You've been asked to be the Best Man, and you've said yes. Then the awful truth hits you - you've got to organise the Bachelor Party/Stag Night/Bucks Party, but far, far worse... you've got to make the Best Man Speech!
Now, even if you've done some public speaking, this is no easy task. You've got to be really nice to everyone, especially the bride, but on top of that, as the Best Man, you're expected to be funny! The problem is, you're not just talking to the guys, but your audience will include all the mothers, fathers, aunts uncles and grandparents too.
Now, I'll leave all the general stuff about public speaking, like controlling nervousness and projecting your voice, for another time. Right now, lets just concentrate on how to be funny without causing too much offence! The main job you need to do is research. Now, if we assume you know the Groom quite well, as I'd hope you do, then your main research tool is your memory. Think of everything that the Groom and you have done together, think of things he might have said over the years, and decide which things can be given a humorous spin. If you can, try to make big events funny, and avoid anything where you really "had to be there" for it to be funny. Let me give you an example.
Years ago, I told my parents that I was getting married. My brother was there at the time, and said that he was probably getting married too. That's not very funny, is it? But when he asked me to be Best Man at his wedding, this is what I put in my speech:
"Michael's never been one for big announcements. I remember when I told our parents that I was getting married. Michael was there, and he said 'So am I, probably'. So when I recently told them that I was going to be a father, I half expected Michael to pop up and say 'So am I, probably'!"
Trust me, that got a good laugh - from everyone except his bride-to-be's parents.
So you see, with a bit of thought, and a bit of planning, you can make your audience laugh without resorting to uncomfortable revelations about the Groom's former love-life - although if you CAN make it funny, go for it!
coco guide.pdf
