Your funny mate is not an MC

The MC is chosen more casually than almost any other role and has more influence over the evening than most suppliers. Being funny at a dinner table is not the relevant qualification.

What the job actually is

An MC holds the room's attention, moves the night between its parts, and absorbs delays without the room noticing. Most of it is timing and authority, not material.

The specific tasks: getting a talking room to listen, introducing speakers accurately, handling the microphone, adjusting when something runs late, and knowing when to say less. On a normal night an MC speaks for perhaps eight minutes total, and every one of them is load-bearing.

The failure modes

The one who performs. Treats it as their set, runs long, and the room's attention is spent before the speeches start.

The one who cannot command a room. Speaks into a talking room, is ignored, tries again, and the night loses ten minutes and its momentum.

The one who drinks. Fine at 7pm, a liability by 10.

The one with no information. Mispronounces names, gets a relationship wrong, introduces a speaker who already spoke.

If you are using a friend, brief them properly

Give them a document, not a conversation. It should contain:

• The run sheet with their cues marked
• Every name they will say, spelled phonetically
• Exactly what to say at each point, as a floor rather than a script
• Who to look at if something changes
• The two subjects that are off limits

That last line matters. Nearly every MC disaster is a joke about an ex, a family rift, or somebody's health, told by a person who did not know.

Agree the delay protocol

Delays are where an MC earns their place. Agree in advance who signals them, what the signal is, and what authority they have to change the order. An MC who can lengthen a break or move a speech without asking permission is worth a great deal.

The alternative

Many DJs and bandleaders MC as part of their role, and they do it constantly. They are already holding the microphone, already watching the room, and already across the run sheet. If your entertainment can MC competently, that is usually the lowest-risk option available — and it is worth asking the question before you ask your cousin.