“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
This is the Serenity Prayer by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. It could as well be the Master of Ceremonies’ motto when things are just not going to plan. The most important tool you can ever have in your toolkit is the right attitude. You need it to handle all the ups and downs that are typical of the profession. Some things you will have the power to control, others will remain firmly out of your power. How you handle the elements you cannot control is critical if you want to make your event a success.
Imagine you have been hired to MC a garden birthday party. 150 guests have been invited. You arrived at the venue in good time. The decorator has transformed the garden into a paradise of green, white and silver. The musicians are lounging around after a successful sound check. The caterer is arranging the platters on the buffet table. The bartender is lining up an assortment of bottles of liqueur. The DJ is snapping his fingers as he mixes in another smooth jazz tune. All is set for a night of celebration. Then… Out of the sky…a single drop.
That’s not rain is it?
The event organizer looks up, clearly concerned. Most of the tables have been set out in the open. True, it has been grey all day but the forecast said nothing about showers. The first guests are due in fifteen minutes. From a few drops, the light drizzle turns into a steady downpour. This is the kind of rain that can last for hours. Now the organizer is in prayer mode seeking a spiritual intervention to make the rain go away.
You are the MC. You are in charge. What do you do?
Take Action & Reassure
Since you cannot control the weather, worrying about it will not help. Your only course of action is to concern yourself with what you can change, and that is the venue.
Suggest to the event organizer that you move the party away from the rain. This could be the veranda or even indoors. Think about it. What is the most important element of a party? The food and drinks? The entertainment? Maybe. But nothing really happens without the people. They are the central element. Wherever the people are, that is where the party will be happening.
So reassure the organizer that in spite of the rain, it is still going to be a great event. Take the unexpected change of venue in your stride. Your guests will be thankful for not getting soaked. They will be grateful you thought about their welfare. If the rain continues, stay under the shelter and get on with the show. But if it eases up, by all means get back outside and party!
I once hosted a garden wedding reception which was being threatened by rain. To ease tension, I asked if there were any prayer warriors around who could pray for dry weather. A man stepped forward and declared that he had just finished praying – we had just an hour to complete the reception before the heavens would pour down. True to his word, as soon as the event was over, a rainstorm sent all of us scampering for shelter. How our prayer warrior achieved what he did is probably a topic for another book.
“Don’t worry about the weather or the government.” — Italian proverb
How to MC Any Event 