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Early preparation tips for this year’s wedding speech

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Some people don’t think about writing their Groom, Best Man or Father-of-the-Bride speech until a few weeks, or even days, before the big event. I know – because many of them call me in a last minute panic.

But I would never knock the luxury of giving yourself ample preparation time to write and rehearse your speech. It’s a bit like Usain Bolt’s winter training. It will enable you to maximise the chances of hitting the ground running on the day itself.

Here are some of the things you can start to think about and work on in those quiet months:

1)     Research stories. This may involve contacting the bridesmaids for anecdotes about the bride, or parents for childhood memories about the groom. This type of research can take longer than you think. People (particularly parents) don’t want to be rushed when asked for this sort of information, so it is worth getting your email and phone requests in now.

2)     Liaise with the other speakers: With any wedding speech there is a risk of covering ground that will be repeated in the other speeches. I would strongly recommend that however original you think your speech may be, you have a quick chat with the other speakers to work out who will thank who, and which areas you will each be covering to ensure there is no awkward overlap on the day itself.

3)     Check out the venue: You might want to find out where you will be standing.  Will there be a microphone?  Will you have a lectern?  This information will all come in useful when you start writing and practising.

4)     Create a master document: This can be used for collecting all your thoughts along with everyone else’s. Even if it doesn’t seem so at the time, this process can end up being extremely useful in creating an overview, structure and theme when it comes to writing the speech itself. At this stage don’t worry about what’s interesting, what’s funny, or what’s off limits. Put everything down!

5)     Keep an ear out: Particularly for quirks, quotes and snippets of potentially relevant information and jot them down in your master document.

6)     Don’t just start writing: Put a structure in place first.  Plan how the speech is going to flow, and what your key message and theme will be.  That way the writing becomes much easier.

7)     Call now! If you’re thinking of using a speech writer, then now is a good time to call. You’re likely to get more personal attention from me now than in those busy wedding season months, and you’ll be giving yourself a good month or two to rehearse your speech once you’re happy with it. Good preparation can make the difference between a good speech and a great one.

Some of the above may seem obvious, but the worst speeches are written in a rush. A speech is nothing without content or context.  And they are best achieved through careful planning. Be aware though that however prepared you are, it is important you adapt your speech if something topical crops up nearer the time (e.g. Volcanoes in Iceland, World Cup results). If anything it will make your well planned speech look off the cuff and relevant, ensuring more respect and praise from your audience.

Good luck!

Very best wishes

Lawrence

020 8245 8999 | 07970 046 230

Twelve Speech Tips for Christmas

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Great Speech Writing HQ is sadly bereft of Lords a Leaping and French Hens this year.  There’s not even a pear tree in sight.  So we thought it might be best to stick to our strengths and offer twelve wedding speech tips for those of you who plan to spend the festive season drafting something special for 2013:

  1. Prepare like you never have before. This may sound obvious but too many people think they can create the speech of their life 24 hours before the big day.
  2. Do some research. Don’t just rely on your own material. Contact friends and family who have known the person at different stages of their lives to gather different perspectives and stories.
  3. Keep it relevant. There is nothing worse for the majority of the guests than a best man’s speech focusing exclusively on the Stag do. Try to include something for everyone.
  4. Get the balance right between sincerity and humour. Try to map out a framework for your speech that has a good combination of the two. An over-sentimental speech can be dull.  But a stand-up comedy routine can miss the point entirely.
  5. Pick a theme. Anecdotes and observations are key elements of many speeches, but they don’t always link together naturally. Choosing a theme that ties everything together can help it flow and an original and amusing theme is often the difference between a decent speech and a great one.
  6. Consult others. Your biggest risk is covering ground that has already been mentioned in the other speeches. I would strongly recommend that however original you think your speech may be, you have a quick chat with the other speakers to ensure there is no uncomfortable overlap.
  7. Avoid rambling and keep it short. There is no ‘perfect’ shape or style for a speech.  But the key is brevity.  Stay away from long paragraphs in favour of short, punchy, deliverable sentences. And don’t let your speech drag on beyond 10 minutes (approximately 1000 words).
  8. It’s not all about you! It’s tempting to focus your speech on your own relationship with the person you’re speaking about. But if you labour the point too heavily, it can start to sound like narcissism and be very boring for everyone else.
  9. Practise, practise, practise! Get to know your speech so well that you only need to glance at your notes to remember what comes next.
  10. Stay sober. This is not to say you can’t have a drink to take the edge off your nerves. But to give a good speech you need to be sharp and clear–headed which means staying clear of the boozing until after you’ve sat down.
  11. Check out the venue: Find out where you’ll be standing, whether there will be a microphone, and if there will be somewhere to rest your notes.  This will avoid nasty surprises that might keep you awake the night before.
  12. Take it slowly: When your big moment comes, speak slowly and pause between sentences. Your audience need time to digest the story before they get the punchline. So give them time to get it.

