We’ve all been there. Sitting at one of those corporate events where time seems to warp like a Christopher Nolan movie, and you’re stealthily eyeing up the emergency exits. The difference between those painful presentations and an event that actually gets people buzzing is the Master of Ceremonies (MC).
My name is Kalle Ryan, and as an experienced MC who has steered comms and events for tech giants Meta & Google, and performed in multiple award-winning creative productions, I know a thing or two about engaging an audience while staying on message! Drawing on that personal experience, here are my 7 tips for identifying a great MC for your next event.
The 7 Essential Qualities of an Exceptional Event MC
Finding the right MC isn’t just about nabbing someone who can pronounce everyone’s name correctly (although that’s a brilliant start). It’s about finding that rare creative communicator who can elevate your entire experience and make sure your messages stick. *cough* Such as Kalle Ryan.
1. Adaptability and Quick Thinking
Events rarely go exactly as planned. Tech goes haywire, speakers warble on too long, or that Q&A session takes a bizarre turn into conspiracy theory territory. A great MC can navigate these kind of choppy waters with the grace of an Olympic gold medal swimmer.
A great MC is adaptable and can think on their feet. When things go sideways, your MC is essentially your human safety net. Flexibility is their middle name. (Actually, mine’s Eoin, but never mind that.) So, an MC who has a background in improv (or even handling press conferences) could be a vital part of your event team, as they can react calmly in a pressure situation and keep things on track (sometimes without the audience even noticing) .
2. Strategic Communication Expertise
The best MCs know their job goes way beyond basic intros and tricky transitions. They need to really understand your strategic objectives and messaging priorities, but not everyone can do that. It really requires someone who is corporate communications savvy, while also being able to transmit the requisite energy and inspiration alongside it.
If you were to drop a very niche search query into the Google machine like “MCs with corporate communication experience Dublin”, there is a good chance it would come up as a Googlewhack and return only one response. *cough* Kalle Ryan. But joking aside, it is a rare thing for an MC to have real comms chops and be able to weave your key messages throughout an event in ways that feel natural rather than forced, while also building connection in the room.
So, give real consideration to the professional background of your MC when you make the choice. While comms people tend to stay behind the scenes, you might find that rare bird who can effortlessly craft the messages, make them stick, and fire up the crowd at the same time.
3. Audience Connection and Reading The Room
The ability to read a room and establish genuine connections with diverse audiences isn’t just valuable, it’s pure gold. I’d even go so far as to say, it’s the secret sauce that transforms a standard event into something genuinely memorable.
For any kind of communication (whether it is on the page or on the stage) one of the golden rules is to know your audience. So, when you’re on the hunt for an MC, at the vetting stage keep an ear out if they are inquisitive about the audience (e.g. size, demographics, roles). If that is not top of mind for them, then there is a chance they are not the MC for you.
4. Storytelling Skills (Because Data Is Boring, Stories Are Everything)
Here’s a tasty stat for you: Research from Stanford (Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2007). ) found that only 5% of audiences remembered statistics from an event, while 63% remembered the stories told by speakers. In simpler terms, information wrapped in story is 12 times more memorable than dry facts alone!
The best MCs are natural-born storytellers who can spin narratives that link your key messages to something people actually care about. As Ireland’s fifth best performance poet (according to the audience at my Brownbread Mixtape cabaret show, so take that with a pinch of salt), I’ve seen how the right story at the right moment can transform an entire room.
Most good MCs worth their salt have a couple of great signature stories that they can rely on with a crowd. This is especially valuable if the event has a hitch and you need them to kill time. Equally, a good storyteller can make almost any material compelling, so they can elevate your information and make it land more readily.
5. Perfect Timing and Pace Management
Nothing derails an event’s energy faster than poor timing. Great MCs have an internal rhythm for events. They know when to speed things up, slow them down, or throw in a well-timed bit of humour or playfulness when the energy dips.
A good MC will want to understand how well your event is planned in terms of timing onstage, as it has a material impact on their presentation, as well as their pacing for the session(s). In return, they will prepare well and leverage their experience to keep things ticking along (literally).
6. Authentic Human Presence
Audiences can smell fakery from a mile away. The best MCs always bring their authentic selves to the stage while still keeping things professional enough that your CEO won’t have a conniption.
Perhaps you searched for “charismatic but professional MC for corporate event” show, because you know how folks crave that perfect balance. I salute you, because you are already asking the right questions. It’s deeply unlikely an MC will ever say they are lacking that human sensitivity, but a chemistry call will give you a sense of that immediately. Pay close attention in that initial meeting, as it is effectively the MCs first chance to demonstrate their emotional intelligence and presence.
7. Cultural Intelligence and Sensitivity
Being multilingual (Swedish, English, and German) has given me a front-row seat to how crucial cultural connection really is. When it comes to events with diverse audiences at international companies, an MC who understands those cultural nuances and can adapt on the fly is worth their weight in golden microphones .
This type of cultural understanding is likely to come from an MC who has more than one nationality, or has spent a long time in an international company environment. The MC will have a natural inclination to tailor their language for non-native speakers, as well as an ability to anchor ideas in more broadly relevant references. I learned this most readily last year when I emceed a series of Town Halls in English and German for Canada Life, with the audience specifically calling out their appreciation for this localised approach. It made a real difference and the audience felt heard and seen, which was reflected back in the high satisfaction scores (8.9/10)
Investing in the Right MC is Investing in Your Message
For your next corporate event, consider how these seven qualities align with what you’re trying to achieve, and choose an MC who can truly elevate your event from “Is this over yet?” to “Wow, that was actually brilliant!”
When you select the right MC for your event, you’re not just hiring someone to read names from a card; you’re investing in someone who can shape the entire experience to ensure your key messages actually stick in people’s brainboxes.
Choose wisely. Hopefully this list helps you make that choice.
If you’re interested in bringing my magical, multilingual MC skills to your next event or offsite, then clickety click the yellow box below to learn more about my live communications services. Still have questions? Book a free 30-minute consultation here or send me an email.
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