Ladies’Night means different things in different places. It can be a group of women out on the town together or it can be a formal dinner where the ladies are being honoured. Either way it is a social occasion and deserving of a toast to the ladies. What is said depends, of course, on who is speaking. It may be a gentleman who speaks of the many attributes of ladies and what they mean in men’s lives. Alternatively, it could be a speech given by a woman about the joys and perhaps problems of being a woman in today’s society. Such a speech should not be long but it should be thought provoking and light-hearted in places. It should ensure that those present actually think about ladies and how they enrich society. Ladies deserve a night out now and again and a good speech ending with a suitable toast will greatly add to the occasion. The hand that rocks the world is definitely one worth talking about.

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Whether you are coming or going doesn’t really matter. What matters is what you say on the day. Clubs and organisations all over the world have incoming and outgoing officers and once in their term of office they are expected to give an incoming or an outgoing officer’s speech. Obviously they should speak about the work of the club. If they are newly elected they should speak of the challenges ahead and mention the great work done by their predecessor. If they are retiring from the post they should speak of work already done and the great help given to them by committee members. Such a speech should also welcome their replacement and promise to assist him or her in his or her efforts. Above all the speeches should be motivational expressing the view that the work done by the club or association is very worthwhile. Such speeches should reach out to the ordinary members of the club saying how important their role is too. Above all club speeches should sell the club and all it stands for.

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Leave your mark. That’s what you should do when you are resigning from a club or society. No matter how wonderfully you have worked you should still give a resignation speech they will remember. It should be gracious in tone, thanking all those who have helped you over your term of office. It should welcome the incumbent to the post and speak highly of what you expect him or her to do. You will also, of course, indicate that you will always be ready to put your expertise at his or her disposal. You should speak of what has been achieved during your term of office but without your taking credit for it. Above all it should mention the needs of the club or association into the future and you should speak of the challenges ahead. If it is appropriate you might end your speech with a toast to the organisation in question.

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Adiós Amigos, farewell friends. Whatever language we use there are many occasions when a farewell speech is appropriate. It may be that a member of the clergy is leaving a parish. It could be that neighbour is leaving the neighbourhood. Army deployment speeches are another instance or, more light-heartedly a farewell may be given to an officer leaving a post. The M.C. at a conference will obviously close the conference with a few words of farewell and club officers who are leaving their positions will also speak. The fact that the occasions are so different does not really mean that the speeches have to be widely different too. They should, for instance, all be gracious in tone. They should all refer to the past and what the person who is leaving has achieved. Officers leaving posts will express their thanks to those who have helped them. If you are speaking to someone leaving you will of course say how much they will be missed… Where you are addressing a group such as at a conference you will speak of how wonderful it was to have such an audience. Overall farewell speeches should be positive and include a farewell wish for a better future.

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Manners really matter. They are, after all, the ingredient that makes us civilised. Each one of us loves to be appreciated. It makes us feel good about ourselves. Why then are we so reluctant to say a simple “Thank you” to others? At this time of the year it is surely appropriate for students to thank teachers for all they have done for them. When you consider how much time students spend in school it follows that those teachers have spent a lot of time trying to teach them subjects and trying to motivate them to do better. Saying a few words of appreciation and thanks is surely the least those students can do. It would mean so much to the teacher in question. Of course there are more formal functions at which there is a thank you given to a guest speaker and in business there may be thank you or client appreciation speeches. Volunteers are often thanked for their contribution to society and in clubs and associations there is often a vote of thanks given to a club member. T hat’s no co-incidence because those clubs and associations have discovered that their members like to feel praised for the work they do and such praise will probably ensure they continue to work for that club. So think about how nice it is to feel that someone else appreciates you and, in turn, say a simple thank you to someone you know.

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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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This is the time for comings and goings. That is if you are talking about clubs and associations. Just now many club officers are retiring from their posts and new ones are being elected. That means that there will be lots of speeches… The clubs may be fraternal ones, professional associations, ladies or sporting clubs but the speeches will have a lot in common… Those who are retiring will be thanking the members of the committee who have helped them during their term of office. They will express their faith in the President elect and the work he or she will do. Incoming officers will speak in glowing terms of their predecessor and express the hope that they can do an equally good job. Whether incoming or outgoing they will speak about the ethos and aims of the club or association. They will speak too of their own personal hopes and dreams for it and thank those who have elected them. If it is a social occasion they may end their speeches with a toast to the club or association. If not they will express their hopes for a wonderful future and lots of achievements in the coming year.

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Enthusiasm does not replace expertise. In every field of life enthusiastic people get things done of course. However it is much better if they marry expertise with that enthusiasm. Take, for instance, officers in clubs and associations. Whether it’s an incoming officer or an outgoing officer doesn’t matter. Nor does it matter whether or not it is a ladies club that is in question. All of them speak at the beginning of their term of office and at the end of it. What they say really matters. So it is important that their speech sounds professional as well as displaying their enthusiasm for the particular post. They should, by what they say, impress on other members the importance of the work in hand. They should give examples of what can and should be done. They should include references to previous officers who have done a good job. Above all their speech should say how important the particular post is to them personally. Such speeches should be motivational in tone and express gratitude for any help given by other members. So whether you are a Chairman of a football club or a President of a charitable association stress its importance by what you say. Lead by example with a speech that will inspire others too.

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It’s not every day a man gets to give the toast the ladies. That’s probably just as well because most men don’t really know what to say when asked to give such a toast. They sometimes err on the side of trying to be funny and come across as being patronising instead. There is nothing more guaranteed to annoy those selfsame ladies. What they need to say instead is how charming and how delightful those ladies are and what a difference they make in the lives of their men folk. Usually such toasts are given on a social occasion so they shouldn’t be lengthy It’s appropriate too for them to be light-hearted in tone but the teasing should be directed at the poor helpless males who simply could not exist without women. It is appropriate to say that the ladies are glamorous and a shining example to men. They might mention too the many ways in which women add refinement to the lives of their partners. Toasts to the ladies should be flattering yet sincere. This is no time for male chauvinistic remarks. The short speech should end with a toast that says quite clearly that the ladies present are just simply wonderful.

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How do you define Christmas? For some it’s about the crib for others the winter solstice. Whether you believe in the story of Bethlehem or not it’s a time we associate with peace on earth and good will to men. It’s also a time for all sorts of functions and, as a result, all sorts of speeches. You may be asked to give a toast to the ladies or indeed reply to such a toast. It could be that you are chosen to give a toast to the guests or a vote of thanks to a speaker. As this is the season of warmth and hospitality it is quite likely that you may find yourself giving a welcome to the guests. Despite the fact that your audience is likely to be in good humour speakers should still use the correct format for such speeches. They should address honoured guests correctly and ensure that their speeches include appropriate thanks to those who should be thanked. Obviously at Christmas your speech should have a reference to the season so you might speak about Rudolph or gifts under the Christmas tree. If you are toasting the ladies for instance you might say they glitter like the lights on those trees. Your speech should be short and above all, it should add to the festivities by making people feel happy and involved. So make it light-hearted and sincere and end it with a suitable toast.

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