Speeches for any event that ends in “cheers!”
There are a whole host of celebrations that can call for a speech – from engagements and wedding anniversaries to professional and personal milestones, retirements and reunions. When you really want to mark a moment, a speech helps you to crystallise why this moment matters, and what it means to the people who are gathered to celebrate.
The good news here is that – as any teenager can tell you – with a party, there aren’t many rules! While people will have some particular expectations from a wedding speech, at a party that’s not the case. They’re just interested to hear what you want to say.
That gives you a lot of freedom. But it can also make it tricky to know where to begin – and where to go from there once you’ve got started. That’s where we can help.
Whether you’re struggling to come up with any ideas, trying to identify a theme, or just feel like you’re lacking the confidence you need to stand up and speak, we will work with you to make you sound like the best version of yourself. We’ll discuss stories and ideas, broad themes and specific details, and turn them into a speech that you’ll look forward to giving. With our expertise, care and attention, you can relax, and get ready to enjoy the party.
There are a few ways this can work, and we’ve outlined the differences in the pricing below. But the basic principles stay the same:
Once you pick the type of help you need, we will get back to you as quickly as possible (always within 24hrs) and put you in touch with your writer, who will support you from start to finish.
We’ll speak to you (via Zoom, phone, email or in person, depending on convenience) and get a feel for who you are, what you want to achieve and what you’re worried about, as well as getting into the details for the speech itself.
Once your writer understands your needs, they’ll send across an outline of their thoughts and ideas, and, if you’re happy with that, get to writing. You can relax and wait for your first draft.
When you receive your first draft you’ll see what you make of it, and discuss any changes with your writer – anything from “can we try a different theme?” to “that’s not my kind of humour”, or even “can we just move that comma?” It’s your speech, and that means it has to be just right for you.
You’ll go back-and-forth with your writer as much as you need to in the time we have, until you are happy with your speech.
...we will always be 100% discreet.
Our prices are based on what you need from us, which will broadly fall into one of the following categories:
If a blank page is staring back at you and you just don’t know what to do, don’t worry: we’ll take the reins, and work with you to create your dream speech.
We’ll get ideas and information from you, come up with a structure and some themes, draft the speech and edit it, with your input, until you’re happy. All you need to do is give us some information, and we’ll handle all the rest.
You’ve been waiting… and waiting… and waiting… for inspiration to strike. Now your wedding is imminent, and you’ve run out of time! If your speech needs to be delivered in 5 days or fewer, pick this option.
You’ll get the same attentive service as the regular Full Works, but at top speed.
For when you’ve got your ideas together, made a start and written something, but you’re not sure what. You’ve already done some heavy lifting (hence the lower price), so if there’s a speech in there we’ll find it, polish it, and make it work for you.
If we think the only option is a major overhaul we might suggest the Full Works, and will be happy to discuss alternative ways forward.
Achieve a professional standard, giving you the peace of mind that your script is “stage-ready” before you step up to the microphone.
There are a hundred different ways to give a wedding speech, and, as with all things, context makes a big difference. But if you follow these principles, you should end up in a good place:
Speeches for parties can vary quite a lot, largely depending on how important the occasion is deemed to be. For some – like a regular get-together of old friends – 4-5 minutes might do it. Meanwhile, reaching a milestone in your business (opening new premises or launching a new product) or retiring after a long career can deserve 9 or 10 minutes of reflection, if not more.
It’s best to think about how significant you think this one particular party is, and how much you feel you have to say. However long you think feels right, try to speak at around 120 words a minute, and keep it under 12 minutes.
That depends on the nature of the party. If it’s a reunion, for example, you want to be focused on how things were when you last saw each other, and what’s changed since. If it’s a retirement, you might be sharing lessons from your career and reflections on how the business has changed. If it’s a business milestone, it’s all about how you got here, and what comes next.
Whatever your topic is, the key thing to remember is that it’s still a party – first and foremost, people want to have a good time. That means you should try to make everyone feel at ease. Try to think of some entertaining anecdotes that everyone will understand and enjoy.
You should also aim for material that is based in your experiences. You’re the speaker, so think about what unique materials or spins you can provide that others can’t.
In short: tell the story of this moment, in the context of a wider span of time; try to make it accessible and entertaining for all, and; make it a speech that only you could give, based in your experiences.
This depends on your audience and how well you know them – there’s a significant difference between a dozen friends who have known each other for 30 years, and 200 colleagues from all walks of life at different points in their careers.
A good rule of thumb is to think about familiarity. Use the people in the room who have been around for the longest and shortest amounts of time as a measure: if a joke will make them both laugh, great! Keep it in. If you want to make a joke that some people will get and some people won’t, ask yourself whether you have to say it and – if you feel that you do – whether there’s a way to do it so that guests won’t feel left out. In the business example, you don’t want to be making jokes that 3 long-serving colleagues get, but 30 recent-joiners don’t.
In general, light-hearted jokes, self-deprecating humour and a little light mockery will always go down well. But know the limits – whatever the event, try to stay away from anything too embarrassing about exes, bad behaviour, power imbalances or criminality! If you have any doubts about how guests might react, test the water with a few trusted people.
Please, don’t!
As much as they’ll have been used 10,000 times and have therefore been “proven”, if anyone in the room has heard the joke before, they’ll immediately think “oh, they’ve not put much effort into this…” This is doubly true when you’re making a speech about someone else – you want to show that you’ve thought about this!
A little effort here will go a long way. You’ll have a lot more fun, and you’ll be funnier for being yourself.
It’s not essential, but it will help. At the very least, you should find the time to read through your speech a few times before the wedding. If you can do more, do – it’ll help you to relax when the time comes, and you’ll spot little things you want to tweak and change along the way.
You also don’t have to read out loud, but if you can do that a few times, do. It’ll help you figure out your pace and your delivery, and you’ll get a better idea of where to emphasise words and lines, when to pause, and when to breathe.
There’s no golden rule here, but if you can have the contents of the speech sorted with 1-2 weeks to go, you’ll be in a great place. Depending on how you write, that might mean starting to pull ideas together 3-4 weeks before the party.
If you write it a year before the event, it’s likely to be out of date by the time of the party, and you’ll have to make plenty of changes, or even start over. Equally, if you leave it to the last minute you’ll be putting much more pressure on yourself than you need to, and won’t have had time to come up with your best ideas.
There’s a cliché in film and TV where speakers dramatically throw away sheets of written words to “really speak from the heart.” It looks good when they do it, but it’s worth remembering – these are actors delivering scripts!
For most people who aren’t improv comics, it’s best to plan ahead. There are a few good reasons why.
Firstly, some preparation shows that you care. Taking the time to figure out the best way to say what you want to say will make your speech all the more impactful, and you’ll be more satisfied by the time you sit back down. You can also get input from others, and, if anyone else is speaking, make sure that your speech doesn’t step on their toes. They’ll be glad you’ve prepared.
Secondly, parties are busy. You can – and probably should! – get caught up in talking to people and making-merry. From a speech point, that’s distracting, and you might forget something that, afterwards, you’ll feel was crucial, or find yourself halfway through your time with no idea what to say next. Writing things down means you’ll definitely be saying what you want to.
Lastly, it’s a real confidence-builder. Having a script ahead of time; holding the words in your hand when you get up to speak; hearing the audience reaction and thinking “this next line is going to kill!” as you’re speaking – all of this will make you a better speaker, and you’ll enjoy your day far more.
