Lesson 2 — Activity 2: Celebrating Moments


The poem in the last activity captured the narrator's feelings about an experience at the age of 15. During many occasions in your life, you will want to remember or celebrate meaningful events. You will celebrate milestones with family, friends, and co-workers as you go through life.

This activity asks you to explore some of the ways you might need to communicate ideas about others and their personalities on formal occasions.


People celebrate many special events as they go through life: birthdays, awards, graduation, engagement, weddings, anniversaries, promotions, retirement, and so on. At these celebrations, opportunities are often given for people to speak about the guest of honour in an introduction, a presentation, or a toast.

In this activity, you will learn more about how to capture a moment in someone else's life by paying tribute to them in a speech.


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You know that being aware of your audience and your purpose for communication are important factors in successful communication. This is very true in public speaking on special occasions. You need to be sure that you are using appropriate language for the group you are addressing and that you are very clear about your purpose so that you can make your points effectively.

Toastmasters International is a group dedicated to helping people feel comfortable and capable when speaking in front of an audience. There may be a chapter in your community. Here are some of the top tips that Toastmasters International has for making a toast or tribute to someone special at a celebration in that person's honour:





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  • Speak from your heart: If you have been asked to speak at a wedding or other celebration, it is because you care about the person or people you are paying tribute to. Be sure that you are sincere and personal in your comments.

  • Plan what you are going to say: Practise your speech aloud and get suggestions or feedback from someone whose judgment you trust.

  • Be positive and supportive in your comments: Use humour if it is appropriate, but never forget the audience. A joke that your friends might enjoy is not necessarily a joke that your co-worker's family will enjoy at his or her retirement, for example.

  • State your main idea clearly: Do not give excessive details! The focus of the event is on the person you are paying tribute to and not you. Keep your presentation brief. Just like a good paragraph, introduce your idea, explain your idea, and summarize your idea — and then you are done!

  • For more information on Toastmasters, visit www.toastmasters.org


Depending on the formality of the situation, you might want to keep these points in mind for the "correct" way to propose or accept a toast:

 

  • The person in charge of the party or event should be the first to propose a toast.

  • In large groups, you do not need to clink glasses with everyone; just raise your glass after the toast, and then take a sip.

  • If you are the person receiving the toast, you should stay seated and not take a sip after the toast. You can choose to propose a toast of your own and sip following it.

  • Toasts do not have to involve alcoholic drinks!

  • You can end your toast by saying, "To (whomever you are toasting)" and raising your glass.

 

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Digging Deeper!

Click on the Play button below to watch a video from Toastmasters on how to offer a toast!