Role of MC (master of ceremonies) in Workshops

Role of MC (master of ceremonies) in Workshops


Guide

The Master of Ceremonies (MC) in 100-Day Challenge workshops provides the glue between the various sessions, and he/she creates and manages the energy and engagement of participants in the workshop.

The role is relevant when there are multiple teams in the room. The MC handles the plenary sessions and prepares the teams to do work in break-out groups on their specific 100-Day Challenges. 

Assessing your performance in the role of MC

  • Participants in plenary sessions are engaged, contributing, and engaging with each other and with the material being presented?
  • Participants are clear about the work they will be doing in their break-out groups (teams)?
  • There is energy (and chaotic noise) in the room when participants are supposed to engage with each other, and 
  • There is suspense and attentiveness in the room when they are listening to the MC or to another participant commenting in plenary? 
  • Participants are having fun – there is a light hearted spirit in the room even if the topic is not light hearted.
  • Participants understand the overall objectives and plan of the workshop – the destination as well as the path (workshop journey) 
  • At all times in the workshop, participants understand where they are on the workshop journey – and how the session they are working on relates to – or builds on – previous sessions.

Tips for playing the MC role effectively

Minimise the use of slides, and keep each slide as simple and visual as possible.

Early on, and as frequently as possible, invite the participants to do an activity that involves them standing up and walking around. 

Pay special attention to the transition between sessions. When a session is ending… Recap the highlights or the work done…. And mention how this will relate to the session or sessions that follow: 

“We just decided on our 100-Day goal. In the next session, we will decide what we need to do to achieve this goal – we will develop our work plan.”

If you have a peer Ambassador with you, ask them to monitor the room and to give you a signal to invite them to speak if they are feeling there is a need for an intervention. For example:

“I think some people are still confused about what we are asking them to do when they go into the breakout groups. Let me try to summarise the assignment…” 

Check with participants periodically about the pace and about how they are feeling:

“Are we going too fast – or too slow. Show of hands for too fast. Show of hands for too slow.”

“How are you feeling – on a scale from 0 to 5? 0 for feeling horrible, 5 for feeling amazing. Raise your hand. Fist is 0. 5 fingers is 5.”

Avoid talking or explaining things for more than 5 minutes. If it is necessary to do so, see how you can break down what you need to present or say into 5 minute “episodes”. After each episode, you can stop and ask for clarification questions or comments. Here are some questions you can use:

  • “How does this resonate? Anything surprising?”
  • “Which part was the most complex and hard to grasp? 
  • “Has anyone experienced something similar to this?”

If you pause and solicit questions and comments and you get the dreaded dead silence in a room with 50 people in it, do not be disappointed. This is normal. Paradoxically, the larger the group, the less likely anyone will ask a question.   

  • So what to do in this situation? 
  • There is an almost guaranteed way to “make them talk”! 

If they are seated classroom style (not the best seating for an engaging session), ask some of them to shift their seats around so they are in clusters of 4 participants, and then ask them to discuss what they heard with each other for four minutes and agree on 2 questions they have. 

Go around and ask a group for one question. Then ask if another group has a different question. And so on.

Thought starter reflection questions

Jot down thoughts on these questions – to the extent they are relevant to your experience at the session:
  • When did the mood in the event shift from “why are we here?” to “this could be interesting – I am excited to be part of this.” What triggered this shift? 
  • When did you have to go “off script” on the agenda or to change the agenda? What triggered this? What did you adjust? How did it go?
  • What was most surprising to you at the event?
  • What new insights did you gain about the issue at hand, and about the way leaders in the system interacted with each other?
  • Where did the conversation get stuck? What got it unstuck?
  • How would you characterise the level of trust among participants in the meeting? To what extent did this shift as the meeting progressed? To what do you attribute this shift, if indeed it happened?

Thought starter...

Reflection Questions 

Jot down thoughts on these questions – to the extent they are relevant to your experience at the session:

  • When did the mood in the event shift from “why are we here?” to “this could be interesting – I am excited to be part of this.” What triggered this shift? 
  • When did you have to go “off script” on the agenda or to change the agenda? What triggered this? What did you adjust? How did it go?
  • What was most surprising to you at the event?
  • What new insights did you gain about the issue at hand, and about the way leaders in the system interacted with each other?
  • Where did the conversation get stuck? What got it unstuck?
These are 100-Day Challenge Mentors. 

They did some work before you received the Challenge Note. This included:

  • Writing the Challenge Note, and making sure that the leaders of all the organisations represented on the team are comfortable with it – and committed to supporting the work of the team
  • Helping the leaders of these organisation recruit you and your colleagues to the team
  • Gathering some baseline data and other information that will help you and your teammates set your 100-Day goal and develop your plan.
  • Making sure all the preparations are made for a successful Lift-Off workshop, when you and your teammates will meet and get your 100-Day Challenge started. This includes venue, facilitation support, food, swags, comms, travel arrangements and whatever else is needed.

 

Mentors will participate in all or part of the Lift-Off Workshop, mostly at the start to provide context and answer questions, and at the end to give you and your teammates feedback about the goal and plan you develop.

During the 100 days following the Lift-Off Workshop, here’s what the Mentors will do:  

  • They will check in every two weeks with the team leaders to see how the team is doing and what support they and the team need.
  • They will keep other organisational leaders informed and engaged during the 100 days, and pull them in to help as needed.
  • They will participate in the last part of the Refuelling Workshop, halfway through the 100 days, to see what additional support the team needs, and to begin to plan with the team for sustainability and scale-up.
  • They will work with the team at the Sustainability Workshop to finalise recommendations on sustaining the results and building on the work of the team.