Rather New To This!

[chris_gilly 0]

right!!

im in a bit of a pickle!!

im a bit stuck on what i can say!!

im a bit of a mong when it comes to speaking on the mic...

i get tounge twisted trying to think what to say!

how do you start the night/finish?

and what do you say anytime inbetween

thanks for the help!!

[TonyB 0]

So basically you haven't got the gift of the gab :)

 

Join the club! It depends on the function but often I don't say much, only make usual announcements (buffet, last orders, taxi for Fred etc).

 

Sometimes if there is a good atmosphere I have a bit of patter with the dancers, if no one is dancing I try and motivate them after all, you can't make it any worse.

 

If you need some practice using the mic, try doing some childrens parties as you'll need to do some mic work to get them organised. At the other end of the scale, do some 60+ parties where you have to announce what each dance is otherwise they look at you with a blank stare.

 

Anything in between, just talk if you have to. Usual announcements and let the dancers know who made the dodgey request that clears the floor.

Edited October 19, 2008 by TonyB

[Kingy 0]

Hi!! I don't think this skill can be learnt. This is something that either comes naturally or doesn't. Doesn't prohibit you from DJing though, just means you won't be what is known as a personality DJ and you may be better suited to non-mic work gigs.

[chris_gilly 0]

Hi!! I don't think this skill can be learnt. This is something that either comes naturally or doesn't. Doesn't prohibit you from DJing though, just means you won't be what is known as a personality DJ and you may be better suited to non-mic work gigs.

 

i cant seem to get my words out quite right!! i alway miss bits out etc...

anyway i usually work were i dont talk much, nut if i do any other parties etc i usually pay a mate to come with me as a roadie but hes rather loopy!! so he entertains everyone!

i dont like to make a fool out of myself to!!

 

[deejaymitch 0]

The amount of talking and the way you yalk depends on the type of function.

 

I foy u find you are missing things out, write it down first. At least till you get used to talking.

[supersound dj 0]

Mitch has a good point and if you are worried about ppl looking at you when you talk focus a point on the oppersite wall and tunnel vision.

 

hope this helps.

[Spear 0]

Hi!! I don't think this skill can be learnt. This is something that either comes naturally or doesn't. Doesn't prohibit you from DJing though, just means you won't be what is known as a personality DJ and you may be better suited to non-mic work gigs.

 

 

Not totally true as confidence is 90% of it. Confident but not cocky, if you want write down and learn a few lines that you can use and remember that most of the time no one is listening let alone looking at you (unless the music stops)..........oh and don't get drunk and try BIG mistake.

[deejaymitch 0]

The amount of talking and the way you yalk depends on the type of function.

 

I foy u find you are missing things out, write it down first. At least till you get used to talking.

 

Although make sure your writing is better than my typing!!!

[Kingy 0]

You can't just read from a script, that sounds really "stuffy". You need to be able to flow.

 

It's hard to describe.......but I really don't think you can "learn" how to do it without sounding like the "persona" you learnt to imitate. Thats why most commercial radio DJs all sound the same, only the jingles give away which station you are listening to. No style, no individuality.

Edited October 20, 2008 by Kingy

[deejaymitch 0]

But if, as stated, you find yourself forgetting to say things you meant to, there is no harm in having bullet points written in front of you to incorporate into what you're saying and remind you of what you are trying to say. At least until you get more comfortable.

[supersound dj 0]

You can't just read from a script, that sounds really "stuffy". You need to be able to flow.

 

It's hard to describe.......but I really don't think you can "learn" how to do it without sounding like the "persona" you learnt to imitate. Thats why most commercial radio DJs all sound the same, only the jingles give away which station you are listening to. No style, no individuality.

 

 

Kingy does have his own style...its sort of a lets shout @ arris stylie tongue out icon

[mattmcc 0]

Writing it down is a good idea, make it a reasonable size so that you can read it without having to hold it up close in poor light.

 

Also, if you haven't already, practise speaking into the mic and operating it.

 

I sang in bands for years so I'm used to using a mic, but the first time I had to talk whilst DJ'ing it was on a mixer I wasn't used to. I couldn't find the button and in a panic I turned the volume down and just shouted last orders.

