An after dinner speaker is invited to speak after a meal in order to entertain guests. A formal dinner may be an excruciating affair if one finds oneself seated beside a bore, or worse, a chatter box. The introduction of a speaker once a few glasses of wine have been consumed can be an opportunity to sigh with relief, and sit back whilst someone else makes an effort.

After dinner speakers have a particular social function to perform. After pleasant conversations and ample food and drink guests are unlikely to be in the mood for persuasion, cajoling or urging. They would prefer to relax and be amused or entertained. This accords with the mood of a convivial gathering.

In order to ensure a happy ending to the evening it is important for a host or event organizer to secure a capable speaker. A balance must be found between competence and reputation. A sport celebrity may be of interest in view of achievements in hitting or catching balls, but be a dullard when it comes to conversation or speech.

It might be safer to search for a tried and trusted specialist who can be relied upon to perform commendably. Most guests would would prefer not to lean forward and sit on the edge of their chairs urging a celebrity speaker on as lets himself down in public.

Celebrity status comes to most people at least once in a lifetime, even if very briefly in most cases. Even a small promotion within an organization can lead to an invitation to speak at a farewell dinner but a newly promoted person may not have any experience or expertise. He could be at risk of making a fool of himself at the outset of a new career phase.

Some speakers need no training because they are natural raconteurs. They can take the most banal joke and have an audience rolling in laughter simply by the way that they tell it. Others might try the same joke and harvest only a polite simper from a friend in the audience. Since almost everyone is likely to approach some sort of celebrity status at least once in a lifetime, it follows that everyone should reflect even if only briefly on what to do about fame, should it suddenly alight.

There are few simple rules of thumb that may help anyone in such a dilemma. In preparation one should think of a few simple but serious points that need to be made. Then, even if every joke, witticism and sally falls flat, at least the speech may be ended with some semblance of purpose. It should be remembered that an after dinner speaker usually has a receptive audience ready to laugh when given a cue.

The difficult part is the delivery. This is when talent will tell, but for those without aptitude there are some tried and trusted techniques that work consistently. Hyperbole, incongruity, understatement, irony, climax and anti-climax may all be carefully planned, applied like cosmetics to serious points, and delivered with a dead pan expression. The chances are that the speech will be interrupted with howls of laughter and followed by many more invitations to be an after dinner speaker.

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