A good Master of Ceremonies makes all the difference to any social occasion. In fact you could say that the M.C. is the oil that lubricates the event and makes go smoothly. It doesn’t matter if he is the M.C. for a wedding, an award ceremony or a concert. What is important is how he makes those present feel welcome and in the mood to enjoy or take part in that particular event. His welcome to those attending should, therefore, be warm and if he is welcoming guest speakers he should do so graciously. Naturally a good M.C. will do his homework about the occasion and people in question. He will know their attributes and background before introducing them. If he can add a topical touch to what he says so much the better. He should know what announcements have to be given during the event and so he should announce the cutting of the cake at the wedding for instance. If there is a break in proceedings such as at a concert he will make an announcement about where drinks are served and about the timing of the interval. At the end of the occasion he should thank all who have contributed to the occasion. Above all his farewell words should leave those present with a feeling of satisfaction. In other words a good M.C. ensures everyone goes home with that intangible feel good factor.

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Rory McLlroy is not the only golfer around. He is, of course, a wonderful player but he is just one of the thousands who play this demanding and often frustrating game. They aren’t all professionals of course. They are men and woman who simply love the game and who spend much of their free time on the golf course. All of the world there are cups and competitions and prizes given to the winners. In fact if you get to be the captain of a golf club you need to learn to give speeches as well as play the game. After all you might have to speak at the Captain’s annual dinner or at the Captain’s prize. It could be that you have to say a few words at a golf outing prize-giving. You would need to speak about the game itself and about the wonderful players who took part in competitions. You would need to mention too the staff who keep the greens green and the meals appetising. Those committees deserve a word of praise too. Above all remember that your are speaking to like minded souls who think golf is as Arnold Palmer said, “A way of testing ourselves while enjoying ourselves”.

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The day of the Bimbo is dead. From now on Beauty Queens need a high I.Q. That is if they are to answer the sort of questions they may be asked in competitions such as Miss Universe. They may claim to walk 100 Dalmatians before breakfast and to save the world before lunch but now they are going to have to know what’s really happening in the world as well. They may be asked questions on topical events and asked for their opinion on the moral and ethical questions of today. If this sort of questioning catches on then entrants in beauty queen pageants nationwide will have to do more than get their hair and makeup done. They will also have to read the newspapers, listen to currant event programmes on radio and watch them on T.V. They will have to think about more than what sort of dress or swim suit to wear. They will, in fact, become living proof that beauty is more than skin deep.

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Make their day really special. That is if you are speaking at an awards ceremony. It might be an award for courage, you might be honouring the person of the year. You might be presenting a prize to the teacher of the year or even the student of the year. Those who receive such awards have worked hard for them and it is only fitting that you should acknowledge that fact in your speech. Most achievers will freely admit that they have had lots of support from their families and usually family members are present at such an awards ceremony. So it is fitting that they too should enjoy the occasion. What you say will ensure that they can feel a glow of pride. That is if your speech is personal enough and flattering enough. There are, of course, some people who win lots of awards and for them such an occasion may become commonplace. For most winners though it is a once off or at least a rare event. So what you say will be very important to them. So forget the clichés and say how much you have been impressed by what they have done. It’s easy to say that John worked long and hard for this event. It is much more impressive if you can say how many wet Mondays he has done training or how many holidays he has foregone to achieve what he has achieved. So give the matter some thought and enhance the day for them with your speech.

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Companies don’t win awards. The people who are working in them do. That’s why the speech you make when presenting a business award for the business /corporation of the year should speak of the contribution of those who work there. It should mention loyalty, entrepreneurship and team spirit. So too, of course, should speeches where you present awards to the business person of the year or when presenting an award to individuals for years of service to a company. Basically what you say should emphasise the contribution made by the workers in question. Corporations and even small businesses often talk about their business model and the successes or problems of the organisation. They discuss profit and loss accounts. They speak of the market challenges. All of these things are, naturally, critical to business. When an award is being given, however, it is the human face of the organisation that should be mentioned. After all without their contribution there would be no work done, no sales made, no challenges met and no awards won.

