There's an evergreen thread online: "Share your 'the wedding MC has lost it' moment." The entries are tear-inducingly funny: "Please welcome the happy couple — the *roast piglets*!" "Groom, you may now lift the *wedding gown*." And one MC who cheerfully invited everyone to enjoy the couple's "memorial montage" — one slip of the tongue away from "growing-up montage", and a wedding turned into a funeral. From behind a screen, it's comedy. But what if the person on that stage ne

Video meetings, online talks, live streams — I've hosted hundreds of them. Some assume "online" just means moving your stage act in front of a camera. In truth, it's like a stage actor moving into television — the craft is the same craft, but the delivery has to be recalibrated. Do it enough and you'll know: they are two different worlds. The two biggest differences: first, you have to look into the camera; second, there is no audience — no atmosphere to read, no reactions to

A while back, a company owner approached me, sounding somewhat resigned. He wasn't asking me to coach his executives on keynote speeches. He wanted me to teach his staff the most basic presenting — because he'd noticed his colleagues simply weren't communicating well. Never mind addressing a room: even facing the boss, a client, or someone with an enquiry, responding clearly in a few sentences was a struggle. Here's the interesting part: these past few years, AI tools have sw

Here's something few people believe: as a child, riding the minibus, I couldn't bring myself to call out "next stop, please." I'd rather ride past my stop than open my mouth. Looking at me today, no one believes it. So whenever a student tells me "I can't bring myself to speak up in meetings," I understand completely — because that child who couldn't call out on the minibus was me. And I can tell you this: it is not a life sentence handed down by your personality. It is a ski

One year at the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo, I was the MC for the Miss Exhibition pageant. The production company pushed us out from backstage. Spotlights on, full house. I glanced at the judges' table — something was wrong. Three judges should have been seated front and centre. The head judge's chair, in the middle, was empty. And our script called for the judges to be introduced midway through. The head judge was nowhere to be seen — and backstage had never told us h

At this year's World Cup, one clip travelled almost as far as the goals: Erling Haaland rapidly fluttering his lips on camera with a "brrrr" sound. Netizens tagged it #stressrelief, and facial-yoga practitioners chimed in to note that the movement closely resembles exercises they use to release tension in the lips and jaw. When I saw that clip, I laughed. Because I've been doing that exact movement for years. In the MC and vocal world it has a name — the lip trill — and it ha

Recently, a dispute about MC professionalism has been making the rounds online. One point of contention: the client asked the MC to use hard-copy cue cards, while the MC said reading from a phone would do. Both sides have their own accounts, and nothing has been independently verified — I'm not here to judge. But the question at the centre of it deserves serious thought from anyone who works, or wants to work, as an MC. My own practice may sound a little old-school: to this d

TL;DR Almost every Hong Konger has a few lazy sounds — nothing shameful; but in hosting, speaking and interviews, clear pronunciation shapes how professional you sound. The 10 most-missed words fall into 5 types: n/l (你, 男), dropped ng- (我, 牛), gw/kw rounding (國, 廣), ng/n endings (恆, 朋), and others (黑, 屋). Whether to fix them depends on the occasion; improve by reading slowly, recording yourself, and drilling the few you use most. Let me be honest: nearly every Hong Konger sp

TL;DR A blank mind isn't stupidity or lack of prep — it's the amygdala sounding the alarm and the prefrontal "thinking brain" going offline. Nerves are a protection, not a flaw; research shows reframing them as "excitement" lowers fear and improves performance. You can steady yourself: slow your exhale, practise to muscle memory, shift focus from "me" to "them" — and if you freeze, improvising is the real skill. Have you ever had this moment: you're fully prepared, and the se

TL;DR There's no single MBTI "best for hosting" — personality is just one piece; knowledge, preparation and quick thinking matter more. Most celebrity MBTI online is guessed by netizens, not reliable — don't define yourself by "my idol is type X." MBTI doesn't decide whether you can, only how you shine; making the most of your type is what counts. "Amanda, I did the MBTI test and I'm type XX — do you think I'm cut out to be an MC?" This is one of the questions I get asked mos

TL;DR The smarter AI gets, the more face-to-face communication is worth — it can type for you, but it can't speak for you or build trust. Real connection is shrinking (loneliness ≈ up to 15 cigarettes a day; teens' in-person social time roughly halved since 2003), making the ability to speak up a rare edge. Confidence and connection aren't innate — they're trainable, and may be the best investment in yourself for the next decade. Not long ago I was hosting a gala dinner. Befo

Every now and then, someone asks me: “Amanda, I want to learn to be an MC, but when I search online there are all kinds of training courses — different prices, different numbers of lessons, different ways to enrol. How on earth do I choose?” The people who ask this have usually been turning it over in their minds for a long time. Some worry about something deeper still: after finishing a whole course, will I still not dare to step on stage? Over these years I’ve trained more

"Amanda, I'm so introverted — am I just not cut out to be an MC?" I've heard this question countless times in my MC training classes. The students who ask it usually picture an MC as someone outgoing, quick on their feet, able to command a room the moment they step on stage. They feel they can't be that person — so before they even begin, they've already counted themselves out. In MBTI terms, these students usually lean towards "I" (Introversion). Their worry is real and unde

Amanda Fok, Hong Kong's MC Godmother: "I have ADHD — so how did I become an MC Godmother?" That day, I was sitting on the train, watching an occupational health and safety clip play on the carriage TV. A voice asked: "Do you often forget things? Is your work chaotic and hard to focus on?" I froze. Because what it described was, unmistakably, me. I didn't rush off to see a doctor. Instead I did something very "me" — I went home and searched the internet like mad. The more I re

Public speaking nerves don't mean you're not ready — they mean your brain is doing its job Before every class, I ask my students the same question: "Right now — is your heart racing? Are your palms sweaty? Does your mind feel blank?" Almost every time, every hand in the room goes up. And then I tell them: "Good. Your brain is working perfectly." This tends to surprise people. Whether it's your first time speaking in front of others or you've been doing it for years, public sp

No experience, introverted, not a natural speaker — how did they all manage to do it after the MC Training Course ? Every so often, I receive enquiries that go something like this: "Amanda, I've never been on stage before. Would an MC training course be too difficult for me?" "I'm quite introverted and not very confident when I speak. Is that okay?" "My Cantonese pronunciation isn't great — am I even suitable?" I've heard these questions more than ten thousand times. Many peo

As an MC, we often face various challenges during events or presentations—ranging from technical issues and venue changes to sudden...

In the world of MC, every time I step on stage, it’s a new challenge. Whether it’s a large-scale event or an intimate interview, mistakes...

In public speaking, hosting, or any situation requiring real-time responses, emotional management is crucial. When stress or unexpected...

When it comes to public speaking, MCing, or any scenario requiring real-time reactions, unexpected situations are inevitable. Whether...