If the prospect of giving a maid-of-honor speech makes you want to run as fast as your dyed-to-match satin pumps can carry you, take heart: Vance Van Petten, author of “Ten Minutes to the Speech” and executive director of the Producers Guild of America, says using his “Four-H” rule will get you through your toast unscathed.

Start from the heart, expressing admiration and love for the bride and groom. Season the speech with lots of humor, using funny stories you get from the couple’s family members. “If you don’t get a really good version of how the couple met, you failed,” says Van Petten (”Wedding Crashers” notwithstanding). Expose your own and the couple’s humility by expressing how honored you are to be giving the speech and how lucky they are to have found each other. Finally, end with haste. A wedding speech should last between three and five minutes. Start early and practice telling the stories so you don’t have to use notes. And above all, leave the bride alone. “For a wedding, a bride is sacrosanct,” Van Petten says. “Never embarrass the bride.”

For more information on Ten Minutes to the Speech, please visit the About the Book page. To purchase, please visit Amazon.com.

Can anyone forget Sally Field’s emotional speech upon receiving an Oscar for her performance in Places in the Heart? When her name was announced, she literally ran on stage, grabbed the Oscar and delivered such a dramatic and memorable speech that it has become an indelible part of our popular culture. Her line – and its emotional delivery – has been repeated and parodied by countless others, from subsequent award recipients to harried company executives to under-appreciated wives. Sally Field’s speech became so meaningful because it was a rare public glimpse of someone speaking from the heart, at once exhibiting complete exhilaration and career fulfillment.

In the early days of the Oscar, pre-television, the acceptance speeches were rather short; most of them simply a modest, “thank you.” But over the years, as the Academy grew in importance and public acceptance, Oscar recipients became more aware of the extent to which their personal message could be heard. In fact, the producers of the current Academy Awards shows must take extraordinary steps in order to keep the recipients’ speeches under a minute in length.

Does this mean that the longer the acceptance speech, the better? Well, when one remembers that President Lincoln only used a couple of minutes to deliver one of the most famous speeches of all time – his Gettysburg address — the answer becomes obvious: “less is more.” After reviewing hundreds of Oscar speeches, the most common attribute of the best speeches is that they are brief.

Sally Field’s speech in 1984 was brief — just about a minute in length – and she structured her speech in the typical narrative style which is utilized by most people who are receiving an honor or award. [The full text of her memorable speech can be checked out below (or preferably, I’d like to refer the readers to my book’s website).] But, Sally Field did not fall into the trap that most awardees find themselves – repetitively thanking the many people that help along the way to receiving an award. Mind you, she did quickly thank her important people, but then she finished with an honest, emotional and intensely enthusiastic plea that made everyone in the audience feel like they were up on that stage with her.

The second Oscar speech that makes the Top Ten List is John Wayne’s acceptance speech in 1969, for his one-eyed performance as an “Actor in a Leading Role” in the film “True Grit.” After being Oscar-less for many years despite his public popularity, John Wayne gave a speech that was not even half a minute long, but his speech epitomized what I refer to as the “Four-H Rule” for giving a memorable acceptance speech: Start from the Heart, season with Humor, reveal your Humility and end with Haste.

John Wayne started by saying, “Wow! If I’d have known that, I would have put that patch on thirty-five years earlier.” In the middle of his speech, he says that “tonight I don’t feel very clever, very witty. I feel very grateful, very humble, and all thanks to many, many people.” And then, John Wayne ended very quickly by speaking directly to the television viewing audience, “To all you people who are watching on television, thank you for taking such a warm interest in our glorious industry. Good night.” In one hundred and twenty nine words, John Wayne touched the hearts of millions of people.

Another Top Ten Oscar speech that is memorable for its humor and brevity is the speech that Robin Williams delivered when he received his Oscar for his acting performance in “Good Will Hunting” in 1997. What made Robin Williams speech extraordinary is that he was able to deliver his thanks in a humorous – even “corny” way that was endearing to the entire audience: “Thank you Ben (Affleck) and Matt (Damon) – I still want to see some ID. Thank you Gus Van Sant (the director) for being so subtle you’re almost subliminal. I want to thank to thank the cast and crew, especially the people of South Boston – you’re a can of corn, you’re the best.” Robin Williams then delivered his closing line which also has been oft quoted, for its wonderful blend of heart and humor: “And most of all, I want to thank my father, up there, the man who, when I said I wanted to be an actor, he said, ‘wonderful, just have a back-up profession like welding’.”

