EXTRAS
Spark's Presentation & Public Speaking Blog
6 tips to make your seminar or event emcee script sparkle
November 26, 2014
by Andy Saks
“Hey, we really need an emcee for our upcoming event. Last year we didn’t have an emcee, and the event was so lifeless and dull. Would you do the honors?”
This is the moment many would-be emcees dread. They’re drafted into service, and take the gig reluctantly. Does that sound like your situation?
Andy emcees AT&T’s 2011 Solution Provider Champion Awards Dinner in Dallas
If I asked you why you’re filled with such trepidation, you might respond, “I don’t know what to say” or “I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing and bomb.”
You’ve already embraced a worst-case scenario featuring you on stage, fumbling awkwardly for words, humiliating yourself in front of legions of people with camera phones and YouTube access.
If that’s your vision, know this: you can have fun as an emcee. It can be done. I’ve done it.
And when you have fun as an emcee, it really is a magical experience. You generate a connective energy in the room that’s just intoxicating, and will leave you wanting to do it again.
But as with any live performance, emcee work does carry a real risk of failure. If you don’t prepare well, you won’t execute well, and that experience is exactly as excruciating as you think it is.
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In my experience, the most common reason emcee gigs don’t end well is this: the emcees don’t start their shows well. They fumble through the critical first few minutes, setting an awkward, underwhelming tone from which it’s hard to recover.
This post, the first of a two-part set, will help you avoid that. As a professional emcee for AT&T (read about that), Best Buy, Microsoft and others, I’ve learned over many years and events that a great emcee performance starts with a great emcee script.
Here are six key components good emcee scripts include, and many not-so-good emcee scripts leave out. They’ll help you connect, relax and establish yourself in the opening minutes of your event, which will make everything else flow better.
EMCEE SCRIPT TIP 1:
USE A “VOICE OF GOD” INTRODUCTION
It’s true what they say about first impressions: you never get a second chance to make one. Your first impression sets the tone for the whole event.
So what do you want your first impression to be? In those key opening seconds of a special event, you no doubt want to create eager anticipation, energy, and suspense.
That won’t happen if you just walk on the stage and start talking over your audience members (or shushing them). That approach ensures your program will start with an awkward whimper, not a bang.
Instead, use what’s called a “Voice of God” introduction to start your proceedings.
The VoG isn’t complicated; it’s literally just someone with a deep radio announcer voice starting your event by standing offstage somewhere and introducing you before you take the stage. Here’s a sample:
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to [event]. And now, here’s your host, [name]!”
You can even tweak it with some fun wordplay that enhances your emcee credibility. For example, when I emceed one of the AMD/Microsoft North American Tech Tours back in 2005, my Voice of God introduction emphasized my knowledge of blazing-fast computer chip speed, which was the event’s theme:
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the AMD/Microsoft Tech Tour 2005. And now, please welcome your host, the Seeker of Speed, the Sultan of Swiftness, the one, the only, Andy Saks!”
See for yourself; here’s the video from our Seattle show on that tour. As you can see, the VoG intro works even better when the house lights are down, the spotlights move wildly, and there are very loud guitars playing.
Don’t have someone to do this for you live? Don’t be afraid to deliver your own. I’ve delivered my own Voice of God introductions at events I’ve emceed, introducing myself while hiding behind the crew table, then running on stage to start the show. Or try having your VoG intro pre-recorded by a professional; you can find countless voice-over artists at freelance sites who’ll do this for a song.
EMCEE SCRIPT TIP 2:
THANK EVERYONE
Successful emcees are both grand and humble. You can demonstrate the humble part by immediately acknowledging the contributions of everyone who helped create your event, showing your audience you know your event isn’t all about you.
Here’s a partial list of people you can thank:
1. THE EVENT PLANNERS for planning a great event. Event planners are the unsung heroes of events, and tend to get noticed only when something goes wrong. They deserve a BIG moment of recognition. As as the emcee, you’re perfectly positioned to deliver it by inciting a round of applause from your audience.
2. THE PRODUCTION CREW for building the set, lighting, audio, video, slides, decorations, etc. The production crews I’ve worked with toil tirelessly, hauling massive cases from the loading dock, assembling scaffolding, seating, video wiring and drapery for hours, then running the whole show from the crew table. They too deserve your public acknowledgement. (Plus, it never hurts to throw some love toward the folks who control your lighting and sound).
3. THE AUDIENCE for showing up. Without them, you’re just a crazy person talking to an empty room, right? Thank your audience members sincerely for their time, their attention, and (if it applies) their passion and efforts for your organization and its mission. You’ll win them over and give credit where it’s due all at once!
