Dear Miss Manners–Countless times I have been at weddings, farewell parties, post-premiere cast parties, etc., where various guests have decided–often, I am certain, without asking the host’s permission–to give a speech. They invariably do this by banging a spoon on a glass, thereby interrupting other people’s conversations, which are often far more interesting than the ramblings they are about to be forced to sit through.
I have always felt this to be rude, and have resented being cut off in mid-sentence because someone else feels he has the need to share his thoughts with the entire assemblage.
Am I wrong to feel this way? And if not, is there a way to prevent such behavior? I will soon be giving a large party for my own farewell from my company (I’m the boss, so it’s expected of me), and I really do not want my guests or myself to be subjected to a lot of boring speeches.
Gentle Reader–Since you will be the host, retiree and boss on this occasion, surely those boring speeches on this occasion would be to praise you. Or at any rate, they would be about you.
Miss Manners gives you all the more credit for attempting to head them off. However, being right about feeling that way is one thing, and being able to stop them is another. Your best hope is to get up and say, “Because I dislike spoiling a good dinner with speeches, I only want to thank you all for making this company what it is, and to tell you how much I will miss you all” and then announce another activity: “And now I’d like to start the dancing” or “and now coffee will be served in the other room.”
