“Versatility Is The Key To Hosting”: Pritee Kathpal
In the latest entry to this exclusive interview series, Everything Experiential chats with Pritee Kathpal, a seasoned emcee with over a decade of experience in the event-hosting industry. Known for her communication skills and versatility, Kathpal shares insights into what it takes to excel as an anchor or emcee. From preparing for diverse events to striking the right balance between professionalism and building rapport with the audience, she offers valuable advice for aspiring hosts.
Excerpts:
In your opinion, what qualities are essential for a successful anchor or emcee?
Communication is the key. You need to know your word, be friendly when you're on stage and you need to flow. You don't need to stick to a script completely. You need to be good with spontaneity.
Secondly, you need to gauge the audience and the circumstances. There's no black or white on stage. Sometimes you need to be very friendly whereas sometimes you need to be formal.
Thirdly, you need to have a lot of content. In my experience, I have felt that there are last-minute changes and delays, you need to have a lot of content, be it some witty questions or some activities to fill some unexpected gaps.
How do you prepare for different types of events, such as corporate conferences, product launches, or weddings?
I have been in the industry for over a decade now, this has become very easy for me. I have a lot of experience in different kinds of events over the time. To get the hang of hosting different kinds of events flawlessly, there's a lot of research and development to be done. I have watched so many award functions on TV, I watched Shah Rukh Khan host these award functions. I watch a lot of international hosts like Steve Harvey is one of my favourites. I watch Oprah, I emulate her poise and grace when I have a conference.
Coming back to different events, in weddings, you need a lot of family-oriented jokes or family-oriented games. It comes back to research. When it's a corporate event, you need to have some motivational quotes and some corporate jokes. You have to be very professional in a corporate setting whereas in a wedding, you have to become like their daughter or their sister and engage the audience in a very familial sense. Versatility is the key.
I am also an actor, so when I am doing different kinds of events, it is like playing a different role.
How is presenting on TV different from hosting live events?
Be it a TV chat show or televised awards show, they are scripted and often they have a teleprompter running and we have to stick to the script. Whereas in a live event, they give you a show flow and you have to work on your script. They don't even ask you to send the script for a review, you just go with the flow and you need to know what will be appropriate.
As an anchor, how do you balance being professional and building a rapport with the audience?
Keeping in mind that even if I am building a rapport with the audience, I must draw a line. You cannot go overboard and get too personal. You get friendly, you talk to them about their family, joke about a lot of things which you know are not offensive. Never get political and certain things you don't touch upon, but at the same time, respect them and joke with them.
For me, I have always started my shows by appreciating people, which is the key. Everybody's working hard. Everybody is giving in their hundred per cent and when I am on stage, I appreciate them, all the hard work they are putting in and then when I am joking with them, they feel this is a safe space and nobody means any harm.
What upcoming trends do you see in the event-hosting industry and how do you plan on adapting to them?
The format has remained the same over the years. Every event has some entertainment quotient, some interaction from the emcee and the main content. That is what makes the show. Every year, something new is coming up. We watch a lot of content online and we make the audience participate in these trends. We’ll take lines from social media content like “How's the Josh?’ or ‘Looking like a wow’.
It is your lifestyle. As an emcee, you need to be aware just like a stand-up comedian. You need to know what is happening around you. Currently, roads in Bombay are dug up everywhere, so that becomes a topic of discussion on stage.
Do you have any tips for aspiring anchors or emcees who want to excel in this field?
The key is to practice, do as many shows as possible and watch other anchors. Not just your peers or your seniors, but a lot of TV anchors. You need to create your content and excel on your own without only doing what people are doing.
Lastly, what legacy do you hope to leave in the event-hosting industry?
I would want to be known as a versatile emcee. Someone who could host weddings, corporate awards and conferences without having to choose one of them. I would want to be known as the most charismatic emcee and the most charismatic speaker.