Not all great Oscar speeches have to be under a minute in length. In 2005, George Clooney spoke for just under two minutes when he won for his supporting role in “Syriana.” George Clooney started out with humor and humility: “It’s a funny thing about winning an Academy Award, this will always be sort of synonymous with your name from here on in. It will be: Oscar winner George Clooney, Sexiest Man Alive in 1997, Batman, died today in a freak accident…”

After poking a bit of fun at himself, he took a few extra sentences to deliver an important message that was central to his audience: “And finally, I would say that we are a little bit out of touch in Hollywood . . . I think it’s probably a good thing. We’re the ones who talked about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn’t really popular. And we . . . are the ones – this Academy, this group of people – who gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I’m proud to be a part of this Academy, proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch. And I thank you so much for this.”

So, to be memorable, you don’t have to be funny. It certainly helps, but it is not essential. I think our fifth Top Ten recipient illuminates that point. When Hattie McDaniel won the Oscar in 1939 for her supporting role in “Gone with the Wind,” she was the first black person to be given an Oscar. Being aware of the historical importance of the moment, she did not attempt to be funny. Rather, Hattie McDaniel knew that her speech must be imbued with her own singular humility while warmly expressing collective pride. She opened her speech with a very warm “thank you” to the audience and openly acknowledged that it made her “feel very, very humble.” Before closing with, “My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel…”, she embraced the entire audience with, “I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry.”

Heartfelt sincerity and humor are proven tracks to successful Oscar speeches, but not everyone can be funny or sincere. In my upcoming book, “Ten Minutes to the Speech,” I stress the importance for any speaker to endeavor to reveal something personal about themselves to their audience. The goal should always be to have the audience identify with you, the speaker. This is most difficult when speaking about receiving an Oscar, one of the most coveted awards of our time. But our sixth most memorable Oscar speech illustrates this point.

In 1975, Louise Fletcher received an Oscar for her leading role in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Again, she followed the Three-H Rule. Her opening was brilliantly ironic: “Well, it looks like you all hated me so much that you’ve given me this award for it, and I’m loving every minute of it. And, all I can say is, I’ve loved being hated by you.” After saying a few quick thanks, she then ends her speech by revealing something very personal and somewhat surprising: “And, if you’ll excuse me [using sign language], for my mother and my father I want to say thank you for teaching me to have a dream. You are seeing my dream come true. Thank you.”

Sidney Poitier received an Honorary Oscar in 2001, “In Recognition of his Remarkable Accomplishments as an Artist and as a Human Being.” Maybe Sidney Poitier, a man of unique quality and eloquent demeanor is the only person who could pull off an acceptance speech for an award for being a remarkable “human being.” Aptly, he started his speech by immediately revealing himself and his own challenges to the audience, but he did so by using vivid words to reveal his personal journey: “I arrived in Hollywood at the age of twenty-two in a time different than today’s, a time in which the odds against my standing here tonight fifty-three years later would not have fallen in my favor. Back then, no route had been established for where I was hoping to go, no pathway left in evidence for me to trace, no custom for me to follow.” Having recruited the audience on his journey, Sidney Poitier then explained how so many others had been his champions, never taking sole credit for his accomplishments. A truly beautiful speech that is worth reading in its entirety [another quick reference to my website to read it?]

Possibly on the other end of the spectrum from Sidney Poitier’s brilliantly worded speech would be that of Roberto Benigni’s acceptance speech in 1998 for his performance in “Life is Beautiful.” Being a famous actor and comedian in his own country, Italy, Roberto Benigni could barely speak English, so his speech was mostly composed of sincere and funny “thank you’s,” such as “This is terrible mistake because I used up all my English . . .” What is so memorable about his speech is how he made his entrance. Upon hearing his name he created pandemonium in the audience by not walking up the aisle, but by climbing on top of the seats — and on top of the heads — of all the luminary guests as he made his awkward yet funny way to the stage.

Yes, having a unique “opening” goes a long way to delivering a memorable speech. Jack Palance knew the power of a great opening when, in 1991, he took a risk with his speech for his Oscar performance in “City Slickers.” That year, Billy Crystal, who had starred with Jack in “City Slickers,” was the host of the telecast. Jack Palance used his relationship with Billy Crystal – and his relative diminutive stature — as motivation for one of the most colorful lines in Oscarcast history, by referring to Billy Crystal and commenting to the audience, “I crap bigger than him.”

Jack Palance followed up his opening with a memorable speech about his battle against “ageism” in the film industry: “You know, there are times when you reach a certain age plateau where the producers say, ‘What to do you think, can we do it, can we use him?’ The other guy says ‘I don’t know, let’s look for some younger ones, we can make them look older, but this one, you know…’ At the midpoint in his speech, he illustrated his point by getting on his hand and feet and doing several one-handed push-ups!

