How to Propose a New Year’s Toast: Tips & Techniques

New Years is a great time for proposing a toast. And the good thing is, making a toast–especially at a New Year’s celebration–is easy to do.

The purpose of any toast, but of a New Year’s toast in particular, is to make people feel good. That’s it!

Make people feel good…about themselves, each other, the event, the occasion, the past, the present, or the future…and you’ve succeeded in making a good toast.

Tips for Proposing a New Year’s Toast

1. Be prepared.

If there’s even the possibility that you might be expected to give a toast, prepare one in advance. It’s better to prepare a toast and not to deliver it than to propose a toast that you haven’t prepared.

2. Keep it short.

People have other things on their minds than listening to what amounts to a mini-speech. They may have already consumed alcohol. They may have food in front of them. So don’t take too much of their time. Here’s my rule: if you can’t memorize the toast, it’s too long.

3. Let your feelings shows.

Remember, making a toast is all about making people feel good. So let your good feelings – your affection, pride, happiness, or hope – show through in your voice, gestures, and expressions.

Learn more about how to propose a toast.

4. Follow other people’s examples.

You can find examples of New Year’s toasts on any number of sites. (Check out 1500 toasts, sentiments, blessings, and graces.) Feel free to make them your own.

5. Tame your nerves.

Making a toast is, in many ways, like giving a speech. And giving a speech makes many people nervous. You can keep your nerves from getting the best of you if you’re prepared, if you keep it short, and if you focus on other people and on making them feel good.

I hope this helps. Here’s my toast for your coming year:

May the joys, successes, and blessings of the past year pale in comparison to those of the coming year.