After it was recently best man at my best friend's wedding, I saw first hand the hardships all the speakers in front of their speeches were delivered by. With that in mind I thought I would share my top tips to help you deliver a relaxing, enjoyable and memorable wedding speech to share! There are many more - this is just a taste.
Everyone is behind you
It's true. This is a wedding and everyone is on your side, no one wants to do you bad. You want to be entertained, and it will not do too much. Visualize the end of the speech, you have nailed it, there is thunderous applause and the audience smile.
There is no question
This is not "The King's Speech", you are simply a conversation with a rather large dinner party and all you do is share a few stories about a couple of friends and also want to thank people at the top of the table.
Take control of your feelings by breathing
Take time to pause, take a breath and keep going. Many people believe they need to talk constantly. Should break, have a quick drink and leave the audience to catch up, this will also give you time to gather your thoughts and you need to recover it.
Practice your video camera (private)
You might hate this idea, but believe me, it works. Take your own speech delivered three times before the camera and then they look back. First, you will retrieve your voice or how you look. Once you stop criticizing yourself for who you are, you will find stories and anecdotes which knit together well and what it sounded not quite right.
Smile, smile, and smile again
Eye contact with the wedding party while you talk, look around to see the other guests and talk with a smile. You may not be very well-delivered speech, but when you smile, the audience will love you even more and give you a standing ovation at the end.
