The graduation ceremony is almost over. There you are on stage in the middle of
telling a story to inspire the fresh school leavers. All eyes and ears are fixed on you. Suddenly the power goes out. The backup generator is taking an age to kick
in. What do you do?
You've begun an afternoon wedding reception when it dawns on
you that you're fast running out of daylight.
Someone forgot to remember that the sun does go down in the
evenings. In a matter of minutes, the
venue will be enveloped in pitch blackness.
What do you do?
As an MC, you face an incredible range of unexpected
situations that can severely test your creativity and wits. Rowdy guests, equipment malfunctions,
no-shows from invited guests, weather changes, these are just a few scenarios
you may have to contend with. And the MC
is in a unique position. If the event is
successful, everyone praises the organizer.
If hitches mar the function, the MC takes the blame. It's not fair but that's just the way it
is. When things do go wrong, the way you
react is important. Here are a few tips
from my own experience that you may find useful.
1. Stick Around And Be Prepared
At a Christmas dinner organized by the AGAMS Group, the poet
Nana Asaase had difficulties with his hands-free microphone. As soon as I identified the problem, I strode
briskly to the stage and just handed over my cordless mic to him. His performance continued without any further
breaks in transmission. Could I have
solved this issue if I were out of the hall fraternizing with the guests? I doubt it.
Some MCs are only visible when they need to introduce a speaker or make
an announcement. The rest of their time
is used in disappearing to chat with long lost friends or making endless phone
calls. When something goes wrong, they
won't be around to save the situation.
Sticking around and always being alert and prepared is one reason why I
don't support the idea of an MC eating on duty.
There is often more than enough time after the event ends to deal with
matters of the stomach. An MC must
always be ready to deal with the unexpected and a mouthful of grilled chicken
will only interfere with your state of preparedness. Be alert.
2. Stay Calm
When the lights went out in the middle of a story I was
telling at the end of a graduation ceremony at the National Theatre, what did I
do? I didn't panic. Someone backstage came up and informed me
there would be a slight delay while the generator thought about taking over
from the Electricity Company of Ghana.
After what was probably the longest two minutes of my 41 years on earth,
power was restored. Eighty percent of
the audience were still in the auditorium as I resumed my story. I remember the
applause being long, loud and warm when it was over. Standing still in the middle of that huge
stage and fervently willing the lights to come back on was embarrassing but I
remembered to stay calm and that worked for me.
3. See Solutions
When darkness threatened to cut short the garden reception I
was emceeing last September, I had to react fast. Luckily I was working with a co-MC. I asked her to get on with the event as I
sped off to hunt down temporary garden lights.
After 30 minutes of combing Teshie-Nungua Estate with zero success, I
drove back to the venue, my forehead crumpled in thought. It was now pitch black. Just as I was removing my key from the
ignition, a scene from a TV ad flashed through my mind. Remember that commercial where a DJ asks
drivers to open the doors of their parked cars, tune in to a particular station
and turn up the volume of their radios?
All because the lights had gone out?
Inspiration! I sparked my car and
flicked the headlights to high. I
directed the double beams onto the table where the bridal team was seated. The I set about convincing other guests to
shine their lights on various parts of the garden. I knew we had saved the day when the bride
called me aside and with the most brilliant smile thanked me for coming up with
this plan.
So there you have it.
As an MC, the unexpected will happen.
The important things to remember are the following:
Stick around
Stay calm
See solutions
Feel free to share your stories about how you've dealt with
problems while you were emceeing at an event.
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