Here’s a sample video of me thanking the audience when I served as auctioneer at the Boston Jewish Film Festival’s 2012 Gala, held at Theatre 1 in Boston. Starting around the 0:45 mark (and leading up to that) you’ll see me thanking the audience and telling them what their contributions mean to the BJFF:
EMCEE SCRIPT TIP 3:
TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE
Sounds obvious, right? You’d be amazed at how many emcees I’ve seen who forget to identify themselves.
This lapse leaves a nagging hole in your audience’s understanding of the proceedings. They see you, but don’t know who you are or why you’ve been chosen for this central role in the event. So while you’re off pontificating about other topics, they’re still ruminating on why you’re up there to begin with.
Ah, but maybe you’re confident that everyone in your audience already knows you? Introduce yourself anyway. There may be friends, colleagues, special guests, and spouses in your audience who don’t know you. And those who know who you are may not really understand what you do, or how and why you got tapped for the emcee role.
I’d suggest mentioning:
— Your first and last name (yes, both)
— Your official title in the organization sponsoring the event
— Your role within that organization (summed up in one casual phrase or sentence)
— Some sense of why you were tapped as the emcee
* BONUS: Express to your audience that you’re honored and humbled to serve in the emcee role. Reassure them you know how special it is, and you’re happy to do it.
EMCEE SCRIPT TIP 4:
TURN YOUR MONOLOGUE INTO A CHAT
Emcees can get overwhelmed with performance anxiety before taking the stage, wondering how they’ll do all that talking when their hearts are pounding and their limbs are shaking.
If that’s you, share your speaking burden with your audience by engaging them in something of a conversation. The most common approach is to ask three questions on a relevant topic, such as who’s attended previous events, or who’s traveled the farthest to attend this year. The first question sets the terms, the second ups the ante, and the third plays off the first two as a joke.
Here’s a sample script:
“Show of hands: who traveled at least two hours to be here?” [Audience members raise hands.]
“Who traveled at least four hours to be here?” [Some audience members keep hands up, others lower hands.]
“Who never left last year’s event?” [Audience laughs; all hands go down.]
Here’s a video sample for you: In 2012, I emceed an IT seminar for Spark client Atrion called AlwaysOn Symposium, held at the Putnam Club at Gillette Stadium (home of the New England Patriots football team). I snuck in TWO of these three-question sets:
— At the 2:03 mark, I asked audience members about their association with the stadium (the Wes Welker reference related to a photo on the screen of an Atrion employee wearing a painted face and Welker jersey).
— At the 2:40 mark, I polled audience members about their attendance at past AlwaysOn Symposia, and saved the biggest “ginormous” round of applause for first-time attendees.
In the 15-20 seconds it takes to ask questions, you’ve not only lessened your own performance anxiety with a few key seconds to breathe and collect your thoughts. You’ve connected directly with your audience members, assessed their collective mood, discovered the extroverts (who respond to every question) and introverts (who always stay silent), and shown everyone you care about their contributions to the proceedings, all of which helps you relax on stage.
EMCEE SCRIPT TIP 5:
SHARE KEY EVENT INFORMATION
When an event starts, audience members will inevitably be harboring nagging logistical questions about it:
Will I get home in time to relieve the babysitter? Who validates my parking? Should I pee now, or wait for a break?
If you don’t answer these questions, they tend to become distractions that prevent your audience members from giving you their full attention.
In your first few minutes on stage, put them at ease and set their expectations by giving them the full agenda for your event. Here are some details worth including:
— The general order of proceedings in your event (what happens first, second, third, etc.)
— When you’ll take a break for a meal, networking time, etc., and how long the break will last
— Where key elements of the venue are located, like restrooms, prize tables, and autograph sessions
— Explicit instructions for anything in which audience members are directly involved (“In ten minutes, we’ll ask each of you to vote for your favorite item using cards we’ll distribute when the vote starts, so start thinking now about who gets your vote!”)
EMCEE SCRIPT TIP 6:
TELL THEM WHY YOUR EVENT IS SPECIAL
Special events should be just that: special. Part of giving your event that extra shine is helping audience members understand the deeper contextual meaning of your event.
For example, let’s say you’re serving as master of ceremonies for an awards banquet. Most audience members probably assume you’ve all gathered to merely facilitate the award distribution. But that could be done privately (and far more cheaply). So why the pomp and circumstance?
