COMM 4B organizes hosting seminar centered on balance

Report by Mandie Asejo | Photo by Leanna Kaylee Manuel

Bachelor of Arts in Communication Department’s Group 2 from COMM 4B conducted a seminar titled “Host It Right: Balancing Humor, Confidence, and Credibility in Hosting” on Friday, February 27, at the Smith Hall Theater Room.

The seminar gathered participants, mostly Communication students, and aimed to explore how humor, confidence, and credibility must work together in effective hosting.

The initiative sought to strengthen students’ stage presence, audience engagement, professionalism, and ability to handle spontaneous situations during live events.

Guest speaker Ian Bengco emphasized the importance of researching and understanding the background of the events hosts are assigned to.

He highlighted that the focus of any program should always remain on the event itself rather than on the host.

He also discussed handling mistakes and maintaining credibility during hosting.

“...ang tunay na magaling (na host) ay ang pagtanggap sa sarili na may mas magaling sa iyo. Ang tunay na magaling na host ay may kamalian,” Bengco said.

Bengco explained that recognizing and admitting one’s limitations allows hosts to grow and recover gracefully from mistakes during programs.

Beyond the keynote discussion, student organizers Jennelle Pagaduan, Precious Malicay, Shelley Serrano, Kyle Pangilinan, and Michaela Pimentel expanded the topic through their own segments focusing on humor strategies, improvisation skills, and balancing scripted and spontaneous delivery.

In her segment, Pangilinan highlighted the relationship between entertainment and professionalism.

“Where charisma meets credibility, great hosting comes alive,” Pangilinan said.

The seminar was conceptualized by Group 2 of COMM 4B in response to the increasing interest in hosting among Communication students and the need to frame hosting not only as entertainment but also as a leadership skill.

In an interview, Serrano shared the key message they hope participants would take from the seminar.

“One of the learnings that I hope participants take from our seminar is to not just speak, but connect. Do not just entertain, but lead. And do not just follow a script—you should master the moment,” Serrano said.

Interactive discussions, demonstrations, and icebreaker activities allowed participants to apply the techniques discussed during the seminar and reflect on their own hosting styles and improvisation skills.

Through the seminar, participants were reminded that great hosting is not only about being loud or funny but about connecting with the audience while maintaining professionalism.