Toast: Short Speeches, Big Impact by Eddie Rice

Using a simple, concise, and witty writing style, Toast: Short Speeches, Big Impact by Eddie Rice is a comprehensive guide for anyone preparing to give a speech in public, whether in a professional or recreational context.

Not only focused on giving an expert toast, the easy-to-follow steps in Toast are also aimed at giving a speech to a variety of audiences, including weddings, retirements, birthdays, awards, and promotions. Rice gives the reader a fantastic 7-day writing system that starts with brainstorming, moving on to formatting for the type of speech, rehearsal techniques, and ending with a completed speech, emphasizing that good writing is paramount.

Each chapter concludes with the key takeaways being highlighted in a short summary list, as well as well-crafted examples of speeches at the end of each section so the reader has a sample to follow, which may be one of the most instructive facets of the book, illustrating how speeches don’t have to be Oscar-worthy to be effective. More time could have been given to anxiety management rather than managing the speech itself, but all facets of speechmaking are covered to some degree.

While the book is relatively short, it’s well-organized into separate sections that can be easily accessed depending on your situation, and doesn’t pad the book with repetitive information, so most any reader should feel more relaxed and confident about finally delivering their speech, no matter the venue.