It’s your job to answer that question, to inject more meaning to that procedure by framing the awards, the nominees, the winners, the cause, the occasion and the organization in a larger, more meaningful context.
Start by answering questions like these:
— Why are your honorees worth honoring?
— If your event has a theme, why did you pick it?
— Why are you holding your event at this specific venue or room? Why is it special? What does it symbolize?
— How does your event relate to your organization, industry, location, cause, the greater world around you?
Connect your event to something greater than itself–and connected to your audience–and you’ll instantly make it more profound and memorable.
Start with these six steps and you’ll be well on your way to an emcee script and performance that’s fun, inspiring, and memorable for all the right reasons!
Here’s one more unofficial emcee tip: HAVE FUN. Really! Relax. Enjoy yourself. Smile. Find ways to let loose (a little). The more you embrace your master of ceremonies role with joy and excitement, the more fun you’ll have, the more fun your audience will have, and the more likely you are to look forward to doing it all over again next year.
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Got a question or a tip of your own to add? Need more details or an example? Wondering if your emcee idea will work? Share your thoughts in the Comments field below, or contact Andy directly anytime!
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
World News of Tuesday, 24 July 2018
Source: RFI
Co-founder of Femen feminist group found dead in Paris
Oksana Shachko, one of the founders of the Femen feminist protest movement, has been found dead in her Paris apartment, the group said on Monday.Activists from Femen, known for its bold topless protests, said the 31-year-old Ukrainian had been found on Monday with a suicide note next to her body.
"It is with great regret and deep pain that I must confirm the death of Oksana," said Inna Shevchenko, one of Femen's leaders, who also lives in the French capital.
Another Femen founder, Anna Gutsol, wrote on Facebook: "RIP. The most fearless and vulnerable Oksana Shachko has left us.
"We mourn together with her relatives and friends," she said, adding that the group was awaiting "the official version from the police".
Shachko was one of four feminist activists who founded Femen in Ukraine in 2008.
Exiled in France since 2013, she had since left the group and was working as an artist.
Operating under the slogan "I came, I stripped, I won," Femen quickly drew attention around the world with its bare-breasted protests against sexism.
Their protests eventually started targeting authoritarianism and racism, with Russia's Vladimir Putin a particular target, alongside France's far-right National Front party.
But in recent years the group has struggled with internal divisions as well as legal proceedings against its members.
In 2011, Femen said Shachko was among three members "kidnapped" by security agents and forced to strip naked in a forest after staging a topless protest mocking Belarussian strongman Alexander Lukashenko.
The agents had poured oil over the three women, threatened to set them on fire, and cut off their hair, Femen said.
She was abducted again by unknown assailants during a visit by Putin to Ukraine, according to the group.
Femen's lawyer said Shachko was beaten so badly that she was briefly hospitalised.
AFRICA TODAY
World News of Tuesday, 24 July 2018
Source: africanews.com
High expectations in South Africa as Xi begins state visit
As Chinese President Xi Jinping started on Monday his third state visit to South Africa, the local people and overseas Chinese there expressed great hope that the visit will further boost bilateral friendly relations and cooperation.Media in the country has reported extensively on the much-anticipated visit, which reflects the importance of both the Chinese top leader and the bilateral ties, according to local banker Dave Duley.
“I didn’t see him personally but obviously it was pretty much covered in the media. The importance of a man such as himself obviously is honoured by all parts of the media in South Africa. And the continuation of our relationships, country-wise, we trust will continue in the spirit that we committed to each other all those years ago,” he said.
Xi is also scheduled to attend the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg on July 25-27. It will be the sixth consecutive time for the Chinese president to attend such meetings. Given the remarkable results from the previous summits, the local people are full of hope about this year’s session.
“I think it’s very good for South Africa. I do believe the BRICS Summit allows all the developing nations to get together and foster relations. And having the Chinese president here will only enhance that,” said local resident Poendree Govender.
“Since we are part of the BRICS, I think it is a good thing that he is here so that we can establish new opportunities, for youth and education as a whole perspective,” noted Itumeleng, a teaching fellow at the University of Johannesburg.
Chinese enterprises in South African and ethnic Chinese residing in South Africans are also excited with the prospect of enhanced bilateral cooperation brought by President Xi’s visit, the 10th BRICS Summit, especially as the year 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of China-South Africa diplomatic relations.
“All the Chinese enterprises (in South Africa) look forward to the visit of President Xi. Because the BRICS Summit is a very important event and this year marks the 20th anniversary of China-South Africa diplomatic ties. The summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in 2015 in South Africa produced great results and over the past three years, all the results have been gradually implemented and strengthened. So we believe that the visit by President Xi will further promote China-South Africa cooperation,” said Zhang Jinguo, president of Association of Chinese Enterprises in South Africa.
