How to Write an Entertaining Birthday Speech

IMAGINE THE scenario, people are laughing, drinking, telling jokes, in general having a great time. Then a voice shouts out “can we have some hush please.”

Instantly the guests know what this means, it is time for the Birthday Speech.  

Now one of two things can happen here:

1. guest will try and disappear elsewhere
2. they will move forward, closer to the speaker, so they don’t miss anything.

 What do you want your guests to do?  

Seriously what do you really want?   Many people actually want few people as possible to hear their speech. That is awful. Imagine spending all your time writing an entertaining and thoughtful speech and then you don’t want anyone to hear it.

What’s that you say, you don’t think your birthday speech is entertaining?

I’m sure it is, after all entertaining is all about keeping your audience interested. However just to put your mind at ease, or to help you tweak it, here are some pointers.

 An Entertaining Birthday Speech should be:  

• Short – Guest will want to get back to the party regardless of how interesting your speech is. Party guest only have a short attention span, and less if they have been drinking. Aim to keep your speech to about  3- 5 minutes.  
• Appropriate – know who the guests are and ensure your content and vocabulary is appropriate for them. What might seem entertaining to you, might offend others. If in doubt, leave it out.
• Humorous – light-hearted humor works well. A speech full of facts and figures is dry and dull. Use stories, anecdotes and props to introduce humor.
• Include Props – visual aids are great but don’t forget audio. Did the party person ever record something on tape? For example when they were 16 they might have had dreams of being in a band and made a tape. Don’t leave it until the last moment to find the props though.  
• Sincere – it is a special day for the birthday person, make sure they do feel special. They will appreciate  some kind and sincere words. Family and friends are a good source.

Following these key points will keep your audience’s interest and entertain them. One thing we haven’t mentioned is content.

As i mentioned above you need to keep your content appropriate for your guests. So how do you find ideas to help write an entertaining speech?

Try talking to friends and family. Family should have a wealth of information since they would have known the party person for so many years.