How do you stay updated and inspired by other emcees?

We are like fine wine! We get better with age LOL Attend industry events, mingle with fellow emcees, and share stories over a cup of coffee - there is so much inspiration found in a casual chat or a spontaneous exchange! I love following other emcees on social media platforms. Their posts, behind-the-scenes snapshots, and witty insights can be a goldmine of inspiration & keeps my emceeing skills sharp. The world is your classroom! Attend workshops, webinars, and training sessions to stay updated. Explore new styles, techniques, and genres. Learning from others keeps the emcee spirit alive and vibrant. It's about enjoying the journey, connecting with fellow emcees, and adding your unique charm to every event.

"90% of the success is in the preparation". I didn't say that, Einstein did. Know your crowd: age range, social status, interests, intentions, jobs, you name it. Every single speech you present should be only 80% similar. These 20% that remain are the ones you need to morph according to the crowd. We need to stay humble in every step of the way. When we're up there, it's not about us, speakers, it's about Us, all together. Staying updated is indeed following and learning from other professionals in the business but also asking people in the crowd what they are looking for, expecting, hoping. Communication is a key that opens any door.

As an emcee we need to keep abreast of what’s going on around us in general knowledge in order for us to be ready with relevant points when the need arise and preparation is key ; to anticipate what might and could happen during the event with plan a , plan b and plan c - all the time . Sometimes it’s not so much about the content but most importantly the context of connecting with the audience with appropriate gestures & body language . As body language is mainly representing 50% of our communication. While watching other emcees perform their works watch how the audience relate to them when they do certain things that triggers the reactions from the audience and study what kind of audience they are addressing.

I find that I can truly enjoy watching a good emcee at events I am not working at, and try and learn from their successes and failures! One thing I like and am inspired by are emcees that appear to really know the people they are introducing, and are at ease with shining the light on the acts and not themselves...

Paradoxically, it’s not easy to prioritize learning (sources), let alone “continuous self-improvement” or deep-level inspiration/motivation in a world so oversaturated with all kinds of attention-grabbing stimuli, surrounding you literally every second of every hour of every day. So much so, that, ultimately, your ability to filter all this noise away from your goals belongs in an altogether new category of intelligence :)

This is great advice. Every time I am at a live event, I take mental notes on what the emcee did when the audience appeared alert and engaged, and often can also pinpoint moments where I would have done things differently. That said, it is important to remember that we all have our own style. What works for one emcee may not work for you. For example, I am good at improvising but will not pretend to be a standup comedian. So it is wonderful to watch fellow emcees at work, but important not to 'copy' anything that is not natural for you and your delivery style.

I LOVE watching other people on stage - whether it's emcees, stand-up comedians, panel hosts, there's always so much to learn. I see it as work experience, by attending events I'm not working at, I get inspiration and ideas on how to hone my craft as a professional emcee.

It's great to attend live events for the purpose of learning. Here we get real time practical learning that can be challenging and also arouse more motivation to explore.

However tempting the arguments and 'definitions' put forward by Mitch (see below), I strongly disagree. I've seen countless examples of other emcees at work and have myself emceed well over 400 conferences/congresses (mostly international). Defining the fundamentals of an emcee role as someone who 'keeps the program moving and acts to fill gaps...' is far to simplistic and doesn't even come close to what some of the most demanding emceeing environments entail, especially in areas such as on-stage risk management, creative improvisation skills, background research & preparation, etc. Having said that, I know exactly what kind of 'going beyond the role' inclinations can be (and often are) seen as almost unbearably annoying :)

LinkedIn is a great community ??. I follow as many fellow EmCees-moderators as I can and interact with them on a regular basis.

I agree LinkedIn is a fantastic community platform for people who are keen to share ideas/experience and learn from others. One of the best things about this job is you never stop learning and it gives you an unparalleled exposure to a myriad of personalities, disciplines, intercultural contexts, travel options, not to mention personal development opportunities.

I emceed a convention and the fire alarm went off. What would you do. I immediately took charge to help people evacuate the building calmly and safety act like a ring leader at the circus. Fortunately it was a false alarm, so I reversed the flow and got everyone back inside. Then I addressed the situation, make quick light of it and sequed back into the scheduled program. I did this on instinct (which of course if after years of public speaking experience) and I got terrific feedback on how I managed every thing so well. As an emcee, we have to be in charge of emergency management on top of all the other responsibilities.