From all of us at Great Speech Writing, have a very merry Christmas, and a successful speech giving year ahead!  And just in case you need reminding (and you really want to make time for that sixth viewing of Love Actually) then call us at any time and we’ll write it for you!

Lawrence and team

GREAT SPEECH WRITING

020 8245 8999

How to write a JOINT Best Man speech

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You’re right. The Best Man Speech is the hardest of the lot. And it gets a whole lot trickier when it becomes a job-share. You may think there’s safety in numbers, but not when it comes to delivering a joint Best Man speech. All the usual pitfalls are still there….they just become harder to spot. And on top of that, the audience is less forgiving, the Groom expects more and the Bride is easier to offend!

Here are some ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ for making the mother of all speeches one to remember for all the right reasons:

Don’t:

-       Write it as a comic script delivered by a double act. Unless you are a professional script writer or stand-up comic this will be extremely difficult to write and even harder to deliver. Written and delivered badly it could easily appear awkward and contrived.

-       Speak for too long. Just because there’s two of you speaking, it doesn’t mean the guests want to hear you speak for double the amount of time. I suggest a 5 minute ceiling for each of you.

-       Write your speech for the boys on the stag do. This is a common trap and easier to fall fowl of when there’s two of you writing the speech. Whilst you may be in stitches recounting the story of the Groom’s pubic hair being shaved off whilst he’s passed out in a Hungarian hotel room, the rest of the guests are unlikely to be amused and you won’t get the laughs you’re hoping for.

-       Include too much content. With two of you there’s a temptation to include all the best stories from both parties. But a speech heavy in content can end up light in synergy and seem disjointed and irrelevant.

Do:

-       Use a theme to hold your speech together. With two of you speaking, and therefore different tones and styles being used, there is more of need than ever to link stories and anecdotes together naturally. Indeed a theme can sometimes work better with two speakers. For example, if the Groom has a split ‘Superman Vs Clark Kent’ personality, one of you can talk about him being Superman and the other Clark Kent.

-       Split up the formalities between the two of you so there is a clear delineation in your role. For example, one of you can do the early ‘thank yous’ and the other can deliver the toasts at the end.

-       Collaborate and consult each other regularly to ensure there is no embarrassing overlap. Your biggest risk is covering ground that will be repeated later on in the other Best Man’s section.

-       Avoid too much chronology. It is easy for joint Best Men to split up the life story of the Groom into sections that each can relate to. For example, the brother of the Groom talks about the early years and the best mate talks about university and professional life. But this can lead to a formulaic and unoriginal speech. Better to weave stories around a joint theme if you can.

If you just can’t agree on where to start or what to write then give me a call on 0208 245 8999. I’ve written many joint Best Men speeches and I’d love to help with yours!

Your Medal Winning Wedding Speech

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The Olympics are almost here. You may be losing sleep about Paula Radcliff’s foot  or Dwain Chambers’ urine sample, but there are others with more pressing issues to address.

