How to Give an Acceptance Speech

It’s that time again-we just watched the Emmy awards.
You may not win an Emmy or an Oscar but the moment may come when you receive an award. You’re excited. You’re honored. But wait! You’ll have to give an acceptance speech. What do you say? And how do you say it?
Don’t worry. You’ll shine on stage as long as you remember these tips:

1.Keep it brief. Most award ceremonies don’t allot much time to the recipients. So honor the time limits and don’t hog the stage. No one wants to hear you drone on.

2.Plan your message. Don’t be caught unprepared. Even if you think winning is a long shot, prepare a few message points and write down the names of people to thank. You don’t want to forget them in the excitement of the moment

3.Stay focused. Speakers go on too long because they ramble instead of concentrating on their message points. Practice and time your speech and
don’t go off on tangents.

4.Thank key people. It’s not always possible to thank every person so mention the VIPs and group others into categories. “I’d like to thank the cast and crew…” “I’d like to thank the ecommerce team…”

5.Pause. Don’t rush through your speech because you have limited time.
Say less but say it slowly enough for it to be heard and understood. Your words will have more impact when you pause.

6.Be humble. Nobody likes an arrogant winner. When James Cameron won as best director for the film Titanic, he ended his speech with “I’m King of the World.” Some people didn’t realize he was quoting Leo DiCaprio who played the male lead in the movie. If you act like the award is your due, you’ll alienate the audience.

7.Get personal. Stories always work. Actor Ed Norton told a story about how his life had changed after working with director Milos Forman. He impersonated a voice mail that Milos had left him on his answering machine. After hearing the message, his sister looked at him and said, “You’re life has become very surreal.” A personal anecdote is more endearing and engaging than a scripted speech.

8.Speak from the heart. One of the biggest turn-offs is being phony.
To keep saying how surprised you are, could come across as an act.You can be surprised and still be real.

9.Acknowledge the competition. Whether your award is for acting, a sport, or high achievement, remember that the losers may feel resentful and jealous. Make the award a win-win by crediting their efforts. Actors often say they feel honored to have been chosen among so many great performers. By crediting the competition, they will feel good and you’ll come across as a gracious winner.

10.Use humor. When singer Paul Simon won for best album years ago, he began his speech by saying, “I’d like to thank Stevie Wonder for not making an album this year.” Humor is memorable and is a great way to engage the audience.