How To Boost Your Confidence If You’re Giving A Wedding Speech And Toast
To most people, giving a wedding speech – or even the thought of giving one – is a terrifying thought.
It’s not just about coming up with an appropriate presentation.
It’s also about talking in front of hundreds of guests – many of whom are strangers.
And for most people public speaking isn’t their strong point. In fact, many people go out of their way to avoid speaking in public.
But eventually they will be asked to “say a few words” – especially at a friend’s wedding.
How To Reduce Your Fear Of Public Speaking
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could stand up in front of hundreds of strangers and give an eloquent, funny, sentimental speech that has everyone laughing and applauding and even cheering after you’ve finished?
Usually that skill takes some experience.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t do an amazing job even if you’re not an experienced public speaker.
Here are some ideas to conquer your nervousness and reduce your fear of speaking in public:
1. Don’t leave things to the last minute
Of all the suggestions I’ll be making, this is the most important because the best way to build confidence is to be prepared.
The more prepared you are the more confident you’ll feel.
That means you have to start well ahead of time.
How you do that is quite simple.
First you want to think about what you want to say.
Think of quotes you might use. They could be quotes from famous people or sections of songs or even verses from a poem.
Think of the theme you might use.
Think of a story you could use.
Think of a wedding joke or two that you could use.
Think about ideas on how you can make your presentation entertaining to the guests.
For example, it might be a tribute combined with a slide presentation.
Or, if you’re a musician and singer, you could sing your speech the way Tom Fletcher of Mcfly did when he presented his groom speech.
Think of how you want to end your presentation with your wedding toast.
As you go along, make lots of notes and jot your ideas down – no matter how bizarre or strange they may seem at first.
Success in speaking in front of the guests is knowing what you are going to say and saying it clearly and distinctly.
If you’re at a loss for words or things to say then be sure to check out the speech samples affiliate link here.
2. Sort Through And Put Your Material In Order
Now you come to organizing all of your notes to see how to put your presentation together.
If you still don’t have any ideas or you are at a loss for words, get wedding speech samples.
They make the process a lot quicker and easier.
Wedding Speeches Table of Contents
Wedding Toasts | Wedding Speech Samples | Order of Wedding Speeches and Toasts
3. Start Writing
If you’re starting from scratch without wedding speech samples then start writing your presentation.
This is your first draft so it doesn’t matter if things are out of order or the wording isn’t quite right.
But just start jotting down ideas and expanding on them.
Try and get your ideas to flow together.
Once you have a rough draft start going sentence by sentence and changing words. Add words. Delete words or sentences.
Make sure your grammar and pronunciation are correct.
Don’t use words people don’t understand. Keep it simple and pretend you’re talking to a friend.
4. Add Humor
Wedding jokes are always a welcome addition to a speech. But they must be treated with caution. Off color or inappropriate jokes will ruin your tribute and be an embarrassment.
Where people make mistakes with wedding jokes is thinking that their joke is funny when it’s not. That’s why it’s always a good idea to used tried and tested jokes and to see whether they fit in with your presentation.
Your jokes can be almost anywhere in your tribute – except at the end which is reserved for your toast. You can start your presentation with a joke or you can include jokes throughout your presentation – there is no hard and fast rule except that any jokes you use should be appropriate.
If humor isn’t your style, don’t include it.
5. Polish and Rewrite
This is one of the hardest parts of writing.
Now you have to either trim or add to your tribute.
Take it section by section.
Read it out loud to see if it flows smoothly.
Ask for advice from friends or family members.
Change words.
Move or change sentences.
If it’s not what you really meant to say, rewrite the section.
6. Time Your Presentation
Once you have a more or less complete draft it’s time to see if it’s too long.
Most tributes at a reception shouldn’t run more than 5 minutes – maximum.
In fact, if the speeches and toasts event is dragging on, the shorter your presentation is the more it will be appreciated.
But don’t leave things out just to make it short.
Stick with your main theme or idea – just don’t drag it out or belabor the point.
7. Rehearse Your Speech
Once you’re satisfied that what you’ve written can’t be improved, it’s time to practice.
You can choose to practice in a couple of ways.
1. You can memorize most of your speech word for word.
2. You can memorize the key points of it and fill in parts as you go along.
Each option has its advantages and disadvantages.
If you memorize everything word for word and then forget something you could falter and be in trouble.
On the other hand, if you memorize only key points you may forget things that you wanted to include.
The best advice I can give is to practice until you feel comfortable presenting it.
If that means memorizing it virtually word-for-word then that’s fine.
If you feel comfortable reading from notes (not reading it word for word) then you might not need to memorize everything. Your notes are your triggers to jog your memory of what you want to say.
Whichever method you choose, make sure your presentation sounds natural and unrehearsed. And avoid at all costs reading your speech and toast.
Presenting Your Speech At The Reception
Now that you have your speech prepared the day will arrive when you have to present it in front of the guests.
First, make sure you have your notes with you. Even if you have your notes on your phone, it’s wise to have them printed out and in your jacket pocket.
You should feel confident that you’re well prepared.
Before you’re introduced by the Wedding MC take some slow, deep breaths.
Make sure you’re relatively close to where you will speak. You want to be able to get to the microphone quickly rather than walking across the room.
Get yourself grounded. Take your notes out if you have to.
Look at the audience.
Thank the Master of Ceremonies then address the guests.
Stay relaxed.
Don’t fidget.
Depending on the circumstances you might move around a little – especially if you’re going to be near the bride and groom.
If there’s a microphone, it does help to know how to use if beforehand. If possible, check with the MC before the reception starts and find out where you will speak.
Keep the microphone about 12 inches from your mouth. There’s no need to speak loudly since your voice will be amplified.
If there’s no microphone then you’ll have to speak loudly. Be prepared for noise while you speak – it could be the venue or catering staff as they clear dishes or prepare a serving or it could be other guests who are not paying attention.
Speak clearly and normally.
Don’t rush your presentation.
Take your time.
Pause if you have to.
If guests laugh at a joke, don’t cut them off. Enjoy the laughter since they laughed at one of your jokes.
If you’re nervous to begin with, that’s fine. Even experienced speakers and comedians are nervous before they begin.
In fact, being nervous can help your presentation. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re scared to death. It also means you’re excited to make a speech and pay tribute to the bride and groom.
Remember, don’t apologize for your nervousness. Hide it as best as you can and continue. Usually, people find that their nervousness lessens a short while after they begin talking.
Conclude with a toast.
Ask the guests to stand or to raise their glasses and toast the newlyweds.
Wedding Speech Samples
One of the best ways to feel even more confident preparing your tribute is with professionally written speech samples.
Sometimes the right words just don’t come to mind.
You don’t know how to express your sentiments.
Or you’d like to add some wedding jokes but you don’t know any.
That’s when you turn to all ready prepared samples – templates with wording to use, one liners, wedding jokes, and more to make it quick and easy for you.
Take the stress out of preparing your presentation with these templates…
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