Probably the best way to reduce nervousness is to just be prepared. Going into your speech confident, knowing that you have put a lot of effort into preparing yourself will not only make you less nervous, but it will make your speech sound great. A good way to practice is simply reciting your best man wedding speeches in the mirror. You want to make your practice as real as possible, so mentally place yourself in the reception hall. Sit on the edge of the bathtub or something, and pretend you have just been called up to speak. Walk in front of the mirror and start. Practice with only little bits if you need to, and eventually build it up to the point where you can recite the whole thing. Once you have the whole speech down, work on making it sound natural. Stand in front of the mirror, and pretend you’re speaking the crowd. If you stumble a little bit, just keep going and try to finish smoothly. By preparing yourself for a mistake, you can remain calm if you encounter one on the Wedding Day.

Look online for some breathing exercises that will help you relax. They are a physically proven quick stress reliever that can reduce tension and slow your heart rate. Breathing is important during your speech. If you have to consciously stop to take a breath, it is okay. No one will even notice. Although you feel like you have all eyes on you, you’re not being judged as closely as you think you are. Relax your muscles; you don’t want to look like a talking statue. Just be yourself! That’s the reason you were chosen to be a Best Man after all.

Move around a little bit, but avoid pacing. Picture the natural way a comedian looks on stage. A few sips of a drink can calm you down and reduce your nervousness a little. However, do NOT drink too much. Saying your best man wedding speech while drunk, while it may be funny, will only result in embarrassment for yourself as well as the couple and will leave the groom feeling disrespected. Don’t let your nerves bait you into drinking too much.

Many people have issues with what do with their hands when they’re speaking. If you want to keep something in one of your hands, don’t make it very noticeable. You don’t want people focusing on what you’re holding instead of your speech. Try a rolled up paper towel. It’s a quick sweat absorber and can easily be kept out of sight. It’s a good idea to keep a glass of water around, but holding it in your hand may not be a good idea, unless you’ve practice with it.

If you get focused on something besides your drink and accidentally wave your hands, you could accidentally send water launching at the Bride. A quick sip no and then provides a good timeout during your speech, but you want to retain its flow, so don’t interrupt it with water too much.

Pretend you’re back in the bathroom practicing your best man wedding speeches or that you’re sitting there talking to only the Groom. While it may feel like hours to you, five seconds of mental preparation for your best man speech will go completely unnoticed by the audience.