Because irrespective of the athletics, the wedding season continues, with a daunting set of hurdles for those giving speeches.

If that group includes you, you’ll want to be remembered for giving the performance of your life; a speech that combines Mark Cavendish’s grit, Jessica Ennis’ style and Tom Daly’s magic.

Great Speech Writing has come up with some tips on how to put yourself in medal contention.

To get onto the podium – even if only to win bronze, you need to:

  • Prepare. This may sound obvious but too many people think they can create the speech of their life 24 hours before the big day. However, as with most things in life, there’s no substitute for proper preparation. This means thinking about what you want to say, gathering information and writing a number of drafts in advance.
  • Keep it relevant. There is nothing worse for the majority of the guests than a best man’s speech focusing exclusively on the Stag’s drinking exploits in Amsterdam dressed as Spiderman or a Father-of-the-Bride gushing about his daughter without mentioning the Groom or his side of the wedding party.  Think about your audience before you put pen to paper.
  • Practise. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Rehearse your speech out loud over and over again, reading very slowly and emphasising key words. You want to know your speech so well that you only need to glance at your notes to remember what comes next.
  • Keep it short. I recommend a 8-10 minute speaking length for any wedding speech. Too many go way beyond this, creating a bored and restless audience.
  • Stay sober. This is not to say you can’t have a drink to take the edge off your nerves. But to give a good speech you need to be sharp and clear–headed which means staying clear of the boozing until after you’ve sat down.
  • Don’t focus on ‘me’. It’s tempting to focus your speech on your own relationship with the person you’re speaking about. But if you labour the point too heavily, it can start to sound like narcissism and be very boring for everyone else.

To take home Silver, you’ll also need to:

  • Do some digging. Don’t just rely on your own material. Contact friends and family who have known the person at different stages of their lives to gather unusual insights and anecdotes.
  • Get the balance right between sincerity and humour. Try to map out a framework for your speech that has a good combination of the two. An over-sentimental speech can be dull.  But a stand-up comedy routine can miss the point entirely.
  • Avoid rambling. There is no ‘perfect’ shape or style for a speech.  But the key is brevity.  Stay away from long paragraphs in favour of short, punchy, deliverable sentences.
  • Use language accessible to everyone. If people don’t understand your joke, they won’t find it funny. So don’t use a long word when a short one will do. Don’t use a clever pun if many of the guests have travelled from overseas. And don’t use slang that only a small group of your friends will understand.

But to find yourself holding back the tears as the first chords of the National Anthem strike up, you should:

  • Pick a theme. Anecdotes and observations are key elements of many speeches, but they don’t always link together naturally. Choosing a theme that ties everything together can help it flow and an original and amusing theme is often the difference between a decent speech and a great one.
  • Consult the other speakers. Your biggest risk is covering ground that has already been mentioned in the other speeches. I would strongly recommend that however original you think your speech may be, you have a quick chat with the other speakers to ensure there is no frustrating overlap.
  • Check out the location. Find out where you’ll be standing, whether there will be a microphone, and if there will be somewhere to rest your notes. This will avoid nasty surprises that might keep you awake the night before.
  • Take it slowly: When your big moment comes, speak slowly and pause between sentences. Your audience need time to digest the story before they get the punchline. So give them time to get it.
  • Call Lawrence on 0208 245 8999.  Whether it’s editing it, polishing it or writing your speech from scratch, he’ll can guarantee a gold medal speech that will be remembered for all the right reasons.

 

 

Guarantee laughs: Best Man Speech

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While you read on, please feel to call us at any stage to discuss how we can help write or edit your speech for you!  Prices are set out here.

One of the most common questions I’m asked by Best Men is what proportion of their speech should be sincere and what proportion funny. The answer obviously depends very much on the individual but I generally advise a 75/25 balance in favour of something light-hearted (if not full of punch lines). Although you have an obligation to ‘big up’ the Groom, it’s more important your speech entertains.

