Aspiring emcees are set to enter the event industry with renewed confidence and sharpened stage skills after completing the Cultural Development Foundation’s two-day training workshop.
The final session brought together veteran emcee Gilroy “Ezi” Hall and communications specialist Barbara Jacobs Small, who guided participants through a mix of performance technique, self-awareness, and professional development.
Jacobs Small delivered a signature module titled “From Self to Stage, the MC as Brand to Bridge.” She explained that the session was designed to shift the way emerging hosts understand their role in an event.
According to her: “The objective of it is to help the participants situate themselves within the event itself to understand what their role is. And sometimes, if we do not have the right guidance, we think we are the show. We do not understand that we bring the show, that we have objectives that we have to accomplish.”
She stressed that authenticity and self-knowledge are essential for anyone hoping to command a stage.
“To be able to be an effective MC, you first have to know who you are. You first have to know what your value proposition is as a personality type,” she said. Participants were encouraged to identify their “mic personality,” a concept she described as a combination of strengths and areas that require growth. “It comes with its own strengths. But it also comes with areas where there is a growth edge that we must find.”
The response from trainees affirmed the impact of the two-day experience. Director of Training at the CDF, Tracy Dolcy, said the turnout exceeded expectations.
“The session was well attended. We had approximately 32 people who participated who will be receiving certificates of participation,” she noted. She added that enthusiasm was high from the outset.
“The participants are very excited. Some have said we need a registry, we need a network to be created of MCs so that as events come up, whether it be a private individual or an entity, they can call us and say, we need an MC, and we can share their names.”
Dolcy explained that the workshop offered far more than basic hosting tips. Participants learned about preparation techniques, professional conduct and the importance of developing a personal brand.
“The participants were very thrilled not only to know, for instance, about how do you prep but how to apply their brand to emceeing,” she said.
The workshop forms part of the CDF’s broader goal to strengthen professional pathways within the creative sector.