CAN YOUR GUESTS FOLLOW YOU?

will just tire your voice and dry out your throat.

It sounds basic, but use your mouth when you speak; be sure to enunciate.

Before your big day, have a friend use their phone to film you from as far away as possible, while keeping you in sight. Hearing and watching yourself is one of life’s greatest motivators when it comes to making adjustments to ensure you are confident (even if it’s just the appearance of confidence) when the time comes to stand and speak up.

If you’re using a microphone, take a different approach. Often your mouth has to be quite close to the mic, which can seem strange. Start with something small, maybe a little ‘Hi everyone. Thank you all very much for coming today.’ That’ll relax you a little, and allow you to test how close your mouth needs to be to the mic before you launch into what you really want to say. Resist the need for speed: rushing your speech or vows will certainly get them over with faster, but nobody will have understood a word you said as all the words “wouldhaverolledintoone”.

Take your time with your words. Create space for small pauses, take a deep breath and if there is a reaction to something you say, allow time for the audience to quieten down before you continue. There’s a reason theatre productions have rehearsals. Consider organising one before the day at your ceremony location if you can. That way you can visualise where your guests will be – at the very least this will help you familiarise yourself with the set-up so you’re a bit more comfortable on the day. Think of your speech a little like a story: it needs to flow with a beginning, middle and end. Bulletpoint any specific elements you want to remember, because people will forgive you for referring to a few notes. You’ll beat yourself up later if you forget important thank yous, or if you’re so rehearsed you lose all authenticity.