[DjRichfromBristol 0]

I usually find that the best time to talk is after all the mingling has been done and the lights have just gone out, introduce yourself & let people know that you've got plenty of songs and if they have a request please just come & ask, I find its a simple way of getting yourself into the groove. Once someone has requested something, if its really obvious I sometimes say I don't have it. When I put it on (usually straight after the request if its keeping with the genre) I get on the mic and say "Only kidding, ever met a DJ who didnt have "eg Summer of 69"? And then if the banter starts you know to carry on with the mic & if it goes down like a sh!!t sandwich you know their not that sort of bunch. I can usually tell though what the crowd is like.

 

Oh & I've always found the larger the dj the more they like to banter with the mic!!

[flash911 0]

prob why i dont say much, im only 4'6" lol

[DjRichfromBristol 0]

prob why i dont say much, im only 4'6" lol

 

I guess that might have an effect but I was thinking more horizantal size rather than vertical!!

[flash911 0]

that was round the waist . NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

[sandysounds 0]

I do MCing as well as DJing. I often make little faux pas and get tongue tied and muddled.....but i make a joke of it and get folks laughing about it. Only the other day duringa wedding I announced...."ladies and gentlemen please glass your charges"..... I just made a joke out of it and everyone turned and laughed and raised their glasses to me and cheered.....we are human after all and i think people find you more endearing and approachable if you appear human.

[Dream Catchers 0]

I'm not human, I'm a finely tuned killing machine......

 

Oh sorry... wrong forum :hide:

 

Jim

[Kingy 0]

I do MCing as well as DJing. I often make little faux pas and get tongue tied and muddled.....but i make a joke of it and get folks laughing about it. Only the other day duringa wedding I announced...."ladies and gentlemen please glass your charges"..... I just made a joke out of it and everyone turned and laughed and raised their glasses to me and cheered.....we are human after all and i think people find you more endearing and approachable if you appear human.

 

I agree, but if you were to do this every two minutes........

[RobbieD 0]

Hi DJ Cee,

 

Welcome to the forum! :djuhi:

 

Let me try to help:

 

I was tault microphone skills by a club manager, who was an ex-DJ. I had been working there a few weeks an never used the mic - he felt I should.

 

So he gave me the newspaper and got me to read out the headlines over the tops of tracks (during the start of the night, whilst the staff out numbered the number of customers). This then progressed on to reading whole articles out.

 

His next trick was to take the head shell off of one of the decks and told me to fill the gap whilst changing record by talking at the same time. - Harsh, but I learned quickly!!

 

I've also found that recording yourself is a good tool. Once you can get past the embarisment of hearing your own voice, you can start to pick up on all the things you do wrong (talking too fast, repeating certain phrases to often, mumbling, etc) and correct them.

 

For a more private learning experience than I had, try recording yourself reading a news paper, or even this website, out loud. Then listen back and decide what you need to improve. After that, try doing the same to a friend. Yes, it will be embarising, but so is talking over the mic to a hundred people!

 

But if it makes you feel any better, I still don't like talking over the mic after all these years, but the important thing is that I come across as sounding confident - even if I don't feel it!

[Mick H 0]

Offering a total different angle on this, I would suggest thinking of someone you have seen who is good at speaking on the mic, could be a dj you have seen in a pub/club doesn't have to be a superstar, and then work out an impersonation of that person. Therefore you are quickly taking on that role for a short burst, and then switching off from it, pretty easy. I adopted this for my mic technique and now have a good bit of banter with most crowds and I have various characters I use for different types of venue/function. I learnt this many years ago whilst on a course (Army type), I was finding it wierd to be the big shouty bloke who marches Soldiers round as a Drill instructor, the senior instructor suggested the technique and so I impersonated him( ), worked a treat I was soon like your man off full metal jacket, still makes me laugh when I do it. Like I said different angle :joe:

[chris_gilly 0]

ok thanks everybody, ive taken most of it in and will be practasing!

 

[mick 0]

When I started out, (a few years ago now :hphone: ) I was also nervous on the mic, I used to practice set scripts at home and learn them off by heart just changing details such as names/functions. When I got to the gig at least I used to know what I was saying, this takes the pressure off first few anouncements.

Extra anouncements I wrote down and read from my book, this I still do to save saying a wrong name or age :ads: . I am now very confident on the mic (maybe a bit gobby lol) I have no fear of talking.

It really is somthing that you can learn after time. (By the way make sure you have a good quality mic as that helps with confidence.

Good luck and keep trying.