I recently emceed a slot in the Singapore Food Festival 2009 (17-26 July), right in the heart of Orchard Road. This year particularly highlighted Peranakan cuisines and a great deal of their culture.
Tips on Emceeing Road Shows:
- Ensure that you are dressed for the occasion. (I wore a Batik shirt to match the theme)
- If you have to talk to moving crowds that keep walking, talk in short and fast sentences to ensure they understand you even if they are not paying attention to you.
- Always invite the crowd to participate with you, eg. Take photos, dance to a rhythm, answer quizzes, talk about where they come from etc. The more participation, the better the responses.
- Remember that your audience wants an experience! Your job is to make them feel entertained and that they have felt something in their hearts. You can do this by following point 3.
- Be thoroughly familiar with the nature of the event. This will help when you have ‘gaps’ in the program and you need to say something to fill in.
- Don’t be worried if you need to repeat what you have said earlier. This is because if you have a crowd that constantly walks past, they will not have heard what you said much earlier.
- High Energy is important, even if you are tired, you cannot show it through your voice or face. The audience mimics your energy level and you need to always remember that it is always about them, not you.
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