What Jobs can I do if I want to be a Host for a Living?

So many people ask me what jobs are good to do if you are a great host. But just making a list is so boring so what I will do is make a list and then look at what these jobs have in common to understand what makes these jobs, at their core, so similar.

Here is a list – its not exhaustive, just a quick pass to look at the range of roles that a host can excel at:

Door Person

Flight Attendant

Nurse

Speaker

Maitre De

Tour Guide

Celebrant

Concierge

Radio Anchor

Priest

Gigolo 

Master of Ceremonies

What do these roles have in common?

Well, a lot of things, but here are the 3 that really stand out for me.

Making something unfamiliar more comfortable for someone.

This is really a big one in my experience – is all of these roles the client is faced with something unfamiliar and the role of the host is to have the person feel comfortable with something which at first is uncomfortable. The willingness to understand that many things can be made more comfortable by easing people into them and encouraging and guiding them and the ability to lead people into an unfamiliar situation with gentle care is at the heart of being a good host.

Helping people through a specific occasion, rite or ordeal.

Whether it’s a wedding or open heart surgery, hosts help people move through a specific happening that must be passed through to reach a new place. No one likes flying to New York, but that flight must be passed through in order for you to be in the big apple. Hosts move people through a journey that leads to where they want to go, understands that it takes something for the person to get there and does everything they can to make their passage safe and successful. People place great trust in hosts to lead them in this way and hosts who do this well become the gatekeepers to many of societies most important rites of passage.

Creating the environment in which a new connection becomes possible.

Hosts allow people to safely move to a place where a connection is possible that was not possible before. Once a person realises a new connection is important for them the urge to make it becomes very strong but the risk of moving into an unfamiliar environment is quite intimidating for anyone the first time they must make the journey. Hosts make the environment in which this connection can occur more safe and guide people in their journey to keep them on track until they reach their new destination.

I hope this gives you some food for thought about how a good host enhances so many roles, and what qualities a host possesses that makes them so effective.