![]() The audience needed to be connected to one another and to the event. It's pretty good, isn't it? There had to be a beginning. Now imagine yourself in the audience hearing what you just said. But it can't do it without the help and support of people like you. The Y has been supplying that excitement in a way that's good for kids since it began in 1850. If we don't fill it with something that is exciting, interesting, and good for him, he will fill it with something that is exciting, interesting, and which isn't good for him." He said: "Every kid has inside him an aching void for excitement. I'd like to share a quote about kids from one of our great presidents, Theodore Roosevelt. The Y has no equal for providing programs for the development of kids from toddlers through the teen years. Probably 75 percent of you folks in this room can remember a time when you were a kid and the Y made a positive difference in your life.Īnd though the Y has programs for every age group, kids are what we are all about. But that's not where the great Y legacy comes from. And it's the best and most affordable one in town. Certainly many of us use the Y regularly as an adult fitness facility. We are here tonight because the "Y" is, in some way, important to each of us. You need to find this thread, state it, and connect everyone. Next, tell the audience "why we are all here." This critical opening statement tells the crowd why your prominent panel of speakers is taking the time to be present and offers a connecting common thread that brings the speakers and the entire audience together. Then say it five times to yourself before your moment of truth. Then write it phonetically in your notes. Then say it back to them at least three times. If there is a difficult name, ask its owner how it's pronounced. If you muff an important name, you're a dead man - or woman. Make sure you know how to pronounce their names. Decide with them beforehand if they will stand when their names are mentioned. Once you have opened the session and welcomed those in attendance, you need to give ample recognition to the officers, the directors, and the people who were responsible for putting the event together.ĭo it individually for the key people. We'll assume that you are the program chairman for a fund-raising event for your local YMCA. They need to be recognized for any number of reasons - if nothing else, they have marquee value with the audience, and their noted attendance will lend prestige to the event. ![]() In the crowd, of course, will be significant people within your organization. It was fun, and it stirred everyone to attention. Yet it all seemed so natural as far as the audience was concerned. The anticipation level started off on a high. Members of the audience actually spoke out loud. He got everyone's attention and brought the group to order. Here's what Percy Whiting accomplished by opening in that way: Percy would then turn and gesture to the far left corner while booming, "Can you hear me in the back over there?" The answer would come back, "Yes we can!" Then Percy would say at the same high volume level and with his arms outstretched, "Well, then, let's begin!" You Are the Focal Point A few brave members of the audience in that corner would shout back, "Yes, we can hear you!" He would always greet the audience by asking in a booming, microphone-aided voice, "Can you hear me in the back over there?" while pointing to the far right corner. ![]() Many years ago, there was a great speaker named Percy Whiting. ![]() You are the artist who determines what is painted there. You carry the audience on your shoulders. You either lift the audience and build anticipation, or you bore them and create apathy. How you do it creates the climate for the meeting. Usually you will do this from a platform or a stage. Your first responsibility is, of course, to open the event, to welcome everyone. Your First Responsibility - To Open the Event If you do it well, you are admired anew and you grow in stature within your company and with all those in attendance. It means you are known by the audience and respected by the people putting the event together. You have been asked to serve as a program chair for a dinner or master of ceremonies (otherwise known as MC, or emcee) for a more lavish event. You have been accepted as a leader in your company or your community. Westside Toastmasters is located in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California Chapter 15: How to Emcee an Event, Introduce Speakers, and Present Awards
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