The Alliance of Mobile & Party DJs (AMPdj) 60 Second DJ Digest

Tips for Making Announcements

Using the MicrophoneWhen mobile discos really took off in the 1970s most DJs would copy the style of the radio jocks. In between each track mobile DJs would use a voiceover of "That was, this is..." and try to talk over the musical intro of the next track right up to the first lyric. Timing was everything to get it just right. Many would also put on a 'DJ Voice' when using the mic.

Fast forward to this decade and even the radio presenters have stopped this (with the exception of Tony Blackburn who is still a master of it).

Styles have changed and mobile DJs need to change with it. When a client says he/she doesn't want "a cheesy DJ who talks all the time" this is exactly what they are referring to.

So what can mobile DJs say over the mic to fill the void? Here's some ideas:

1. Shout Outs to guests - "This one's especially for Julie & her mates". People love to hear their name mentioned.

2. Encourage and create an atmosphere - "Make some noise", "Put your hands in the air", "Let's hear you singing"...

3. Necessary announcements - "Janet & John are about to cut their wedding cake", "The bar's about to close"...

4. Reactive Comments - a spontaneous reaction to an event that's happening at that moment.

Apart from number 4, go over in your mind what you're going to talk about before turning on the mic. Having a clear idea of what you want to say prevents the 'ums' & 'aahs' when you do say it.

You should also practice and record yourself when you have the chance. Are you repeating phrases with every announcement? Starting with "Ladies & Gentlemen", "OK" or "Right then" every time soon gets boring for the listeners and they will switch off to what you say afterwards (as an experiment put each of these pre-ambles in front of all the examples at 1 - 3 in turn and you'll get the point).

The last tip in this one is voice infliction. This is where you deliver an applause line with the tone of your voice rather than ask everyone to "put your hands together". It works so much better.

Of course you may want to be a 'Cheesy DJ' and market yourself accordingly but, whatever you choose to say, make sure it has a purpose and say it clearly!