Dave Spikey On Great Wedding Speech Openings
It’s Wedding Speeches week here at Staggered and we’ve got a whole load of content coming up to help you make a success of your time in the spotlight on the wedding day. Kicking us off is double British Comedy Award Winner Dave Spikey’s exclusive column on how to get your speech off to a good start…
“Hi Dave, I read in a book that you’ve got about 10 seconds to win people over when you’re doing a performance of any kind (presentation, speech, stand-up, etc). Have you got any tips or techniques that could help me get that all-important laugh in the first 10 seconds as I’m incredibly nervous! Cheers, Phil (best man).”
Hi Phil, I suppose that broadly speaking ten to fifteen seconds could be make or break time but the situation is always redeemable. I would say that unless you make a complete dick of yourself in your opening remarks there is plenty of time to win the crowd over.
It’s important to remember that a best man’s speech is what you might call a home game because (I’m assuming) that you will know quite a few people present and they’ll be willing you to do well. Its not the same as trying to win a room full of drunken, noisy strangers over in a late night comedy club.
Even the guests who don’t know you will be looking forward to your speech and wishing you well I’m sure . Of course I could be wrong and the wedding guests may be drunks wearing football shirts, jeans and trainers doing battle with walking sticks after sinking ten pints before the reception. Walking sticks that they carry just in case they bump into somebody from the “Social”.
Woody Allen said that his golden rule of stand-up was to make the crowd like you and I am a great believer in this maxim. No matter how nervous you are on the inside , no matter that you suddenly can’t feel your legs and suspect that you might collapse at any moment, don’t rush headlong into your speech, don’t be overly enthusiastic, don’t shout your hello’s and “how are you’s!?” Get up and say your hello in a relaxed and friendly way; comment on how beautiful the bride and bridegroom look. Comment on how well the guests look (there’s always the “How did we manage before Primark” line which should get a small laugh, especially if you point out someone in particular) .
If you’re really nervous tell them this and they will sympathise; compare it to a similar nervous time in your life – maybe you have has such a moment that the guests may know about which is always good in terms of comedy of association – they will laugh with you and at you.
Otherwise something like, “I’ve not been this nervous since my first driving test, which I failed miserably I was so nervous – and here’s a tip for anyone taking their test in the near future, when the examiner says “At the roundabout go straight across” he doesn’t mean it” OR “…..since I waited for my test results after (grooms) stag night” OR “ since I went to that speed dating night and completely misunderstood how it worked and dropped a couple of amphetamines beforehand and got thrown out for talking so much that I made a girl’s ear bleed” OR use a combination them with something that made you truly nervous because true is real and funnier usually. This will get them on your side I think and you’ll be off and running.
You might want to think about telling them that you’ve been to therapy to calm your nerves regarding public speaking and the therapist advised you to utilise a certain technique. This is to look around the assembled guests and imagine them all naked and then you take a moment to look round picking a random assortment of people out smiling and chuckling until you get to someone in particular (better if it’s somebody in on the joke) whereupon you might grimace and give a “urggghhh” and remark that “Perhaps not a great technique after all.”
It’s important to remember that public speaking is still the number one fear in most people and consequently they will be on your side and will totally admire your “performance” if you deliver it with confidence , charm and humour – it doesn’t have to be hilarious.
Related Posts:
[...] Dave Spikey On Great Wedding Speech Openings Share and Enjoy: [...]
Leave your response!