Top 3 Qualities of a Great MC/Event Compere

When you are organising an event, choosing the right Emcee (or Master of Ceremonies) can mean the difference between a successful event and an unfortunate party. An experienced and professional MC has certain qualities that can be used to make certain your event is one to remember.

Here are our top 3 Qualities of a great MC.
From our experience a GREAT MC:

1. Is PREPARED.
It sounds obvious doesn’t it? A great MC will have laid the ground work and asked plenty of questions to familiarise themselves with the event, guests, content and goals of the host. This preparation means that they can be armed and ready with relevant information, stories and must-know information. The savvy MC will always prepare and have copies of the runsheet to ensure that the event runs on time and schedule. When things happen on the spot, as they do – the MC can keep the flow of communication going and can work with no script because they are prepared.

2. Has STORIES and Will TELL them.
A great MC has a history and stories to tell that can be tailored to the audience. The Emcee connects the dots between the audience and the Hosts’ key message. Aside from the normal housekeeping duties and directives given to the audience – the Emcee can create an ambience or hype that keeps your guests engaged.
There is no point in hiring an MC that only knows how to enunciate clearly. While clear and correct pronunciation, particularly of people’s names is important – a fantastic MC knows how to connect with the audience and engage them in the proceedings. After all, you want your guests to feel like they are a part of the event – not being talked at. It may be particularly important for you to get the audience’s ‘buy-in’ for topics that are important to your organisations goals. The right MC gets this done. The wrong MC gets yawns and the fish-eye stare.
The Best Emcee’s will capture the attention of the audience, will think on their feet and will have enough confidence to ‘roll with it’ when things fall off their hinges. (It happens!) They will have the skills to create the desired mood and can spark the imagination and interest of the audience at will.

3. Loves To Communicate Well.
Again, it sounds a little obvious but the greatest MC’s can make a person in the back of the room feel just as involved and connected as the man sitting at the front. You want your guests to feel important and special. Don’t leave this task to a mediocre MC. The success of your event lays with the enjoyment and satisfaction of your Guests – if they feel disconnected from you and the message – they are going to think it was the worst event they have ever been to. Thus, a great MC can inspire, engage and motivate with the rapport that has been built.
Although the role of the MC is to facilitate the running of the event on a time based schedule – the greatest MC’s are committed to the enjoyment of the participants as it is occurring. They will adapt, think on their feet and will be aware of the ‘mood’ of the audience at any given time. This enables them to raise or drop the tempo of events as is necessary. They will manage the constant feedback given by the audience and will strive to ensure that events run as smoothly as possible. Communication is always a two-way street, so your MC should be as skilled in Listening as speaking. Your thoughts, tastes, ideas and goals should always be uppermost in mind. If you don’t like swearing or a certain colour – make sure you speak up because your professional MC will always be taking notes and looking for ways to exceed your expectations.

Follow the Naija Party MC @donwittycomedy (Instagram and Twitter)

To know if I'm a good MC, Watch me MC weddings here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3zNZfOwAvA

Sometimes some MCs don’t know how to greet and welcome traditional rulers to a social gathering, watch this video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO-ZhT9vq0U

GOOD DRESS SENSE

A good MC must know how to dress well and dress accordingly. Sometimes you don’t need to wear what is trending but what suits your job.
I laugh when I see some MCs dressing like they going for masquerade festival or like they are going to the gym. You must learn to dress accordingly. If an event is a corporate event, dress corporate. If it is a social event like birthday, wedding, burial, you can choose to dress in your complete native attire or corporate. Should Incase you are confused on what to wear, you can use style to ask your client “What would you like me to wear”?