How to Give An Acceptance Speech

We can't all win an Academy Award and give an acceptance speech on international TV seen by hundreds of millions. But many of us at some point in our career could receive an honor, an award. It could be from the local Parent teacher association, and it's an opportunity for you to give an acceptance speech. Make the most of it. Here are some quick tips. Don't get up and say, oh my gosh, I wasn't expecting this and oh, I don't know what to say. I didn't prepare anything. So many people, even experienced communicators and highly paid entertainers, really waste the opportunity that they have to speak in front of perhaps a larger audience than ever saw their movie or TV show. Don't waste your opportunity. Start off by giving a sincere thanks to the people involved. Look them in the eye if they are in the room. Don't give a long laundry list of thanking your accountant and your attorney and all these other people. Focus on the people who are most important to help you accomplish what you did. Try to focus on one lesson, one idea that's bigger than yourself, and tell a story to make it come alive. If you can use a little humor, fine. And most of all, practice in advance. It's still a speaking opportunity. Practice on video. Don't get up there and hold a script in notes that looks awful, destroys your eye contact. Remember, it's a brief speech. You shouldn't have to talk for more than a couple of minutes, so don't get your notes out. Speak by looking at people so that it appears you're speaking from the heart. Be brief. Be personal. Thank individuals in the room. Focus on one idea and try to tell one personal story that relates to your experiences at hand. Do that and you'll give a great acceptance speech. And by the way, you should google some of your favorite Oscar winners and see how they did it. Some of them stand the test of time. 20, 30, 40 years later, they're still great. Other people we forgot from this year's awards.