Toasts and Tributes Revised and Expanded: A Gentleman's Guide to Personal Correspondence and the Noble Tradition of the Toast (The GentleManners Series) - Hardcover

Bridges, John; Curtis, Bryan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1401604676 ISBN 13: 9781401604677

Verlag: Thomas Nelson, 2012

Inhaltsangabe

Toasts and Tributes helps men master these important skills with examples of more than 40 different toasts and 40 different notes. Includes examples of what to say and, perhaps more important, examples of what not to say.

Perhaps he’s been asked to say a few words at his college roommate’s engagement party. Maybe he’s at a family cookout, toasting his sister’s recent law school graduation. Have his parents reached a milestone anniversary that deserves a son’s perspective? Is his professional mentor retiring after decades as a leader in his field?  Throughout his adult life, a man encounters those occasions that depend on his ability to distill the emotions of the moment into a toast, a letter, or perhaps just a few words of gratitude.

John Bridges and Bryan Curtis call on their trademark wit to illustrate the skill of meaningful expression and show how to avoid those clichés, awkward jokes, and rambling speeches that threaten to derail the mood of any occasion. Learn how to keep your “just a few words” as succinct as possible, which rare occasions are suitable for an e-mail, and the proper way to give a toast everyone will remember.

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Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

John Bridges, author of How to Be a Gentleman, is also the coauthor, with Bryan Curtis, of seven other volumes in the best-selling GentleManners series. He is a frequent guest on television and radio news programs, always championing gentlemanly behavior in modern society. Bridges has appeared on the Today Show, the Discovery Channel, and CBS Sunday Morning, and has been profiled in People magazine and the New York Times.

Bryan Curtis is an author and the president of Dance Floor Books. He is the author/coauthor and editor of more than 25 books, including My South, My Southern Food, Classic Wisdom for the Good Life, Classic Wisdom for the Professional Life, and the popular GentleManners series.

 

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TOASTS & TRIBUTES

A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE & THE NOBLE TRADITION OF THE TOASTBy JOHN BRIDGES BRYAN CURTIS

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2012 John Bridges and Bryan Curtis
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4016-0467-7

Contents

Preface.....................................................................ixA Gentleman Raises His Glass................................................1The Toasts..................................................................13A Gentleman Pens a Note.....................................................73Thank-You Notes.............................................................75Sympathy Notes, Notes of Concern, and Responses to Them.....................93Invitations and Responses to Them...........................................109Notes of Congratulation.....................................................121Notes of Apology and Responses to Them......................................135Index.......................................................................143

Chapter One

A GENTLEMAN RAISES HIS GLASS

A gentleman's life is full of happy occasions, some of them formal, some of them as easy going as a cookout on a Labor Day afternoon. A gentleman knows that on any of these occasions he and his friends may choose to mark the moment by raising a glass, or a bottle, in honor of a special guest or a treasured colleague. The occasion itself may call for a toast for no other reason than to acknowledge the spirit of the moment and the simple pleasure of being among friends. At such times a gentleman should feel most at ease, since he is only being asked to say what is truly in his heart.

It is at such moments, however, that a gentleman often clinches—particularly if the occasion involves the marriage of his own child, the retirement of a beloved colleague, or his own departure from an organization to which he has given much of himself over a long period. He may also find it difficult to put into words his feelings about the marriage of a long-time friend or the union of two friends whose relationship he has helped nurture.

A gentleman's discomfort may be made greater by the sense that a spotlight is shining in his face. In his heart of hearts, however, a gentleman knows that, if he is the one offering the toast, he is not the center of attention. He also knows that he is not expected to wax eloquent or to be quoted in the morning paper. He just says what is in his heart and lets the party proceed.

What follows are some simple guidelines for making toasts, accompanied by some easily adaptable examples. These should not be taken as strict rules that must be followed or as rigid models to be imitated. Rather, they are intended to point the gentleman in the right direction at those times when he chooses to raise his glass and express his respect, admiration, or love for a friend.

A gentleman knows that toasts are intended as tributes and, as such, are a means of celebration.

* * *

A gentleman knows that a toast need not be epic in length. Usually a few well-thought-out words are more effective than an extended tribute would be.

* * *

A gentleman knows that the freshest toast of the evening is the first one offered.

* * *

To make a toast more personal, a gentleman may include reminiscences and anecdotes. However, he makes sure that the entire assembly will appreciate and understand them.

* * *

A gentleman knows that a toast is not a full-fledged testimonial, outlining the honoree's lifetime achievements and accomplishments.

When a gentleman makes a toast to someone present in the room, he makes it directly to that person, not to the table at large.

* * *

A gentleman knows that he need not end his toast by saying, "Here's to Tom," "Here's to Gloria," or "Here's to the bride and groom"—although such expressions are never inappropriate. Simply extending his glass toward the honoree is a sufficient conclusion.

* * *

A gentleman knows that, since toasts are intended for celebratory occasions, they require at least moderately formal glassware.

* * *

A gentleman knows that, beer steins excepted, he may not toast with anything resembling a coffee cup.

A gentleman does not take it upon himself to deliver a toast at a breakfast meeting.

* * *

If a gentleman is asked to deliver a toast at a breakfast meeting, or any meeting before noon, he declines by simply saying, "I'd really prefer not to."

* * *

If a gentleman is pressed to deliver a toast at an inappropriate moment, he stands his ground, saying, "No. I'd really prefer you'd ask somebody else to do that. I'm not comfortable making a toast at this time."

* * *

A gentleman never uses a toast to ridicule or embarrass a friend. Neither does he use a toast as a sentimental excuse to bring a friend or coworker to tears.

* * *

A gentleman knows that he must stand to deliver a toast, except when the event is taking place in a crowded public restaurant.

Even in a crowded public restaurant, a gentleman must at least lean forward toward the others at the table before delivering a toast.

* * *

When a gentleman is delivering a toast to his host or the evening's honoree, he raises his glass to that person and waits for other guests at the table to lift their glasses before he begins his toast. When he has finished delivering the toast, he may wish to share in the clinking of glasses by touching his own glass against that of another guest...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Thomas Nelson
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2012
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1401604676
• ISBN 13: 9781401604677
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 160
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Thomas Nelson; https://www.thomasnelson.com/about-us/; ; Damson Lane; Hull; East Yorkshire; HU8 7DS; Vereinigtes Königreich
• Verantwortliche Person: Reckitt Benckiser Deutschland GmbH; consumerhealth_de@reckitt.com; ; Darwinstrasse 2-4; Heidelberg; 69115; Deutschland