The last but not least Most Memorable Oscar speech was delivered in 1997 by Stanley Donen, when he was given an Honorary Oscar for his “Body of Work Marked by Grace, Elegance, Wit and Visual Innovation.” This author does not know how the Academy comes up with their unusual names for their Honorary Oscars, but obviously, Stanley Donen knew what he was going to receive and he prepared his speech accordingly. After a couple of quick thanks, Stanley Donen said “Tonight, words seem inadequate. In musicals that’s when we do a song, so…” as music began, he started singing:

Heaven, I’m in Heaven,
and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak,
and I seem to find the happiness I seek,
when we’re out together dancing cheek to cheek.”

But Stanley Donen didn’t go only half way with his extraordinary speech, he continued by performing a soft-shoe tap dance as he then went through his short list of thanks to all the luminous talent with whom he had been privileged to work – and to whom he humbly credited his success. Stanley Donen may have violated my Three-H Rule by not “ending with Haste,” but he proved the exception by ending with elegant “Hoofing.”

As you watch the upcoming Academy Awards telecast on February 25th, make your own judgments on the most memorable speeches. If you care to compare notes with others, please check out my website [blog] on the day after the Oscar-cast.

Roberto Benigni – Best Performance by an Actor in “Life is Beautiful” (1998)

“Thank you! This is a terrible mistake because I used up all my English. I don’t know! I am not able to express all my gratitude, because now, my body is in tumult because it is a colossal moment of joy so everything is really in a way that I cannot express. I would like to thank Jupiter and kidneys . . . everybody lie down in the firmament making love to everybody, because I don’t know how to express. It’s a question of love. You are really – this is mountain of snow, so delicate, the suavity and kindness, it is something I cannot forget, from the bottom of my heart. And, thank you for the Academy Awards, who really loved the movie. Thank you to all in Italy, for the Italian cinema, grazie al Italia e grazie al America, land of the lot of things here. Thank you very much. And, I hope, really, I don’t deserve this, but I hope to win some more Oscars! Thank you! Thank you very much!

Sally Field – Best Performance by an Actress in “Places in the Heart” (1984)

“Oh Benton, what you did for me! You changed my life, truly. This means so much more to me this time. I don’t know why. I think the first time I hardly felt it because it was all so new. I owe a lot to the cast, to my players. To Lindsey and John and Danny and Ed and Amy and my little friends Ginnie and Yankton. I owe a lot to my family for holding me together and loving me and having patience with this obsession of mine. But I want to say thank you to you. I haven’t had an orthodox career and I’ve wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time, I didn’t feel it, but this time I feel it and I can’t deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me! Thank you.”

Jack Palance – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in “City Slickers” (1991)

“Billy Crystal (laughs) – I crap bigger than him. You know, there are times when you reach a certain age plateau where the producers say, ‘What do you think, can we risk it, can we do it, can we use him?’ the other guy says, ‘I don’t know, let’s look for some younger ones, we can make them look older, but this one, you know . . .’ It’s kind of difficult. They forget to ask that you to go out there and do all these, like for instance . . .

(he leaves podium and does several one-handed push-ups).

That’s nothing really. As far as the two handed push-ups are concerned, I can do those all night and it doesn’t make any difference whether he’s there or not. And besides, it’s a hell of a lot less expensive. Wow. You know a long time ago in 1949 – my first picture in 1949 — first film. I’d been shooting about two weeks and the producer came to me and he says ‘Jack’ – my name was Vladimir at the time, but he called me Jack – he says, ‘Jack, you are going to win the Academy Award!’ Can you believe it? Forty-two years later, he was right. How the son of a bitch knew?! Thank you.

From crucial work presentations to amusing wedding toasts to triumphant graduation speeches and even somber remembrances at funerals, Ten Minutes to the Speech will give any speaker the confidence and tools to deliver the perfect talk.

To receive a review copy, schedule an interview or for further information, contact Claudia Sloan at 310 203-3837 or Tallfellow@pacbell.net

Executive Director of the Producers Guild of America, Vance Van Petten makes numerous public appearances. Tallfellow’s co-founder, Leonard Stern, heard him on several occasions and suggested he put his “talent for talk” on paper. The result offers helpful writing guidelines, tips on preparation in the days before the speech and a last minute checklist of 16 items that covers all the bases. Check off the list, make a great speech. It’s as easy as that.

About the Author: Vance Van Petten is an experienced public speaker who has addressed many influential organizations. Formerly, Executive V.P. of Business and Legal Affairs at several Hollywood studios Van Petten is currently Executive Director of the Producers Guild of America.

See Van Petten’s Los Angeles Times article on the 10 Best Academy Award Speeches (2/23/07).

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Claudia Sloan at Tallfellow@pacbell.net or 310 203-3837.

Ten Minutes to the Speech
by Vance Van Petten
Tallfellow Press
ISBN 978-1-931290-59-3
$12.95, 116 pages
Paper, 4-1/2 x 7

Contact: Claudia Sloan

310 203-3837

Tallfellow@pacbell.net

www.Tallfellow.com