CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – DECEMBER 8, 2021-1
3 Secrets To Giving A Great Toast
One of the biggest problems with being a person who has given speeches before is that all too quickly people will start to think of you as “that person who gives speeches”. It really doesn’t matter if you are comfortable doing this or not, the simple fact that everyone knows that you’ve done it before means that if they have a need for someone to give a speech, they are going to come looking for you. Nowhere is this going to be more evident than when it comes time to make a toast.
Got To Know Your Audience
It’s funny that one of the things that we know is critically important when we are giving a speech often does not enter our heads when we are called on to make a toast. That’s a pity because it is just as important here as it is during a formal speech. Ultimately your toast is going to have to match the expectations of the audience that you are addressing.
There are a number of different things that you are going to want to know about the audience that you will be presenting your toast to. These pieces of information can include such things as how old they are, what the relationship between them is, etc. The more that you know about your audience, the easier it is going to be to create a toast that will work for them.
Knowing who your audience will be is the key to not making a mistake when you make your toast. If there is a boss or coworkers in the audience, then you’ll want to stay away from poking fun at the person whom you are toasting’s job. However, if nobody from work is there, then they are fair game. Likewise, you will need to determine if close family members are present in order to determine if making a reference to a personal event that only family know about will go over this audience’s head.
Got To Know Your Agenda
Every toast has an agenda, even if you don’t exactly know what it is. The first part of this agenda is knowing just exactly what is being celebrated. If you are at a wedding or a retirement party this can be obvious, there are many events where a number of different things are all being celebrated at the same time. Your toast can only honor one of these events and so you are going to have to very clearly state which one your toast is focusing on.
Next, your toast needs to identify who you are attempting to honor with the toast. Once again, there can be many different people present and even at a wedding there are two people being celebrated. Just exactly who are you calling out in your toast? You don’t want to confuse your audience so you are going to have to take the time up front in you toast and very clearly identify whom you are toasting.
Finally, what is the point that you are trying to make in your toast? Every toast honors one specific person and you are going to have to be very clear about just exactly who this is. The good news about knowing exactly what you want to say is that it will have a calming influence on you. As all the eyes in the room stare at you, understanding what the main point of your toast is will help you to keep your focus and will allow your mind to stay on subject.
