This guide explores the essential elements for creating a stunning emcee script, ensuring a breathtaking Master of Ceremony experience.
Stop whatever you’re doing and focus here. The world is ending in five minutes and the only solution is to eat cake.
What??
Are you in a state of confusion wondering what was mixed with our evening tea? Let’s assure you, it’s all fine here but didn’t we just jolt you for a few seconds and capture your complete attention? That’s what a good script must do.
If you are planning to host an event or are helping someone else do so, you must know that the soul of hosting is in the script. Get the best anchor for corporate event content, tone, and delivery right, and you are a hero in your master ceremony script. Mess it up, and well, you might go home smelling like rotten tomatoes!
We don’t want that to happen, right? Here are the ingredients you need to make a rocking emcee (master of ceremonies) script.
1. Voice of God
No, this is not the same as saying, “Oh God! Save me!” with trembling legs just before you hit the stage. That’s stage fear—another topic for another day. What we are talking about is this really cool hack where someone with a deep and commanding voice (think Amitabh Bachchan doing the introductory voiceover in Lagaan) says, “Ladies and gentlemen, here is the moment you’ve all been waiting for” and says a few interesting things about you, like “he has biked to the Himalayas and interviewed the stars” before inviting you on stage. Not only does this immediately catch your audience ‘s attention, but it also makes them curious to catch a glimpse of you.
2. Open with a joke
Be a master of ceremony while starting your anchoring script with a joke! When your audience sees you for the first time, they don’t know what to expect from you. Make it count, we say! If you see a few empty seats, you can say something like “A minute’s silence for those who started from Whitefield for this event five hours ago and thought they could make it on time." When you crack a simple joke that’s relatable, your audience will immediately feel at ease and will be eager to hear more.
3. Summarize
Yes, everybody got the invite, so they know why they are here, but you’ll be surprised at how often people lose interest or start fidgeting when they are not given specific details of how the event will unfold. How do I fix this? By giving a brief but humorous (or at least lively if it is a serious event) summary of the event, the purpose of the gathering, and the time scheduled. Don’t laugh, but at the back of their minds, every guest is thinking “When do I get to eat?”! Answer these simple questions about food, snack breaks, and other modules planned for the daytime-wise so that they can plan things well.
4. Live segments
As an emcee, your job isn’t just to announce the next program or read from a script the whole time. An essential part of an emcee’s script is not having a script! Along with the lines you prepare, you must include live segments where you involve the audience in impromptu questions or activities that make for unexpected and thoroughly entertaining scenarios. A simple example of this is the ‘show of hands’ question in a large audience setting. It goes like this: “Quick show of hands—how many came here because the invite said open bar?”. You can also organize chit-related activities for a smaller group, which can prove to be a successful mixer too.
5. Hit the right notes
Humour is great but trying to crack a joke with every line is tiring. Similarly, staying serious or to-the-point the whole time is a recipe for disaster. As an emcee, the mood of the event rests with you and your script must be flexible to suit the crowd mindset. Suppose your event is a fun birthday party, you would be expected to pamper the birthday person and involve your script around their personality. If it is a wedding, zero in on the best man or bridesmaids to provide the light moments you need for the master of ceremonies. If it is a religious or solemn ceremony, do your research. Each community has its own set of jokes. Concepts that may be funny to you may be considered rude to them. Saying something hurtful, even inadvertently, could sour the mood of the audience and defeat the purpose of the gathering. You may have a script that has worked well for you in the past, but for the best results, we recommend that you write the anchor script. Yes, we know you know the best “Yo mama” jokes but save them for an audience that will appreciate them.
6. End with an action item
It’s easy to forget this when you are hosting but ending an event is as important as the beginning. By this time, the audience is usually tired and is already looking towards the exit door. Draw them back with your words. Instead of just concluding, add in an action item. If it’s a corporate event, announce that two persons of the audience have been randomly selected for a prize and you will be announcing the names soon. For birthday parties, you can tell the kids that Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse Mascot for birthday party are available for cool photography at the end of the event. You should also take the opportunity to plant your name and experience so that you can be booked for events. If you don’t do this professionally, you can thank the audience for their response, apologize gracefully for any mistakes done and let them know what is actually your day job. You’ll be surprised at how many will have a good word to say about you.