“This is the third time that I witness the state visit by President Xi to South Africa. I hope the state visit will promote cooperation among the BRICS countries and inject fresh momentum and confidence into China-South Africa cooperation,” said Li Tianshu, an ethnic Chinese residing in South Africa
AFRICA TODAY
World News of Tuesday, 24 July 2018
Source: BBC.com
Israel rebukes Turkey's Erdogan over 'Hitler' comparison
Israel's prime minister has angrily rebuffed comments by the Turkish president who called Israel the "most fascist, racist state" in the world.Benjamin Netanyahu accused Recep Tayyip Erdogan of "massacring Syrian and Kurds", after Mr Erdogan compared Israeli political leaders to Hitler.
Mr Netanyahu tweeted that under Mr Erdogan's rule, Turkey had become a "dark dictatorship".
The two countries have a recent history of tense relations.
Once close allies, Turkey broke off diplomatic ties with Israel in 2010 after 10 pro-Palestinian Turkish activists were killed in clashes with Israeli commandos who boarded a Turkish-owned ship trying to break Israel's maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Relations were restored in 2016, but they expelled each other's top diplomats in May this year in a dispute over Israel's killing of Palestinians amid protests on the Gaza-Israel border.
Human rights groups have accused Israeli troops of using excessive force. Israel says they only opened fire in self-defence or on Palestinians trying to infiltrate its territory under the cover of the demonstrations to carry out attacks.
'Spirit of Hitler'
In a speech to his Islamist-rooted AKP party, Mr Erdogan sharply criticised a controversial law passed by Israel last week which characterised the country as principally a Jewish state.
"This measure has shown without leaving the slightest room for doubt that Israel is the world's most Zionist, fascist and racist state," Mr Erdogan said.
"There is no difference between Hitler's obsession with the Aryan race and Israel's understanding that these ancient lands are meant only for Jews.
"The spirit of Hitler, which led the world to a great catastrophe, has found its resurgence among some of Israel's leaders," he added.
Israel considers comparisons with the Nazi regime, which murdered six million Jews in Europe in the Holocaust, as an egregious insult.
Responding swiftly on Twitter, Mr Netanyahu accused Mr Erdogan of "massacring Syrians and Kurds and imprisoning tens of thousands of his fellow citizens".
He added: "The fact that the 'great democrat' Erdogan attacks [Israel's] national law is the greatest compliment."
"Turkey under Erdogan is becoming a dark dictatorship, while Israel is meticulously maintaining equal rights for all its citizens, before and after the [national] law."
It is not the first time Mr Erdogan has launched a verbal attack on Israel. Earlier this year, Mr Erdogan called Mr Netanyahu "an occupier" and "a terrorist".
Mr Netanyahu responded by saying Israel would "not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately".
AFRICA TODAY
World News of Tuesday, 24 July 2018
Source: France24
Macron's cabinet chief to testify in 'Benalla Affair
The head of President Emmanuel Macron's cabinet, Patrick Strzoda, will testify Tuesday before parliament as part of an inquiry into Macron's former top security aide, who was filmed beating demonstrators during a Paris protest.Top officials in President Emmanuel Macron's office were to appear before parliamentary commissions Tuesday as questions swirl over the scandal sparked by his former top security aide, who insists he was trying to help police when he was filmed manhandling demonstrators after a violent Paris protest.
France's interior minister and the Paris police chief both indicated in testimony Monday that they were unaware Alexandre Benalla would be attending the police operation during May Day protests.
Another top police official, Alain Gibelin, told the National Assembly panel late Monday that contrary to Benalla's claims, he had no official authorisation to attend the operation as an "observer".
Macron's office director Patrick Strzoda was to appear Tuesday before the commission at 4:30 pm (1430 GMT), as was Marie-France Moneger-Guyomar'ch, the head of the national police oversight body.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and other ministers are also expected to get an earful during parliamentary questioning on Tuesday afternoon.
On Thursday morning a Senate panel will question Macron's chief of staff Alexis Kohler.
Macron is facing growing calls to address personally what has been dubbed "Benallagate", which has prompted opposition claims of an attempted cover-up and paralysed parliamentary debate.
"Emmanuel Macron will not find it easy to restore his authority after being bruised by this disastrous episode caused by a rank amateur," right-wing daily Le Figaro said in a front-page editorial Tuesday.
