Susan RoAne, author of How To Work a Room, has a great blog post on how to make a toast at a dinner or reception. She writes:
- If asked to make a toast… be sure to remember it’s NOT a roast.
Doing a roast is dicey and not how you want to honor a friend, a
colleague, a co-worker. And it can come back to bite you in a number of
places. - The toast is a 1-3 minute MAX speech that HONORS the subject.
The toast is never about the toaster … only the toastees. - You
can tell a quick, but funny story. HOWEVER, get feedback on your
‘funny’ story prior to the event to be sure it really is amusing,
charming and fun. And NEVER embarrassing. - Write it out. Practice it in front of a mirror… standing, smiling, using gestures.