The Irish Government is making plans to raise the retirement age to sixty eight. Ministers are saying that a low birth rate makes it uneconomical for taxpayers to support pensioners from the existing retirement age of 65. Falling birth rates elsewhere mean this is likely to happen in other countries too.
This will mean, of course that their will be less retirement functions and less retirement speeches. Add the recession into the equation and you will see that retirement will not be celebrated in the way it once was.  So if whether it is Retirement of Army Officer speeches TO Officer who is retiring, the  retirement of business partner or the retirement of a teacher the farewell functions are likely to be more low key.
That is not to say that there will be no parties and no speeches. It is unlikely that the boss will let a long time employee leave without saying a few words. It is unlikely too that if your father retires and you are having a family party that you will not toast his retirement. So the need for speeches will go on. Retirement speeches should encompass the working life of the retiree. They should speak of his talents and skills and what he has given to the company. The speaker should also make an effort to find out about the retiree’s foibles and hobbies. Above all the speaker should certainly try to discover the plans the retiree has for the future. Then and only then will he be able to speak convincingly of a happy retirement.

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A good speechwriter should be able to write variations on the theme. After all there are many occasions when there are the same fundamental things to be said. It’s how you tweak them to the occasion that really matters.
A birthday speech is one example. A good speech will reflect on the past and toast the future no matter whether it’s a coming of age or a 60th birthday. Within that framework the writer has to provide the variations that will make the speech special and personal. You might mention that the birthday boy or girl loves The Beatles or is a theatre buff who adores Shakespeare. Your speech might refer to a favourite bit of poetry or the love that person had for a particular game. A retirement speech is another example. The speechwriter will talk of work well done and of a future without work. The challenge is to make the rest of the speech relevant to the particular employee. The speech may contain references to his or her particular skills or leadership ability. It may speak about the doughnuts the retiree ate every morning at coffee break. It could contain a reference to some achievement during his or her working life. A good speechwriter will, of course, have done some homework and found out about the retiree’s personal life and mention his or her retirement plan to sail the Atlantic ort write a book. The speeches will have the same format but, just as people are different so too should the contents of those speeches.

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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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There was once a popular hit the words of which went “Let’s get together again”. It’s the ideal advice for anyone who plans a party. Getting together with old friends helps make the occasion a great success. If it’s your mother’s birthday she would probably be delighted to see the old friend who was her bridesmaid perhaps. If it’s your father’s retirement he would probably be glad to see an old colleague who had moved onto another job somewhere else.

Perhaps you are having a family re-union? If so making a big effort to contact those cousins with whom you’ve lost touch will be well worthwhile. They’ll probably be delighted that you made the effort. There are some occasions that call out for such a family re-union. Take a bar mitzvah or a wedding anniversary for instance. It’s the ideal time for the generations to mix.

Sadly many of us only get together at a time of mourning. Whether it’s your sister’s funeral or an uncle’s funeral it is a time for a get-together. So don’t rush off after the funeral service but stay and revive memories with family and friends. It will help give you comfort and together, you can reminisce and tell tales of the loved one you have lost.
There are, of course, other reasons for getting people together. It might be a political rally or at the firm’s annual picnic. Whatever the reason it’s good to mix with like minded people. If you find you don’t get on with them you can always chalk it down to experience and avoid the next gathering!

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Is military re-enlistment a sign of job satisfaction or a sign of the times? After all, in a time of economic gloom there is a lot to be said for being in the armed forces. You are a doing a worthwhile job and at the same time you have a secure career.

Not alone that you have every opportunity and encouragement to gain promotion and to increase your skills.
At the retirement from the army of an officer he or she will often refer to the comrades he or she has made over the years and of course that camaraderie is another reason why people re-enlist in the armed forces. Such camaraderie is evident whether you are listening to an air force after dinner speech or a change of command speech by an outgoing naval officer. Whatever the occasion for such a speech it will say quite clearly that members of the forces are special and different. It will express the fact that there is having a mere colleague is totally different from having a comrade in arms. Re-enlistment is popular simply because the military life is like a drug. You get hooked on it.

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Retirement is an important milestone in lift. As such it should be celebrated and it usually is. Whether you work in a family firm or a multi- national organisation there is usually a party or get-together of some sort to mark the occasion.  Those present will usually have bought a gift and somebody, a boss or a close colleague, will be asked to say a few words.  What they say really matters because, if expressed well, the retiree will remember those words for the rest of his or her life.
The retirement of the boss, for instance, calls for admiration of his/her ability as a C.E.O and his flair and insight into the world of business. The retirement of an officer in the army calls for a speech that is patriotic in tone, mentioning love of country and duty well done.  When you are speaking about the retirement of a father it is appropriate to mention how hard he worked on behalf of his family all his life. Such a speech will, of course, be much more personal than one said in the pub on the day you are leaving.
When you are retiring yourself it is customary to mention the help and support you got from colleagues and friends over the years. All retirement speeches are improved by the addition of a little humour, a funny incident that happened during the course of a working life.  A personal word of thanks to someone who influenced you greatly also adds to the speech.
Retirement should be seen as something positive. So while the speech may be a little nostalgic it should also be optimistic and speak of the future and the excitement and challenges it will bring. After all most of us spend a third of our lives in retirement and few of us really want to sit in a rocking chair for all that time!

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Christmas cards convey season’s greetings to those who receive them. What, though, should you say if you are actually addressing people at a seasonal gathering? You might, for instance, be a guest at an annual dinner/party of another company. Obviously your speech should be gracious in tone thanking your hosts for their kind invitation and speaking of the connection between your companies over the years. You may have to as a club or association’s Christmas speech. You will naturally speak of shared experiences of club members over the year and, naturally, wish your members all the compliments of the season. . A retirement association annual dinner is often held at the festive season and you may be asked to address those one time members of your staff. You should speak of their invaluable contribution to the company and stress the positive side of retirement. All such speeches should be light-hearted and jovial in tone as befits the holiday spirit and end with an appropriate toast. Unless you are a riveting speaker make it short. Those attending the function are, after all, enjoying a social occasion and don’t want to listen to long speeches. A card can say it in a few lines. You should be able to say it in a few moments.

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In the Catholic faith November is the month of the dead. It’s a time when we remember those loved ones we have lost. That, of course, is not something that is particular to any one faith or religion. Perhaps, though, it should be a time too when we consider how lucky we are to have loved ones who are still with us. A family re-union might be time to
express gratitude for family and friends. A grandmother’s 80th birthday is obviously an occasion to say how much she means in the life of the family. A father’s retirement day is the opportunity to say thank you for working so hard for us all the years. In a busy world we are inclined to take others for granted and, however much we love them, we rarely express that love. So if it is your own wedding anniversary tell those gathered to celebrate how much your spouse means to you. There is a saying that feeling appreciation and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it. So go on, give that that gift. Some November you’ll be glad you did.

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