Powerful Best Man Speech Delivered By Gay Best Friend

Enjoyed this video? Search: "LET'S GO WITH JULIO" wherever you get podcasts. I created it inspired by all the views and love from this video!!! letsgowithjulio.com/podcast

Karl is my best friend, we met at a youth conference in high school. He’s straight, I’m gay. And we have the greatest friendship ever - I love him dearly ❤️🙏🏽 Today I am the godfather of his daughter!

Since posting this video, it’s gotten 200K+ views and I get questions about how to write a good speech all the time. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Ask yourself these three questions, first: what do you want the crowd to THINK? How do you want the crowd to FEEL? What do you want the crowd to DO? When you can get still and take time to crystallize clear answers, the first words of your speech will start to flow. Or you’ll begin to see the outline / arch of where you want to go. And if you still don’t know what to write, you’ll at least have a litmus test for what not to write.

2. Think about the journey you’ve been on with that person. What’s been so special about it? What are some deep, really truths about the friendship? For me, it was that karl helped me realize I was gay LOL. Hence jokes related to the crush (the way I describe him, the implications of him not taking Ash seriously). When you can get to the deep truth, and find a way to share it with others, your story elevates to another level because it is rooted in human emotion.

3. Find ways to identify the jokes, moments of emphasis, key pauses in the speech. I had to use my phone — I created a Apple Pages document with the speech, and I used colored text for jokes. And I used spaces between paragraphs for pauses. In short: I needed a visual que along the draft to know when I should change how I showed up. Whether to tell a joke, let the silence create some space for a deepening of the message, or to give myself flexibility in an area where I knew I might mess up (or cry). I highly recommend doing this, which leads me to my next point.

4. Rehearse in your head and alone in a room, standing up. Use your voice in your head or a room to help you find where the pauses are, where the jokes are, when people may laugh, etc. mediate on it, try to imagine yourself being in that room giving that speech. And when you feel stuck on something, ask “what is the root of my stuckness? Is it that I won’t remember it’s a joke? Ok, so I’m going to turn this font color red so I don’t forget.” Problem solved, nerves go away. I can do hard things.

5. Trust yourself. If you can get crystal clear on what you want every person in that crowd to THINK, DO, and FEEL. And you connect those to a deep, emotionally true story between you and the groom. And you can try speaking it to find the magic moments of pause and laughter and tears. Then with all that, trust yourself to share with the world, no matter how it comes out. What I know for sure is that you will be more than ok. More than ok!

Still need help? Hit me up on Instagram at @letsgowithjulio — happy to share thoughts!