Matt Abrahams

In a toast, don't tell the audience you're emotional — show it through the anecdotes you choose. It's one thing to say 'I'm so sad.' It's another to tell a sad story. Stories do the emotional work for you.

Most people are most nervous one minute before speaking and the first minute of speaking. If you can get through that window — by asking the audience a question, showing a video, telling a story — everything gets easier.