Praise them to the hilt. That’s good advice to anybody giving a birthday toast. After all we all love to be praised and if someone says nice things about you in public it’s twice as nice. It’s usually easy enough to praise your parents of course but why not give a special toast at your sister-in-law’s 40th birthday party or your brother-in-law’s 70th bash? It will probably be unexpected and they will be delighted that you bothered to prepare a speech. Of course the same applies to every other birthday as well as to your in-laws. We are generally not very good at expressing our feelings sincerely but it’s well worth the effort to do so on a special occasion. A birthday is a special occasion. So, whoever they are, give them the gift of knowing how important they are to you

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It’s hard to find something new to say every year. Yet that is the dilemma that faces deans, dead teachers and guest speakers at every graduation. Obviously graduation is a very important day in the lives of the graduates and it is equally obvious that what you say should motivate and inspire. You may, of course, have wonderful words of wisdom on tap but it’s good to look around, see things from a different angle and speak from a different perspective. Compare the pupils to ants or tigers or elephants if you must. Mention something that happened on that day 100 years beforehand. Talk about people who were successes or failures and why. Your basic speech has to congratulate and motivate but amaze them by starting off on a different note.

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The end of the term is the end of the line for many teachers. Just now many of them are preparing for retirement. It’s a different retirement to any other because the job of teachers is different to any other. They are leaving behind not only a career but a commitment to students. It’s much more difficult to switch off from the classroom than from the office. Of course teachers have a lot of stress in their lives and they won’t object to leaving that behind. Good teachers though leave their students reluctantly because they always have a link with those students. They are always interested in their wellbeing and progress. So when you are saying goodbye allow for the fact that they will watch out for what their students do later on in life. They will usually be available to give a little advice if requested by either past pupils or their parents. Once a teacher, you see, always a teacher.

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They deserve to be praised. That is if you are speaking to a colleague or a group of colleagues who have given years of service to the company. In a fast moving world it’s hard to keep good staff and so those who are loyal deserved to be publicly acknowledged. That is why many companies have a social occasion at which staff may be presented with a commemorative gift having served a certain amount of years. Often they have spent twenty or even forty years in the service of the company and it is very good that those years of dedication are admired for what they are. So when you are addressing them be sincere in telling them how much they are appreciated. Mention that they are the backbone of the business. In other words give praise where praise is due.

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Speeches can make or break a wedding. Take the incidence where the best man told a very blue story, the bride burst into tears and her father nearly killed that best man. The unsavoury incidence was on the video for posterity. On the other hand a good speech by the father of the bride can be a conversation piece for the whole day and a lovely memory for the bride. Obviously you can say what ought to be said on the day and that’s acceptable. Nobody is upset and you have done what you ought to do. How much better though if the speech is a customised one, giving personal details of your daughter, her new husband and their romance. It’s more expensive of course to have such a speech written but in the context of wedding expenses it is only a drop in the ocean. It is an investment that pays because the bride will feel you have done her proud, her groom and his family will be impressed and your guests will say “I never suspected John could write a speech like that.” A personalised speech will mention that childhood incidence, her growing years and how much the bride means to you. So go on, tell her in a loving speech, that she is a daddy’s girl.

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A scholarship banquet is about giving and receiving. It’s about celebrating excellence and rewarding hard work. On such an occasion it is fitting that that hard work and effort should be acknowledged verbally as well as in the receiving of the scholarship. So if you are speaking on such an occasion make it special for the recipients. Remember that family members will often also be present and say things that will make them feel proud. Speak of the donors without which the scholarships could not be awarded. Mention the opportunities those scholarships will give the recipients. Speak of their continued efforts and your confidence that they will in the future contribute much to society. Finish by wishing them well.

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When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. That’s the story for an outgoing commanding officer in the forces. That C.O. will, of course, say farewell to those who have served under him/her. The speech will mention shared experiences and duty well done. It will be thankful in tone, thankful for the camaraderie and the service given freely. It will mention the incoming officer and speak highly of him/her. It will mention how much the C.O. will miss those who are being left behind. It will mention too memories he/she will take with him/her. It should conclude on a motivational note to continue the good work.

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We should celebrate our stars. When people work hard at achieving they should be encouraged and supported. Ceremonies which mark their success are very important to them. So too is what is said at those ceremonies. Their families too appreciate words of praise for their loved ones. So, as a speaker, it is worth considering what you say on the occasion. Your speech should make the stars feel good about themselves. It should make them feel that all the hard work was worthwhile. It should encourage them to continue with their efforts. A few light-hearted remarks will add to the speech of course. Make it short and snappy because it is a celebration and not a time for endless speeches. Above all make what you say something they will remember in the years to come.

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Students graduate but in the military there are passing out parades. Basically it is the same thing because it is a day when flags fly and parents are proud. It’s a day for relief and enjoyment. It’s also an occasion for motivational speeches about the future. Speaking to soldiers, though, is a lot different to speaking to ordinary graduates. After all they won’t be facing death at the hands of the enemy. So speaking to those soldiers means talking about serving their country whatever it takes. It means speaking of loyalty to the flag and the camaraderie that is part of service life. It is about a way of life that is different to any other. So the commanding officer who speaks has the responsibility of making those soldiers eager to be better soldiers and being ready and able to do their duty for the land they love

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Don’t retire from doing something, retire instead to do something. That should be the basis for a retirement speech given by a colleague or a friend. After all you don’t want the retiree to feel redundant. You don’t want them to feel that their life is finished. So a retirement speech should be very positive in tone. It should stress the advantages of leaving behind the workplace and instead having time to do something new and different. So by challenging the retiree to try new fields you are ensuring that the retirement gathering is enjoyable not sad. That is not to say that you should not mention his or her contribution to the workplace. It’s fine too to mention incidents during his or her working life. Certainly the speech should be very personal. Nonetheless above all it should be about the future being exciting and satisfying. So end with a toast that wishes the retiree happy times ahead.

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