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Toasting 2012
Published: 12/30/2011 4:24 PM
Last Modified: 12/30/2011 4:24 PM





For many, standing in front of a room full of people and proposing a toast sounds like something straight out of a nightmare.

But for others, the prospect is not nearly intimidating enough. So they crash and burn in a dust cloud of overconfidence and become a cautionary tale.

It helps to do a little bit of preparation and get a few pointers from someone who has raised a glass or two before.

Eileen Seefluth, Vice President-Public Relations of Tulsa’s Will Rogers Toastmasters Club, said she has witnessed toast disasters before.

“If someone is not prepared, their sentences are too long or they are not enthusiastic that ruins everything from the get go,” Seefluth said.

Rude and crude jokes, drunkenness and slurred speech are also no-nos.

“Sloppy language, using slang, having slurred speech or not having enough facial expressions can all add up to a bad toast,” Seefluth said.

Here are a few other toasting tips from Toastmasters International:

* Be prepared. Discuss details with the event organizer. Become acquainted with the room, the audience and your equipment.

* Practice the toast in advance with a friend.

* Use humor, but make it tasteful and appropriate. Don't say anything that could possibly offend or embarrass anyone present.

* Avoid alcohol until after the toast.

* Stand, lift your filled glass by the stem and say, "I'd like to propose a toast." Pause to allow guests to shift their attention toward you and lift their glasses. When you start speaking, lower your glass about waist high.








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Taste

Food Writer Nicole Marshall Middleton joined the Tulsa World in May 1993 after graduating from Oklahoma State University. She has covered crime, city government and general assignment beats during that time - but mostly crime. But when she isn’t at work, Nicole is a devoted food hobbyist. She enjoys meal planning and cooking with her husband, Steve, every day of the week and on holidays it’s a family affair. When the opportunity to become the food writer at the Tulsa World presented itself in the summer of 2011, Nicole jumped at it. She is excited to explore a new side of Tulsa and make the transition from crime to cuisine. .

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