Is It Okay to Drink Alcohol Before a Presentation?

Alcohol and public speaking, do the 2 go together or not?

I’ve seen people pull it off.

Especially in weddings.

Prior to the alcohol, they were nervous.

After the alcohol, they felt more charming.

On the flip side, in the same wedding, I’ve seen people making an ass out of themselves after drinking.

They looked like they had been through hell and back and were now making it awkward for everyone at the wedding.

Should You Drink Before a Speech?

I don’t think it’s smart to drink before a speech.

If you want to celebrate after, that’s one thing.

But before a talk?

I don’t recommend it.

It’s one of those things that sound good before you actually do it.

Imagine that you drink a strong shot 20 minutes before your talk.

After drinking it, you immediately start feeling the effects.

That’s when you’ll have doubts.

‘Dang, can others tell that I’m buzzed?’

What was supposed to give you confidence actually takes away confidence.

I’ve seen public speakers who started off with light drinks to cool their nerves.

They immediately didn’t feel the drink.

So, they took another one.

And another one..

And another one…

Soon, they weren’t just buzzed.

They were drunk.

Getting on stage while drunk is a massive no-no!

It gives secondhand embarrassment to the people watching you, and it gives first-hand embarrassment to you.

Can You Ever Drink Before a Speech?

I believe if it’s a wedding, then having a drink is fine.

Once again, I want to stress that I don’t recommend it.

However, this isn’t one of those things I’m going to take a one-sided stance on.

If prior to the wedding talk, you and a few of the other groomsman are celebrating in the limo and one suggests a toast to drink and celebrate…

And you want to take it…

I’m not opposed to it.

I would recommend that you are careful though.

Do you know your body?

Some people can take a shot and barely feel it.

They still feel sober.

If that’s the case, then that’s fine.

However, when you know that your body doesn’t react well to alcohol, then watch out.

Dangers of Becoming Reliant on Something

With public speaking, the biggest flex is when you have the “anytime, anywhere” mindset.

You ever seen a tough guy before?

The tough guy is willing to fight anyone!

If you threaten him, he’ll say:

‘Anytime, anywhere.’

They show how tough they are when they utter those words!

Now imagine if someone asks you to give a last-minute talk and you’re like:

‘Geez, I would but I need to take a shot first.’

See how wimpy that sounds?

That can easily happen when you program yourself to drink and then give a speech.

It’s called liquid courage for a reason.

Each time you give a speech when tipsy, each time you want to do it again.

You’re cheating the process.

You aren’t working on the micro-skills that public speaking teaches such as:

• Breathing through the rapid heartbeat.
• Forcefully smiling to turn down stress levels.
• Cultivating an acceptance mentality rather than a suppression mentality.

Instead, you’re cheating and acting like you don’t feel any nerves.

Alcohol will make you more reliant in the future.

Our goal is to build the “anytime, anywhere” mindset.

Not the “fine I’ll do it, but I need x, y, and z first” mindset.

Speaking Sober

Sober speaking allows you to:

• Enunciate.
• Notice facial expressions better.
• Walk around the stage without stumbling and fumbling.

You’ll thank yourself when you get on stage, and you did it sober.

You’ll feel like you can do anything.

Just focus on the basics bud.

• Create your talk.
• Practice it 5 times to perfection.
• Wear the clothes during your practice sessions that you plan to wear on the speech day.

If someone offers you a drink before a talk because it’s a wedding occasion, exercise caution.

Will it do a number on you?

Then avoid it.

Do you think you can still manage your speech with a shot in your system?

Then do whatever your judgment leads to.

Avoid getting drunk though!

There is no turning back after you have made a fool out of yourself.

The Wedding From Hell

As I wrap up, I want to tell a story about one time I saw a calm guy make a fool out of himself.

A few years ago, I was asked to be the 3rd best man.

In Bengali weddings, you can have more than one best man.

I always give my speech first.

So, during the wedding, I went ahead and gave my talk.

The audience loved it.

Second up was this guy who was normally pretty quiet.

He got on stage and read the full speech from his phone.

He barely looked up at the audience at all.

I thought:

‘Eh, nothing too memorable, but nothing too bad either.’

After that, the 3rd best man went up.

I was expecting a quick talk because this guy was normally pretty quiet.

However, that was not the case.

He got on stage and began slurring away.

What was supposed to be a 3-minute talk turned out to be a 7 minute one.

In the public speaking world, that’s a massive delay.

He was slurring and acting a fool.

The groom was motioning with his lips:

‘That’s enough, that’s enough.’

The other aunties and uncles were shocked.

The drunk guy who was giving the talk had his mom and sister in the audience.

They looked so embarrassed.

This was such an out of character moment for him!

He was normally so calm and composed.

However, on another person’s biggest day, he decided to get drunk and act a fool.

That moment is always brought up nowadays.

Imagine that…

The wedding happened in 2019.

Still, in 2024, we remember.

What seems like a small shot can linger.

Unless it’s an emergency, forgo any alcohol before your speech.

Speak sober.

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