5 Steps To Nailing Your Best Man Speech

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Being a best man is equal parts awesome and stressful. On one hand, you’re wearing a cool suit, throwing an insane stag do, and flirting with the bridesmaids. On the other, you have to act as the unofficial wedding planner. Not to forget, the most daunting responsibility of the best man- the speech.

 

 

Writing a great speech requires creativity, patience, and a lot of time. But we’re guessing you already knew that. If you have been struggling with your best man speech, follow the steps mentioned below in order to deliver a speech that is worthy of the history books.

 

Be Yourself

Sure, you’ve heard this a million times, and you are yourself. Right? How can you be someone else?

However, when you read a thousand different best man speech examples and follow a speech format laid out by someone on the internet, you are not really being yourself. The best way to deliver a memorable speech is to write it yourself. Instead of using the formats you see online, use them as inspiration. Include phrases and words that could only come from YOU. Sure, most people in the room may not realise it, but the groom, the person that made you the Goose to their Maverick, he will realise it.

 

 

Make It Very Personal

Drawing from the last point, it is not only important to make the speech “sound” personal, it is important to make it personal. To achieve this, include anecdotes from the time you and the groom spent together.

In fact, since the groom is your best mate, there’s a good chance that you share some great memories with the bride, as well as members of the groom’s family- use this to your advantage and include these moments in your speech. Not only would this make your speech feel more genuine, it’s a great way to get the crowds involved!

 

Use Humour Wisely

Humour is an indispensable part of any self-respecting best man speech. It gets the crowds involved, helps you garner attention, and makes your speech more lively. However, humour in a wedding speech is a sensitive subject. Here are the top two things you need to keep in mind:

 

 

Keep it classy- Keep in mind that the room is full of children and grandmas. Make sure you don’t make a joke that is not fit for such audiences.

Don’t push it- Great humour is all about timing and unfortunately, not all of us can get it right. If you’re not a funny orator naturally, don’t overdo it with the jokes. The only thing worse than a bad joke is a forced joke.

 

Humour can make or break your speech, make sure you are extremely careful while including humour incidents or jokes in your speech.

 

Stay Sober And Stick To The Script

Ever had to sit through a best man speech that went on and on because the person delivering the speech was drunk and got emotional? To avoid such a disaster, we suggest you hold back on the drinking until after the speech.

For those who don’t need alcohol for their emotions to get the best of them, make sure you stick to what you have prepared. Sure, a few improvisations here and there are great, but make sure you keep it to the point, genuine, and ideally, under ten minutes.

 

 

PRACTICE!

 

Probably the most important piece of advice, it is important to remember the importance of practice. Unless you are a professional public speaker, you need practice before the speech.

There are two huge benefits of practicing the speech beforehand:

* When you have practiced, you can focus more on delivering the speech rather than reading out what is written on your clue-cards. This way, the speech will sound more heartfelt and natural.

* While practicing in front of a crowd (your friends, family), you will realise if there are any things that you may have left out, or if any pointers are not appropriate for a wedding speech. This will help avoid awkward instances during the speech.

 

Conclusion

 

The best man speech is probably the most anticipated event on the wedding day. Sometimes, even more than the ceremony itself. Make sure you do it right with these tips.

Feel like we’ve missed out on an important aspect of delivering a great best man speech? Let us know about it in the comments!