This means there’s plenty of room for you to be witty, creative and clever. Ok, don’t panic. Here are some tips to help get you started:

Remember your audience: Don’t write your speech for the boys on the stag do. Whilst some of your mates may be in stitches by you recounting the story of the Groom’s eyebrow being shaved off as he slept in a Majorcan golf buggy dressed in his Spider Man outfit, the rest of the guests are unlikely to be amused and you won’t get the laughs you’re  hoping for. When you’re thinking about what to put in your speech, it’s best to keep your material as universal as possible.

Avoid stand-alone jokes: This may sound odd; after all, this is the one speech where people expect jokes. But punch lines that fall flat can be a nightmare for any speaker, and there are plenty of ways to make people laugh without one.

Work with contradictions and opposites: If the Groom is a renowned drinker, then highlight his sober moments. If he loves Man United then point out your worries that he was a City fan. If he’s particularly camp, send him up as being macho. Similarly compare and contrast his passions and achievements as a boy to the present day. This can create a lovely balance between humour and sincerity.

Play with the audience’s expectations: Ask them a question about the Groom, suggest three potential answers, then surprise them with an entirely unexpected fourth.

Keep it clean (ish): Avoid crude jokes, mentions of ex-girlfriends, anything that might insult guests and in particular the Bride! Best Man’s speeches have a reputation for being a bit saucy, but it’s easy to go too far. Don’t judge a potential story or joke on whether you find it funny, but on whether your audience will be offended by it.

Use language accessible to everyone: If people don’t understand your joke, they won’t find it funny. So don’t use a long word when a short one will do. Don’t use a clever pun if many of the guess have travelled from overseas. And don’t use slang that only a small group of your friends will understand. If something complicated really is necessary, then look confused and explain it with tongue firmly in cheek rather than trying to patronise.

Pick a theme: Anecdotes and observations are key elements of many speeches, but they don’t always link together naturally. Choosing a theme that ties everything together can help it flow and an original and amusing theme is often the difference between a decent speech and a great one.

Keep yourself separate: It’s tempting to focus your speech on your own relationship with the Groom. But if you labour the point too heavily, it can start to sound like narcissism and be very boring for everyone else.

Avoid long stories: I strongly recommend you limit specific anecdotes to a maximum of two or three sentences each. Keeping it snappy will hold people’s attention, and if a story isn’t working, you can move swiftly on.

I hope that helps. Remember the best way to judge whether your speech is amusing or not is to try it out on others. Whether that’s asking a mutual friend or contacting someone like me. I’m always happy to give free advice and act as a sounding board, or of course help edit or write the speech for you.

Good luck and very best wishes

Lawrence

0208 245 8999 | 07799 673 543

 

 

Why NOT to get help with your speech

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12 reasons for NOT getting a professional speech writer to help write your wedding speech:

  1. You are absolutely certain that your version won’t be littered with cut-and-paste jokes and phrases from the internet
  2. You have mastered the knack of writing in short punchy sound-bites with natural pauses for breath in the right places
  3. You are able to thread a number of themes, stories and ideas into a coherent, seamless script
  4. You have a natural feel for how to create the right balance between humour and sincerity in a speech
  5. You have lots of spare time to craft a number of drafts of a speech until you are certain that not one word is wasted
  6. You understand the best ways to weave the mundane lists of wedding-day ‘thank yous’ into the speech so no one quite realises how many people you have mentioned
  7. You have the knack of developing your speech around a theme to hold it together
  8. You instinctively know how certain words and phrases just don’t work when spoken out loud
  9. You are able to sum up long stories and complicated relationships in a small and interesting couple of phrases
  10. You can read through the speech you have written and be certain that it is entirely original and relevant to the audience on the day
  11. You are certain that when you stand up you won’t wish you’d got some help
  12. You are certain that when you sit down again you won’t wish you’d got some help

If you can say ‘yes’ to that lot then PLEASE don’t ask me to write your speech.  In fact, please do me a favour and give me a call to ask for work.

