By James Evans, Public Speaking Coach & Stand-Up Comedian

Picture the scene: A close friend calls you up. ‘Hi, how you doing? Look, I know it’s not really your thing, but would you mind doing ten minutes of stand-up comedy in front of a room half full of friends and half full of total strangers? It’d mean a lot to me.’ You want to put the phone down but you can’t. They’ve just asked you to be their best man and give a brilliantly funny speech at their wedding.