Think of your speech as a gourmet meal. Your opening lines should serve up a tasty little starter that really whets the audience’s appetite for the main course. Your closing words should provide a delectable and memorable dessert with a delicious aftertaste. In this chapter you will learn a number of techniques that can be used to open and close your speech. They are all tried and tested, so you don’t need to worry about choosing a dud.
Study the options and decide what would work best for your speech – and for you.Work on your chosen lines until they suit your style and have exactly the effect you are after. Then memorise them or write them out on a card to use as a prompt. You must know precisely how you are going to open and close your speech. There is absolutely no room for any ad-libbing here.
1 Grabbing Their Attention
Successful speechmakers often ponder, consciously and unconsciously, for days over their opening words. They know
that the first three sentences of their speech set the course for success or failure: a good start points towards plain sailing, a bad one makes you sail against the wind.
For the father of the bride, undoubtedly the most useful varieties of hook are:
- the anniversary hook
- the quotation hook
- the humour hook.
The Anniversary Hook
There’s nothing like telling people what a special day it is today. You’re telling them that ‘Today’s the Day!’ As always, use your own words, but this is the sort of thing you should say:
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’Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a truly historic day! This day, the 12th of December, will always be remembered because of three world-famous events. 01’ Blue Eyes, the late and great Frank Sinatra was born back in 1915, Muhammed Ali was voted the greatest sportsman of the twentieth century in 1999, and on this day in 200X, (groom) married (bride)!”
’Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a day heavy with significance! This day, the 13th of June, will always be associated with three earth-shattering events. Napolean finally met his Waterloo at Waterloo in 1&15, Sir Paul McCartney had his first day on earth in 1942, and on this day in 200X, you heard the finest wedding speech of your entire lifetime! Now ... who’s going to make it ?”
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You can find plenty of birthdays and anniversaries listed in specialist books (for instance, Making a Wedding Speech in the How To series has no less than 732 of them). You’ll also find them in most daily and Sunday newspapers.
The Quotation Hook
The right quotation, told at the beginning of your speech, can illuminate your thoughts in a most telling way and set the tone for what is to follow:
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‘Ladies and Gentlemen, “Love is the great force in life, it is indeed the greatest of all things.” So said E.M. Forster, and E.M. knew what he was talking about ...”
‘Ladies and Gentlemen ... Friends, “We cannot fully enjoy life unless someone we love enjoys it with us.” Not my words, I’m afraid, although how I agree with them ...’
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Sometimes a quotation associated with the bride’s or bridegroom’s occupation can be adapted to make an excellent and original opening. For example, here are a couple of adaptations suitable for members of the armed services:
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‘Ladies and Gentlemen, “When she was a lass she served her term. As an office girl to an Attorney’s firm. She cleaned the windows and she swept the floor. And she polished up the handle of the big front door. She polished up that handle so carefullee. That now she’s the ruler of the Queen’s navee”. ... Well, almost, anyway ...’
‘Ladies and Gentlemen, “Some talk of Alexander, and some of Hercules, of Hector and Lysander and such great names as these.” But I would rather talk about Captain and Mrs Mainwaring ... about David and Victoria ...’
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