But if by any remote chance you can’t, please feel free to call me on 020 8245 8999 to discuss how I might be able to help you create the speech of your life!

Best wishes

Lawrence

How to write a great speech: BREVITY

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Having read my previous articles, you should now have a relevant and original message in mind and are ready to put pen to paper.

Things are looking good, but the pitfalls aren’t all out the way.

Because there is nothing worse than a speaker who takes two minutes to introduce himself and then uses long, winding sentences like this one to make a point that could have been made much more clearly in far less time and using far fewer words.

The secret is brevity.  Not terseness.  Just the use of short, sharp punchy sound bites to make your point in a crisp, memorable way.

There are tricks to achieve this.  For a start, break long sentences up into shorter ones.  Then try and split those up wherever possible.  These breaks should be created at a convenient place to breathe (and pause for effect) when you are speaking.

Like this …

… and this …

… and, most importantly …

… like this.

Secondly, try to avoid convoluted ways of explaining something simple.  For example:

“The problem with playing three centre forwards is that each forward is based in the attacking third of the pitch which can leave a massive gap in midfield to be filled by less players, meaning that the defence gets pulled out of shape.”

Could be changed to:

“Selecting three forwards can leave holes behind them in midfield …

… that defenders are forced to cover.”

Thirdly, read your sentence out loud after you have written them.  You may find that what looks good on the page, doesn’t sound so good when you hear it.

Finally, remember this sad fact (it’s actually an estimate):

A day after you have spoken, few of your audience will remember your key message, fewer still will have remembered your second message, and only a handful will remember more than one example you highlighted.

So see if you can compact a twenty minute speech into fifteen, and don’t worry about being too brief.

Please feel free to call me on +44 20 8245 8999 to discuss the impact of your speech or presentation in more detail.  Best wishes, Lawrence

How to write a great speech: ORIGINALITY

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My previous blog piece focused on relevance.

But although being relevant will help you convince your audience to listen for a while, it isn’t enough on its own to hook them in.   And so once you have decided what your key message is going to be, you need to wrap it in an original way.

Don’t worry.  This doesn’t mean you need to wear a bizarre costume, Morris dance  or sing.  But whatever the event at which you are speaking, you need to convince your audience that they are going to learn something new from you.  And the best way to do that is to communicate a little differently.

There’s obviously a catch here.  If I give you an original idea then it will immediately cease to be original.  But I can give three examples of people who have managed to present relevant ideas in ways that have really made an impact on the audiences concerned.

Like the energy consultant who flew off to a meeting in Cape Town last April and linked the various elements of a new technology his firm had launched to the preparations for the Royal Wedding.  This enabled the less technical members of the audience to enjoy the speech and understand his role.  He was congratulated the following day on being the most impressive speaker at that year’s conference.

Then there’s the example of the accountant given fifteen minutes to speak on the difference between tax evasion and avoidance.  This is obviously a technical issues with major consequences.  Avoidance leaves more money sitting in your personal account.  Evasion gains you a stretch behind bars.  And so she started by telling a story about life in Ford Open prison.  Her audience were captivated.  And their interest grew when she explained that was exactly what they could be facing if they failed to listen to some of the finer details that were to follow.

Finally, there was a father-of-the-bride at a wedding.  His speech was relevant enough, but it just lacked a little bite.  Until he mentioned that his daughter had spent the first twenty years of her life obsessed with the musical Grease.  As a result, he wove together the key stories and characters from her life using song titles and lyrics sung by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John.  The following week he and his wife started receiving thank you letters for the wedding.  And the vast majority referred to his speech as being the best they had ever heard.

These examples are obviously pretty random.  There is, sadly, no formula for originality.  It disappears the minute you try to adhere to a template.  And that’s why every speech we write at Great Speech Writing begins on a blank piece of paper.

