The host is the only one who can do that. The audience can help, but the host will bring the audience into it. The majority of the audience, all those parents and boyfriends, are emotional and unhappy. A good host has to help them accept that and help them enjoy the show. When you stop and think about it, hosting is a hard job, but there is a knack to it.
Organization is important.
There are times when I work with directors who are not organized, and that bugs me. Most directors only produce one or two, or maybe three pageants a year, and I host 20 to 40 pageants a year, so maybe my patience is a little short. But it is helpful when the director has his act together. The No. 1 organizational problem for me is when the director doesn't have the judging system well organized and the tabulator is not sharp. There are times when I've had to stand onstage and ad lib for 10 or 15 minutes.