Toastcaster 160: The Toast: Short Speech with a Big Impact – Eddie Rice

[29:23] Writing and delivering a good Toast might seem to be something you can just stand up and deliver off the cuff but many YouTube #fails say otherwise. A great toast that makes an impact needs to be well thought out, well written and delivered properly. In today’s episode we speak with professional speechwriter and newly published author Eddie Rice. Eddie shares with us some valuable tips and advice on preparing, delivering and mastering this ceremonial speech. He highlights his 7-step process and offers up some do’s and don’t when it’s time to raise a glass. You’ll also learn about what the true purpose of a toast is and some of the different occasions a toast can be written for. A lot of what Eddie shares is from his just released new book, TOAST: Short Speeches, Big Impact, available on Amazon.  We also learn a little about Eddie, how he transformed his career 180 degrees from being a Science Teacher to a Speechwriter and how Toastmasters helped him and continues to help him through that process. He also pulls back the curtain and shares some of the things he went through when writing his book including how he decided to first get feedback on his extensive outline which he in turn used to write his book. Eddie Rice is a professional speechwriter with over a decade of experience in helping business leaders, keynote speakers, TED talk presenters, Nonprofit organization and everyday people, enhance the messages they tell through great storytelling and structure.  Eddie is from Cleveland Ohio and can be reached at http://ricespeechwriting.com