The Best Man Speaker: The Definitive Guide To The Best Man Speech

What if you had a twice UK & Ireland Champion of Public Speaking to help with YOUR Best Man Speech? No Best Man gave a great speech by making The Friends laugh and The Bride’s Parents cry. In this book, Simon Bucknall, twice UK & Ireland Champion of Public Speaking, shares a simple step-by-step process for crafting a speech to delight the whole wedding audience. A full-time professional speaker and himself a Best Man, Simon will help you enjoy one of the great privileges of friendship… To be The Best Man Speaker: • Prepare your speech, even if you’ve no idea where to begin • Identify and hone compelling stories • Find and unlock the humour • Speak without notes • Manage your nerves and project confidence • Deliver a speech to take pride in for the rest of your life “After my speech, I was inundated with people saying it was the best they had heard. Going to the time and effort of doing it properly really paid dividends.” — Stephen Newman, Best Man

In August 2007, just days after delivering a Best Man speech at a school friend's wedding, Simon placed in the top 20 out of 26,000 speakers worldwide in the finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking in Phoenix, USA. Now a full-time professional speaker, coach and facilitator, Simon has worked with audiences across more than a dozen countries and from all walks of life including corporate executives, academics, entrepreneurs, charity workers, MBAs and (of course) many Best Men and wedding speakers. Simon has coached countless Best Men and wedding speakers over the years, helping them craft and deliver authentic, humorous and entertaining speeches on 'the big day'. With a career background in corporate headhunting, politics and brand strategy consulting, Simon holds degrees from Oxford University and the London School of Oriental & African Studies. He is a Fellow of the Professional Speaking Association and the Royal Society for the Arts. He was the 2012 President of the London Junior Chamber of Commerce, part of a worldwide federation of more than 170,000 young leaders and entrepreneurs. In 2013, Simon was awarded the Freeman of the City of London. He lives in London with his wife and family.