What Men of the Wedding Must Know Before Giving a Toast
There are three key men of the wedding; groom, best man, and father of the bride. All three must at give at least one toast during the reception. Be ready when called upon. A toast or a speech is comprised of three basic elements: The words said, how you say them, and your body language. When listeners rated what is most important, seven percent rated that the words of the speech most important. Thirty eight percent thought how you say them was most important, while fifty-five percent thought it was your body language. This means that if you say, We welcome Tom into the family, but your body and voice intonations say otherwise, the audience will know you really don't like Tom.
Eye contact is critical to getting listeners to trust you. Make it a practice to look individual audience members in the eye. Hold their gaze for 5 to 10 seconds, then move on to another person. If that's difficult for you, then look at the center of their forehead or just above their head instead of their eyes. Practice looking in a mirror and practice your speech standing up, just like you will at the wedding.
Body language says a lot. Folding your arms across your chest, looks like you're protecting yourself or holding back information. Hands in your pockets, looks like you're embarrassed. Use hand gestures when it's appropriate. I love the commercial where an employee questions everyone accepting what the CEO says, which is a repeat of what the employee has said 15 seconds earlier. The CEO replies, Yeah, but when I said it, I used my hands.
Be sure you can be heard. Use a microphone if necessary. Vary the tone of your voice"put some excitement in it. Speaking in a monotone can sound insincere. Ben Stein is famous for delivering speeches in a monotone voice, but it doesn't work well at weddings.
Keep away from sarcastic jokes. Not everyone will understand your sense of humor. Do not use this opportunity to question the brides choice of husband. Have them remember your speech because your heartfelt sincerity, not because you revealed an indiscretion from the bride or grooms past.
Don't go looking in the bar section for a little bottled courage before you start your speech. Alcohol can loosen your tongue and make you say the wrong things. The toast is not a roast. You may have something in mind, but keep your negative opinions to yourself. Say something nice about the people you are toasting.
If you have a glass or wine or champagne in your hand while talking, then its a toast not a speech. Six to seven hundred words take around four to six minutes. The audience may appear to want you to go on talking all night, but rein it in. No matter which role you're fulfilling, groom, best man, or father of the bride; use this toast to convey your most heartfelt congratulations to the bride and groom.
It doesn't matter whether you are the groom, best man, or father of the bride; the wedding and reception are about celebrating the union of the couple. Your speech or toast is an important part of that event. Its a chance to honor your friends and family.
Eye contact is critical to getting listeners to trust you. Make it a practice to look individual audience members in the eye. Hold their gaze for 5 to 10 seconds, then move on to another person. If that's difficult for you, then look at the center of their forehead or just above their head instead of their eyes. Practice looking in a mirror and practice your speech standing up, just like you will at the wedding.
Body language says a lot. Folding your arms across your chest, looks like you're protecting yourself or holding back information. Hands in your pockets, looks like you're embarrassed. Use hand gestures when it's appropriate. I love the commercial where an employee questions everyone accepting what the CEO says, which is a repeat of what the employee has said 15 seconds earlier. The CEO replies, Yeah, but when I said it, I used my hands.
Be sure you can be heard. Use a microphone if necessary. Vary the tone of your voice"put some excitement in it. Speaking in a monotone can sound insincere. Ben Stein is famous for delivering speeches in a monotone voice, but it doesn't work well at weddings.
Keep away from sarcastic jokes. Not everyone will understand your sense of humor. Do not use this opportunity to question the brides choice of husband. Have them remember your speech because your heartfelt sincerity, not because you revealed an indiscretion from the bride or grooms past.
Don't go looking in the bar section for a little bottled courage before you start your speech. Alcohol can loosen your tongue and make you say the wrong things. The toast is not a roast. You may have something in mind, but keep your negative opinions to yourself. Say something nice about the people you are toasting.
If you have a glass or wine or champagne in your hand while talking, then its a toast not a speech. Six to seven hundred words take around four to six minutes. The audience may appear to want you to go on talking all night, but rein it in. No matter which role you're fulfilling, groom, best man, or father of the bride; use this toast to convey your most heartfelt congratulations to the bride and groom.
It doesn't matter whether you are the groom, best man, or father of the bride; the wedding and reception are about celebrating the union of the couple. Your speech or toast is an important part of that event. Its a chance to honor your friends and family.
About the Author:
Ken York is the author of Men of the Wedding - The Final Week. This book is a light read packed with information that the groom, best man, and father of the bride must grasp before the wedding. His blog amused thousands of readers with the trials he went through with his daughter's destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Post a Comment