Welcome to Pitch Perfect, the podcast that helps you master the art of communication and captivate your audience. Hosted by Jaimie Abbott, award winning speaker, public speaking coach and PR expert, this show is your go to resource for building confidence, crafting your message and leveraging the media to grow your brand. Download Jamie's free PDF checklist. Visit jamieabbott.com speakerguide get ready to pitch, persuade and thrive. This is Pitch Perfect.
Today I want to talk about prevent client prep and communication when you are going in as a keynote speaker or perhaps as a master of ceremonies. The thing is, the event doesn't really start when you step on stage. It starts the moment that you confirm the booking. Your clients aren't trusting you with one of the most important days on their calendar. It might be their annual gala event, if they're a charity or not for profit. Or it might be their annual strategic planning day, their awards nights, annual conferences, all that sort of thing. And they're not just paying you to talk, they're paying you to make lives easier. So how do you do that as say, an MC with airtight pre event preparation and clear professional communication. Let's talk first of all about why prep matters. Think about it this way. Clients don't see the hours of practise that you put into your delivery. What they do see is whether you show up calm, organised or in control. Now, preparation does two things. Number one, it gives the client confidence in you. They see that you've got everything handled. Number two, it gives you confidence on stage because you know exactly what's happening and when. Now, when you prepare properly, you go for someone with a microphone to the backbone of an event. So here is my go to checklist before every single event. Number one, confirm the run sheet so who's speaking in what order and what times. Number two, ask about VIPs, sponsors or special acknowledgments. Nothing is worse than missing someone's name who might be in the audience. Double check pronunciations. This is really important and if you are not sure, ask. I will always get to an event early and check with the organiser, perhaps the special guest speaker, the correct pronunciation of their name. It just shows professionalism to confirm all the AV requirements. So the microphone type the slides, the music cues and the lighting, clarify the dress code. this. I've been caught out with this many times. I recently am se an event and I turned up there and it was a Gatsby theme. I didn't actually know that I should have been dressed in my 1920s gear. So called, the family back home and said, can you deliver me my 1920s, little crown headpiece thing that I had at home? It's always better to be slightly overdressed as the keynote speaker or the mc, then underdressed. Lock in the arrival time in advance. This is really important but you really want to make sure we'll aim to arrive early so you can meet the AV team and the organisers. Just to go through the run sheet, any last minute changes, any last minute hiccups, this probably happens almost 100% of the time. There will be a change in the schedule when you get there. Always bring a printed run sheet as well with your own notes scribbled in. Batteries, die, wi fi drops, paper never fails you. I might sound a bit old school there, but trust me, so many times, I'relied on an iPad or perhaps the organiser to bring their own run sheet and it doesn't always happen. Now I want to talk about some client communication touch points now because this is where a lot of master of ceremonies fall short. They think that their job is just on stage. But professional MCEs communicate before, during and after an event. Here are three touch points that will make you unforgettable pre event confirmation email a few days before. So you might want to say, hi, Sarah, I'm just checking in ahead of Saturday's gala dinner. I'll arrive by 5:30pm in black tie. I've attached the latest run sheet. Can you confirm if this is final? Really professional approach number two, a day of text message. So you might say, hi Sarah, I'm just letting you know that I'm on site and ready to go. Looking forward to a fantastic event. People can panic if you are on site and they don't, they can't find you. I often MC events in large auditoriums, organisers, it just adds extra stress to them. So just send the text to let the organiser know that you are on site. I do this every time now out of habit and then a post event. Thank you. So you might say, thank you so much for trusting me with your event last night. It was a privilege to be a part of it. I love to support you again in future. This isn't over communication, it's reassurance and it shows that you're dependable. Now I once had a client tell me you were the first MCE that I've worked with who actually sent a confirmation email before the event. That's crazy to me. but it also shows how simple professionalism can really set you apart another time, because I confirmed names ahead of time, I, I discovered that the sponsor'CEO had a tricky last name and no one had told me a, tricky surname for me to pronounce. I mean, it wasn't just like, I don't know, three letters. It was, it was a long surname and it was what I'd never heard before. That one phone call in advance saved me from an embarrassing mistake on stage where I would have mispronounced that person's surname. Now, a couple of traps that will kill your client's confidence. Turning up and winging it and looking unprepared. Mispronouncing names, especially sponsors or awards winners, and being vague in communication clarity just removes stress for everyone. Remember, when you communicate and when you prepare well, you're not just an mc, you're a partner in the success of the event. Algh. So here is your challenge this week. Create your own pre event checklist. What will you confirm every single time before you go into an event as the MC Draught? A confirmation email template and a thank you email template so you never have to start from scratch and practise sending a friendly day of text message in your own words. Do these three things and you'll insanely stand out as a professional MC that clients can't wait to rebook. Thanks for listening to Pitch Perfect. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review it and share it to social media. If you'd like to download my free paid speaking resources, go to jamieabbott.com.
