The word "dear" in public speech

I am a member of a Toastmaster club in the Czech republic where people work on their public speaking skills. It is a usual to open a speech by

Dear fellow Toastmasters, dear guests,...

It is a direct, word-by-word translation of a typical opening in Czech. A friend who is a native English speaker noticed that word Dear should be used only in letters, in written form. It should not be used for the opening of a speech, but one should rather use:

Ladies and gentlemen,...

What are the rules for an opening of a speech? Is "dear guests" in a speech English or Czenglish?

Solution 1:

In the U.S., the word Dear is rarely used when addressing a general audience. It might be used in a religious context (via a “Dear Friends in Christ” formula) or at a family gathering.

“Ladies and gentlemen” is acceptable at the beginning of a speech, but is nowadays uncommon. The usual opening of a Toastmasters speech in the U.S. is along the lines of “Madam (or Mister) Toastmaster, fellow Toastmasters and honored guests”. The form “Fellow Toastmasters, dear Guests” apparently is used in Germany by some people.

Solution 2:

Dear guests would be a very strange way to open a speech. Unlike the salutation of a letter, dear in speech means literally that the people addressed are dear to you. So somebody making a speech at his own birthday party might start My dear friends, because presumably everybody there is a friend, and won't be offended to be called a dear friend. But a toastmaster isn't usually expected to find guests endearing.

In my experience, a speech is opened with whatever formal salutation is appropriate for members of the audience, whether that is Your Majesty, my lords, ladies and gentlemen or Fellow members of the Froth-Blowers' Club.

Solution 3:

The British authority on such matters is Debrett’s. Their advice on the preamble to a formal speech is given here. The word Dear is never used on such occasions. On informal occasions you can do as you please, provided you don't offend any of the other guests.