After Dinner Speakers Wine, Dine And End With A Fine Line

An after dinner speech is not an easy one to get away with. Imagine an after dinner speaker asked to deliver a speech after a banquet. He cannot choose a topic involved anti-terrorism measures. No one would listen to him. At the same time, it cannot be something like the subtleties of music. It would obviate the purpose of the speech. Choosing a topic for the speech is one of he primary steps in giving an effective speech. In the case of an after dinner speech, the topic becomes all the more important. It shouldn't be dull and soporific, neither should it be light and fleeting. It has to be a casual offhand topic pertaining to the interests of the audience and more importantly, it should be made in such a manner that it sounds like a discussion rather than a speech.

A good after dinner speaker knows his audience, their tastes and pique. His speech would be directed towards a topic related to the majority of the audience, but he complements the minority by making them feel at home, too. He spices up his speech with anecdotes and similes, so that even people who have zero knowledge about the topic have something to listen to. A good way to start an after dinner speech is to toast the occasion or the person at the center stage. The toast would be a platform for building up the speech, since the audience would appreciate a speech that began with a reference to someone among their midst, instead of starting off with what Aristotle preached in 340BC. The 'after dinner speaker', as he is so called, then proceeds to deftly connect it with the topic of his speech, the transition not being too obvious.



The speech should not be overly long. Never was a speech criticized for its brevity. In fact, the best speeches are the shortest ones. But a long speech, however good it may be, dampens the spirit of the audience, and for an after dinner speech, a long talk would undermine the efficacy of the talk. No one wants to listen to a long drone after a sumptuous dinner. It would be wise to keep the speech duration between 10 and 30 minutes, depending upon the topic. Further, the speaker must liven up the speech with his witty jokes, presence of mind and spontaneity. Concluding the speech, the speaker must thank the host and end his speech with a humorous reference, if possible.

Thus an after dinner speaker's main job is to entertain a very restless and satisfied audience and try to involve them all in a lively and humorous fashion. The after dinner speaker must be humorous and conjure up new ideas rather than being matter - of - fact and rigid, which will just result in hostility towards the speaker and boredom for the audience.

After Dinner Speakers Wine, Dine And End With A Fine Line