What‘s the best way to say goodbye? It depends, of course, on the occasion. Often, though, the reason for a goodbye speech is that someone is retiring. Naturally his colleagues will want to say farewell in an appropriate manner. Such a speech should be short, sincere and optimistic about the future. Time was when retirement was almost the end of life. Today it is another word for opportunity. So your speech should mention the contribution made by the retiree to the company. It should speak of his personal traits such as punctuality or good nature. It should say how much he will be missed by his friends and colleagues and, above all, it should be envious in tone… After all most of us would like to get out of the rat race and have choices about what we do every day. If his family is present on the occasion it is nice to make the speech more personal by mentioning how much he has been looking forward to spending more time with them. If there is a presentation of a gift it should be mentioned as being particularly appropriate to the retiree. Finally, the speech should be light-hearted in tone and end with a toast to the future.

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Teachers usually retire at the end of the school year. Other people, though, retire at any time during the year. The retiree might be a politician who has finished his term of office. It could be a soldier whose time in the army is up. It might be your father’s retirement or even the retirement of your boss. Whoever the retiree someone usually gives a speech. Many of these speeches are boring and quite often they are repetitive because the speaker has to give so many of them. So what should you do if you are asked to give a retirement speech when someone is leaving? The bottom line is that you should find out as much as possible about the retiree. Find out his plans, his hobbies, about his family and about the things that matter to him. This will enable you to make the speech very personal. Find out too about how he did his job and what his colleagues thought of him. Obviously it has to be positive and there must be no indication that leaving work is the end of the world as he knows it. Instead it must seem as though you envy him his future freedom. You might include some hints as to what he should do with all that free time. Finally you should end your speech with a toast. Make sure that the retiree leaves feeling that he has done a great job and has a wonderful future in store. If you do your speech will be a great success.

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Mothers really matter but how often do we tell them so? Most people buy their mother a gift on mother’s day but that is all. How much better if they expressed, publicly, their love and affection for her. Of course on Women’s Day speeches are often given in praise of women but that’s not personal enough. It applies to women generally and not to your particular mom. A mother’s 60t birthday or indeed any birthday is the ideal opportunity to say how much she means. Mothers often work hard double jobbing at home and in their careers. So when she retires is an opportune time to have a party and give a mother’s retirement speech. Both of these occasions are times when family and friends gather and she will be especially touched when you tell them what a wonderful mother she is. So don’t leave it until you are giving your mother’s eulogy. It’s fine to praise her then but it would be much better to do it when she’s alive to hear it.

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Retirement is about a new beginning. Retirement speeches, therefore, should always be positive in tone. Far too often speakers speak about the past and end up with a short good luck wish. Naturally a good speech will include mention of the work done by the retiree. Naturally too it should mention the friendship he or she has made over the years. Certainly mentioning special incidents will add to the speech especially if they are humorous but, above all, such a speech should be personal and speak about what the retiree will do in the future. Most of us gain lots of experience in our working lives. We get to mix with others and learn to work as a group. We have the discipline of certain working hours. All of these experiences can be useful in our retirement. That is not to say, of course, that the retiree should have to get up at dawn every morning to face a traffic jam. Retirement should be about change for the better. It should be about using the spare time you have to fulfil ambitions or make dreams come true. It should be about using such time pleasantly and perhaps usefully. So the speaker should know about the personal life of the retiree and the speech should contain suggestions about what he or she might do in his or her golden years. Naturally the speech should end with a toast but do try to make that personal too. The retiree will, you see, may have years to remember what you have said. So let it be complimentary and thoughtful, and express all the good wishes of the staff for a wonderful future. In fact it will be even better if you can make some thought-provoking suggestions about what that future might hold.

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It’s time to hand over the reins. That’s what is happening when there is a military change of command. The outgoing officer will thank those who have served with him and pay tribute to their ability, courage and commitment. He will, of course welcome the new officer who is taking over his command and wish him well. Above all he will wish his own troops good luck in their future assignments and verify his belief in them. A change of command though is not the only time a member of the forces hands over the reins. Those who retire do exactly the same thing. Whether he is an officer or not he is leaving his comrades behind. He is handing over the reins of defending his country to those who have not yet served their time. The officer who speaks at a graduation ceremony or at a warrior leadership course is again handing over responsibility to new blood. That responsibility may be limited at first but as they gain confidence, and stripes, the troops will play their own particular part in serving their nation. Sometime in the future they too may be the ones who hand over their reins to yet more new blood.

