Whether you're giving a father of the bride speech, maid of honor speech, best man speech or mother of the groom speech, these quick tips will ensure a smooth, confident delivery on the day.
TIP #1 - READ IT OUT LOUD
Read it out loud over and over and over again.
Reading it in your head is not as useful as reading it out loud and giving your brain and tongue a chance to get in sync. The more you read your speech or presentation out loud, the smoother your delivery will be.
Think of it as muscle memory. How awkward is a new workout move or dance step the first few times you try it? (Or in my case, every time I try it.) But with practice, even the least coordinated of us eventually manages to gain some degree of control.
Reading your speech out loud also lets you practice your comic (and dramatic) timing and find your natural pauses, and it also gives you a chance to tweak any difficult phrasing that doesn’t trip lightly off your tongue.
Edit your speech just to make it easier to say? Yes, of course! If there's a phrase that looks great on paper, but makes you cringe when you say it out loud, adjust it. If there's a sentence so long it requires an oxygen tank, split it in half. It's your speech. Set yourself up for success.
By the way, an audience is not required when you're practicing your speech out loud, although you may want to bounce it off a trusted listener a couple times, which brings me to...
TIP #2 - GET FEEDBACK, BUT NOT TOO MUCH
Speaking of that trusted listener, keep in mind that feedback and constructive criticism are valuable-- up to a point.
Be confident enough in your material, and in the handful of people you've shared it with, to know when too much feedback is taking you in the wrong direction.
The wrong direction could be a substantial change in the message you're trying to convey, or simply taking you around in circles changing things and then changing them back again.
At a certain point, you have to have your "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" moment and say, "final answer." If you know the speech still needs work, but you can't put your finger on why, put the speech aside for a day or two and come back to it with fresh eyes. You'll be amazed when something that felt like a lost cause the day before is suddenly an easy fix.
TIP #3 - DON'T PANIC WHEN YOU PRACTICE SO MUCH THE JOKES STOP BEING FUNNY
The reason jokes are funny is the element of surprise. When you hear something over and over again, that means there's no more surprise, it doesn't mean it's no longer funny!
Always remember that your joke or funny line will still be a surprise for your audience. This doesn't mean you shouldn't sharpen wording if a joke needs it, or that every joke will work every time.
But when you find yourself doubting a joke or a funny line you didn't doubt earlier, before you go back to the drawing board, put yourself in the position of someone hearing it for the first time. If you honestly think the line will work for them, don't touch it!
