After Dinner Speaking
Event Description
Time: 4 - 6 minutes
Time signals: not provided
This event should imitate a banquet situation. The audience (real or fictional) being addressed should be
clear. The intent of ADS is to entertain, but the speaker must also develop an idea. Material presented must
be original. Delivery may be through memorization or use of notes on one side of a 4 x 6 card, but a text
may not be used. Emphasis should be placed on the concept of “speech”. While humorous quips and jokes
are appropriate, they must have purpose and fit the occasion
Your After Dinner Speech Topic
The main purpose of this kind of public speaking is to entertain your audience. That doesn't mean you have
to avoid serious topics. In fact, your secondary goal is to present serious information or to persuade. Many
famous after dinner speakers have covered the most serious topics. Your tone has to be lighthearted, your
topic has to be relevant and the presentation of your after dinner speech topic has to be funny. After dinner
speaking blends comedic performing and serious public speaking at the same time.
Like persuasive or informative speeches, your ADS topic needs to be current and interesting. The key is to
find a topic, which while serious in nature, has some humorous or bizarre concepts attached.
Make a full investigation on the subject you have chosen and work on your credibility. Provide background
and definitions of terms that are appropriate, because sometimes your audience doesn't know anything about
your topic. Seek reliable sources for facts, evidence, statistics, examples and quotations.
1. Audience: The after dinner speech identifies a specific audience it is addressing, ex. The Dairyman’s
Association.
2. Structure: The after dinner speech is well-organized, easy to follow, and constructed around a
central theme. The speech should follow the Outline for Platform Speech.
3. Support: The speech should not be a string of jokes, but must
show a pattern of development. The specific materials chosen
should be selected not only for their humor, but also for their
social significance. Quotes and statistics are just as welcome in
ADS as they are in other platform events.
4. Style: The speaker should pay close attention to both choice of
words and syntax, but he/she should never seek an unnecessary
level of formality or complexity. His/her language should be
instantly meaningful and vivid.
Helpful Hints
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5. Delivery: The delivery should be lively, enthusiastic, and
animated.
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Make sure your attention getter
relates to the speech and really
grabs your audience.
What is the significance of this
speech? Why should we be
listening to you about this topic?
Make sure your transitions link
nicely together.
MEMORIZE!!! – An easy way to
memorize is to break your speech
up on note cards and memorize it
in sections. Practice. Practice.
Practice. Practice. Practice.
Practice.
DELIVERY!!! – Think about
keeping the audiences attention the
entire time.