako.. yey!). How I do this is simply by maximizing all the time allotted from start to finish. No gaps. No dead air. Only a few momentary pauses that are elegantly and smoothly executed as well. So that by the time the program has ended, guests wouldn’t feel that too much time has passed.
As much as possible I also ask the client for all additional parts of the program to be discussed as early as possible… (like a surprise 20 minute avp presentation or a 15 minute band set). I do not recommend too much on-the-spot adjustments in the program especially if the program is already packed. Because these “surprise numbers” can make or break the whole timing of the program. Of course I have nothing against surprise numbers.. a surprise is always a precious moment.. but as the emcee, maybe I can be saved from the element of surprise and simply be informed ahead of time so I could manage the flow of the program better
It is always a challenge for me when my clients’ have guests who are really eat-and-run. So sometimes I have to ask my clients also on who their guests are and how they are related to them. And if indeed the nature of their guests is eat-and-run then I will have to adjust the program to make sure that during all the important parts, there are still a lot of guests.
Now I have to say that I’ve had my share of disappointments on timing when I was just starting way back in 1999 (I was still in college then). Because my mom is a caterer and have seen so many weddings and events, she would always tell me to always write my script, practice and start right away and not dilly-dally (especially during the in-betweens). And you know how we sometimes resent our mothers for nagging us… well, I’m no different.. hehehe… so her words just came in on one side and came right out on the other… Then eventually I saw her point and now I have learned and continually mastering the art of good timing.
