4 Tips on Being a Great Emcee

You have just been asked to be an emcee for your friend's wedding, in front of 350 guests! And you can't back out - it's your best friend's wedding. And the only piece of advice you seem receive is "be yourself, or, relax." What? RELAX!? With 350 pairs of eyes staring at you?

Well, don't worry. It's not as bad as you may think. Here are some pointers that may make you a great wedding emcee.

Know the Itinerary

It's important you know the itinerary during the wedding reception, so that you know your cue to announce the arrival of the bride and groom; to toast; to play games; etc. Speak to the bride and groom or whoever is in charged of the itinerary to brief you on what is happening.

Be Confident and Enthusiastic

Be confident and enthusiastic; and that doesn't mean you have to be a clown. Smile, smile and smile. Being an emcee is about the 'transfer of feelings and emotions.' Your audience can feel what you are feeling. If you are enthusiastic, your audience will respond.

Know Your Target

How can you be enthusiastic? Well, know your audience. Here, you have two targets - the invited guests and the families involved. Generally, if you are invited as the emcee, chances are you would already know the host families. Find out who else is in the guest list. When the topics you talk about is relevant, your audience becomes more enthusiastic. It will also help you become more entertaining.

Be in tune

Make sure you know the kinds of things and subjects you can mention or jokes you can tell. If you are among a tight knit of friends at a small wedding reception and you are part of the group, then you know what jokes they can take. But if most of the guests are friends of the groom-to-be's in-laws, it would really serve you well if you have a little 'briefing' session with them on the do's and don'ts. Stay in tune when you are on stage, what the audiences react well to and what that did not get the desired response. It helps if you have someone giving you feedback from among the audience.