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So your friend has asked you to be the best man at his wedding. You know what this means: speech time. For most of us, the idea of ​​speaking in front of hundreds of people we know and love is a little nerve-wracking to say the least. Here are five tips to help you get through it.

Wedding Toast Tip 1: Keep it short

A wedding toast is not the Gettysburg Address

You may have a million and one amazing stories and things to say about your friend, but your audience is not interested in hearing them all in one sitting. You are much better off picking the creme of the crop and rolling with those for a couple of minutes.

Remember, the purpose of you giving the toast is to honor the joy that the bride and groom are feeling in the celebration of their union. You should not become the center of attention on their day. Keep your observations to a few minutes.

Wedding Toast Tip 2: Know thyself

Are you a funny person? Are you a good storyteller? Are you animated when you are speaking in front of crowds of people?

Your friend chose you to be the best man and give a toast at his wedding because he likes you. He wants the toast to come from you. If you put on a persona, then you are not giving your friend what he wants.

It sounds cheesy, but the advice "be yourself" is good in this situation. If you are a funny guy, then by all means be funny. If you are not a funny guy, however, do not turn into a second-rate clown and make the audience, and your friend, cringe.

Be authentic and play on your strengths when giving the toast.

Wedding Toast Tip 3: Know thy audience

Equally important to knowing yourself is knowing your audience. Depending on who is in the crowd, the story of how you and the groom dominated your campus back in college may or may not go over so well.

When in doubt, you should assume that the audience is more conservative than you think they are. You will not create drama by being unoffensive, after all. If you do come across as offensive, you may take away from the importance of the day: the celebration of the union between the bride and groom.

Save the crazy stories for the afterparty.

Wedding Toast Tip 4: Preparation is good

If you do not much public speaking experience, you will be better off when the nerves start acting up and your mind goes blank if you have prepared even an outline of what you are going to say.

I decided to wing my first toast and while it was good, it was a little sloppy and long because I had to think of stories and statements on the fly. Trust me, knowing what you are going to say will prevent a lot of issues from coming up.

Of course, you may be an excellent public speaker who is most creative when he is thinking of stuff on the fly. If that is the case, then by all means wing it.

Wedding Toast Tip 5: Have fun

The most important tip of all is to have fun. Being the best man is an honor that you probably will not have that many times in your life. When you are up there doing your thing, savor the moment and do not take yourself too seriously. If that is your attitude, then your toast will be fine.

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Source by Here Gaston