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Do you ever dread the thought of giving best man speaks? Anyone who has ever had to give a speech in public will know the situation; your heart starts beating faster and faster, the butterflies in your stomach multiply enough to inhabit an endless rainforest and your mouth goes completely dry at the exact moment you least need it. Then you get to your feet and find your legs are like jelly.

In fact I used to be far worse than this when getting up before an audience; whenever I had to give guitar recitals at school when I was a kid, I could feel my knees trembling.

And this continued into adulthood; giving presentations at work, even in front of a few people was enough to keep me awake all night. And when I spoke, instead of demonstrating how well I knew what I was talking about, my voice quivered, sounded thin and weak.

These days I can get up in front of 100 people and – shock, horror – enjoy it in some kind of perverse way. I may still have some nervs beforehand, but once I get going and I have the audience on the side, there is no stopping me. So, what is the difference? What did I do to make this transition?

It's quite simple really:

1. Make sure you really know what you are going to talk about. For a best man speech you'll probably have selected a funny story or two to embarrass the groom, so make sure you know the stories inside out, including your punch lines.

2. Memorize how you'll start and how you'll finish. I always find that any kind of presentation is easier once you've got the audience to laugh – after that you can relax a bit – so go straight for something that'll make them laugh.

3. Do not take yourself too seriously. Self depreciation helps break down any barrier between you and the audience and so you can make yourself the butt of a joke too.

4. Have your speech written out for you to reference while speaking. The usual advice is to make notes to remind you of your speech, but I always take the whole thing with me and refer to it when required. I do not read from it – that is a mistake as it sounds stilted – but just remember myself of where I am and what comes next.

5. Improve. If you can think of anything funny while giving the speech and you feel like it, why not stray from your plans. This adds spontaneity and can help with your confidence too.

6. Relax. Once the wedding ceremony is over you've done the difficult bit, providing you did not drop the ring. Everyone wants to enjoy themselves and so they're on your side instinctively.

7. If you start and find your voice is shaky then make a joke of it – the PA is not working or something similar and go for a laugh. Most people find it difficult to speak in public and so will empathize with you and you'll probably find you relax once you've got that off your chest.

It's that simple; that's all there is to be able to give one of the most memorable best man speaks the wedding guests have ever heard.

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Source by Jeff Moregate