Tips to Help Prepare for Speeches and Toasts

If just thinking about the wedding speech or toast is already giving you the chills, then we have a few tips to help ease the stress.

DON'T leave the speech composing to the last minute. Doing so can leave you with no time at all to prepare. If you’re not one for public speaking, thinking up a speech as you are walking to the microphone can turn out to be a disaster.

DO start composing your speech and toast well in advance of the wedding day. This will leave you plenty of room for changes and practice.

DON'T make your speech 30 minutes long. A long speech can bore and irritate guests. This is a wedding and everyone wants to start the party.

DO keep it short. Most likely there will be other people making speeches so keeping it down to 2 or 3 minutes will make it more enjoyable to listen to for the guests.

DON'T overdo the jokes. Humor is the best way to get peoples attention and keeping it, but if the jokes are lame and too many of them, it can become annoying.

DO mention a funny story from the past regarding you and the bride/groom or just the bride/groom to liven up the room. Make sure the humor is tactful, appropriate, and not something that would offend the bride/groom or any of the guests.

DON'T bring up any of the bride/groom’s past relationships, tragic events, or details that are not appropriate.

DO mention happy moments you and the bride/groom shared in high school or as kids. Mention the happy moments the bride/groom shared while dating.

DON'T words in your speech that you usually wouldn’t use in your everyday speaking. You will end up reading your speech and stuttering.

DO write your speech in a way that you usually speak every day. Using the dictionary to pick out big words and ones that you don’t usually use will make them hard to remember.  Try to memorize the speech so you can have constant eye contact with your guests.

DO practice your speech first in front of a mirror and then in front of a family member or friend.

DON'T give your speech while your drunk. The last thing you need is to slur your words, not make sense, or say something that you may later regret.

DO make sure you speak up and pronounce your words as well as possible. Smiling while speaking will help set a pleasant tone to your voice.

If you keep all these tips in mind while preparing for your speech, who knows, you might just end up liking the whole public speaking thing.