Have you ever been to a wedding where you have had to listen to an intoxicated uncle Fred ramble on repeatedly about how his little girl is all grown up? Or an over emotional Maid of Honour sob through a whole speech while you are examining around the hall which are the best escape exits.
Well you can avoid being an annoying uncle Fred or an obnoxious MOH when you are up on the podium by following these steps to writing a great speech!
1. Have an Idea of what you want to say and Visualize what the Outcome will be…
There is nothing worse than to sit through 10 minutes of rambling about everything un related to the bride and groom…Write down your ideas of what you would like to say and visualize how you would like your audience to react. eg. do you want them to laugh, or do you want them sobbing like they are reading a cheesy romance novel? or do you want a mix of everything to keep some variety? its all up to you, but you need to think before speaking!
2. Speeches are like buildings they need structure!
The trick to a great speech is very simple, they need structure. An Intro, Body and Ending are needed. This keeps things organized and helps you avoid rambling on. You can start off by acknowledging the guests who have travelled from afar to be there.
Then share about 3 short stories about the couple (if you are the couple then share some short stories about eachother eg. Funny bad habits etc)
Then what better way to end off a great speech with something great to wash it down with…a toast!
3. Keep it Short & Sweet!
Nothing is more annoying then to sit through a very long speech...remember we´re only human, we can only have so much attention where theres music, alcohol, food & excitement around. Keep your Speeches under 7 minutes long, remember people will never complain about how short your speech was…
4. Stay Positive Sunshine!
You´re at a wedding, keep the exes exed…there is no reason to bring up past girlfriends/boyfriends or mentioning how you are surprised Billy actually got hitched considering he had a black book the size of the yellow pages. Keep in mind there are relatives that may not be impressed by those comments…Also watch your language there may be children there!
5. Start Strong End Strong
Make sure that you Finish what you start… If you start off making them laugh, end with them laughing, make sure your points get across to your audience, end with a great toast, that will get everyone in the mood to have a great time!
6. Don´t blame it on the a-a-a-a-lcohol…
Listen we all know that open bars at weddings are a very good thing, but the beauty of them is that theyre usually open for more than 5 hours…so wait until you go up to say your speech and then go ahead and drink up, believe me when I tell you no one wants to hear you slurring your words and stumbling on and off the podium. You will embarrass yourself and your bride and groom, and better yet if they have a videographer, that memory will be etched on DVD forever…There is lots of time to party and have a good time, besides most speeches end with a drink!
7. Stare them down and keep it indexed!
Keep eye contact with your audience, you don’t really look like you’re being sincere by standing there stuttering, trying to read your crumpled lined scrap paper. If your speech is long keep index cards on hand, they look much more organized and you won’t hear the rustling of papers on the microphone, make sure you number your index cards so that you’re not toasting when you should be introducing yourself ;)
8. Practice does make perfect…
Your grade 5 teacher was right when they drilled that into your head, practice, practice, practice, its always a good idea to record yourself and to read it in front of a small audience to get some feedback. Remember if they’re not interested with hearing it, then your audience on your big day will most likely be uninterested as well.
Well you should be well on your way to writing a great speech, good luck & lets raise a glass to that...cheers!
Well you can avoid being an annoying uncle Fred or an obnoxious MOH when you are up on the podium by following these steps to writing a great speech!
1. Have an Idea of what you want to say and Visualize what the Outcome will be…
There is nothing worse than to sit through 10 minutes of rambling about everything un related to the bride and groom…Write down your ideas of what you would like to say and visualize how you would like your audience to react. eg. do you want them to laugh, or do you want them sobbing like they are reading a cheesy romance novel? or do you want a mix of everything to keep some variety? its all up to you, but you need to think before speaking!
2. Speeches are like buildings they need structure!
The trick to a great speech is very simple, they need structure. An Intro, Body and Ending are needed. This keeps things organized and helps you avoid rambling on. You can start off by acknowledging the guests who have travelled from afar to be there.
Then share about 3 short stories about the couple (if you are the couple then share some short stories about eachother eg. Funny bad habits etc)
Then what better way to end off a great speech with something great to wash it down with…a toast!
3. Keep it Short & Sweet!
Nothing is more annoying then to sit through a very long speech...remember we´re only human, we can only have so much attention where theres music, alcohol, food & excitement around. Keep your Speeches under 7 minutes long, remember people will never complain about how short your speech was…
4. Stay Positive Sunshine!
You´re at a wedding, keep the exes exed…there is no reason to bring up past girlfriends/boyfriends or mentioning how you are surprised Billy actually got hitched considering he had a black book the size of the yellow pages. Keep in mind there are relatives that may not be impressed by those comments…Also watch your language there may be children there!
5. Start Strong End Strong
Make sure that you Finish what you start… If you start off making them laugh, end with them laughing, make sure your points get across to your audience, end with a great toast, that will get everyone in the mood to have a great time!
6. Don´t blame it on the a-a-a-a-lcohol…
Listen we all know that open bars at weddings are a very good thing, but the beauty of them is that theyre usually open for more than 5 hours…so wait until you go up to say your speech and then go ahead and drink up, believe me when I tell you no one wants to hear you slurring your words and stumbling on and off the podium. You will embarrass yourself and your bride and groom, and better yet if they have a videographer, that memory will be etched on DVD forever…There is lots of time to party and have a good time, besides most speeches end with a drink!
7. Stare them down and keep it indexed!
Keep eye contact with your audience, you don’t really look like you’re being sincere by standing there stuttering, trying to read your crumpled lined scrap paper. If your speech is long keep index cards on hand, they look much more organized and you won’t hear the rustling of papers on the microphone, make sure you number your index cards so that you’re not toasting when you should be introducing yourself ;)
8. Practice does make perfect…
Your grade 5 teacher was right when they drilled that into your head, practice, practice, practice, its always a good idea to record yourself and to read it in front of a small audience to get some feedback. Remember if they’re not interested with hearing it, then your audience on your big day will most likely be uninterested as well.
Well you should be well on your way to writing a great speech, good luck & lets raise a glass to that...cheers!
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