ceremonial Speaking 18.2 421
the Good Government League. Not only is she a skilled manager and
spokesperson for our city, but she is also a warm and caring person. I am
pleased to introduce my friend, Mary Norris.Finally, keep the needs of your audience in mind at all times. If the person you
are introducing truly needs no introduction to the group, do not give one! Just
welcome the speaker and step aside. (Note that the president of the United
States is always introduced simply: “Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the
United States.”)
Toasts
Most people are asked at one time or another to provide a toast on some
momentous occasion—a wedding, a celebration of the birth of a baby, a reunion
of friends, a successful business venture. A toast is a brief salute to such an
occasion, usually accompanied by a round of drinks and immediately followed
by the raising or clinking together of glasses or goblets. The custom is said to
have taken its name from the old custom of tossing a bit of bread or a crouton
into a beverage for flavoring.^8 “Drinking the toast” was somewhat like enjoying
a dunked doughnut.
The modern toast is usually quite short—only a few sentences at most. Some
toasts are very personal, as, for example, one given by a wedding guest who is a
close friend of both the bride and the groom:
I would like to say a few words about this couple. You see, I knew Rachel
and Ben before they were a couple—when they were friends. I first met
Rachel when we were freshmen in high school. Her sarcastic sense of
humor has kept me laughing ever since.^9
In contrast, a toast made by someone who does not know the primary
celebrants so well may be more generic. Here is an example of such a generic
wedding toast:
When the roaring flames of your love have burned down to embers, may
you find that you’ve married your best friend.^10If you are asked to make an impromptu toast, let your audience and the occa-
sion dictate what you say. Sincerity is more important than wit. At a dinner your
authors attended in Moscow a few years ago, all the guests were asked to stand
at some point during the meal and offer a toast. Although this Russian custom
took us by surprise, one of our friends gave a heartfelt and well-received toast
that went something like this:
We have spent the past week enjoying both the natural beauty and the
man-made marvels of your country. We have visited the exquisite pal-
aces of the czars and stood in amazement before some of the world’s
great art treasures. But we have also discovered that the most important
national resource of Russia is the warmth of her people. Here’s to new
and lasting friendships.