* speech advice
Five Free Tips for any wedding speech!
Delivering any wedding speech is a daunting task. It doesn’t matter if you are the Best Man, Maid of Honor, Father of the Bride, or any other close friend or relative of the couple. It also doesn’t matter how long you have known them or the guests attending. When the DJ hands you the microphone, all eyes will be on you. Relationships can be strengthen with the right speech, or strained or even destroyed with the wrong speech. There is a ton of pressure, and even people who are used to public speaking need to take extra care and precaution in this situation.
Tip #1 - Follow by example : Fortunately, you are not alone. Thousands of others have gone before you, and there is much you can learn by reading some of their examples. In fact, one of the greatest and easiest ways to get started with your speech is by reading some examples of other speeches. The biggest problem is, good ones are kind of hard to find online. I have found this ebook has some great examples: http://www.weddingspeech4u.com/
Tip # 2 : Location, Location, Location : A simple tip, but hugely valuable and quite simple. Ask the DJ, way ahead of time, where and when he will be calling you down for the speech. Weddings are always tightly choreographed affairs, and depending on the program your timeslot may vary. He also may ask you to come down from your table to a central location (say middle of the dance floor), or it may be ok to sit at your seat. Having this information before the speech takes place will greatly reduce the stress and anxiety you will have when the big moment comes.
Tip # 3 : Index Cards : Again, this may seem like common sense, but in fact many people simply do not do this. Many people spend countless hours trying to figure out the exact right words, only to decide to “wing-it” at the very last moment. Others try to commit the speech to memory, only to forget their words half-way through the speech. I have also seen speech givers spend the first 60 seconds carefully unfolding a regular piece of index paper that was jammed in their suit pocket or handbag and might as well have been origami! Index cards are discreet, professional looking, and best of all, you don’t have to unfold them! Index cards with phrase pointers will help you remember to hit all the highlights of your carefully prepared speech. Of course, you do not want to READ from your cards, but we will get to exactly what to put on your cards later.
Tip # 4 : I would like to thank the Academy… : You have all heard those ridiculous speeches from whatever actor or actress where she spends the entire speech thanking everybody she has ever known right? Well, you don’t want to do that. On the other hand, it is very important that you give appropriate thanks right at the beginning of the speech, even if other speeches before you have already done the same thing. This is both a courteous and gracious thing to include in your speech, and it will immediately make the audience more receptive to your speech and makes everyone feel good about the occasion. A safe bet: “I would like to thank everybody for sharing this special day with bride and grooms name.” Or you could add the name of the parents of both the bride and groom for hosting this wedding before thanking everyone. Any more then that, and its too much thanking.
Tip # 5 : Ask the pros : There are many more things that can help you write the best possible wedding speech, but searching online for good examples and tips can take way too much time, plus its hard to find and sort the good advice from the bad. I recommend that you look into a website that caters specifically to writing wedding speeches: http://www.weddingspeech4u.com/. This site has advice for all types of speeches, and lots of examples to help you make the most of this important moment.
Best of luck with your speech!
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