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Recently I appeared on Channel 7's The Morning Show. In case you missed it, here are my top tips for nailing your speech.
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 As a professional speechwriter the boundary lines of good taste are pretty clear to me, but if you are writing a best man speech and are a little unsure about whether you have crossed those lines, let me make them crystal clear.
These are your no-go zones. Do any of these and your speech is destined to be a stinker.
In summary keep your content family friendly. Ask yourself this: what would grandma or the bride’s parents think if they heard your speech? If it leaves them feeling sorry for the bride because she appears to be marrying an absolute douche then you have your answer. If all else fails, remember the golden rule: if in doubt, leave it out. Do you need help to write your best man speech? Get in touch.  Last night I was invited to be a guest on 2UE's Talking Lifestyle program, chatting to Nick Bennett and Kayley Harris about how to write the perfect wedding speech.
You can listen to the podcast here. I was asked to be a guest on 2GB 873 - Sydney Talk Radio's Weddings, Parties, Celebrations segment on Sunday night. You can listen to the podcast here. I start at about the 35 minute mark.  A royal bride breaking protocol to give a speech at her own wedding? Well it's about damn time2/5/2018
 Traditionally it's always been one (or both) fathers, the groom, and finally the best man who give a speech at wedding, which stems from the days when women were generally seen and not heard at weddings.
But the winds of changes are blowing through weddings and more and more women are grabbing the microphone to say a few choice words, making a nice change form the all male line-up. One of the great things about that is that without any traditional roots or official ‘duties’ to deliver, the format and approach for women is pretty flexible. Having said that, a blank canvas can sometimes be a little bit challenging, so if you're not sure where to start then read my advice on How To Give A Great Bride's (Or Bridesmaid's) Speech At A Wedding in the Huffington Post. 
Very chuffed to see the great write up about my business in today's Sydney Morning Herald and The Age about unusual small businesses. You can outsource anything these days!   As a professional wedding speechwriter, I’m often asked for tips on delivering a great speech. There are so many great ones but here are my favourite six. 1. Practise but don’t memorise Don’t feel you have to memorise your speech because you will only trip yourself up if you try. That’s not to say you shouldn’t practise. You should – a LOT. The trick is to know your speech well enough so that you only need to refer to your notes to jog your memory. The more you can look up and connect with the audience the better. 2. Turn nervousness into excitement Remember it’s a privilege to get up and tell the people you care about how important they are to you so try to look forward to it. You’d be surprised at what a difference this change in mindset can make. When you think about it, anxiety and excitement feel very similar — butterflies in your stomach, sweaty palms, increased heart rate. Don’t try to squash the feeling just try to refocus the nervous energy. 3. Resist the urge to start speaking right away This one is a great tip from Simon Sinek, one of the TED’s most-watched talk presenters. He says, “A lot of people start talking right away out of nerves. Take a deep breath, find your place, wait a few seconds and begin. It may feel excruciatingly awkward but nobody notices this and it helps you gather your thoughts and shows the audience you’re totally confident and in charge of the situation.” 4. Slow it down...a lot When you’re nervous there is a tendency to speak too fast. Your heart is usually racing and so your words follow suit. The problem with this is when you don’t leave any pauses in between your sentences you make it really hard for your audience to follow what you’re saying. Make a conscious effort to slow down and don't worry, you’re not speaking as slowly as you think you are. 5. Make eye contact with audience members one by one Richard Branson once said that when you need to speak in front of a crowd, close your mind to the fact that you’re on a stage with hundreds of people watching you and instead imagine yourself in a situation where you’d be comfortable speaking to a group. He likes to imagine he’s in a dining room telling a story to friends over dinner. He works his way around the room making eye contact with each person so it feels more like an intimate conversation. 6. Remember that the audience likes you Remember, at a wedding everyone in the audience is there in high spirits and full to the brim with good will. They aren’t there to heckle you and they’re not expecting a perfectly polished performance. They want to hear from and want you to do well so try not to be too hard on yourself. Relax and enjoy the moment. What about you? Can you share any great tips that have worked for you?  I can’t tell you the number of times I've inwardly groaned (and sometimes outwardly when I haven't been able to stop myself) when someone has told me they are going to wing their wedding speech. It's almost always a terrible idea.
I think most of us will agree that what usually follows the words: “I’m just going to ‘wing it’ and see what happens” is often disastrous and leads to embarrassment and regret – not just for the speaker. Even if you are a master at public speaking on the fly and thrive under pressure, it's always a good idea to give a good amount of thought to your speech. If you're still thinking about winging it then perhaps you'll reconsider after reading my guest blog on Polka Dot Bride. |
