Be a team player. That’s good advice whether you are in the military, an office or a football team. Too much attention seems to be given to the individual stars and there is no doubt that some people are outstanding in their fields. If we are to succeed in any given arena though we have to learn to pull together with others. Even the most talented player in any field will have some faults and will need the support or influence of others. Certainly even those who play individual sports will have support from coaches or mentors So being a team player is something that managers, officers and coaches have to get across to those they are training. As the saying goes, there is no i in the word team. Some will reply that there is me in team but that is a selfish and childish response. As the advertisement says, together we can make things happen.

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Whatever about cricketers rain doesn’t stop play for most golfers. After all if the weather gets too bad they can always go to the 19th hole. It is here in the clubhouse that they will have their Captain’s dinner and their Captain’s prize night. However brilliant a golfer that captain may be he or she might have some trouble with their speeches on these occasions. After all just because you can get a hole in one doesn’t mean you can get your words in the right order. There are some things that are obligatory in your speech. You have to give your thanks to your committee, to the catering staff and to the greenkeeper. You should mention the camaraderie at the club and its beautiful surroundings. Naturally you welcome any guests and speak about incidents and games during your term of office. You should end with a toast to the sport you love. If you can do this in an entertaining way there is no doubt but that you’ll be a winner.

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Leaders do more than just lead. They also have to speak a lot. So motivational speeches are their stock in trade. They may be coaches speaking to their teams. It could be that they are spiritual leaders addressing a congregation. They might be officers in the army giving deployment speeches. In fact it is possible that they are C.E.O’s inspiring their sales staff or teachers speaking at a graduation. Whatever the occasion and whatever type of leader is in question their job is to motivate their particular audience to do something or be someone. So there speeches have to capture attention and challenge behaviour. They have to communicate their message clearly. They have to convince those listening that it IS possible, whatever it happens to be.

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H.J. Byron said that life is too short for chess. Whatever about that life is full of other games, particularly in the summer months. Just now prizes are being given and speeches made at lots of golf outings. Athletes are having their names entered as members of the sports hall of fame. Coaches are giving inspirational speeches to their teams and individual and team winners are accepting their prizes graciously. If you are presenting a prize you should speak about dedication and hard work as well as skill and aptitude.  If you are receiving an award you should mention all the encouragement you got from family and friends and, of course, the training you got from your coach or your manager. Naturally too you will speak about the opposition and how they challenged you In other words your speech, like your performance, should be sporting.

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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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It’s time for the great outdoors. It’s time for Wimbledon and the Masters. It’s also time for sporting events that are less well known. Every golf club will have its outings, every football team its games. and every school its sports’ day. As a result there are plenty of award winning ceremonies and plenty of challenges for those presenting the awards to make good speeches. Naturally such speeches will depend on whether it is an individual event or a team sport. They will refer to the particular golf outing or tennis tournament. They will speak of hard work and enthusiasm. They will mention the hours spent training. They will speak of passion and commitment to the sport in question. They will mention, if appropriate, the expertise and help of the coaches. They should mention the fun and camaraderie that is part of sport. Summer is a time for bouncing balls and long distance runners. Whatever the sport the speeches at prize giving ceremonies will simply say “Well done”.

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It’s time for the high jump and the long jump. In other words it’s time for the school sports day. It’s a day for perspiration and perseverance. Teachers blow whistles and students run sprints while their parents shout encouragement. It’s a day when the non- academic have a chance to shine. It’s a time for pride and prize giving and the presentation of medals. The head teacher has the problem of giving a speech suitable for the occasion. Naturally he will welcome the parents. He will speak of the importance of sport in a student’s development. He should speak too of how well the day has been organised by the staff and of the sportsmanship of the students involved. Above all he will ensure that those who have not succeeded in actually winning those prizes will feel that they are winners 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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Friendship, it is said, is a gift we give ourselves. If we are wise we will cherish and nurture that gift. Real friendship cannot thrive on neglect. It needs those phone calls and those meetings. A friend needs your interest and your concern. Friends need your understanding and sometimes, your disagreement. Real friends can, you see, agree to differ and what you may say honestly and openly should not affect your relationship. We meet our friends in many different ways. Some we can trace back to childhood. Others we meet through sport, night classes or in the office. We can strike up friendships at school, at college or at a party. Shared interests of course cement friendship and so being in a religious group together or on the same team will mean you have more in common. You will, therefore, have ideas to discuss and thoughts to explore. A real friend is one that stands by you when you are in trouble. If your business fails or you have to go to hospital your friends will be there to support you. A friend has a listening ear, a ready understanding and will be sympathetic to your needs. Probably the most important ingredient in a friendship is shared laughter. If you can still remember funny incidents years later your friendship will have stood the test of time. To have friends you need to be one. So if you want to have that invaluable gift in life learn about friends and how to make them and keep them.

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A challenge can be so many different things. It can be something as simple having your Christmas shopping done early and economically. For a sportsperson it can be winning the race, the championship or the league. If you are ill the challenge can simply be to get better as quickly as possible. The speaker who gives the message “Challenge yourself and reap the rewards” reaches out to every single one of us because we can all do with improving ourselves or our lives in some way. The businessman might, for instance, accept the challenge of change in business and in doing so ride out the recession. A teacher might respond to the challenge of having a very dull or indeed a very bright student in his class by helping each one of them to reach his or her potential. A soldier might challenge himself to save the life of a comrade injured in battle. For a lawyer the challenge could be to ensure an innocent prisoner walks free. For a government the challenge is surely to look after its people. So it’s a very worthwhile topic for a public speaker. In fact to sum it up for everyone in the audience all he has to say is “Life is a challenge, meet it.”

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