The term “Sweet sixteen” is more than just the inspiration for songs. It’s a birthday that is different to all the others. It’s when a girl becomes a woman and her family celebrate that fact. The birthday party may be formal or casual. It may be a strictly family affair or it may be open to the community. Whatever the format for the celebration it is recognition that a girl has passed a threshold and is now a young adult. One thing that will be common to all the different celebrations is the fact that someone, usually her father, will toast the birthday girl. He will undoubtedly speak of what her arrival meant to him and of her childhood days. Such a speech will usually be poignant although he may lighten it by giving his ideas on the difference between her being her daddy’s little girl and being a teenager who stays out late at night. He will express the good wishes for her future of all those present. Above all he will express his pride in, and his love for, a special 16 year old girl.

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Health is the ideal topic for any public speaker. After all it is a subject that affects everyone in an audience in some way. They, or a family member, may suffer from allergies, have Alzheimer’s, Hay Fever or Asthma. Diabetes and Obesity are ever growing problems. So by choosing a health topic you should have a captive audience straight away. Make sure your speech is not too technical for the layperson. Give examples of how the illness actually affects people. Speak of the treatments and always stress the fact that research for treatment and cures is ongoing. Look at the age profile of your audience too. If you are speaking to a young audience you might choose to speak of teenage acne or bulimia for instance. If you are speaking to management you might choose stress as your subject. Whatever the topic let your listeners understand that ill health won’t go away if we don’t discuss it. It is far better to be informed and to deal with it and that is exactly where your speech comes in.

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Benevolent associations are now more important than ever. When times are tough there is less money to go around and Governments cut the benefits they give. That means that the work of benevolent associations is critical to the wellbeing of staff members who have fallen on hard times. They often gather the money they dispense by having a social function to raise funds. During the night someone will undoubtedly give a speech. It is very important that such a speech compliments those who give and refers to those in need. Nobody can, for instance, help being ill and needing expensive treatments. Visits to hospitals incur travel and other expenses. The widows and orphans of a staff member may be in dire need or someone could need to have a house conversion to allow for a wheelchair. The work of such benevolent societies is often done in secret and rightly so. Nobody wants to be an object of charity. What they want instead is to know that somebody in their company cared enough to understand their problem and to give a helping hand. The speaker should give those who are themselves healthy and able to work the challenge of helping their co-workers in need.

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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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Santa says “Ho Ho Ho” but you need to say more at your staff Christmas party. You have to thank your staff for their contribution during the year. It’s up to you to mention how glamorous they all look in their party finery. You should welcome any guests present and, of course, thank the social committee for the great job they have done in organising the function. It’s appropriate to talk about Christmas itself and the holiday spirit. Such a speech can have a touch of nostalgia for times past and of course you end your speech with a Christmas toast, a hope for continued success and a wish for a prosperous New Year.

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It’s hard to believe but another calendar year is coming to an end. That means in schools everywhere teachers are giving their end of term speeches. Each term is different of course. When pupils are going on their summer vacation you say one thing. Just now though many of them are celebrating Christmas and the holiday season. So the speech should be uplifting and light-hearted yet it should also speak of work well done and more to do. The speaker will bear in mind that the pupils are all anxiously awaiting the bell that ends that school term. They will be fidgeting and dying to get out of school. So as he bids them goodbye and exhorts them to enjoy the holiday break the teacher should just think what it was like for him when he too was waiting for the fun to start. If he does that he will certainly be able to end his speech on a seasonal note.

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Just now they are singing carols and collecting food and toys for the less fortunate. Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes but they all have something in common. That is that they see a need to do something for others somewhere outside their own homes . They may run football teams and drama groups or they may volunteer in the wake of a natural disaster. There are thousands of groups and bodies that need volunteers. What is often forgotten is that volunteering can be enjoyable as well as rewarding. It is a way of making friends with like minded people. It can be tiring, demoralising and frustrating but it can also be fun. So look around , see a need and help out. You’ll be glad you did.

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Depression is rampant at Christmas. It probably has something to do with the expectation that everyone will be happy. It is certainly due to loneliness. It is definitely a subject that should be brought out into the open and discussed. The stigma of mental illness is a silly one. After all nobody is ashamed to say they have the mumps or the ‘flu. If we dealt with depression in the same matter of fact way the stigma would go away. That means admitting you are depressed and doing something about it. It means helping yourself by asking yourself the cause of your depression and the reason for it. If you are out of a job for instance it could certainly make you feel depressed. On the other hand if you looked on it as a challenge to master a new skill to make yourself more employable you might find yourself being too busy to feel depressed. Naturally there are different types of depression and certainly many of those who suffer do need professional medical help. Many more though could be helped by friends or relatives or could help themselves. After all we all feel depressed at some time in our lives so we all know how it feels. Whether you need self help or professional help feeling sorry for yourself won’t help. Admit how you feel and ask for help. It’s out there, you just have to reach out for it.

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“Hark the herald angels sing” is a carol we are hearing lately. After all it’s nearly Christmas. What, though, are angels or what do we think they are? It’s a comforting thought to think that each one of us has a guardian angel whose job it is to keep us from harm. Some, though, might believe that guardian angel is just the name for our own conscience which should also keep us from harm or at least from doing harm to anyone else. Angel stores are springing up all over the place which seems to indicate some sort of spiritual need in us, despite the materialistic world we inhabit. No matter what our religion is, or even if we have none, angels are a fascinating topic of conversation. Whether we believe they have wings or not their history is worth studying. If nothing else you will have an absorbing conversation piece at your next dinner party.

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Employers do it. Bosses do it. So too do C.E.O’s and managers. Whatever their titles they often give retirement speeches and usually have them off pat. For someone who is retiring, though, it is often the first and only time they will give such a speech. Often they will feel a little emotional and won’t know what to say or how to say it. The first thing that they should remember is to be positive. They are starting out on a new adventure, because that is what retirement is these days. Naturally they should say how happy they have been in their work. Naturally too they should mention their colleagues in glowing terms. They might mention certain people who have been particularly nice or helpful to them. More importantly, though, they should speak of their future plans and how delighted they are that they will have the time to do all the things they have dreamt of doing. If family members are present they may speak of how much they look forward to spending more time with them. If applicable they should also thank their colleagues for their parting gift and mention that they will remember them slaving away while they are enjoying days of ease and pleasure.

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