Joe Hanson: You Have To Prepare For Every Job

You just got called to anchor an event. You are excited and cannot wait to grab the microphone and show the client how good you are. You get the brief and laughing out loud, it seems very familiar with the previous jobs you just handled. You view the job as a piece of cake.

This happens to almost all Master of Ceremonies, but only a few are disciplined enough to want to sit back and go through the event brief with a thorough preparation process in mind.

Growing to host many events does not give you a reason to become lacklustre in preparation.

I am sure you have heard of this before: Proper Preparation Precedes Proper Presentation. Not preparing properly for an event is the best step towards getting cut off from being called again by a client, or getting referrals.

Try your best to go through the programme, event flow/itinerary ahead of time and get yourself acquainted with the best way you can. By preparing, you also plan on what to wear, new ways to introduce speakers, how you entail to do things a bit differently.

Here are a few things to note:

Know your client
As soon as you get the brief, read up about your client and the event. If you can find access to previous editions then you can begin to groom yourself bracing up for what to expect. Most times you can get key information from those who work with the firm except in rare cases will you get much detail from the event planner.  I was called to host an event some years back. The call came in a day before the main event. I had no prior information about the client, so what I did was go online and read about the brand in particular. Later that night when the brief came in, I already was in sync with the brand, much more like I worked with the brand. This preparation came in handy.

Avoid the last-minute rush
Try your best not to do this at the beginning of your career, except on the grounds that is totally beyond your control. No matter how familiar an event might look, try to see it as something fresh. For instance, in the past two weekends you have had to anchor wedding events and all of a sudden you get booked for the third weekend to do the same. There is a likelihood that you’d say to yourself “no worries, it’s just the same wedding with different people, so let me slow down and do what I usually do best”. This thought is wrong. No couple is the same. Even if they have similarities, the audience or guests are totally different hence your approach.

Every event is an opportunity for self-development
Since every event is different, see it as a window to self-development. Preparation will eventually show once you get on stage, acknowledge the respected guests seated, observe protocols, and carry everyone along during the course of the entire event. In my little words, never play with preparation.

See more reasons why you should prepare in the new video below