Hi, it's Mich from Cultivating Charisma here! 👋😃

Welcome to your Weekly Charisma Missive, where I send you tips on charisma and communication, all designed to help you boost confidence, craft your character, and amplify connection.

Enjoy, and thank you for reading!

70 faces looked up at me expectantly.

The time has come.

I knew it was time to open my mouth and officially commence the event. And that’s something I cannot take back. Once the event starts, everything will be set in motion.

Forgive me for feeling the jitters. It was my first time hosting an event after all.

Don’t get me wrong.

I raised my hand to step up for the role. And I’m infinitely thankful to The Freelancers Academy for the opportunity, and to Wacana Works for mentoring me through the preparation.

But doing something for the first time, is always scary. No one can deny that.

Luckily for me, it was also exciting at the same time.

Here are 3 microlessons from my first emcee experience at the TFA Summit 2025 earlier this month, and how you can apply them to your communication as well.

1. It’s okay to repeat things.

Especially as emcee, when you’re the one holding space and guiding the flow of the event.

At several points throughout the day, I found myself repeating the same things over and over again. Like who the vendors were and what they did, inviting attendees to explore the booths, or reminding them to hydrate.

Look, I’m an introvert. In my day to day, I hate repeating things. I don’t even rant about the same thing to two different friends if I met them separately.

But what I learned from hosting that day is that some things can be repeated. In fact, repetition is even encouraged.

Repeating helps refresh the memory in the attendee’s minds. It’s also helpful because not everyone is paying attention all the time. Sometimes we’re engaged in a conversation. Sometimes, we need to take a break to go to the washroom. Sometimes, we’re just zoning out!

And it’s all perfectly fine.

I’m reminded of something my business mentor always says. “We are but a moment in our audience’s minds.” Now I can totally understand that.

So don’t be afraid to repeat something in your next speech or presentation, especially if it’s something important and worth noting. Of course, don’t overdo it. But also don’t be afraid to repeat it.

Repetition increases retention.

2. Remember to clarify the agenda of the event

Speaking of repetition, something I could have done more was to clarify the agenda of the event.

Before the finale segment of the event, we had a quick tea break that lasted around 20 minutes.

I realised, too late, that many attendees mistook this as the event has ended and hung about just chatting and making new friends.

That’s a great thing! And I love seeing people connecting with one another. BUT as event host, it was my job to gather everyone back into the main hall for the official wrapup of the summit.

This proved to be a difficult task 😅 which I finally managed with the generous help of some friends.

On hindsight, I should have clarified and repeated the event agenda at various segments throughout the day, so that everyone is on the same page.

Don’t make the same mistake I did.

The next time you’re organising an event, workshop, or even an online webinar, remember to clarify your agenda! This can prevent people from leaving too early, and saves time too if you’re keeping to a tight timeline.

3. The after lunch slump is reaaal

Food coma is nothing new.

What’s new is I learned a better to manage it.

You see, while priming the attendees for the after lunch talk. I thought a simple raising hands type of activity would be forgiving enough to warm up the audience.

Again, on hindsight, it would’ve been better to do an activity that required more movement in order to energise the crowd.

That would have prepared them better for the next talk.

What you can take away from this:

If you’re giving a presentation after a meal or organising an event that involves meal times, get participants moving a bit before moving to the next brain-heavy activity.

I’m thinking something along the lines of simple stretches, adjusting their position in their seats, maybe even stand up and talk to somebody.

All in all, I met so many interesting new people and had a tonne of fun.

If you were at the summit, REPLY with a quick “I WAS THERE” to let me know!

I’d love to hear your experience.

​

Mich

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P.S. Also putting it out there, I’m open to any hosting opportunities if your company or organisation is hosting a year-end event.

I may be new to hosting/emceeing, but I’m no stranger to stages and public speaking.

In fact, here's some feedback I’ve gotten from the recent TFA Summit!

They range from "love your energy" to "you look seasoned" 🥹 and for all that I am utterly thankful.

Until the next one!