Benalla, a 26-year-old former bodyguard who became Macron's campaign security chief before transferring to the Elysee Palace, has been charged with assault and impersonating a police officer after videos showed him striking a young man during the protest while wearing a riot officer's helmet and police armband.
It remains unclear how Benalla obtained the armband as well as a police radio.
'Waiting for answers'
Benalla has defended his intervention during the traditional May Day demonstrations in the capital, which were marred this year by around 200 youths who smashed shop windows and clashed with police.
In a statement from his lawyers Monday he said the young man and woman he was filmed scuffling with were "particularly virulent individuals" he had been trying to "bring under control" while "lending a hand" to police.
But Gibelin, head of public order in the Paris police department, told lawmakers that Benalla didn't have "any authorisation" from Paris police headquarters to be at the demonstration as an observer.
It also remains unclear why the incident was not reported to prosecutors when officials learned the video was circulating on social media starting May 2.
Benalla was nonetheless suspended soon after for two weeks without pay, and Macron's office says he was transferred to an administrative role -- even though he has since still be seen in Macron's security details.
Interior Minister Gerard Collomb as well as Paris police chief Michel Delpuech told lawmakers Monday that it was up to Macron's office to either inform prosecutors or impose any punishment.
"There is a problem of responsibility. The president could start by answering journalists' questions," Socialist party chief Olivier Faure told RTL radio on Tuesday.
"French citizens are now waiting for answers."
Macron has called off a scheduled appearance Wednesday at a Tour de France stage in southern France, with his office saying the decision was taken because the prime minister had already made a race visit last week.
Privileges
Benalla was fired Friday after newspaper Le Monde published the smartphone video showing him hitting a man at the protest, while riot police officers looked on.
The newspaper later posted another video showing Benalla violently wrestling a young woman to the ground.
Both protesters have come forward and plan to testify, according to a source close to the inquiry.
Along with Benalla, Vincent Crase, a security agent employed by Macron's Republic on the Move (LREM) party who was also at the scene, has been charged with assault.
Three police officers have also been charged with providing police surveillance footage of the scene to Benalla so he could try to justify his actions.
Adding to the controversy, Le Monde reported Friday that Benalla had been allocated an apartment in a luxurious mansion reserved for presidential staff, and had been given a car and driver.
The president's office confirmed late Monday that "a request for lodging had been accepted" this year, but that Benalla "never occupied" it.
An Elysee spokeswoman also denied reports he was going to benefit from a pricey renovation that would have provided him with a 200-square-metre (2,200-square-foot) apartment at the site.
AFRICA TODAY
World News of Tuesday, 24 July 2018
Source: France24
Hundreds missing in Laos after dam collapse triggers flash floods
Hundreds of people are missing and several are feared dead after a hydropower dam under construction in Laos collapsed, causing flash flooding which swept away homes, state media reported on Tuesday.Officials have brought boats to help evacuate people in San Sai district of Attapeu province, where the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam is located, as water levels rise after the collapse, ABC Laos news reported.
The company building the dam said heavy rain and flooding caused the collapse and it was cooperating with the Laos government to help rescue villagers near the dam.
"We are running an emergency team and planning to help evacuate and rescue residents in villages near the dam," a SK Engineering & Construction spokesman told Reuters by telephone.
The dam collapsed at 20.00 hours on Monday releasing 5 billion cubic metres of water and several hundred people are missing and homes have been swept away, the Lao News Agency said. It said several people had died.
facebook.com/tholakhong/vid…
Authority reports:
- 6 villages were affected
-1,370 households were affected
-6,630 people were affected.
-Many people are missing ( unknown numbers)
A video posted by the ABC Laos news on its Facebook page showed villagers stopping to watch fast-flowing water from the side of a river bank.
Communist Laos, one of Asia's poorest and most secretive countries, aims to become the "battery of Asia" by selling power to its neighbours through a series of hydropower dams.
Aerial video shows how the villages in Sanamxay district affects#Laos#Laosflood2018facebook.com/ABClaos/videos…
Environmental rights groups have for years raised concerns about Laos' hydropower ambitions, including worries over the impact of dams on the Mekong River, its flora and fauna and the rural communities and local economies that depend on it.
View image on Twitter
The collapsed dam was expected to start commercial operations by 2019 and export 90 percent of its power to Thailand under a Power Purchase Agreement between the Xe-Pian-Xe Namnoy Power Company (PNPC) and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).
The remaining 10 percent of power would be sold to the local grid under an agreement between the PNPC and the Electricite du Laos.
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