After Dinner Speech Do's and Don'ts

An after dinner speech is performing and serious public speaking at the same time. Your tone has to be light-hearted, your speech topics have to be relevant to the event and your presentation has to be funny:

Here I explain the speechwriting do's and don'ts for this type of performing at public occasions.

THE DO'S

1. Recognize the atmosphere of the event or celebration. Therefore determine the purpose and the ambiance of the public speaking event or occasion.

The after dinner speech is frequently given after the attendants have eaten. Although it is possible to speak before and during dinner.

So, keep in mind that the guests have enjoyed good food and drinks - they are relaxed - and willing to listen to some public speaker.

2. Realize to whom you are talking. Try to flow your wordings in the mind set and group unity. Try to be on a similar wavelength with them all.

3. Offer an original point of view that will inspire the audience. Determine your goal:

• Do you want to inform the audience about important subjects, results, or thoughts?



• Or do you want to persuade them to change their values, beliefs or behavior?



• Or do you want to set a social agenda by choosing special or noteworthy topics in your speech presentation?

4. Apply a good sense of humor that is relevant to your message, the audience, the atmosphere and the purpose of the occasion. If you want to discuss a serious or even a somewhat provoking speech topic idea, then always choose for a relaxed and humorous way.

5. Practice out loud, time the length, rewrite and polish the note cards of your thoughts. Yes, notecards - leave written papers at home!

6. Using notecards forces you to organize your myriad after dinner speech topics in a clear structure. Use transition sentences while speech writing to jump to another ideas and points.

THE DON'TS 1. Avoid religious humor, racist or ethnic, sexist, and even political humor that could offend or provoke individuals or groups. It can destroy your credibility and ambiance of the evening.

2. Do not ask for radical or dramatic changes in your after dinner talk. Only help them to think different sometimes.

3. Don't sound angry or negative.

4. Ask the hosts how long your talk may last. If they want you to speak for example 3 minutes, then stick to that timeslot.

Don't be a party killer with a never ending after dinner speech.