Agree wholeheartedly! This is why it’s important to attend events outside of your industry. There’s lots to be learned from a food show host and radio DJs alike. I like live standup for this reason, too, as were often in that role as emcees as well. Play with costumes, try out different personas, and most importantly have fun! If you’re having fun chances are the audience is too.

What would you do from the platform is someone in the audience had a medical emergency? The first thing I did was to recognize the situation and had someone in the audience confirm the condition of the individual. They had a heart attack, so I asked everyone to stay calm and to make way for the EMTs when the ambulance came. I asked folks to stay quiet in respect of the person in crisis and they did. Once the person was taken to the hospital, we assured everyone we would update them on the condition as soon as we knew. They put everyone at ease and allowed the program to continue. Good news, the individual did recover.

This is the key thing! I mean: all inspiration is worthless, if you don't put it to practice. So be a hero and innovate on stage!

At a recent event, I was hosting a smaller more interactive stage and decided to be really 'hands on' with the audience. The conference organizers wanted to push attendees into the main tent to visit sponsor booths during the breaks so I took the initiative to visit each booth early and grab gear or pull from their activities. Then I played those mini games or shared gear with a few audience members before each break, encouraging everyone to go visit the tent to engage or get their own. It worked very well and sponsors were very happy. -- This same idea would not work on a big stage where we are far from the audience but is a great example of an idea working with the space you are in.

That's why I love the job so much! Even though, to an untrained eye, it may (almost too easily!) look and feel the same from conference to conference (incl. announcing speakers on stage), in reality, the job almost 'forces' you to keep away from your comfort zone(s), at least if you are serious about making meaningful progress and exploring the job's fantastic creative (even intellectual) potential. In other words, creating your own unique style and voice takes a lot more than one might be tempted to think. At the same time, great emcees (rare as they are) combine deep humility with an ability to truly lead...in a much deeper sense than announcing what comes next.

After 3 years and 6 editions, I was replaced as panel discussion moderator at a conference in Warsaw. I’m still its emcee. Karolina, my client at this event, told me last year’s reviews didn’t work in my favor. I wondered what went wrong? Karolina shared attendee surveys with me. People said they appreciated my dedication to interaction with the audience, but it wasn’t what they needed. I prioritized questions and comments from the attendees, but almost to the point of forcing it. Side note: most of my compatriots don’t enjoy public speaking. I plan to watch the whole panel again and look at my role critically. One of the biggest advantages of our job is that so much of what we do is recorded and never lost.

I always bring my own videographer to film me on stage. Sometimes the event organizers promise to share the video footage but they don't always follow through. And I have no idea how much of my MC-ing gets included in that video roll. Hiring my own videographer(In Korea, I have to pay $400-600) helps me document my MC gigs and it is a great way to monitor and review my work. Sometimes they won't let my video guy in, so I bring my tripod and try to film myself with my phone. If they have an issue with that, then at least I try to film the rehearsal or the audio check and tell my client that it is for self-monitoring purposes.

I try to stick to the rule of improving my craft by 5% every time. So after I've been on stage, I'll sit down and give myself feedback on what I think I could have done better - it's not critical, it's just helpful for me to learn.

While it can be daunting at first, we won't learn how to improve if we don't watch the play by play. Having a growth mindset is the key to always wanting to improve.

I always enjoy learning and growing. Start by watching fellow emcees and taking notes on what you like or not. If you want free courses or more in depth learning, I recommend TedTalks, and also online courses such as Masterclass or Coursera such as ones on storytelling or purposeful communication.

A great way of learning is sharing your experience, strangely enough. I've learned so much from teaching others, because it forces you analyse your profession. As a next step, we (Masters in Moderation) will be bringing our workshop(s) to the African continent and to the US

I find that it's a mix of continuous learning and active engagement with the emcee community. I regularly attend industry events, workshops, and conferences to observe and learn from the best. I also engage with other emcees/ fellow professionals to gain insight and glean from their experience. Watching videos of notable emcees and following them on social media helps me stay current with trends and techniques. I also seek feedback often and stay open to new approaches so I can ensure my style remains fresh and dynamic.

Know your subject matter. Do not have to be an expert but need to recognize if a panel member, for instance is going far off topic or being self serving. Keeping discussions on topic and informative is the best thing you can do. Find self deprecating humor to be a great way to draw in your audience. Above all, smile. If you look like you are having a ball so will your audience.

The more successful you are as an emcee, the higher the risk you will stop seeing/noticing important things, ironically enough. Your ego is like a welding glass filter on the reality. This is one of the many reasons why I like working with CEOs and management boards (public-speaking & nonverbal communication training), the most ego-impacted professional categories you will likely come across ;)