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With families gathering for the holidays, you
just might have to give a toast. And if you
want to do it well, think FSP: Focus, Story,
Passion.
Those are the
three steps to a great toast.
Focus
: No one likes long rambling toasts. Make
one point
about the person that you’re toasting. “I want
to make a toast to our host, Jeffrey. Jeffrey
is one of the most generous people I know.” In
this case the one point is that the person is
generous. That’s better than saying “Jeffrey is generous,
funny, and friendly.” Uh, that would be three
points.
Story:
Great toasts give a feel for the person being
toasted with a simple story. “About a year ago,
I went with Jeffrey to a Braves game and he had
two extra tickets. He saw two teenagers who
didn’t look like they had any money. So Jeffrey
just gave them the tickets. No only that. He
bought them hotdogs, sodas and popcorn. That’s
the kind of generous person he is.” From there
you simply raise your glass and say “So here’s a
toast to Jeffrey and his generosity.”
Passion:
The key to speaking well in any situation is
speaking with intensity and passion. So many
people get up in front of people and speak in a
dull monotone. They sound like they’re reading
the telephone book. Set yourself apart by practicing
your toast several times and speaking with the
same animation that you use when you’re relaxed
and speaking excitedly with a close friend.
So when the holiday spirit strikes and it’s your
turn to give a toast, think Focus, Stories, and
Passion. You’ll knock ‘em dead.
At Speechworks we help our clients learn how to
give communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a
great communicator give us a call at
404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |
