Chances are you have seen a dodgy Best Man Speech, if you have ever watched a romantic-comedy movie. You know the ones, where the best man insults bride, angers the groom, and silences the crowd. Its fine for the movies, but in real life the aftermath will last for more than 97 minutes, and most likely be caught on video forever.
There are 7 common mistakes that are found in those Rom-Com-type situations. To give a good Best Man speech, its best to steer clear of them. Let me list out the remaining three of the 7 Deadly Sins, and continue on from Part 1 where we already covered the first four deadly sins ...
#5 Deadly Sin: Making Shock-value Statements
A memorable speech is a good thing, so long as it is for good reasons. Making statements just for shock-value is absolutely out of the question. No exceptions. Be aware of the audience and of their beliefs, and be respectful of them. Of course it is impossible to know everyone's point of view on every conceivable topic, but you can at least get the gist by asking the Groom and Bride how their guest would respond to certain comments. You may become aware of things that will definitely be a no-go zone.
Having people heckling you throughout your speech is never a good thing, nor is a mass exodus! What may seem funny to you may not be for Grandma, the nieces, nephews or the...Bride or Groom!
#6 Deadly Sin: Stringing Empty Cliches Together
Oh so tempting isn't it? Looking for inspiration is almost essential to giving a fabulous Best Man Speech. After all, writers, academics, religious leaders, artists, poets among many other professionals have all penned perfect words to sum up how you feel, how the newly married couple feel and everyone's hopes for them in the future - before you even opened up your laptop!
It is perfectly ok to use these in your speech, just do not overuse them. Cliches became cliches because the phrases were once very good, so much so, that they were overused to the point of losing their meaning and impact. If your speech is created simply by stringing cliches together, it will become the very definition of cliche. That is, trite, unoriginal and not personal. A good Best Man Speech should have a good balance of personal touches and self-reflections, jokes and inspiration from others words.
#7 Deadly Sin: Being Too Drunk
Well duh!!!!!! You would think this is so obvious, but, alas, there are many wedding videos to prove that it isn't so. A little liquid courage is often the choice of nerve-curbing rituals for confident and non-confident Best Men alike. I do not profess to tell anyone to drink or not drink alcohol. You are you, and you make your own choices. Choose wisely, my friend!
It is very easy to get carried away, going from one, to two, to three drinks... having more courage than the drink before. Even if you are a natural public speaker and don't have any nerves to curb, be aware of your alcohol consumption before you give your speech. You are essentially representing the Bride and Groom... give them a speech to remember, not one to cringe about every time they hear the word 'wedding'. Give them a speech to make them smile, not one that will take til their first anniversary talk to you again! Being too drunk is a disaster waiting to happen.
So there they are, the 7 Deadly Sins of The Best Man Speech .
Avoid these at all cost and you will not provide the Rom-Com movie script writers of the future with any new material. You will have a very happy Bride and Groom and the admiration of all the wedding guests!
