Calm in the Chaos
What do you do when the photographer has a seizure in the middle of a crowded breakout session?
These things can and do happen.
When things go wrong—and they will go wrong—your audience will look to you for guidance and reassurance. Your job description as an emcee includes being the face of calm when chaos happens behind the scenes.
Think of a duck gliding smoothly along a still body of water. There's not much of a ripple on the surface even though their feet are paddling frantically beneath it. You're the duck. You may have to work frantically behind the scenes while giving the appearance of gliding effortlessly through it all.
I've been sitting in an audience and felt my "Spidey sense" go off, knowing that there was something amiss even though I couldn't tell precisely what it was. I tend to be very tuned in to the energy of a room, no matter where I'm positioned in it. When I get that feeling that something isn't going according to plan, I watch. I notice. Who is moving with a greater sense of urgency than before? Who is having whispered conversations on the side of the stage or in the back of the room? What are the tech guys doing? How well is the person on the microphone addressing the situation or diverting attention from it?
Preparation Over Planning
You absolutely cannot plan for every unexpected thing that might happen at any given event. That's why it's unexpected. If you're a type A person, though, I guess you can certainly try to plan for anything. I'm not, so I like to emphasize a general approach to preparation. The difference between preparation and planning in my mind is a matter of rigidity. If you are easily agitated when things don't go precisely as planned, emceeing might not be the best role for you. If something goes wrong and you are deeply affected, it could take you some time to recover. When you're prepared for the unexpected, you can fall back on mindfulness and confidence tools, communication techniques and leadership skills to stay in control even if others panic.
Improvisation is a phenomenal skill for any speaker or leader, whether you're a performer or not. The ability to ad-lib in front of a crowd is a skill that even many professional speakers have not taken the time to master. If you have the opportunity to attend an improv class, I highly recommend you do it. You might feel silly, and you might think that you suck at it. Do it anyway because sucking at something new is always to your benefit.
Do whatever you have to do to feel confident that your experience and skillset will be enough to help you handle at least the most common of unexpected circumstances.
Common Unexpected Situations
Here's a short list for reference:
Tech issues—technology is great... when it works
Speaker issues—delayed arrivals or overtime sessions
Schedule changes—last-minute additions or cancellations
Meal service issues—delays, shortages or menu changes
Emergency situations—alarms go off, a health event
Logistical issues—missing materials, unclear signage, etc.
Personality conflicts—parties can't resolve their own issues
Venue issues—things aren't where they're supposed to be
Communication issues—stories aren't lining up
Audience disruptions—big emotions, drunkenness, etc.
Unexpected VIP needs—travel troubles, bruised egos
Security issues—outside threats, inside threats, perceived threats
Weather issues—hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, etc.
Acts of God—use your imagination
Stay Cool
If you do lose your place or something else crazy happens, don't panic. A lot of the skill required of an emcee involves keeping your composure when things go sideways. Never reveal to the audience that you're struggling. Don't tell them that you're new at this, lost or feeling nervous. That information is on a need-to-know basis, and your audience—who is looking to you for leadership, expertise and guidance—does not need to know. They don't want to participate in your panic—even if they sense it, they want to see you press on and overcome it.
Your audience does not need to know the details of your doubts, fears or current mental state. If you haven't practiced enough to have the confidence you need by the time you get on stage, what have you been doing? If you spill your guts about it to them, they'll know that they weren't enough of a priority for you to put in the prep work, and that is not how you want your VIP guests to feel during or after your event.
Emergency Response
When it comes to emergencies, look to the venue staff to communicate evacuation procedures. If you've taken first aid or CPR certification courses, rely on your training. Regardless, it's a good idea to have a general awareness of where things like fire extinguishers, fire exits, first aid kits and AEDs are located. This awareness can help you stay calm in the face of crisis situations. When you're in control of the microphone, people look to you and listen to your instructions. Your ability to communicate with authority will help to keep the room calm when things get chaotic. If an emergency arises when you're off stage, people may still look to you to direct them. Do what you can.
Make sure that you know who calls the shots in different types of emergencies. Is it the emcee? The venue staff? Emergency services? Determine your chain of command beforehand whenever possible.
After the emergency has passed, you'll need to determine whether or not to publicly acknowledge what happened and how to acknowledge it appropriately without unnecessary drama. Honor the seriousness of a significant emergency, provide directions for support services when needed and redirect or reset the energy in the room if and when the program resumes.
Filling Time
You can never know exactly what will happen during your event or conference. Tech is the one thing that I never completely trust to go 100% smoothly. Therefore, I always have my notes, agenda, introductions and scripts printed out on physical notecards. I carry my cards with me everywhere. I am so stuck to my notecards that at one event, my hands turned pink because I printed my notes on sparkly pink paper to match the brand colors of the event. The paper was a little bit reactive to moisture, I guess!
Aside from tech issues (or sometimes because of them), the number one thing to be prepared to do is to fill time. Some speakers end early. Sometimes the program includes buffer time that turns out to be unnecessary. You can improvise to fill these moments or you can prepare some exercises or engagement activities that align with the event. Give information and direction when it's appropriate, of course, and remember that the idea of the time-fillers is to keep the audience present with you and keep the event flowing as though everything is playing out exactly according to plan.
The most successful events are the ones that plan well and at the same time do not have too rigid an attachment to the plans. As an emcee, I often experience the most powerful moments when things are not going according to plan. When you're willing to go off script and meet the audience where they are, magic happens.
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