I'd love to tell you about the speech my kids gave at their cousin's wedding last month. But I'd hate to bore you with the details of a proud Mummy moment. Like the fact they stood tall in front of four hundred people, the way they overcame their nerves, or how they spoke so beautifully into the mic. I don't want to dwell on all that. 😉
Instead, I want to tell you about something that the MC did that evening. Something that we should all be prepared to do, whether we're hosting or presenting at an event.
Let me set the scene.
I take you now to the Hibernia Bank, a beautiful banquet hall in San Francisco, California. The bride and groom have just made their entrance, the guests take their seats, and the Master of Ceremonies (MC) calls on my children to give the first speech of the night.
I, of course, am anxiously crouched in front of the stage, ready to record it all!
But as they begin to speak, I notice something incredibly distracting...
and my heart just sinks.
All around me is the loud murmur of indistinct chatter.
As a professional with experience in similar situations, I knew very well just how challenging this could be. But as a mother, who knew just how hard it was for her babies to get up on that stage...
...I was about to lose my cool!
And that's when the MC stepped in to save the day.
After about 10 seconds (which felt like minutes to me) he set the expectations in no uncertain terms. He was assertive yet polite and got the job done.
The hall went silent, my kids began again, and the rest became the stuff of Soapbox emails!
In all seriousness, there are a few lessons to be learned from all of this:
If you're the MC or leading an event/meeting,do your part to ensure that the speaker can be heard. This sometimes includes adjusting the microphone or asking them to speak louder.
And if there is no MC and your audience is speaking over you, do not be afraid to take control yourself.
I'll never forget the time I gave a speech at my cousin's wedding. The crowd spoke over me the entire time - I could barely even hear myself. Honestly, it was so difficult.
I remember feeling incredibly upset, but I couldn't decide who I was most upset with: The MC for not stepping in or the audience for not staying silent. In the end, I realised I was actually most disappointed in myself for not taking control of the situation.
Here's what you can do if you're ever faced with a chatty crowd:
Acknowledge that people are talking.
Politely ask them to be quiet.
Pause - this is especially powerful.
Carry on. Sure, there will be times when this doesn't work, or not for everyone in the crowd. But as a speaker, it is your right and your role to maintain control of the situation. Not only does it help with your delivery, more often than not, it lends to your credibility as well.
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