OVERVIEW:

 

After-Dinner speeches provide speakers with a unique opportunity to explore how to synthesize humour and informational material. As the name suggests, these are the type of speeches that follow a formal dinner and are presented to an audience with a particular point of commonality.

 

The first part of preparing an After-Dinner speech is choosing a topic. In After-Dinner speaking there is unlimited creativity in topic selection. Speeches could be on anything from working at a supermarket to speaking at a Hogwarts graduation ceremony. Next, the speaker must identify an audience that relates to the topic. The real audience takes on the role of this fictional audience. In the supermarket speech, the audience could be a group of cashiers. In the Hogwarts speech, the audience could be the graduating class.

 

After-Dinner speeches help speakers develop their creativity in both preparation and presentation. When preparing, speakers must select a topic and an audience that is familiar with niche aspects of that topic. For example, a speaker may select to speak to an audience of driving instructors on the topic of the honest thoughts of someone learning how to drive. The speech will take an entertaining and informative approach.

 

For junior speakers, an After-Dinner speech will range from 3-5 minutes and for senior speakers, 5-7 minutes. After-Dinner speaking emphasizes connecting with an audience. As both the speaker and audience adapt and maintain personas, it is imperative that the speaker engages with the audience. In order to encourage this connection, limited notes are permitted when presenting. 

 

After-Dinner speeches encourage versatility. In preparing for After-Dinner speeches, speakers learn to adopt and maintain that personality for the duration of the speech. This enables speakers to examine and present topics from very specific points of view. After-Dinner speaking is an educational and extremely entertaining type of public speaking for both the speaker and the audience.