21st Birthday Speeches

Traditionally every 21^st birthday in punctuated by friends and family of the lucky birthday boy or girl making the infamous 21^st birthday speech.

Planning a speech can be a daunting task. You want your speech to be memorable for all the good reasons, not the bad ones. I good 21^st speech should:

• Not go on forever
• Make the audience laugh or smile
• Embarrass somebody.
• Describe a classical moment from the birthday boy/girl's life
• Thank everyone for being there
• Toast
• Let them eat cake.

If it's not your birthday then a good anecdote may be how you first met the birthday boy/girl (or their childhood if you're a parent). If you can't remember anything suitable, then try to remember a moment that really defined the birthday boy/girl's character. Perhaps they did something particularly brave, kind or creative and you think that moment clearly displayed what sort of person they truly are.

If you can't think of a character defining moment, then perhaps a memorable anecdote or something profound that they once said. Do they have a unique accomplishment? Perhaps they wrote poetry in their teens, or worked for charity, or nearly died doing something stupid. All could be worth mentioning if they may make your audience smile.

Do keep your story short and sweet- guests don't want you to go on forever. Some people chose to say "I have prepared only a short speech" before pulling reams of notes out of their pockets. Personally, after a dozen 21^st birthdays this joke gets old, but it's a personal choice.

Don't forget to allow other people to speak. They may not have planned speeches, but something you've said may have reminded them of something hilarious, touching or memorable.

If it's your birthday then you must remember to thank everyone for coming, especially if it's a surprise party, whether you wanted it or not! Surely you were aware that your birthday was coming, it's on the same day every year. You may chose to correct an important detail in a previous speaker's version of events, especially if it makes it less embarrassing for you and more embarrassing for them. Generally you don't tell funny stories about other people - wait until their birthday.

Even if you didn't particularly like what people have said, thank them for speaking anyway. It takes courage to stand up in front of a gathering and praise someone. Thank them for speaking (thank them for stopping if you must) and invite everyone to continue having fun.