Most of us attend birthday or wedding anniversary speeches at some time during the year. There is often a great sameness about these occasions. They can be personalised, however, if you give a really memorable speech. In such a speech you should bring the party boy or girl or the couple celebrating their anniversary to life. Your speech should make people say “I never knew that” or “oh I remember when that happened” It should include your audience and make them feel as though they are celebrating the years the couple spent together or the celebrant’s achievements over the years. Such a speech should be warm-hearted and loving with a touch of humour. Everyone loves to be feted and that’s exactly what you do when you give such a speech. So give your party the personal touch by talking about someone’s personality and life choices. They’ll be glad you did.

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I thought I was hearing things when the guy said he was going to a fancy dress party dressed as Superman and he needed my help. I said I didn’t think saving the world was part of a speechwriter’s remit.. He explained that his hostess wanted all the guests to wear fancy costume and to give a short speech about Cleopatra or Napoleon or whoever he or she had chosen to be. I explained that I though someone like Napoleon would have a better story to tell but he insisted he wanted to be Superman. Furthermore he added “I think it would be better if I said a poem because nobody else will do that.” I had to rack my brains on this one but by comparing Superman’s dual personality with that of a guest dressed as Superman I was able to make a start on the poem. Instead of saving the planet his job this time was to save the guests from boredom. I made it an action poem. He was to stand on a table and there he could dispense with his glasses, point to his elegant tights and whirl his cloak. He ended by jumping from the chair and vanishing from sight to deal with yet another crisis,the gatecrashers who threatened to ruin the party. He scored ten out of ten for trying.

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It’s easy to talk about birthdays. Candles and cakes are generic but what about the person you are toasting? He or she is unique and your speech should be too. It should mention his/her traits and attributes, talk about his/her activities and generally make the party boy or girl feel very special indeed. In other words your speech should be a one off.

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