Tips on doing a toast
Speech design: A toast of your own choice can be on any subject that means something to you. The general idea however, is that it should be inspirational and/or thought provoking. A toast to an organisation should be about the impact of the organisation on you and your life. Keep your toast short, punchy and to the point, and remember to have fun presenting it.
Acknowledge the MC or Toastmaster of the evening, ensure that everyone has a glass of something to toast with. Remember to have a glass in your hand too.
The title is often the theme of the toast e.g. “Love”
When doing a toast think of it as a short speech. It should have a message, a clear point, not be a ramble. The toast of the evening is normally 2 – 3 minutes. Check the Programme for time and style of toast (Toast of the evening or to a specific person or organisation).
When doing a toast remember to have an opening, body, and conclusion. The opening must inform the audience as to the reason for the toast – why the person, organisation, etc has been chosen to honour or acknowledge. The body gives details, information and persuades why we should honour the person, idea or occasion, etc. The conclusion provides a summary of why we are raising our glasses. The purpose of this mini-speech is to inspire the audience to want to stand, and lift their glasses.
Call on the audience to:
“Please rise and Drink a toast with me to ….”
Keep the toast line short (Let us drink to the people who make our lives wonderful … is too long) – “To Love” is better and easier for the audience to repeat.
Remember to hand meeting back to the MC after your toast.
If you want more tips on doing a toast and to learn how to create One Clear Message when speaking then contact us today
Richard Riche
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