By Jeannie Conley
Not everyone is a natural raconteur. Some people actually enjoy standing up to speak in front of a room full of people, but for the rest of us, the mere thought of standing up in front of everyone, let alone delivering a speech, can be a scary prospect.
Remember the P-rule - Prior Preparation Prevents a Poor Performance. If you have never spoken out in public before, practise it! If you have a web cam, watch yourself on the screen and see what you do. If you cannot do that, use a mirror. You may have a nervous nose-scratching habit that you are not aware of - but at the wedding, everyone else will be very aware of it! If you know that you are a nervous pen-clicker, for example, make sure that there are no pens anywhere near you. If you do not think that you have any of those sorts of habits, ask a friend who you can trust to be truthful. You may be surprised! When practising the speaking, just start by reading out an article from a newspaper or magazine. Get comfortable with standing up to speak first of all. When you have tried that a few times, speak in front of a friend or family member and ask them for an honest appraisal.
Most people speak too quickly and the audience miss most of what they say. The rule here is to speak deliberately slowly. If you think that you are almost sounding like you have gone a bit silly, then it will probably be the right speed. And if your audience start to laugh at your wit, let them go quiet before continuing.
The best speakers - try listening to really good orators on television - sound confident. All that practising will help you to sound confident as you are now used to speaking while standing up.
Engage your audience. Communication is not just about what you say, it is how you say it. Smile before you start. Look at someone in the room. Do not stare, just glance at them. Then move your gaze to someone else, and so on. It will mean that lots of different people in the room think that you are speaking to them. You will need to refer to your notes at times, but try to look at a different face each time you glance up. And keep smiling. It is possibly the happiest/proudest day of your life. That smile will help you to feel happier, and therefore more confident, inside.
Use your body. Try not to stand there like you are in the line facing a firing squad. If you need to hold your notes, use only one hand. Use the other hand to gesture to your audience. If you are talking about the blushing bride, for example, gesture towards her - and smile again!
Your notes: you need to practise what works best for you. Some people use bullet points; others prefer the whole script written out. Make three copies; keep one in your pocket, and the other two should be in sealed envelopes and left with trusted people. Losing your notes - it does happen! - would be a disaster.
You Never Know.
Did I mention about smiling?
Jeannie Conley is a freelance writer, photographer and blogger.
Learn more about funny wedding speeches at http://funnyweddingspeech.co.uk/
Remember the P-rule - Prior Preparation Prevents a Poor Performance. If you have never spoken out in public before, practise it! If you have a web cam, watch yourself on the screen and see what you do. If you cannot do that, use a mirror. You may have a nervous nose-scratching habit that you are not aware of - but at the wedding, everyone else will be very aware of it! If you know that you are a nervous pen-clicker, for example, make sure that there are no pens anywhere near you. If you do not think that you have any of those sorts of habits, ask a friend who you can trust to be truthful. You may be surprised! When practising the speaking, just start by reading out an article from a newspaper or magazine. Get comfortable with standing up to speak first of all. When you have tried that a few times, speak in front of a friend or family member and ask them for an honest appraisal.
Most people speak too quickly and the audience miss most of what they say. The rule here is to speak deliberately slowly. If you think that you are almost sounding like you have gone a bit silly, then it will probably be the right speed. And if your audience start to laugh at your wit, let them go quiet before continuing.
The best speakers - try listening to really good orators on television - sound confident. All that practising will help you to sound confident as you are now used to speaking while standing up.
Engage your audience. Communication is not just about what you say, it is how you say it. Smile before you start. Look at someone in the room. Do not stare, just glance at them. Then move your gaze to someone else, and so on. It will mean that lots of different people in the room think that you are speaking to them. You will need to refer to your notes at times, but try to look at a different face each time you glance up. And keep smiling. It is possibly the happiest/proudest day of your life. That smile will help you to feel happier, and therefore more confident, inside.
Use your body. Try not to stand there like you are in the line facing a firing squad. If you need to hold your notes, use only one hand. Use the other hand to gesture to your audience. If you are talking about the blushing bride, for example, gesture towards her - and smile again!
Your notes: you need to practise what works best for you. Some people use bullet points; others prefer the whole script written out. Make three copies; keep one in your pocket, and the other two should be in sealed envelopes and left with trusted people. Losing your notes - it does happen! - would be a disaster.
You Never Know.
Did I mention about smiling?
Jeannie Conley is a freelance writer, photographer and blogger.
Learn more about funny wedding speeches at http://funnyweddingspeech.co.uk/
