HOW TO WRITE A GOOD BEST MAN SPEECH – A GUIDE BY WEDDING SPEECH GURU
Listen up best men (and those trying to guide them in the right direction!), are you planning to make good use of the Easter bank holiday to get that speech nailed? Given the rise of the video phone, it’s no wonder you’re nervous. No one wants to wind up being a YouTube sensation for all the wrong reasons. Have no fear – I’ve called upon the masters of public speaking, Wedding Speech Guru, to teach you how to write a good best man speech with tonnes of info gathering tips and tricks.
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The key is to start working on the speech as soon as you can. Keep a notebook or piece of paper with you at all times. If you work at a computer, keep a file on your desktop so you can jot down ideas as they come to you. At this stage, no ideas are bad ideas, no matter how random they may seem. Don’t worry if you can’t see how or where a joke, fact, observation, or story might fit in the speech, just write it down. Gather as much material as possible.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Below are some ways you can get started. Use them as a way of looking at the groom and his bride in a new light.
Name search:
You’re not digging for dirt here, but a LinkedIn or professional profile might provide an amusing contrast to the friend you met as a teenager. Also, a Google search will reveal anyone with an even vaguely similar name. Among them there’s bound to be an interesting character you could “confuse” for your friend.
Name definitions:
Look up first and surnames, the results might show up something interesting. If the groom’s surname means, say, “powerful and god-like”, you could always claim his first name means “not very”.
Newspaper search:
Look up the newspaper headlines for the day that the couple were born, met, or the day of their engagement.
• Look at “this day in history” for the same dates. Check out http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday
• For an alternative take on the news on any given date, look at www.theonion.com or http://newsthump.com
Horoscopes:
Horoscopes, depending on how seriously you take them, can provide an amusing or insightful take on people and dates.
• Look at the couple’s birth charts
• See what the stars say about the couple’s compatibility
• Make one up
Don’t be afraid to bend or exaggerate the results to suit your purposes; don’t let the literal truth get in the way of a good story.
Investigate – don’t assassinate – the groom’s character:
Your speech should paint a true – if exaggerated – picture of the groom. Think about what makes him who he is; what makes him tick.
Ask yourself the following questions:
• What’s he like, both physically and as a character? List five words that describe him.
• When did you first meet?
• What were your first impressions?
• What nicknames has he had – now and when he was growing up?
• What embarrassing things have you seen him do?
• What are the worst decisions he’s made? It could be a dodgy haircut, unfortunate fashion phase, ill-thought-out prank, poor choice of holiday destination etc…
• What are his defining habits?
• What are his most common catch-phrases?
• What are his favourite things and obsessions? Think about his hobbies, favourite football team, bands, clothes, food, pastimes. (Think also how these have changed over the time you’ve known him.)
• To what lengths has he gone to pursue these enthusiasms?
• How has he changed since you’ve known him, and since he met his bride?
• What is he really good at?
• What noble and generous things has he done?
• What makes you proud to call him your friend?
Using these tips you’re guaranteed to be on the path to success.
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For more expert advice on how to write a good best man speech and deliver it with ease to the gathered wedding party head to – www.weddingspeechguru.co.uk