At many special occasion events, it is necessary to offer a toast. A toast is a brief speech regarding the guests of honor or to the meaning behind the event itself. There can be any number of reasons to offer a toast. We’ve seen many great toasts at Royal Affairs Ballroom.
Here are some guidelines as you prepare to write a memorable, genuine, positive toast. First and foremost, plan ahead for your toast. It is ideal to come to the event with your toast already written. Use notecards with bullet points to keep you on track. If bullet points don’t work for you, write out the sentences to your toast large enough to see them and refer to your notes as needed.
Keep in mind that everyone loves a perfect, flawless, memorized toast. Right? Don’t naturally eloquent speakers delivering a message we wish we could have written impress us all? Chances are, the speaker planned ahead, practiced and may even have notecards in his or her pocket to refer to while speaking. Practice makes a solid presentation.
Let’s get started.
· Connect the audience with a common story
· Share something positive or vulnerable
· Use your talents or unique ability
· Keep it brief
· Avoid embarrassing anyone
Connect the audience with a common statement or story. At any special event where a toast is required, the audience will include people who don’t know each other. Find a way to connect with your audience by sharing what you do have in common. Statements that draw connections among strangers encourage feelings of trust, inclusion and commonality.
“Our love for the bride and groom connect us all.”
“Some of us grew up with the bride and some of us grew up with the groom. We are connected now because of both of them.”
“We arrived here as strangers. May we leave here as friends.”
“The mission of this organization is what unites us today.”
Share something positive or vulnerable. Everyone gets nervous to speak. This is a normal, emotional response to speaking in front of a group of people. Sharing something vulnerable about yourself helps the audience to see you positively, authentically and relationally. Sharing something vulnerable doesn’t mean to put yourself down or embarrass yourself. It means to demonstrate your human state with a story that all will find relatable. Generally a vulnerable statement helps to break the ice. It can be uncomfortable to share our feelings in public for people we care about. This should not be the case, and when we get brave about how we care for people, it encourages others to do the same.”
“I have always admired Tom’s work ethic. He is diligent, takes initiative and follows through. These are all character qualities we can aspire to.”
Use your talents or unique ability. Some individuals can quickly command the room using their talents or ability that sets them apart. You have to truly know your audience and when this is appropriate for a toast. If you’re a master of the written word, write a poem rather than a speech. If you’re excellent at debate, prove your statements with wit and decisiveness. If you’re a singer, perhaps a shortened version of the couple’s favorite song is appropriate. Singing does tend to make more people nervous, so be sure that you can carry it off with excellence if you go this route.
Keep it brief. Most people at a special event really want to get to the fun part. As a result, keep your toast brief. A 2-3 minute toast is sufficient to say exactly what you need to say and will keep you from rambling. Practice is key for this, so be sure to time yourself in your preparation.
Avoid embarrassing anyone. The goal of a toast is not to embarrass or ridicule. This is to build up, encourage and share stories of positive, fond memories. A toast is not negative, ugly or mean-spirited. It doesn’t matter if “they know what I mean,” because the rest of the audience will NOT know what you mean. Additionally, it’s best to not consume alcohol prior to giving your toast. This can cause slurring of speech and can also lead you off track.
At Royal Affairs Ballroom, we have seen many great toasts over the years. Giving a toast is a special time to share your common love and appreciation for someone or something with a group of strangers. As we have witnessed these speeches, these tips are what we find to be helpful no matter the occasion.
We would love to work with you to plan your next special event. Call us today at 972-221-6565 to set up your private tour of our venue or click here to send us an email.
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