But if you can combine a relevant approach with an original way of communicating the message then you are on well on track.

Please feel free to call me on +44 20 8245 8999 to discuss the impact of your speech or presentation in more detail.  Best wishes, Lawrence

How to write a great speech: RELEVANCE

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Emperors in the Coliseum would signal the fate of a gladiator with the lifting of a thumb.  And not much has changed.  Because this is the age of mobile technology.  And there is nothing worse than looking up after a minute of your pivotal speech or presentation to see the key decision-maker in the room looking down, Blackberry in-hand, and a scrolling thumb providing its own telling feedback on the impact of your big moment.

In the age of Twitter, I’m often asked to help clients avoid this fate in 140 characters.  Fortunately, I can often cut that to nine:

RELEVANCE.

Whether a client is speaking at a wedding, a business conference or in Parliament, the same principle applies.  Because a speech, any speech, needs to create an impact if people are going to enjoy and remember it.  And there is no better way to make that impact than by making it one hundred percent relevant to your audience.

Relevance comes in different shapes and sizes.  From a strategic perspective it means focusing on benefits rather than features.  This is a fundamental rule of any form of communication, but when it comes to speeches, and particularly speeches on a technical subject, there is a tendency to push common-sense to one side and tell people an awful lot about what you know, at the expense of what they really want and need to hear.

As a result, many business speeches and presentations begin with a hugely detailed section ‘about us’ which incorporates ‘who we are’, ‘what we do’, and ‘what our latest great product or service is all about’.

This may be all true.  And it may also be incredibly interesting to you.  But an audience is likely to be stifling the yawns and reaching for its emails before you have even got going.

Relevance means approaching things back-to-front.  It means engaging their interest from the start; demonstrating that it is really worth giving you their complete and undivided attention before you even start to explain the technical aspect of what you do.

And so if you are explaining to an audience why your new product is going to transform the way they work, please don’t start by telling them how long you’ve been working on it, what its ingredients are, or where your offices are based.  Think about how they will use it, the problems it will solve, and the frustrations it will alleviate.

Similarly, if you are Best Man at a wedding, the worst possible way to start your speech is by talking about yourself for too long, and by regaling the guests with long and detailed stories that demonstrate why you and the Groom are such good mates.  By all means introduce yourself, but then imagine you are in the audience before you start writing.  This isn’t about you, it’s about them and him.  And you are simply a conduit for sharing relevant, interesting and amusing information about him.

In short, if a speech isn’t relevant, it is highly likely to fail.  Audiences have short attention spans.  The twitching of a thumb may no longer spell the end of a life, but it can provide a clear indication that your speech or presentation is facing an early death.

Please feel free to call me on +44 20 8245 8999 to discuss the impact of your speech or presentation in more detail.  Best wishes, Lawrence

Who to thank in your wedding speech

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It is no secret that every speaker at a wedding will have people to thank.  And I am asked regularly to suggest who should be thanked, by whom, and how best to word them.

The biggest issue in many cases is ‘listing’.  The thanks can be endless, suffocating the speech and bearing the wrong sort of comparisons with the worst Oscar acceptances.

The best speeches weave the necessary ‘thanking’ around their more creative elements so the audience hardly realise you’re running through a list at all. Here’s a quick summary of the key ‘thanks’ that should be included if yours is a standard wedding with a relatively orthodox set of speeches.

The Father of the Bride Speech

1. The guests – particularly those who’ve travelled a long way 
2. Your wife – for organising the day/ bringing up your daughter/ putting up with you!
3. You may also want to mention your other children, the vicar or equivalent and any friends who have helped with the organisation of the day

The Groom Speech

1. The Father of the Bride for his speech (and kind words about you if appropriate)
2. The guests (ensuring it ties in with what your father-in-law has said)
3. Your new-in-laws for producing your wife!
4. Your Bride – for saying yes!
5. Your own family
6. Any elderly or ‘special’ guests
7. The Best Man and Ushers
8. The Bridesmaids

Your list may overlap with the Father of the Bride, so it is worth trying to share them between you.  You may also want to mention guests who can’t be there and thank anyone from the wedding planner to the flower arranger (although I suggest that you restrict your thanks to volunteers rather than paid professionals – including your speech writer!)

