How to Give a Great Toast

In many weddings, the best man traditionally offers a toast for the bride and groom, but a toast is not only offered in weddings, we can also offer it at various events as well such as parties, celebrations or special occasions. How do you make a good toast? Take a look at these 12 tips that will help you give an elegant and proper toast on any occasion.

1. A toast may be offered at the beginning of the meal as a welcoming toast, in the middle of the meal when the host raises his glass to the guest of honor, or at the end of the meal before the dessert to thanks all guests for coming.
2. Before making a toast, always check that everyone is prepared with their glasses filled.
3. The host may offer a toast, or you may be offered to make a toast. Never make a toast yourself before the host, the host should always be the first one.
4. You may toast one person or a group of people; for instance, the team you work with, your family, or your friends.
5. When dining with a group, it is best to stand. If dining with a small number of people, standing is optional.
6. Never toast yourself! If you are the one being toasted, stay seated, and make sure you say thank you after the toast is done. (It is OK as the person being toasted, to toast the host after he or she is done toasting you.)
7. When announcing the toast, raise your glass and when you are making the conclusion of the toast, you can raise it a bit more. Maintain eye contact with the person you are honoring, but don’t forget to also look at the other guests, this way you make everyone feel included and you look more confident, don’t forget to smile!
8. Although most people think clinking glasses should be done, it is not recommended. It not only damages the glass but if there is a large group of people, think about the noise! We just raise our glass and say, “Cheers”, (For Spanish speakers it is usually, “Salud”). But, if you see everyone clinking glasses, it is better to go with the flow and enjoy than look rude (This is an example of using our emotional intelligence to connect with others, we must be flexible and focus on making others feel comfortable and respected).
9. You don’t need alcohol to raise your glass, raise your water glass if that is what you are drinking, the idea is to get involved with the gesture.
10. After the toast, take just a sip of your drink.
11. There are different international etiquette guidelines for toasting depending on the country, and there are countries which don’t do any toasting at all; for example, in muslin societies, toasting is not offered, you should never request alcohol when it is prohibited.

What can you say during the toast?

– Make it short and to the point, it should not be more than two minutes. Make sure you practice and rehearse before the toast. If you didn’t have time to practice, just follow these tips and smile, remember even if you are scared and nervous on the inside, you can send a very different message on the outside!

– What you are going to talk about really depends on the occasion and who you are honoring. Remember to keep it positive, and never humiliate or embarrass anyone (Careful with stories that might make other people feel embarrassed).

1. Announce the toast. Don’t tap the glass to get people’s attention before making the toast, just stand and announce your toast with a loud and clear voice. You can announce it by standing up and saying, “I’d like to propose a toast”, if that didn’t get everyone’s attention, try saying, “I would like everyone’s attention please” and raise your glass.
2. Thank everyone for coming.
3. Express a connection between you and whom you are toasting; in other words, how do you know this person (keep it short, this is not about you.)
4. Offer a short speech or wish for the person you are honoring, you can make this up yourself or there are numerous ideas online of what you can say, just remember to keep it to the point and try to prepare it and rehearse it before you give the toast.
5. Finish by raising your glass, making eye contact with the person you are honoring and making a concluding statement, “Cheers”, “Salud” (Spanish) or more specific, “To… congratulations, we love you”.

Take a look at this amazing video offered by Nobel Media AB / Production SVT of a toast offered to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, by Carl-Henrik Heldin, Chairman of the Nobel Foundation, at the 2015 Nobel Banquet.

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