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One of the most common things you will see at weddings is a speech or toast.
It usually happens during dinner, the end of dinner or sometimes even at the end of a cake cutting.
A wedding speech can be short, long or somewhere in between.
Here are some useful tips to use if you ever have to give a speech or toast at a wedding:
1. Keep the wireless microphone close to your mouth.
One very common misconception is that you shouldn't keep the mic to close too your mouth because that can cause feedback. That is 100% wrong.
Feedback usually occurs when the microphone is too close to a speaker or when the mic is too far away from the mouth and the volume is too loud on it.
Whenever somewhere is giving a speech I always have my hand on the microphone volume to prevent any feedback and to make any adjustments just in case someone is nervous on the mic.
Before I hand the mic off to anyone I always tell him or her to keep the mic close to his or her mouths.
Unfortunately, sometimes they can be very nervous and completely forget what I've told them.
In all my years as wedding DJ I’ve seen people hold the mic at their chest, even sometimes at their waistline. It baffles me every time.
2. Don't Whisper into the Mic.
The point of having a wireless mic is to project your voice.
But if your voice is barely coming into the mic, it will be much harder to boost the volume and can sometimes cause feedback.
Just speak like your normally would on the mic.
The worst thing to do is to whisper into the mic and keep the mic too far away from your mouth.
The sound guy or DJ really has his/her hands tied and cant properly adjust the volume in that type of situation.
Avoid that at all costs.
3. Practice, Practice, Practice.
If you’re a best man, parent or maid of honor and your planning on giving a long speech at a wedding it will help you tremendously if you practice it.
You can practice in the bathroom, outside somewhere or even in front of someone else so they can give you proper feedback.
4. Take your time.
Being nervous is a natural feeling if your not used to holding a mic and speaking in public, but that's ok.
If your nervous, just relax and take a breath. Or better yet, take a sip of some water to calm your nerves.
There's no need to rush your speech, if you lose focus it's ok if you need some time to regain your composure.
5. Put your drink down.
If your toasting the newlyweds it makes sense to have a drink around, just don't have it in your hand while your giving the speech.
Keep it on a table or on the floor next to you.
6. Don't move the mic around.
This happens all too often.
People start speaking, but in between sentences they move the mic around, almost like a swing.
It is totally ok to move your body around and look at different sides of the room, that's part of public speaking.
Just make sure not to move your hands around, this way your voice volume stays the same and the DJ or sound guy doesn't have to keep adjusting the volume.
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