Master of Ceremonies

The master of ceremonies is a delicate position. One is tasked with providing a background rhythm that moves a program along throughout the evening. Rhythm is a good word for what the master of ceremonies provides in that rhythm is something that often times goes unnoticed especially when done with great precision. A master of ceremonies has a great role to play for concerts and other gatherings, but it is not a position without some risk. The position poses a temptation. Not a temptation that strikes all people equally, some are more vulnerable. I recently attended a function where the master of ceremonies unfortunately succumbed to the temptation facing all people in this position the temptation shall we say to want to move from playing rhythm to wanting to play the melody. In this case the shift happened when, Master of Ceremonies felt compelled to “warm up the crowd”. If you are ever required to fulfill this function you might want to consider not alerting the crowd to your intended purposes. There is nothing the crowd can do to participate in being "warmed up". Either you succeed or you fail. If you choose to alert the audience, you may not want to share how you intend to fulfill this task. “I am going to tell you some jokes this evening, you know to warm you up”. Humor can be a quite effective means towards this end provided one hits one’s target. The poor MC who provided the impetus for these reflections set out to do just this unfortunately both for himself and those in attendance he began with flatulence humor. Generally a bad idea in almost any occasion perhaps a boy scout jamboree yet this was not the occasion. The parachute pants did not add any to the particular routine and in fact only seemed to exacerbate the already tenuous position the MC had created. I think most in if not all in the audiences would have likely preferred to begin the show, but the MC was not sure that the crowd had yet been adequately warmed so he proceeded to reflect on his image in the mirror after taking a shower. I guess he thought this self effacing humor might serve some possible purpose for me it simply served rather to want to crawl into some corner and only come out after the MC had exited the arena. Whether he felt the crowd was appropriately prepared or had exhausted his repertoire the master of ceremonies decided the time was at hand for the show to begin. And finally mercifully introduced the children’s dance recital.