I really don’t remember who taught me this tip, and I’ve never felt the need to use it myself but I’ve seen it work. Three words can make the difference between a slightly relaxed delivery vs an audience feeling uncomfortable for you.
If you’re presenting a speech at your wedding (or anywhere) and you are nervous, you’re not alone. Public speaking isn’t easy, and even the most experienced or professional presenters get butterflies. In fact a reasonably famous survey result from recent years show it’s the number one fear in America. They’d quite literally rather die than speak in front of a large audience, in fact death was ranked behind public speaking.
This may not be suitable for every public occasion, but it sure works at weddings. When you stand up to present the speech, start with these three little words: “I’m so nervous“. It changes the dynamics in the room – you get the fact out there, and your guests will suddenly be reminded that of course they too would be nervous in your situation.
So simple, yet incredibly effective in many cases.