You have fulfilled most of your sponsorship responsibilities. You’ve already thrown a great bachelor party that the groom-to-be was very appreciative of, you’ve helped him choose an appropriate formal outfit that both he and the bride loved, and you’ve already secured a nice hiding place for the rings. so that you can take them out gracefully when the time comes for the officiant to ask you for the bands. You even made the perfect best man at the rehearsal dinner.

So far, you’ve been at the top of your game as the best man. However, one thing clouds your head, something every groomsman fears, groomsmen speeches.

Truth be told, best man speeches shouldn’t cause you that much pressure. After all, even if you screw this up, this isn’t really your night. It’s your best friend’s day and making a simple toast won’t mean the end of a happy occasion. Well, unless you make a horrible toast where you make all the guests uncomfortable and the newlyweds turn their backs on you for the rest of the ceremony.

When making a best man toast, here are some quick tips and tricks.

o Start by writing down everything you know about the groom, the bride and about them as a couple. Write about their qualities, some funny stories you remember, and above all, write about why the two of you are good/perfect for each other. Don’t stop your ideas here, even if you have no structure and even if your grammar or spelling is atrocious.

o Make your draft using all the details you have written above.

o Clichés are still welcome if used sparingly, but if you can remove them entirely, then so much the better.

o It’s always a good idea to start your speech by breaking the ice with a quick joke. Note that the operative word here is fast. If your joke takes about 3 minutes to tell, then it’s not fast. Maybe use a funny phrase about marriage, since that’s a better idea.

o Keep your toast under 7 minutes. If you go beyond that, even if you’re giving a powerful speech, you’ll still lose your audience. The sponsor’s speeches should be short and sweet.

o Write your speech on cure cards that can fit in your back pocket. Do not write the entire speech on the cards, but write some important key points that you can refer to by looking from time to time.

o Have a close confidante listen to you give your speech or if you are embarrassed to do so, ask them to read what you have written to test the waters, so to speak, on how you will be received by an audience.

These are simply tips on how you can make and deliver your best man speech.