Seasoned journalist and Master of Ceremonies, Nathaniel Attoh, has emphasized that journalism and emceeing are distinct professions that require different skill sets.

Speaking on The Career Trail programme, he highlighted the common misconception that journalists can seamlessly transition to emceeing due to their public speaking skills.

According to him, event organizers often mistake a journalist's ability to articulate well and look presentable as sufficient qualifications to handle emceeing duties.

However, he stresses that emceeing requires unique tactics, professionalism, and an understanding of audience dynamics that go beyond journalism tactics.

"Another mistake that a lot of event organizers and committees who organize events were making or probably, are still making is that, just because they see somebody as a newscaster, looking very presentable, looking very good and articulating well, means that they can steer events from start to finish with that kind of tact and that kind of professionalism. No, it doesn’t work like that," he expanded.

While Mr Attoh acknowledges that not every journalist can become an MC, he clarified that, a journalist interested in emceeing can learn and master the craft.

Using Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as examples, he illustrated that some individuals, like Messi, are naturally talented, while others, like Ronaldo, learn and master their skills through dedication and practice.

"It’s just like the Christiano story against Lionel Messi. Lionel Messi is naturally talented. He can close his eyes and dribble around the pitch.

"Christiano Ronaldo is talented, but he had to learn how to do it. Sometimes, when he sees something done by someone or he imagines something, he pushes himself and learns how to do it," the sports journalist explained.

Nathaniel finally submitted that, by understanding these differences, event organizers can ensure that they hire the right professionals for their events, and journalists interested in emceeing can take the necessary steps to develop their skills.