Previously I did a blog about “Using a professional MC at your Wedding”, and it occurred to me that there are a lot of people who would like to improve and be a better Master of Ceremony. So for your consideration:
HOW TO BE AN AMAZING MC
Be yourself
The worst thing an MC can do is try to be someone they are not. If you are an outgoing person, be that outgoing person. If you are quieter, be that. As soon as you start trying to be someone you are not you become fake and an audience can always see through that (unless you are an actor, but then you probably don’t need these tips)
Confidence
This should be obvious, but how does one get confidence? By doing! I like the ‘tough love’ approach where I will berate someone until they get so sick of me that they just do it…and usually find it wasn’t that scary in the first place. Everyone will have different ways to find confidence, but just know you need it!
Humor
I always say using humor in a speech is like a handgun- if you are funny and know what you are doing you can kill the audience with laughter, if you aren’t funny you are more than likely to shoot yourself and die on stage. If you aren’t funny, don’t try to be funny. If you are funny, remember you are there to do a job, not be a standup comedian so keep it in moderation
Length
You might have heard the acronym KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid. Don’t make a speech overly long and don’t make it overly complicated. Keep it short and sweet.
Practice your speech
Practice in front of a mirror will you can say the words blind folded. Then practice with variations of it, then practice in front of family, friends, and roommates…just practice it lots!
Practice your body language, breathing, and speed
So once you have practiced the words, now it’s time to practice your presentation. Here are some of the most common problems:
- Moving your hands- using your spare hand to gesture is fine, otherwise keep it in your pocket. What is NOT ok is using both hands to gesture as one will be holding your microphone
- Ums and Ahs- try not to say these during the speech, it makes you seem like you are trying to remember what to say
- Breath slowly- The temptation to say a page worth of speech in one breath; don’t! Breath normally and have pause where appropriate
- Speak clearly but keep the pace even- when nervous you will rush through your speech, so remember it is not a race.
- Smile- Speaking the same thing with a straight face and speaking it with a smile makes a world of difference.
What to say
So now you know how to do it, what should you say? Well if you are the MC let’s go through what your duties are at the beginning of the night:
- Welcome everyone
- Housekeeping
- A quick outline of the night (optional)
- Welcoming in the Bridal Party
Remember to also get everyone’s attention before you start, don’t just launch straight into speaking before they are ready.Also be sure to close off once you have finished your speech otherwise people never know when it’s over.
A rough template of what to say could go as follows:
Hi everyone could I please grab everyone’s attention (wait till everyone quiets down). Thanks everyone. Well my name is Dave, a good friend of the bride and groom. Such a good friend in fact I was their 3rd choice to MC the night so it is my great honour to be the captain of this ship of love tonight.Before we get started, a few housekeeping rules- The toilets are located outside to the left, smoking is strictly outside and please no glassware on the dance floor. There is also a guest book to be signed at some point during the night. Now without further ado, let us welcome out bridal party…(Bridal parties names)One more round of applause for our stunning bridal party. So with that everyone, food will be served, followed by speeches and then desert and dancing so sit back and relax and you will hear from me later for speeches
The rest of the night
The rest of the night should go pretty smoothly, just keep the lessons above and the speeches/announcements will be easy
Hopefully this will be the first step in you become the world’s best MC :-)
If you are interested in having Komodo Music being your MC for your wedding, CONTACT US