Don't Bore your Audience

I got bored. I would have left; if not that I had to report on the event. The Compere or Master of Ceremony as he called himself, did his best. Apparently he was trying to impress with many words, but it proved counter-productive. It bored not just me, but us; at least over a dozen people who were seated near me.
What is wrong talking a lot while hosting an event? After all, that’s why you were hired – to talk and engage the audience during transitions in-between items in the agenda.

It will be okay if:

1. The event was organised because of you. Probably, they all came to hear you talk. You can talk all day and they will be fine.

2. You are a super star stand-up comedian. Besides, it’s becoming a norm in my country, Nigeria, for comperes to double as stand-up comedians. So every master or mistress of ceremony wants to make people laugh at all cost, even at funerals.

3. The organiser commissioned you to make the delay the next performance, maybe while they wait for a late-coming ‘guest of honour’.

A few words of advice:

1. Few words, does it. Nobody wants to stay forever in an event, I mean, it gets boring.

2. Stick to the assignment. The assignment is to introduce the next performance. Just do it. Don’t border us with stories that are off-point. Really, jokes should relate to the theme of the event and be palatable to the predominant composition of the audience.

3. Speak clearly. Wrong pronunciation [like Shareman instead of Chairman], and mumbling to yourself can badly damage your brand as a professional compere. I recommend speech training.

4. Be Yourself. There is no need trying to fake accent. If you don’t have it, you don’t. If you have it, there is almost nothing you can do to erase it. Don’t act on stage. Just be yourself.