Would you like to be the one to ruin the atmosphere of the dinner party with your monologue about your semester in Prague? Well, we have listened to enough stories that got us totally lost because of a great detail. The good news is that making a proper toast is more about knowing how to follow certain rules than being good at it. So let me assure you that you will be able to cope with this task without any difficulties even if you lack knowledge of how to speak in public.
To begin with, you need to catch people’s attention right from the beginning of your speech in the first ten seconds. Forget about throat clearing and such usual phrases as “um, hello everyone”. Start with something interesting so that it could grab people’s attention instantly.
Remember the golden rule called the Rule of Three. Do not mention more than three points or stories. Our brain likes everything that is patterned, and three is a great number that is not only easy to remember but is also not boring. Mentioning all the jokes related to your friendship since 2015 will definitely not work.
Try to use conversational language and not the language used for writing thesis papers. As you see, you are not at the university defending your dissertation but at the party, and that means that you can use some slang words.
Before going to the party, practice your speech several times loud. Calculate how much time it takes you and make sure that it is between two and four minutes. Cut off everything superfluous and make your speech snappy as you need to say something really important. Don’t forget that silence is your weapon; so, do not be afraid of taking a slight break.
The absolute no-go is talking about yourself. Your speech has to celebrate the guest of honor and not tell the others about your life. It means that you need to concentrate on how the achievement of the person affects the whole company.
The last thing you need to know before going to the party is that you need to finish your speech with some action. Tell the others when they need to raise their glasses and to what exactly. It will help you to avoid awkward silence after your speech. Go and rock without stealing the show!
Thanks for reading this post! – MyPlugin