Writing an entertainment speech, or roast, can be broken down into three sections: telling your audience what your speech is about, the speech proper and closing the speech with an ending statement. It should be light-hearted and casual, as you may give it at a dinner with friends or a company party. Including the following elements in your writing should strengthen your speech.
Instructions
1. Grab audience attention and interest. Then reveal the topic of your speech. For example: "If I could have everyone's attention for a moment I'd like to say a few words about our old buddy and co-worker, Tim."
2. Pen plenty of funny stories and jokes, but be certain they are appropriate for your audience. Find out who will be in attendance and tailor the speech accordingly. For example: "I know there are children here now so I'll keep it clean, but I want to let you know that Tim is a real joker. He keeps us in stitches in the break room...."
3. Pepper the speech with gags, such as presenting a faux award to someone. "I want to give Tim something that's for him from everyone on staff and here tonight. None of us had to even blink when the question came up about which one of us should receive this. Tim, It gives me great pleasure to present you with this plaque naming you Clown of the Year!"
4. Avoid overly serious subjects that drag the audience down. They are probably gathered for a good time and will be put off by impassioned speeches attempting to persuade you to boycott the shoe company across the street for employing questionable labor laws.
5. Signal for the end of the speech and reinforce your central idea. For example, "Before I wrap up, I'd just like to say that I know we've had some fun tonight at Tim's expense, naming him our clown of the the year, but in all seriousness he an invaluable asset to our team and a great guy on top of that. Let's give Tim a warm round of applause because he deserves it for being a good sport about all this."