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Has she saved the life of someone who has suffered a heart attack? Has he pulled someone from a wrecked car that is going on fire? Have they started a self help group for people suffering from depression? Every year there are awards ceremonies for people of courage and every year the presenters say they are humbled by those winning the awards. They mean what they say because the hard work and commitment not to mention the bravery of those winning the awards is truly humbling. They certainly deserve their awards and they deserve that their reason for winning should be publicly applauded. In other words the presenter should make them feel outstanding and give public recognition to what they have done or continue to do. So he should be careful that his words make them feel good about themselves. It should make them feel that what they do or have done is very worthwhile. His words should ensure that an audience recognises the bravery of the winner. This is a momentous moment in time for them and for their families. A good presentation speech will make them feel very special indeed.

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Award ceremonies are usually formal affairs. Whatever the reason for the award there will usually be an audience present in support of the award winner or winners. Speeches are another intrinsic part of such ceremonies. We have all heard, and perhaps groaned, at what is said at the Oscars but are the speeches at any other award ceremonies any better? Does the C.E.O. who is presenting an award to workers for their service to the company put much thought into his speech? Industry leaders may be present when a company is being awarded a business award but the speeches given by them are often commonplace and uninspiring. The standard may, hopefully, be higher at a university graduation award ceremony but whatever the award it is a special occasion for someone and that someone deserves the limelight. He or she also deserves that whoever is presenting the speech will have done his or her homework into the achievement of the winner. Winning an award of any kind matters to the winner. Whoever is giving the presentation speech should ensure that it matters to them too.

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Teachers are always giving speeches. They speak at graduations and at the school sports. They say a few words at prize-giving day too. Then there are teachers’ retirements, open house speeches and welcome back to school speeches. There are school concerts where they are expected to speak too. It’s no wonder that end of term speeches are really the end. What should they say and how do they find something new to say? Naturally it depends on the term in question. Christmas speeches can literally be about Christmas and what it means or the teacher may be called upon to give a happy holiday speech if that does not apply. At Easter and summer too he or she has to bid a fond farewell to the pupils and wish them well during the vacation. Naturally the teacher must refer to the term that has passed and the things the students have done during that term. He or she might amaze the students by saying that the teachers too are looking forward to getting away from them! After all pupils always think teachers have it easy while being a student is hard going. The teacher will have to include a few words of advice in the speech because no teacher worth his or her salt can avoid giving good advice. That goes with the territory. Whatever a teacher says though you can bet he or she will heave a sigh of relief as the say their “Au revoirs.” After all, despite what students may believe, they are only human.

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Teachers have a lot to say and it’s not always about the subject they are teaching. They speak at open-house meetings and give welcome back to high school speeches. They often have to speak at a school prize-giving, a welcome to a school show or even on a school sports day. The big problem them is that they attend so many of these functions and have to speak repeatedly. Obviously they have to keep to the theme of the occasion but how can they do that and say something new and interesting? It is a fact too that the same parents will be attending the school for years while their offspring progress and they won’t want to hear the same things over and over again. Teachers often have to give motivational speeches to their students and wonder how they can say something that the student will remember for life. This is particularly true when they are speaking at a graduation ceremony. The opening of such speeches is critical. If they can say something that will capture the imagination of the audience at the beginning they will usually have them hooked. Nobody expects a world changing speech on most school occasions but they have to be relevant to the age group in question. Welcome back to elementary school speeches for instance have to be simple enough for the students to grasp while a dean speaking at the anniversary of a university or college will naturally have to pitch his or her speech to more mature students or even past pupils. So know your audience, try to be topical and add a little humour and try again next year!

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We all recognise physical bravery. We do not always, though, applaud the moral courage or someone who, for instance, speaks out against abortion or euthanasia. The Nobel Peace prize though is one award that does go to those who have of moral courage. Most of us though won’t be presenting that although we might find ourselves presenting other awards for bravery. Such speeches should recognise the importance of the occasion and our presentation speeches should reflect that importance. You may be speaking to someone who has done something wonderful despite being physically handicapped. You could be addressing a child who has bravely suffered an ongoing illness. The recipient might be a passerby who has saved someone from drowning. Whatever the reason for the award it is probably only one such award in a lifetime and so the occasion should be made as special as possible. So you should explain exactly what the recipient has done to deserve the award. Your speech should speak of bravery and what it means in our world. Your speech should explain how much such brave people make the rest of us feel humble. You speech should, above all, make it a day that stands out from the rest. After all the recipients are certainly people who stand out in a crowd.

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