...according to Sawitri Rochanapruk, 37
Read and understand the script rather than just memorize the whole thing
When I started this career, I tried to memorize everything in the script, which was basically like when you were at school, trying to recite poetry. The problem was, if you got one word wrong, you couldn’t go on to the next line. One day, I got a chance to tell someone what I was working on and I realized it’s a lot easier to talk about that which I understand.
Sometimes the script won’t be ready until the last minute
There was a time I had only five to ten minutes left to read and understand the script before the event started. If this had happened earlier in my career, I would have panicked. Now I know that doing some research before the event helps. However, you must not rely on everything from online resources. You have to read through them and then cross-check with your client for accuracy.
Raising your voice doesn’t get you attention
You have to understand that people’s attentions are limited, particularly in an event where a
lot of activities are happening at the same time. The client doesn’t organize an event for everyone to just stand there and listen, they throw an event to deliver an overall experience to guests. I used to raise my voice, but it didn’t really help. If you start noticing that people are not paying attention, you might want to consider cutting down on what you are saying. Stick to talking about the main ideas so [guests] can still remember the key messages after they leave.
A few seconds of dead air do matter
Before the event starts, make sure you look around the space and learn about the elements involved—games, installation, exhibition, activities—so when something goes wrong you’ve got extra pieces of information to kill dead air when you’re on stage.
Sereechai Puttes