subject: The Most Important Party Planning Jobs - Masters of Ceremonies [print this page] The Most Important Party Planning Jobs - Masters of Ceremonies
Maybe you have thrown parties in the past that seemed a little flat, or lacked a certain sparkle and energy. Maybe you have been asked to take on one of the dreaded, but most important party planning jobs the master of ceremonies. If you've ever been asked to speak at a retirement, graduation, birthday, or successful business goal party and got all tongue tied. It's not your fault!
Most people don't realize that this kind of responsibility requires some education and practice. And lots of books out there about speaking in front of people don't address the special needs of those who have to direct party guests and celebrate the accomplishments of a guest of honor.
The old "roast" examples on TV are not a good model either. Unless you are a professional comedienne you're likely to embarrass rather than honor your special guest. Beware!
My point is this:
If you are planning a small party, M.C.ing a wedding, anniversary, or any other celebratory event, don't be nervous! Help is here!
If you're like other serious or amateur party planners you have a picture in your mind of what you envision your party being like. Being a perfect host or master of ceremonies is what makes a perfect party. After all one of the most important party planning jobs is being the host or M.C.
Believe it or not, all it takes is a little party planning know how and how to direct the events of the gathering.
It's not about:
Trying to be the life of the party.
Spending all your time worrying about how to engineer a great time for your guests.
Doing a lot of hokey stuff to "entertain" your guests.
Here's what it IS about:
Knowing what to do to be a gracious and prepared host.
Being able to speak effortlessly and confidently in front of your guests
Having an overall plan for your party and knowing how to pull it off.
Knowing when to move your party from one stage to the next.
Using checklists to help you plan what to do when.
Here are a few top line hints to help you begin to develop professional masters of ceremonies skills:
PREPARATION
As a party host or M.C., don't try and 'wing it' because you feel that over preparation might diminish your spontaneity. All the best hosts make entertaining look natural, but you will find that they have spent a good bit of time planning, practicing, and polishing their plan or performance so it looks natural and 'off the cuff'. Think of preparation as free insurance.
PRONUNCIATION
An important of hosting a party is being sure guests who don't know each other, or who you may not know well, meet and get to know each other. Proper pronunciation of names will save you and your guests some awkward moments.
Make notes if any of your guests have difficult or unusual names. Check the pronunciation with them or someone who knows them better than you do and write them out phonetically and practice saying them out loud.
STAY COOL
Whatever you do - don't get upset if something goes wrong. After all, you are the host and have either chosen to throw the party or have been asked to do so by someone who trusts you and has trusted their reputation to you. Anticipating and being prepared for the unexpected, which always happens, can help you remain poised and flexible.
If you're serious about making your parties more fun, livelier, and more stress free, here is a great resource for the amateur or budding professional Master of Ceremonies. It's Pete Miller's "You Can Be a Wedding M.C."
Weddings are one of the most challenging and complex party events any host will ever tackle. That's why this "You Can Be a Wedding M.C." handbook is so valuable to any host. It is loaded with great ideas that can be adapted to any party theme - graduations, bachelor parties, retirements, birthdays, or whatever you can think of!
Another bonus to developing your M.C. skills is that people often hire professional M.C.s for large events. This could become a source of extra income for you!
Put life into any party and have great fun doing so by mastering the art of the most important party planning jobs the M.C.
