USING PROPS

There's no book we've read that says you have to deliver a straightforward speech. So why not do something different and use props of some description alongside the magic words!

There are a plethora of things you can incorporate into your speech to make it more memorable and fun, so lets take a look at some of the more popular ones:

• Prepare a slideshow of 20 or so images and give a little story about each one. Now whilst your audience won’t be expecting this, they may begin to dread it if each photo is accompanied by a boring 5 minute dialogue. Keep any words simple and straightforward and approach it as though you were captioning a cartoon in a daily newspaper. A slideshow has the added bonus of removing the focus of attention from you.

Show a five minute home movie (not the type that you can download on the internet for £9.99!) that covers the main points of your speech but in a more entertaining way - you can even set it to music if you’re that technically gifted. You may also wish to incorporate old bits of home video footage or TV clips that can be accompanied by voiceover jokes or romantic comments. If you are particularly nervous about making your speech then this can make an ideal alternative and again will take the eyes of the guests away from you.

• Have a bag/box under the table filled with personal artefacts (first love-letter, high-school reports, newspaper cuttings, a ‘Right Said Fred Rock’ T-Shirt etc.) - reveal each one accompanied by a heartfelt or assuming story.