Probably the best way to reduce nervousness is to just be prepared. Going into your speech confident, knowing that you have put a lot of effort into preparing yourself will not only make you less nervous, but it will make your speech sound great. A good way to practice is simply reciting your best mans speech in the mirror. You want to make your practice as real as possible, so mentally place yourself in the reception hall. Sit on the edge of the bathtub or something, and pretend you have just been called up to speak. Walk in front of the mirror and start. Practice with only little bits if you need to, and eventually build it up to the point where you can recite the whole thing. Once you have the whole speech down, work on making it sound natural. Stand in front of the mirror, and pretend you’re speaking the crowd. If you stumble a little bit, just keep going and try to finish smoothly. By preparing yourself for a mistake, you can remain calm if you encounter one on the Wedding Day.
Look online for some breathing exercises that will help you relax. They are a physically proven quick stress reliever that can reduce tension and slow your heart rate. Breathing is important during your speech. If you have to consciously stop to take a breath, it is okay. No one will even notice. Although you feel like you have all eyes on you, you’re not being judged as closely as you think you are. Relax your muscles; you don’t want to look like a talking statue. Just be yourself! That’s the reason you were chosen to be a Best Man after all.
Move around a little bit, but avoid pacing. Picture the natural way a comedian looks on stage. A few sips of a drink can calm you down and reduce your nervousness a little. However, do NOT drink too much. Saying your best man speeches while drunk, while it may be funny, will only result in embarrassment for yourself as well as the couple and will leave the groom feeling disrespected. Don’t let your nerves bait you into drinking too much.
A lot of people talk about not being sure what to do with their hands while they’re speaking. Having them hang at your sides looks and feels unnatural, but you don’t want to look like a mime either. A rolled up paper towel makes a great homemade stress ball. It keeps your hands busy while also absorbing sweat. Just do your best to make it as inconspicuous as possible. You don’t want people to spend the entirety of your speech trying to figure out what you have in your hand. A glass of water nearby does more than slake your thirst. It also provides a little opportunity to gather your thoughts and refocus. Holding your glass could be a bad idea. If you are getting into your speech and forget what you’re holding, you risk spilling it, or even worse, tossing on the Bride.
You don’t need to have direct contact with anyone in the audience. Just stare a little bit over their heads and look from one side of the back of the room to the next. Definitely avoid looking down at your feet or up at the ceiling. Pretend you’re back in the bathroom practicing your best mans speeches or that you’re sitting there talking to only the Groom. It sounds like a pretty daunting task: ignoring an entire room of people, but it’s not impossible. Before you stand up to do your speech, get in the “zone.” Take a deep breath and relax. Take as much time to prepare yourself as you need. While it may feel like hours to you, five seconds of mental preparation will go completely unnoticed by the audience. Take a second to boost your ego a little (who doesn’t feel sharp in a tux?), and remind yourself what you’re there for. Your best friend asked you to be his best man, out of all the other people he knows. People go their whole lives without getting to be a part of something so important to their friends.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Leave a reply