Blossom time – May is in bloom at last and the wedding season approaches.
Have you been asked to speak as Best Man at your friend’s wedding? Are you the Bride’s father or mother? Or maybe the Bride herself or the female friend who has to read the poem about true love? Does Public Speaking fill you with dread? Everyone gets the opportunity to speak these days but it doesn’t lessen the pain!
What you may not realise is that it is perfectly possible to do a great job – to harness those nerves and to be a triumph without too much effort.
Here are some top tips – but remember you have to make the effort – reading these alone will not make a lot of difference. Speaking of any kind is a physical act and, like running a marathon, a performance needs practice.
- Decide that you are going to do this like a professional and put in the necessary rehearsal time. (PS.) The time you put in starts AFTER you have decided what you are going to say.
- Preparation for vocalising:
Relax
Breathe
Make some weird faces (This stretches the face muscles)
Stretch your lips and mouth wide open. (Be gentle.)
Blow like a horse – or brrr like a motor bike for a couple of minutes. Use your lips or tongue tip – it doesn’t matter which.
- Practice speaking in the largest room you can access and speak to the farthest wall. Don’t push for sound – focus and let your breath carry the sound across the room.
- Imagine initially you are speaking to an audience who are all hard of hearing – this will make you articulate more and speak slower. It also helps you to increase the volume as you let more sound out.
- Make lots of eye contact with your imaginary audience – they are really enjoying themselves and they will help to relax you.
- Time your speech. Don’t speed up to get everything in – EDIT instead.
- Repeat these things every day for a week before the day.
- On the big day – DON’T GET DRUNK – well maybe one or two glasses of Champagne beforehand.
- Stand tall and make eye contact; don’t speak until you have seen everyone and checked your breath.
- ENJOY YOURSELF it’s a Wedding!!!
Post a comment below saying what tips you will take on board for yourself, a friend or family member and I’ll give the best response a free half hour Skype session.
Thank you for the tips!
I’ll be doing a reading at a friend’s wedding next year, and the tip I’ll make sure I remember is to make eye contact, particularly with my friend and his new wife – I don’t want to forget to enjoy the moment, and to remember who this reading is for!