What is an After Dinner Speaker?

An after dinner speaker is someone who is hired, usually for a fee, to entertain a group of people. The after dinner speaker will usually be the highlight of the evening. He or she is rather like the best man at a wedding, and is someone who is knowledgeable on a particular subject and can speak at length about it.

After dinner speaking can be seen as an art in itself. The speaker must have the ability to entertain their audience in a captivating manner. Part comedian, part lecturer, the after dinner speaker should have a certain "wow" factor. They should be someone that the audience or guests are looking forward to hearing and seeing.

After dinner speaking has become big business. It can be seen as a way of rewarding your company at an official lunch. They can also be brought in at a charity evening to help promote the charity. You can now hire speakers from all walks of life. Sports stars, celebrities, politicians, musicians and even mountain climbers are just a few of the types of after dinner speaker that can be hired.

If you have ever been a best man at a wedding or had to make a speech in front of a large number of people, you will know how daunting it is. The after dinner speaker will have gone through the process many times. They will have their talks and speeches honed to a fine art. Many have come from backgrounds where speaking in public is part of their everyday job.

The after dinner speaker will also have a number of tricks up their sleeves. They will know how to deal with hecklers in the audience. It takes either a very brave or a very drunk person to heckle a professional after dinner speaker. Many speakers will have a stock of comebacks and put downs for the heckler that will leave the heckler looking decidedly embarrassed.

An after dinner speaker will be able to tailor their speeches or stories to a particular audience. If a business is having a dinner, then the speaker may be someone who has achieved a degree of success in that field. A College dinner may have an ex student to speak who has since went on to achieve some recognized expertise that the current students aspire to.

Of course, not all after dinner speakers are celebrities or stars. People from all walks of life can add to the evening’s entertainment. The ability to entertain and hold an audience’s attention is one of the most important factors. Some people have this ability while talking in length just about their lives. But if you do require a celebrity or particular expert, be sure your budget can cover their asking price. A top of the range after dinner speaker can cost as much as 5,000 to even 10,000 US dollars (USD) for a few hours.

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After Dinner Speakers And Event Fundraising

Charities require a lot of money and support in order to carry out their good work across the country and overseas. Whilst many people pick a handful of causes to support on a regular basis by giving them monthly or annual donations, many people are prepared to donate their time and money to a one off, worthwhile cause on top of this as well. For centuries there have been fund raising events attended by people from every walk of life. Organisations like the Prince's Trust is just one of the charities supported by the royal family, who raise millions of pounds every year for charity. But people with less money also give to charity, every level of society has members who donate.This is what makes Britain so generous, they are always willing to help out those in need or less well off than themselves.

When compiling an invitation list, make sure people from your target audience are included. Some charities have a gender bias where one of the sexes is more likely to donate than the other, for example cancer charities that focus on testicular and prostrate cancer attract more donations from men. Breast cancer charities get more donations from women.
Wealthier people tend to sponsor charities working with animals and there are people who focus their charitable giving on local causes. If you know people already donating to your cause, invite them and you will raise more money at your event.

Promote your event in the local community and entice more people to come by using an after dinner speaker. If you choose a celebrity from the world of sport, music or politics, they are sure to attract more guests and many bring items to auction which can raise large and unexpected amounts of money.

An after dinner speaker will provide guests with a memorable experience following a humorous speech and entertaining banter. This experience will leave guests with a vivid memory of your event and the cause it was supporting, which will ensure future donations to your charity.
To raise a lot of money in little time, events prove the best forum. Reduce the amount it costs to host your event by using donated food and drink, or barter down the venue hire. Reducing your expenditure in hosting the event will mean that all the money you raise will go directly to your cause, which is after all the purpose of fund raising events.

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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.

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