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Marines climb cliffs, soldiers climb obstacle courses and members of the air force climb into the blue yonder. Yet you don’t have to be in the military to scale oral heights. It helps, however, because there are so many military occasions where the C.O. has to say a few words. Like every other organization the army, the navy, the air force and the marines all have retirements for instance. There are speeches to and from the people or person retiring whether they are officers or enlisted members. There are promotions too and they call for a few words of congratulations. There are ROTC award speeches not to mention those words used when there is a change of command. There are re-enlistment speeches and re-deployment speeches and lots of graduation ones. When a member of the military dies, especially in battle, a poignant eulogy is often given. When you join the army you are taught how to march and shoot and to be patriotic. Maybe rhetoric classes would be a good idea too.

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Retirement speeches should summarise the difference between two worlds, the world of work and the world of retirement itself. They should, therefore, be very personal to the retiree. That applies whatever the size of the company… Unfortunately many managers trot out the same tired old lines at every retirement function. It’s understandable in a large organisation because they may have to give many such speeches and they may not know the retiree well. The whole point is that they should do their research and ensure that their speech shows an appreciation of the person as a whole. Saying, “John was a very hard worker and will be sorely missed” is not enough. They might say instead that since John joined the company the sales graph in his department went up every single year. Alternatively, they might mention the fact that John was known for his wonderful rapport with customers who insisted on dealing with him personally or that he organised the office outing very professionally every year. So the speaker should consult John’s colleagues and find out as much as possible about him at work and about his home life as well. He should be able to mention that John would spend more time at his grandson Tom’s football games or that he would be an asset to the local musical society. When John says goodbye he should go knowing that he was a valued employee and a real person in his own right.

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Saying a few words doesn’t seem difficult. That is until you are faced with the prospect of having to give a speech. Depending on how many daughters he has the father of the bride usually only speaks once or twice. Then too there is an accepted format for such a speech. Business people, however, often have to speak on widely differing occasions. They may, for instance, have to present awards to employees for their length of service to the company. It’s easy enough to give a retirement speech to an employee but giving a speech to a boss who is retiring can be more problematical. They may face the challenge of giving client appreciation or thank you speeches. Other occasions that call for those few words are the launch of a new product or the opening of a new company. Naturally a businessman or woman knows his or her own company well so he or she should be able to speak about it with fluency. That is not to say, however, say that they know the etiquette for such speeches. If they are successful business people they are usually very professional in their approach. Those few words say a lot about them. They should always be professional too.

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What do you say when you are talking about the Boss? If the C.E.O. is retiring from the company what should you say in a farewell speech? Naturally a lot depends on the size of the company. If it is small you probably know him or her quite well and will therefore have the basis for your speech. If, however, it is a large company and the boss is seen only on official occasions then it is much more difficult to say the right thing. So you must have your facts right. If you do your research you will find how he or she became to be the Boss. So you can talk about how he/she climbed the ladder to his/her present position. You should also speak about the effect he/she has had on the company and what he/she has achieved since joining. It might be a case of new contracts signed or a successful take over of another firm. It could be that the firm has expanded greatly or changed its structures. Whatever he/she has done mention it and praise his/her acumen. Bosses are human too and it is good to find out their hobbies and family background, especially if members the family will be at the function. So speak about his/her beloved grandchildren and the time he/she will spend with them. Speak about the challenges of reducing his/her golf handicap or putting on a play or even writing a book. In your speech the future must look positive. You will probably be presenting a gift and if so do try to make it appropriate so that you can mention it in your speech. Take the example of the Managing Director of an International group of companies who was retiring. He had everything he could possibly need already. Members of staff were astonished when the shoppers bought one a silver spoon back to the office… “But it’s all battered” they protested. It was, however, an antique spoon and the C.E.O. was an avid collector of old silver. He absolutely loved it. So again it is a question of doing your homework before you speak. After all if you make a good impression you might be the boss yourself one day!

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Farewell speeches should help you go out with a bang. Whether you are retiring from the office, taking a sabbatical or leaving your neighbourhood make sure you express your feelings. Most people have mixed reactions at such times. They may be looking forward to a new challenge but they will still be a little sad to be leaving colleagues or friends behind. So it is polite to stress the fact that those neighbours or colleagues meant a lot to you and that you will miss them. Your speech could include a special mention of those who helped you or were particularly good to you in some way. You may want to give some comparisons between the old and the new, saying that your experiences there will help you settle wherever the future may bring you. Mention the fact that the years you have spent with those present have been part of the tapestry of your life and that they can never be forgotten. A touch of humour will add to the speech so add a story or incident. You might mention the fact that you had everything packed and on its way to a new destination when your child discovered teddy was missing and you had to go chasing along the highway after the delivery van. You may have been given a farewell gift so do make sure that you express how much it means to you and, if applicable, that it will remind you of those you are leaving. Your speech should include mention of the future and what you intend to do. It should be positive in tone and speak of your new world. End by saying you hope it will be as rich and rewarding and as full of good friends as the one you are leaving behind.

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