Public Speaking Tips for Celebrants

As a celebrant, knowing what to say and when to say it in a ceremony makes all the difference. Regardless of how captivating your speech is, exhibiting excellent public speaking skills is paramount. This not only keeps your audience entertained, but also makes the whole ceremony appear organised and lively. Here are six public speaking tips that will help you take your celebrancy career to the next level.

Be Calm and Confident
Whether you are presiding over a wedding ceremony, a funeral service, or a baby naming ceremony, confidence is vital. In addition to proving your professionalism, you also get to capture the attention of your audience. This way, you keep all attendees alert and engaged.

Maintain Eye Contact with Your Audience
One of the most important attributes of public speaking is maintaining eye contact with those you are addressing. Unfortunately, some speakers lack the courage to face their audience, making them appear nervous. If you want to win your audience’s attention and trust, you must ensure that you look at them and, preferably, appear like you are addressing an individual. It shows that you are sure of what you are doing, and also creates some connection between you and your audience.

Involve your Audience
To effectively communicate with your audience, you have to be creative and engage them as much as possible. Wondering how you can achieve this? You can tell a story that’s not only interesting, but also relates to the theme of the day. You can make your audience participate in the ceremony by posing some questions or even requesting them to clap once in a while. However, be sure not to overdo it as it may become monotonous, making your audience lose interest.

Be Sure to Pause in Between Your Speech
For reasons such as fear of public speaking and nervousness, some people want to address their audience in a hurry and leave the stage. If you do this, you lose credibility and make the ceremony rather boring.

Pausing lets you regain composure, while also allowing you to gather some more information to back up a statement. Also, when you pause, your audience has some time to ponder about the point you’ve made, making it easy for them to retain some important points and remarks. At the International College of Professional Celebrants, we equip you with the knowledge and skill you require to enhance public speaking skills.

Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience helps you to know the most appropriate language to use. Depending on your audience, you can customize your speech to include more information on a particular subject. For instance, when addressing an audience at a vow renewal ceremony, you may want to include more information based on the couple’s experiences, which may not be applicable during a wedding ceremony.

Similarly, the tone you would use when officiating a wedding ceremony is different from the one you would use at a funeral service. Essentially, age and purpose of the ceremony are important factors to consider during any ceremony, as this helps set the tone for the event.

Practice Your Speech Beforehand
To avoid deviating from the theme of the ceremony, it is important that you write your speech in advance, and go over it severally. Practice as many times as possible, until you finally feel comfortable and ready to face your audience. You may consider having a live presentation before your friends and let them judge your skills. The more you practice, the more you become familiar with your speech, and will thus address the audience with confidence.

The Takeaway
To capture the attention of your audience and make any ceremony memorable, excellent public speaking skills are a must have. As you involve your audience, you make them feel part of the ceremony, instead of making the event appear like a one-man show. For more public speaking tips for celebrants, the International College of Professional Celebrants is here to help. Reach out to us today at 033 33 404 434, to learn more.