Most of us would feel proud if someone told us that they thought we had leadership qualities. It is a quality, of course, that we expect army officers and business executives to possess. Community leadership is very important and good leaders can make a huge difference in the communities they serve. There is nothing magical about it. Leadership doesn’t have to be an innate quality. It can be an acquired skill and it can be taught. A speech that tells your audience how to develop the confidence necessary for a leadership role will be of interest to most listeners. Such skills can be developed in everyday life but if you can develop your leadership skills in the office you will certainly benefit and probably make a name for yourself.

So it doesn’t matter if your audience consists of high powered executives or a local group. Your speech can make them feel better about themselves and show them how to develop the necessary qualities of a Lee, a Nelson or a Lincoln.

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Most of us attend birthday or wedding anniversary speeches at some time during the year. There is often a great sameness about these occasions. They can be personalised, however, if you give a really memorable speech. In such a speech you should bring the party boy or girl or the couple celebrating their anniversary to life. Your speech should make people say “I never knew that� or “oh I remember when that happened� It should include your audience and make them feel as though they are celebrating the years the couple spent together or the celebrant’s achievements over the years. Such a speech should be warm-hearted and loving with a touch of humour. Everyone loves to be feted and that’s exactly what you do when you give such a speech. So give your party the personal touch by talking about someone’s personality and life choices. They’ll be glad you did.

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Summer time is coming and the living may be easy. It is certainly, though, a time for fairs and fetes. Someone has to declare them open and that person could be you. So you should start by welcoming the guests and speak about what the fair or fete means to the local community. You speak about the attractions at the fair and how it is a time for enjoyment and fun and maybe time to bag a bargain. You speak of the reason for it and thank the committee for the hard work that went into preparing it. Your speech should say something about the reason you are having the fete and what will be done with the funds raised. Overall your speech should make people feel good about themselves and good about supporting such a worthwhile cause. If it does your speech will be a success and hopefully, the funds raised will reflect this.

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Confirmation day and first Holy Communion days are very important milestones in the life of a child and in that of his or her family. They are often days when grandparents and distant relative travel for a family re-union. Not everybody thinks of giving a speech and a toast but it is a lovely idea to say something to commemorate the special day in the family history. The speech can touch on the child’s growing years and on the importance of faith in his or her life. It can stress how important the child is to those who love him or her. It should be very personal with a touch of humour but, overall, with the message that he or she is very much loved. It should end with a toast for the future. Most of us remember those special days but how much nicer the memory would be if someone thought to speak about us and how special we were.

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This is the time of the year that teachers or guest speakers often address students. They may be giving graduation speeches but they may also be speaking to students who are not graduating. Such a speech should be motivational, inspirational or persuasive in tone. They might speak to them about how to challenge themselves and reap the rewards or something more practical such as suggesting that they plant a tree and help reforest the earth. You might tell them to live each day as if it were their last or persuade them to be blood donors. You might explain the joys of volunteering or the enjoyment to be got by learning to swim. For older students how to be successful is a very relevant topic. Whatever the topic give them something to remember, discuss and hopefully they may even act upon your suggestions.

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