How To Give A Great Wedding Speech

If you have been selected to write a speech at the wedding of a relative or friend then you probably are in desperate need of a few tips on wedding toast speeches.

When writing a wedding speech you need to do a little bit of planning first. You need to know the audience you are going to be presenting in front of, what type of wedding you are participating in, and the topics you want to discuss within the speech itself.

Wedding generally fall into one of two categories: weddings of friends or weddings of relatives. In either case you may know the majority of the wedding guests or only a few and this will determine the overall tone of the speech. If you are not familiar with the majority of people that are present, you might want to keep the funny wedding toast speeches to a minimum for two reasons. First, you don’t know what the audience will find funny which can cause awkwardness. Second, a wedding toast speech is generally more formal and expected to convey happy wishes to the couple themselves.

The type of wedding you are attending is also going to influence how you write and deliver your speech. If the attire is relaxed and informal then you want to have your speech that way too. You want to ensure that you have a casual delivery of content. You will want to practice how you are going to move in front of the audience. You will likely not know the details of the layout, but you may or may not have a podium. You can practice behind a high counter prior to the wedding date. Without a podium you want to practice casually moving around so you are engaging your audience but not distracting them.

Topics that get included in a wedding speech usually include a short humorous story that involves one or both members of the wedding party and yourself. These types of anecdotes are common when you are writing best man wedding speeches or best man wedding toasts. This will generally be an amusing or sentimental aspect of your relationship to the wedding couple around which the speech will develop. Some suggestions for themes to present in your speech would be love, caring, commitment, and fortitude.

You don’t need to approach writing wedding toast speeches with worry, if you consider the relationship you have to the wedding couple, then shortly you will come up with a great story that you and they don’t mind sharing that reinforces the overall theme of the day.

Here are five public speaking tips from KeynoteSpeakers.info to make you shine when it’s your turn to stand at the podium:

1) Select the right topic. You should select a subject you are familiar with and one with which you have genuine enthusiasm. It is no fun to have to try to bluff it on a subject you know almost nothing about – and knowing there’s always the chance you’ll say something totally wrong and make a fool of yourself. Stick to topics you know and care about and you’ll immediately feel better about things.

2) Coordinate your points sensibly and coherently. Your talk has to have a start– a quick intro (what you are going to talk about); a heart (where you elaborate on your subject); and an ending (summarize what you just talked about).

3) Practice your speech until you’re sure it’s ready to be shown off in public. After you have organized your demonstration, it is time to hone it. Remember that what looks good on the page doesn’t necessarily sound good as spoken words. And you might well find that tweaking it and molding it is something you’d rather do on your own. According to Motivational Speaker, it is important to work on it until it sounds informative and full of valuable content, but also comes across with an ease and naturalness. Your audience will appreciate you for it, if you can find that balance.

4) Do not rely on complex notes. No pre-written speech can appear spontaneous. You are doomed if you do that. Short, pithy notes are fine, as long as you don’t find yourself constantly looking down at them. You’re talking to the people in the room not your notes.

5) Build to a big finish, don’t fizzle out. The last few words you choose should be thoroughly crafted so that they stick with the audience. Advise them, educate them, educate them, encourage them to a course of action… and then leave them desiring more.

The old saying goes “Practice makes perfect”. Certainly, the more you practice, the better you can expect to become. For this reason, whenever you get a possibility to talk, do not hesitate. You will progressively establish your confidence and oratorical abilities if you put your mind (and public speaking fear) on the spot. The reality is this: the more you do public speaking the more comfortable it will become, and the better you will become at it.