Masonic After Dinner Speaking: How to Prepare & Deliver Speeches

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In congratulating the Lodge, it is good to pick on some specific events, those that other people may not notice. It is then a sensible arrangement for the Master to take wine with everyone, which covers all those present.

In Homer’s epic, the Iliad, the warrior, Achilles, was described as “a speaker of words and a doer of deeds”. Action – The audience is then told how to solve the problem using the solution(s) previously presented. It becomes easy to understand the wisdom of a prospective Master to have engaged in preparation well in advance.Creator and provider of all things we thank You for this occasion, and ask your blessing upon the food that has been prepared for us.

As we gather round the social board for the last meeting of this season, let us give thanks for the food, drink and Good Companionship we have enjoyed. One aspect of Lodge membership often left uncelebrated is how Freemasonry can be a very good gradual and systematic training school in speech-making. There used to be an adage in the training world which went: Tell what you are going to say, tell them, then tell them what you said. It’s a gradual training system that starts on your initiation with just a few words of thanks and then develops to more detailed toasts and responses, including some where you are representing others.We impart and receive knowledge, ideas and, most important: expressions of friendship and brotherhood. Remember those who gave us these banners when you honour those of our own Grand Lodge who carry them forward. All are good reasons but underlying all is a desire to join with fellow freemasons for an evening of friendship and brotherly love; something that can never be measured in terms of worldly values. What is quite incomprehensible is the performance of the Master later at the Festive Board, who stumbles along with absolutely no idea how to rule and direct his Lodge.

It also helps to have a good, thorough understanding of what’s going on in your lodge, and Freemasonry in general. This story is taken from Yasha Beresiner’s little book, The Freemason’s Handbook of Toasts, Speeches and Responses. We have had outstanding attendance at the LOI leading to the rapid development of our newer Brethren. Though I am not convinced that the Russian proverb that “If you are a host to your guest, be a host to his dog also,” applies in Masonry. I kept a sheet of paper on the chair next to me during the meeting and jotted down notes, somewhat surreptitiously, as the meeting proceeded.At breakfast he noted that there was a 7 o’clock at Windsor races and that there were 7 horses in it. The unattributed illustrator’s distinctive style can be found elsewhere in the book in another illustration on page 115 bearing the initials, R. The Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master asked me if there was anything I disagreed with in what he said. Exchanging Valentines can be an awkward process, especially when you consider “Vinegar Valentines” and other snarky sentiments - whatever your tastes, enjoy the sweet and sour cards alike in this gallery!

Speaking well can be a delight and a good speech gives your Brethren pleasure, so it is worth working at it. If he is so weak that he needs the constant supervision and instruction from senior members of the Lodge, this is a reflection upon them, that they have not trained him properly in preparation for his high office. However, while you need a good story or two or at least some one-liners, they must be relevant and must appear within the context of your speech. So important is visiting that it has been said that a dinner invitation, once accepted, is a sacred obligation.

We are all visitors on this sublunary abode but this evening we have had the pleasure of welcoming you to our own small part of it. In Yasha Beresiner’s book, which I have mentioned, you can see how he uses jokes within the theme of the speech. Brethren are advised to consult with the Director of Ceremonies regarding the proper salutations and titles for the occasion, as these may be an individual lodge decision. Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. Don’t be afraid to gather your thoughts; pauses are an important part of conversation, and they make you sound confident, natural, and authentic.