The Best Man Speech

  1. Your hosts
  2. The Groom (for asking you to be his best man/for being a good mate)

This list is short and sweet. Yours is the speech with most room for creativity and fun and less need for thanks.  Your role is to provide amusement rather than sincerity.  However, it is still worth checking with the Groom that he doesn’t want you to take any of them off his plate.  This can be particularly useful if there is a thank you that will tip him over the edge!That’s the high level summary.  Please don’t assume anything and always check with the other speakers that you are not going to cover the same ground.  Good luck, and please feel free to call me at any time if you’d like some help turning your ‘tick list’ of thank yous into something that resembles an entertaining speech rather than a school register.

Lawrence

Wedding Speech Etiquette

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I’m asked regularly:

a) who speaks when at a wedding; and
b) who needs to say what in their wedding speech?

As you’ll read elsewhere on the site, I suggest planning your speech around the ‘must haves’ and the ‘might haves’.  The list below focuses solely on the ‘must haves’.
Many wedding speeches fall foul of ‘listing’, where you subject the audience to a never-ending barrage of sincere thankyous.  The best speeches weave these ‘must haves’ around their more creative elements and so you hardly realise that they are running through a list at all.
Here’s a quick reminder of the things that you will probably need to include if it’s a standard wedding with an orthodox set of speeches.

The Father of the Bride Speech

(creative input focuses mainly on the Bride and her new husband)
1. Welcome the guests
2. Welcome your new family
3. Mention your wife
4. Mention guests who cannot be there
5. Toast the Bride and Groom
You may also want to mention your other children, the vicar or equivalent, any friends who have helped with the organisation (including the flowers) and people who have travelled a long way.

The Groom Speech

(creative input focuses mainly on the Bride)
1. Thank the Father of the Bride
2. Thank the guests
3. Mention the new-in-laws
4. Mention your own family
5. Mention any particularly elderly or ‘special’ guests
6. Thank the Best Man and ushers
7. Toast the Bridesmaids
Your thankyous may overlap with the Father of the Bride and so it is worth trying to share them between you.  You may also want to mention guests who can’t be there and thank anyone from the wedding planner to the flower arranger (although I suggest that you restrict your thankyous to volunteers)

The Best Man Speech

(creative input focuses mainly on the Groom)
1. Read any telegrams
2. Respond to toast on behalf of bridesmaids
3. Thank your hosts
4. Toast the Bride and Groom
This list is short and sweet and yours is the speech with most room for creativity and fun.  However, it is still worth checking with the groom that he doesn’t want you to take any of the ‘must haves’ off his plate.

That’s the high level summary.  Please don’t assume anything and always check with the others that you are not going to cover the same ground.  Good luck, and please feel free to call me at any time if you’d like more detailed advice or help putting it all together.

Only relevant to wedding speeches

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Are you preparing a wedding speech and wondering what to say?

I have developed three questionnaires to help the traditional speakers prepare the content that they might want to weave into their speech.  My clients often use one of these to prepare for our first meeting.

I’m afraid that they are not templates for creating your speech, simply a way of pulling together all the information that may become useful.

So if you have had trouble getting through to me on the phone and want to get going, then please start here:

Best Man Speech Questionnaire

Father of the Bride Speech Questionnaire

Groom Speech Questionnaire

National Wedding Show at Olympia, October 2009

If you happen to be visiting the show,  I will be there for all three days giving free speech-related advice to anyone who asks!  If you read this beforehand, please drop me an email and we can arrange a specific time to meet.