This is the season for dinners and dances and, of course, for the annual speech to those attending. You might for instance be speaking to the members of the retirement association at their annual gathering. This is often a forgotten function because while everyone remembers the staff party very few give a thought to those whose work for the company was responsible for its success.
The members of the retirement association still have an interest in the company otherwise they wouldn’t be bothered being members or attending the dinner. So it is quite all right to mention some of the plans for the company’s forthcoming year or indeed some of the happenings of the past year. That is not to say that you should speak at length about these things, but just give them a flavour of what is happening in the world they have left behind.
The speech should be short because social functions are often ruined by longwinded speakers. Everyone is in good spirits and your speech should reflect that fact. In fact the more light-hearted the speech the better. Obviously you should be gracious about the contribution of those present to the company. In fact you can truly say that without them the company would not be where it is today. This is an occasion for lots of talks and lots of memories. Members of retirement associations are often members of lots of other societies as well. In fact they probably have very full lives. So emphasise the fact retirement is something to enjoy and that retirees are to be envied because they have the time for photography or gardening or trips to the moon. You may like to end your speech with a toast to the company that binds past and present workers together.

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