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MoneyGuy · 07-20-2009, 05:28 PM

I've MC'd a few weddings and have delivered eulogies at some funerals. I public speak a lot and folks know I'm comfy doing it.

Read that previous thread as there is lots of good advice there. I'll highlight a few things.

-You are not the show. The B&G are. Never forget that.
-Don't let it drag out. People want it to be over. They want to get the basics, but will appreciate brevity.
-Do, do, do give the speakers a time limit. I've learned this a long time ago. Tell anyone delivering a toast that they have a limit on how long they can speak. Trust me, I've seen folks go for 15 minutes, about 13:30 of it babble. One of those can spoil the whole effort and people won't like it if this becomes 90 minutes and they want to get to the dance floor. When someone comes up to the mic to give a toast, say quietly something like, "Five minutes max, right?" Use whatever time limit you select, but if you don't it can be big trouble.
-Keep it clean. My brother had an MC who told really dirty jokes and that's about all I remember from his wedding banquet. I don't think that these folks will appreciate it when 15 years from now someone says, "Hey, remember that dirty joke the MC told about your wife."
-Have a few jokes in your back pocket in case something doesn't happen when it should and you need some filler. The unexpected happens, so be ready in case it happens to you.
-YOu are not to drink until your job is done. If you start slurring your speech (or something worse), they'll remember you for the wrong reasons.
-Have your words written out, but it must not seem like you're reading. I do a tonne of public speaking, and I hate it when it's obvous that someone is reading to me. You can look down and appear to be reading occasionally (the jokes, for example, which people expect to be read), but it'll look lousy if everything appears to be read. A lot of what I do is on little cards. If I know the material well enough then I can put something on the card like, "I want to tell you a story about my buddy, the....." If you read the story enough times, the rest should become second nature. You could have the rest of the story written out fully as backup, if needed. Practise, practise, practise. This key to making this part work well. Literally, I would read my stuff probably 50 times. You'll see ways to do it better and reading it many times will make you familiar with your material, which is hugely important.
-Relax. If you're nervous, it will show. I won't tell you to imagine everyone naked, but you need to relax by whatever means works for you. A nervous MC who can't get it under control is a disaster.
-Look for a gimmic that works. My neice married a guy from South America and when I met with them (we met 2-3 times to discuss ideas, a very good idea), I found out that in his country it's customary to use a machete to cut the wedding cake. I bought one from Canadian Tire and that's what we used to cut the cake. It was a nice touch. I still have the machete if you want to use it.

Enjoy the experience. It's an honour to be chosen. You might mention in your remarks. Good luck.

07-20-2009, 05:28 PM	#7
MoneyGuy Franchise Player Join Date: May 2006 Exp:	I've MC'd a few weddings and have delivered eulogies at some funerals. I public speak a lot and folks know I'm comfy doing it. Read that previous thread as there is lots of good advice there. I'll highlight a few things. -You are not the show. The B&G are. Never forget that. -Don't let it drag out. People want it to be over. They want to get the basics, but will appreciate brevity. -Do, do, do give the speakers a time limit. I've learned this a long time ago. Tell anyone delivering a toast that they have a limit on how long they can speak. Trust me, I've seen folks go for 15 minutes, about 13:30 of it babble. One of those can spoil the whole effort and people won't like it if this becomes 90 minutes and they want to get to the dance floor. When someone comes up to the mic to give a toast, say quietly something like, "Five minutes max, right?" Use whatever time limit you select, but if you don't it can be big trouble. -Keep it clean. My brother had an MC who told really dirty jokes and that's about all I remember from his wedding banquet. I don't think that these folks will appreciate it when 15 years from now someone says, "Hey, remember that dirty joke the MC told about your wife." -Have a few jokes in your back pocket in case something doesn't happen when it should and you need some filler. The unexpected happens, so be ready in case it happens to you. -YOu are not to drink until your job is done. If you start slurring your speech (or something worse), they'll remember you for the wrong reasons. -Have your words written out, but it must not seem like you're reading. I do a tonne of public speaking, and I hate it when it's obvous that someone is reading to me. You can look down and appear to be reading occasionally (the jokes, for example, which people expect to be read), but it'll look lousy if everything appears to be read. A lot of what I do is on little cards. If I know the material well enough then I can put something on the card like, "I want to tell you a story about my buddy, the....." If you read the story enough times, the rest should become second nature. You could have the rest of the story written out fully as backup, if needed. Practise, practise, practise. This key to making this part work well. Literally, I would read my stuff probably 50 times. You'll see ways to do it better and reading it many times will make you familiar with your material, which is hugely important. -Relax. If you're nervous, it will show. I won't tell you to imagine everyone naked, but you need to relax by whatever means works for you. A nervous MC who can't get it under control is a disaster. -Look for a gimmic that works. My neice married a guy from South America and when I met with them (we met 2-3 times to discuss ideas, a very good idea), I found out that in his country it's customary to use a machete to cut the wedding cake. I bought one from Canadian Tire and that's what we used to cut the cake. It was a nice touch. I still have the machete if you want to use it. Enjoy the experience. It's an honour to be chosen. You might mention in your remarks. Good luck.