The first toast you give at a family dinner will be shaky and short. Give it anyway. The second one gets better.

The first attempt at anything public is rough by definition, and a toast is short enough that the roughness passes quickly. What people receive is not the polish but the fact that somebody stood up. Most families remember that someone tried long after they have forgotten the words.

Keep it to three sentences: one thing you are glad about, one specific memory, one wish for the person. Write it on your phone and read it if your memory goes. Stand up early in the evening rather than waiting for a perfect moment, because the wait only adds weight.