Speech Training For Wedding Parties

Brighton's award-winning improvised comedy company, The Maydays, has launched a new improvisation package tailored to wedding parties, with the aim of instilling in participants greater confidence and creativity, the key to a memorable wedding speech. In addition to regular performances at various top UK venues (including regular appearances at Brighton's famous Komedia) and comedy festivals, the energetic, high pedigree comedy company now offers perspective-altering tuition to grooms, best men, fathers of the brides or brides themselves, to help prepare them for one of the most important speeches they will ever make.

Wondering how improv - which is by its very nature is unscripted - can help with a speech which is carefully written, re-written and rehearsed? Helen Urquhart from the Maydays says "improv training is perfect for wedding parties preparing for speeches as it enables participants to build their confidence in public speaking, as well as boost creativity by learning the dark art of standing in front of people and making things up on the fly. It also hones the technique of starting with nothing to go on for the speech but nonetheless producing something great. And if the worst comes to the worst and you forget your words, well then you're equipped to just go with it!"

The fun two hour sessions take place at Brighton's Vine Street Studios, a spacious luxury loft apartment decked out in a funky New York, post-indusrial chic style in the heart of the fashionable North Laine, which can also be hired as weekend accommodation, sleeping up to 16.

Prices for wedding party tuition start at £240.00 including two Maydays and exclusive use of Vine Street Studios for two hours. This includes a welcome drink upon arrival.

You can contact The Maydays via their website, and you can find them on Facebook.

Paul Johnstone

Weddings are not just about the bride - sorry ladies but it's true! It's your man's day too, and your dad's, even if their speeches do refer to you, the whole point of the day is the marriage of your lives together to become a full partnership rather than a take over! Much blood, sweat and tears go into many wedding speeches and often the poor chaps have to sit through a full wedding breakfast knowing that they have to stand up and give a speech afterwards, which can't be great on the nerves. So, today's guest blogger gives some advice on speaking in public to an audience, which of course applies to ladies as well as to any best man or father of the bride!

A TALE OF A TERRIFIED BEST MAN

As I stepped up to the microphone to talk about my friend I had 20 minutes to inform, entertain and acknowledge a crowd who were it was, well in the main, strangers to me. I was petrified – 20 mins how the heck am I going to fill all that time? When I accepted Peter's invite to be his best man, I really had no idea what I was letting myself in for. Apart from all the stag night and the ring, it was my responsibility to look after the groom and that included the stag night. It’s best if we leave that tale for another day!

Once I was into my stride most of the things I had to deal with happened fairly easily. That’s not to say there were no issues, but most of the tasks seemed to follow a fairly natural path. Until the realisation hit me, that in four weeks I had to give a best man’s speech! Now standing there bigging up and embarrassing my friend was a juicy thought. But the closer I got, the more I realised a lot of what I had written was not going to be appropriate. My laddish style was not going to hit the spot, not to mention the jokes I had planned!

During the conversations with Peter and his parents, and the telephone call to the brides parents told me as much.  Peter and I went back many years and I could embarrass him royally.  But I was told in no uncertain terms, I was to keep it clean. So everything I had decided to use was now useless. It was then I started to get very worried about speaking to a bunch of people I hardly knew.

It was then I experienced the first emotions that were to scare the living what’s’ it’s out of me.

As I later found out, speaking in public is our number one fear. Well in Western societies it is.

Earlier I mentioned the feelings I was starting to experience.  And you can feel the fear of speaking, because it’s down to a bunch of chemicals that are let loose on us. These are the same chemicals produced by our brain that we get, when, well you are overtaking a lorry on the Motor way and you get a blow out at 70 mph, in rush hour.  Your brain is hard wired to react that way.

The closer it got to the big day the more nervous I felt.  It got so bad I went to a hypnotherapist in search of help.  On the evening before the wedding I took Peter down to the pub at 9:30 for a last pint or two.  After all I was under strict orders to keep him sober. Over a beer I mentioned I was petrified and suggested he might get a replacement! Well what happened was adequate and the end the day went well, and I managed not to offend anyone, And I believe I mentioned all the people who had made the day go well.

The one thing the experience showed me was a singular deficiency that deterred me from speaking to groups.  I decided to do something about it and conquer this fear of speaking in public. Five years later I was again a best man and this time I was ready, primed and confident.  I had taken a speaking class which had put me on the right road.  But what it did was engender a life long love of speaking in public. It is now something I love.  So much so a year ago I gave up my job and started teaching people how to speak for a living.

Being able to speak in public should not put anyone off, in my opinion it should be taught in schools, well it is in America.  Now you may realise why Americans often seem so at ease when speaking to groups. If there is one tip above all other it is ‘Be yourself’.  Once you start trying to be someone else you just pile on the pressure and believe me your nerves will win the day!

Please feel free to ask me for my ten tips for speaking at weddings, which started out as advice for the best man.  And enjoy speaking at weddings, with confidence.

Paul M Johnstone is a Speaker, Trainer and Paradigm Shaker, and been involved professionally in face to face networking for over 20 years. Now specializing in helping people get their message across by speaking to groups. Paul has developed a ground breaking speaking system called On the Money©, sharing with people how they can deliver killer presentations every time. www.paradigmshakers.co.uk and my speaking Blog at http://bit.ly/ql5VKH