From The Art of Manliness:

Last week we did a post on resurrecting the lost art of oratory and we will soon begin a weekly post on writing and delivering a great speech. But before we start that, we wanted to do a special post on the single piece of oratory almost every man will be asked to give at least once: the best man speech.

Indeed, at some point in your life, one of your buddies or your brother will probably ask you to be the best man in his wedding. This is a great honor. One of the duties of a best man is to give a speech wherein you say a few kind words about your friend/brother and his new wife. If you’ve been to many weddings, you know that oftentimes best man speeches can quickly devolve into an awkward, drunken spectacle. The mixture of booze and lack of preparation results in the best man rambling and sharing inappropriate and embarrassing stories about the groom in front of hundreds of family and friends.

If you don’t want to make yourself look like a huge ass and you want to truly be the best man, here are a few pointers to keep in mind as you prepare to give your speech:

See the List

Related Reading:

The Sinews of the Spirit: The Ideal of Christian Manliness in Victorian Literature and Religious Thought

The Alphabet Of Manliness (revised)

Bigger Damner Book of Sheer Manliness