1. Always remember that the audience at weddings is one of the most encouraging types of audiences to speak in front of. They will laugh at your jokes and listen attentively. There is nobody in the audience that will be hoping that you perform poorly.
2. Have written notes at the podium with you. Even if you have memorized your speech word for word it still makes sense to have a written copy of your speech in your hands. There is the off-chance that you will experience public speaking anxiety and forget what to say. Having the insurance of a written speech handy eliminates that risk.
3. Make effective use of pauses. Commonly, inexperienced speakers will forget to breathe and pause after sentences and paragraphs. For example, if you’ve made a joke and the audience is laughing let the laughter soak in before you continue on with your speech.
4. Be brief. Your speech is more of a toast than it is a speech. Most people think that they are expected to deliver a lengthy speech that makes people laugh, cry and inspires the audience to change the world. The fact of the matter is that wedding speeches are meant to be less than five minutes. Most speakers violate this rule. Think to yourself, have you ever seen a wedding speech where you complained that it was too short? Most speeches are too long and this is due to inadequate preparation.
5. Prepare. Read your speech aloud, practice the speech in front of other people and record the speech on your MP3 player or digital camera. Pay particular attention to the timing of the speech. Is it under five minutes?
6. Check for duplicate stories. Usually the bride or groom will have afew stories that are standouts. Itis important to check with the other speakers to make sure that they arenot using the same anecdotes or stories.
7. Try to memorize the opening of the speech. The first two or three lines of the speech should not be read by notes. You want to grab the attention of the audience and display confidence and preparation.
8. Respect the formalities. You want to know the order of the speeches and whether or not you need to reply to another speaker. Similarly, you may be expected to speak on behalf of absent guests or relatives. You need to answer these questions in advance.
9. Most speakers have a tendency to mumble or not enunciate words clearly. It is important to practice speaking in front of the mirror or recording your speech into an MP3 player in order to practice enunciating each word clearly.
10. Remember, you are not David Letterman. Humor is one of the most difficult parts of public speaking. For some reason, most speakers insist on trying to be funny and it only results in forced laughter and inappropriate comments. Aim to write and deliver a lighthearted speech rather than a speech that has the audience rolling in the aisles.
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