Tips to Become the Top 10 Emcees in Singapore
If the
answer is ‘yes’ then read on …
While
organising an event, be it a wedding reception, an engagement ceremony or a
corporate annual day, a large part of its success depends upon the manner in
which the guests and invitees are engaged.
It is here
that the presence of a professional emcee can make all the difference between a
memorable event and a forgettable one. A great emcee can hold the audience’s
attention and ensure they interact with him.
Dr Elmi
Zulkarnain Osman, who is a leading name as a Master of Ceremonies in Singapore and has been enthralling audiences
as an emcee and corporate trainer for thousands of hours, says there are a few
qualities one must have to make it as the Top 10 Emcees in Singapore.
A great
emcee must always be prepared. Hosting an event is not an easy task and needs a
lot of preparation and groundwork. A professional emcee will ask dozens of
questions and will have lots of queries about the event, the guests, their
profile, the content and the purpose of the event. This kind of preparation
helps the emcee to be ready with the background of the event, with a lot of
relevant information and stories kept on stand-by for use.
The good
emcee will keep a sheet that shows the various events that will happen throughout
the day so that the event sticks to its schedule and does not run out of time.
A professional emcee is always prepared for an emergency which could eat up
time from the main event and has fillers to bridge long gaps too. He does not
need a script to manage the session and can easily keep the communication going
at an easy pace.
Top-notch
emcees are great at capturing the audience’s attention quickly and set the mood
that has the audience anticipating a great time ahead. You always want your
guests to be involved in the goings and so do the guests. A recommended emcee in Singapore will make the guests feel like they
are a part of the event and are not just being talked to. Especially, during a
corporate event, the audience’s involvement becomes extremely critical as does
their buy-in so that the organizational goals are met. He will ensure that the
names of important guests and VIPs are clearly and correctly pronounced but
that should never become the only criteria while selecting an emcee.
The art of
storytelling and regaling the audience with anecdotes and true-to-life stories,
comes quite naturally to a successful emcee. There will be times when the
attention of the audience may waver and the clever emcee is ready with a
solution to spark the imagination of the guests by thinking quickly on their
feet and reconnecting to the audience once again.
The true
talent of a great emcee lies in his capacity to make the person sitting in the
last row as connected and involved as the guy in the front row. Obviously, you
want your guests to feel important and it is the emcee’s job to do this. With a
great rapport being built in the first five minutes of the start of the event,
the rest of the programme does move quite smoothly with audience involvement at
its peak. They can motivate the audience to participate and keep them inspired
throughout the length of the entire program.
Also,
communication is not only about speaking but involves a great deal of listening
too so a powerful emcee will “listen” for verbal cues from the members of the
audience, in the hope of building a dialogue with them. This also helps them to
understand the pulse or the mood of the audience and therefore regulating the
tempo of the programme as desired. You will also notice that a professional
emcee will constantly seek feedback which not only help him to alter his pitch
but also gives him the liberty to give the audience what it is looking for.
This customisation happens on the feet and is completely seamless so that the
audience too does not feel the change and simply moves along with the flow.
There is
this common notion that in order to become a good emcee, one needs to be
extremely gregarious and outgoing. While these qualities are essential, they do
not guarantee success at the topmost level. Yes, being cheerful and extroverted
does help to a great extent, unless an emcee has a certain amount of
flexibility and maturity, the entire package may not seem too attractive in
front of an audience.
A quick
sense of humour coupled with a clear sense of understanding of the deliverable
makes for a great Master of Ceremonies, says Dr Elmi Zulkarnain, who is a
highly sought-after emcee in Singapore and is a leader in corporate training.
PROFILE -
DR ELMI ZULKARNAIN OSMAN
Blessed
with the gift of the gab in various languages (English, Malay, Bahasa Malaysia,
Bahasa Indonesia etc.) a commanding voice, charming personality and an academic
mind, Dr Elmi Zulkarnain Osman possess the qualities of a desirable emcee. Dr
Elmi is well-known in Singapore as an emcee who is effectively bilingual in English
and Malay.
Most
uniquely, his intuition to his audiences’ response when on stage is applauded. He
has emceed and hosted numerous live shows from awards shows, corporate events
to private functions and even entertainment gigs. His great sense of humour and
camaraderie with the audience makes him a crowd favourite.
Dr Elmi
Zulkarnain wears a few hats for the past 15 years. He is a teacher, lecturer, corporate
trainer, language coach, public speaking coach, educational researcher, poet,
writer, motivational speaker, event emcee, stage actor, voice-over talent,
forum moderator, etc. This makes him an exceptional emcee as he reaches out to
the audience in ways that will garner the best response.
