With graduation and wedding season beginning to pick up, knowing how to give a memorable and meaningful toast is essential. Deciding which stories to tell, knowing your audience, and honoring those whose big day it is are all pieces to a great speech.
Crafting a notable toast is not an easy task for even the most seasoned storytellers, which is something that storytelling expert Karen Eber knows well.
“Toasts are the moments in wedding and graduation celebrations that make your heart swell and a lump form in your throat. But how do you give a heartfelt and memorable toast that honors those being celebrated? It’s tempting to ask ChatGPT or AI to write one for you to read word-for-word—especially if you aren’t comfortable speaking in front of others. But they would be monologues lacking the secret ingredient that gives everyone the warm fuzzies: stories.”
About Karen Eber:
Karen Eber is a global leadership consultant and keynote speaker. Her talk on TED.com: How your brain responds to stories – and why they’re crucial for leaders, has almost 2 million views. As the CEO and Chief Storyteller of Eber Leadership Group, Karen helps companies reimagine and evolve how they build leaders and teams, transform culture, and tell stories.
Karen works with Fortune 500 companies like General Electric, Facebook, Kraft, Heinz, Kate Spade, and Big 4 Consulting Companies. She guest lectures at universities including the London School of Business and MIT and has inspired many through her articles published in Fast Company, CLO Magazine, and Training Industry Magazine.
With 20 years of experience, Karen has previously been a Head of Culture, Chief Learning Officer, and head of Leadership Development at General Electric and Deloitte. She is a four-time American Training and Development winner and lives in Atlanta, Ga.
— Rachel Fischer (She/Her), Publicity Coordinator, Smith Publicity, Inc.