Acceptance Speech Etiquette – Kanye vs. Taylor Swift Debauchery

How to Avoid Making a Jerk of Yourself at an Awards Ceremony

It was a night Kayne West will likely never forget.  The night he put his foot in his mouth and choked on it.  Actually, it was more like his whole leg, arm and every extremity.  He stole the thunder away from poor, sweet Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards recently, and no one can forget the shame he brought on to himself as being the most crass celebrity of all time.

Although he did apologize, it just brings to light how footloose these award ceremonies have become in recent years.  We’ve seen parts of Janet Jackson we never expected and trip ups by even the most famous of emcees and award recipients.

Maybe it just goes to show – do people have any idea what to say in their acceptance speeches?  Perhaps not.  Here are things NOT to do:

TOP 5 DON’TS FOR AN ACCEPTANCE SPEECH –

1. Ramble on and on

Do you really need to tell your whole life story, or that of your friends and family who the audience has never seen, heard of or care about?  Keep your speech relevant to the event.

2. Avoid Politics and Religion

A huge no-no is voicing your opinion – whether it is for, or against – a particular candidate, politician, belief, religious view or anything controversial that may be susceptible to criticizing later on.

3. Make the Thank-yous to long

While thanking the little people might be nice, you don’t need to mention every single name.  No, really.

4. Be Unprepared

It can be awkward to stand up there and receive an award, especially for someone who is shy or who has never spoken in front of the public.  While it may seem kind of silly to bring a drawn-out speech planned ahead, there are simple ways to become prepared without needing to do this.  Practicing in front of a mirror is a tried and true way to be prepared without the acceptance speech seeming contrived.

5. Tell a dumb story, or two

Along with this, don’t tell bad or distasteful jokes that may offend a certain race, sex or individual.  Don’t tell long stories that will put people to sleep.  It’s best to think of witty one-liners to add a dash of humor to your acceptance speech.  If you do tell a story, keep it short and significant to the occasion or event for which you are celebrating.

Take it from Kayne West, who already knows what NOT to say at an awards ceremony.  Trophies2go.com has everything you need to plan your next recognition award event!  We specialize in award plaques, crystal trophies, acrylic awards and yes, even Oscar replica awards!

Tips for Hiring (Or Being a Master) of Ceremonies

“Keep It Smooth and Simple”

Why does Dick Clark count down to the New Year every year in Times Square? Aside from the fact that people come to expect it, there are many reasons why he has become the legendary “ball dropper” to ring in the New Year. He is recognizable, witty, intelligent, entertaining, carries poise and charm, is good at interviewing and “off-the-cuff” rhetorical questions, and is good looking at any age. But this article is not about Dick Clark.

Trophies2Go admires Dick Clark as one of the great Master of Ceremonies ever; making a ceremony a success from the Miss America pageant to the Emmys. Without the right guy (or lady) as the Awards Presenter or Master of Ceremonies, many a “shindig” goes down in history as a disaster for reasons that are fairly easy to detect. Amateur presenters sometimes cause audience members to be bored to tears and dreading the next ceremony they have to attend. Reasons that these ceremonies are calamities go back to 5 qualities of a good Awards Presenter.

1- Personality: Nobody likes listening to a dull, boring and spiritless speaker. Hire someone who has been in front of the pulpit before and displays a bit of charisma. If you yourself would like to become a master of ceremonies, start small, and work yourself up to the level of company elocutionist. Someone who is able to deliver punch lines and witty statements through conversing with the participants; or an awards host that offers stories and jokes that entertain the crowd is ideal.

2- Experience: As mentioned, ceremonies are not events that need to be documented, thoroughly researched and processed. But they do need to be performed by someone who has been to this rodeo before. Company get-togethers require a speaker or person hired who has been in the position previously. First timers are frequently set-up for immediate failure, even if they are higher-ups in the company.

3- Organization: Coaches have game-plans, players have strategies and Presidents (well most of them anyway) have staffers who organize and often write material for them. There’s no need for you to go hire your own in-house speechwriter, but get a plan in place as to how you are going to conduct your ceremony. Is it going to be fairly structured? Is it going to be a ceremony where things are fairly relaxed and light? Whatever it may be, get organized!

4- Speed: The Master of Ceremonies keeps things flowing at a slightly less than rapid pace. Ceremonies sometimes have the stigma of going on and on and on, but by setting the tone early the audience will get a feel for how the whole thing flows and be much more apt to enjoy the events.

5- Accuracy: It shouldn’t have to be said, but unfortunately it does. The Awards Presenter needs to have eloquence, by saying the names right of the people who receive awards. Botched names are embarrassing so the awards presenter must practice and research prior to the event. There’s nothing that will cause credibility to shrivel quicker than getting a few choice names wrong on the docket for the evening’s ceremony.

These tips on choosing the best Master of Ceremonies are brought to you by Trophies2Go.com; your industry leader for trophies, awards and tokens of appreciation for all of your awards presentations!