So, you’ve been asked to be Best Man. But there’s a twist – you’re sharing the role. This has clear advantages. For a start, you can bounce ideas off each other, especially when it comes to organising the stag do or bachelor party. You can gently push back when your co-Best Man suggests a week on the International Space Station or an activity weekend in Ukraine.

But the big one is the speech for two Best Men. Will you end up sharing the workload? Or will you double up the work? Here are some thoughts on how to make your combined role a real positive not double trouble.

The big question is whether you want to split your Best Man speech in two or do a two-hander where you alternate lines. It all rather depends. Ask yourself the following:

• Do you and the second Best Man have a very different relationship to the groom? e.g. perhaps one of you is his brother and the other a friend from college.
• Is the time period over which you’ve known the groom very different? For example, one of you is a friend familiar with his younger years, and the other a recent friend from work.
• Do you usually socialise with the groom separately from the other Best Man?
• Do you have quite a different sense of humour or speaking style?

If the answer to a few of these is “yes”, doing two separate speeches might make more sense than a joint Best Man speech. You can focus on the part of the groom’s life you’re most familiar with and write it in your style. Moreover, there will be less to-ing and fro-ing with another person who you might not know that well.

If you go with two separate Best Man speeches, consider these points:

• Try to avoid doubling up – it’s worth passing your ideas by the other Best Man. You don’t need to show him the finished speech, just give an indication of stuff you plan to cover.
• If either of you “borrow” some gags from off the web or get a helping hand from AI, you might be fishing from the same pool. So, if you keep it wholly original, you’ll be safe. Alternatively, just let the other guy know you’ve staked your claim to a particular icebreaker.
• Length – if you both write a ten-minute speech, you’ll be up there for 25 minutes at least with laughter, general reaction and the hand-over. So be careful to set yourself limits.

The joy of the joint Best Man speech. This is where you become a sort of double-act and alternate lines. It can work extremely well. Here are some reasons why:

• There are two voices and speaking styles, so it adds variety.
• Anecdotes will naturally be split up into mini-sections. Even longer ones will feel snappier.
• There’s a natural “set up/pay off” dynamic. Basically, Best Man A can set up Best Man B and vice versa.
• You can play off each other a bit e.g. shakes of the head, big sighs or grimaces as you deliver the damning truth about the groom.
• What could sound like a long list delivered by one speaker e.g. the groom’s “Top Five falling asleep in public moments”, can become a quick-fire joke relay in two hands.

And here’s an observation from someone who’s written a lot of these – writing this style of speech can be ENORMOUS fun. Always a good sign. In sum, if two Best Men approach me and are not sure which approach to take, I recommend the two-hander.

Other things to note include:

There is more of an element of performance to a two-hander than reading a speech from top to bottom. However, even if you’re not a natural “funny man” or speaker, the speech can still be written so that the lines don’t have to be delivered with perfect timing.

That said, you will need to be together to practise. It can be done online but being in the same room is much easier. Do factor this in when planning deadlines for your speech. People get busy. Especially when you’re busy planning that stag do to Mount Everest  somewhere sensible.

With a bit of thought, being one of two doesn’t have to make a speech for two Best Men doubly complicated. Decide which of the two routes to go down and go from there. If you’re not sure which to choose, I can help. Get in touch and I can give my no-obligation thoughts on the best approach for you and your co-star.

Good luck!

Marc