They are gone but they are still with you. The members of your staff retirement association will soon gather for that annual seasonal dinner. It’s a social occasion of course so what you say cannot be boring, dull or lengthy. Yet they will be those present who have worked for the firm for forty years and who still take a keen interest in the goings on of the company or corporation. They want to hear how it is succeeding in these recessionary times and you have to tell them. Remember their pension might not run to reading the Financial Times. It’s appropriate too to welcome them and to urge them to mix and match with old colleagues and friends. This is one gathering of staff that doesn’t have to be motivational but it is a big day in their lives. So tell them that it is they who have built up the company and that they did a marvellous job. Don’t forget, of course, to wish them the compliments of the season.

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In tough times benevolent societies really come into their own. That’s why they have so many functions at this time of the year. They know that members of their own profession or trade need their help and dinners, dances and shows are ways of raising the funds necessary to assist them. They know only too well that but by the grace of God they too could be struck down with illness or disability. So they are sympathetic and understanding and very discreet about the problems people face. Someone will speak at such functions mentioning the necessity for funds without specifying who is in need. Most of us like to help those with whom we have worked or who were associated with our work. We enjoy a good night out and the fact that we are helping others gives it the plus factor. The word benevolent conjures up a picture of a Santa like figure bestowing largesse. Whatever he or she may look like we can be sure that those in need are very grateful for his or her kindness and understanding. As the saying goes “It could happen to anyone.”

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“Let’s get together again” goes the refrain of an old song. It might be a suitable motto for a family reunion. We live in an age where family members often live at a long distance from each other. Busy lifestyles mean they don’t see one another very often. That’s a shame because when all is said and done family is important. They are usually there for us when others desert us. The tie of blood is a strong one. Whether you are meeting again for Thanksgiving or for your grandmother’s birthday doesn’t matter as long as you do get together. Such a reunion is a time for catching up on family affairs. It’s a time to say “Well done on passing examinations” or “Have you any photos of the new baby? It’s a time to say, “Tell me about the new job” or “I hear Mary has got engaged”. Families do meet for funerals of course but isn’t it much better to meet on a happier occasion? So lift the phone and make that arrangement. You will be strengthening those ties and probably having a good time too.

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The power of a good speech is often underestimated. After all a speaker can cajole, persuade, or move an audience. It can coax them to a certain way of thinking. A speaker can brighten up lives with a funny story. He can be responsible for raising funds for a needy cause. He can persuade people that doing something can be wrong or that they should be doing something else. A speech can, quite literally, change lives. That does not mean that the average speech given at a wedding or a birthday party will change the world but it can certainly give happy memories. A speech should put thoughts into words and perhaps those words will ensure action. They can be used to congratulate graduates or to commiserate with those who have been bereaved. They can motivate staff and inspire students. So whatever the occasion or whoever you are addressing always remember the power of speech.

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It’s 9/11 now but the ceremonies will go on all weekend. If you want to speak you want your speech to be slightly different. You will, like everyone else, have to speak of the horrors of that dreadful day. You will speak of ongoing grief and bravery of the uniformed forces. You will mention the courage of those who suffer daily and the way people have managed to get on with their lives. Your speech, though, should also question values and a way of life that made other people from another culture do such a terrible thing. You will ask what could have been done to prevent the terror or what should be done to prevent it happening ever again. You will have to ask the hard question “Are we ourselves at fault?” It’s a question nobody seems to want to answer but it has to be asked and answered.

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A thesaurus is probably the biggest help to any speechwriter. It can help you, you see, to avoid using the same words repeatedly. Anyone who has listened to someone who does that knows how boring and frustrating it is to listen to it. So by changing your words you can make your speech more interesting and descriptive. If you are describing a man as being the epitome of good manners you can also say he is the embodiment of such manners. In books characters often say something but they can also exclaim or announce the same thing. Instead of just scolding someone you can berate, blame or bring them to book. There is just one problem with using that thesaurus. Unless you are very disciplined you will find that you are browsing, that is, dipping into, examining cursorily or flipping through it. In other words you will forget what you were looking for in the first place. It will be like those old newspapers you start reading when you are clearing out the attic. Both they and the thesaurus will enthral, fascinate and mesmerize you.

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Persuasive speeches can change lives. After all you can, by what you say, persuade someone that volunteering can be fun, to make the most of now or that dyslexics are anything but dumb. These are, of course, only examples. Your persuasive speech can cover any subject under the sun. Your choice of speech should, preferably, be determined by your beliefs. Otherwise you would be like a debater who has to speak against his convictions. A good persuasive speaker feels that something is either right or wrong and persuades his audience accordingly. It’s good to have facts to back up your beliefs. If you are speaking against drink driving for instance knowing the statistics for those killed would make your message more powerful. That is not to say that you should give loads of statistics in your speech. Examples are far easier to understand. So you should say that in the next ten years one of the people in the room is likely to be killed by a drunken driver. That should hit home. So persuade them by showing them all the advantages of what you suggest. That’s the secret of a good persuasive speech.

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How do you sell a school? That’s the challenge facing head teachers at the beginning of every new academic year. At their parent teacher openhouse meetings they have to persuade those parents that their particular school offers the ideal solution to a child’s schooling needs. That’s not easy because there are lots of schools offering more or less the same education and the speaker has to get across the idea that theirs is best. It is better to concentrate on the needs of students rather than on the school itself. Parents want to be convinced that the special attributes of their particular son or daughter will be recognised and their talents encouraged. Of course you do have to say what the school offers academically but every parent wants their child’s own particular needs met. So while you speak of the professionalism of the staff, the subjects on offer and the great facilities you should stress the personal issues too. You should speak of offering a rounded education with lots of extra curricular activities. You should speak too of how problems are dealt with promptly at the school. In other words you should offer the parents the confidence of knowing that their child will be more than just a number that they will get the personal attention they deserve. So the message you should be getting across is that in selling your school you are really offering a very personal educational service.

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The world is definitely divided into two halves. Just now there is a drought in Africa where thousands of people are starving to death simply because there is no water for their cattle or crops. Much of the drought can be attributed to climate change and we are responsible for that with our wasteful ways. We are spending millions on those suffering from obesity while those Africans are like walking skeletons. We are too lazy to cook and instead grab junk food. We are too lazy to walk or cycle and so we use precious oil instead. If those Africans lived in Kansas instead of Kenya we might amend our ways. Certainly we would be doing something to help them. We would be researching drought resistant crops. We would be much further in developing wind and water as alternatives to nuclear power and to the use of oil. We would be studying ways of dealing with climate change and pollution. We might even be using the money spent on obesity on feeding starving children instead. We would certainly be putting pressure on our Government to bring about action for change rather than just giving aid. The way that Ozone layer is vanishing our crops and our cattle could be next to die.

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Nurses are often described as angels. When one attends a pinning ceremony though you know that there calling is an earthly one. They are total professionals in their approach to caring and curing and they have proven it by qualifying as fully trained nurses. When speakers are addressing a pinning ceremony they should take this professionalism into account. They should speak of the fact that not one of us can ever be sure when we will need the services of such professionals. They should speak of the challenges and the rewards of nursing as a career. It is good too to mention the opportunities that are available worldwide for nurses either in the developed world or, indeed, the third world. The speeches might speak too of how, despite brilliant technical advances, nursing will always remain a people focused career. So congratulate those who have studied so hard and who care so much for others. They may not actually be angels but for those sick and in sorrow they may appear to be so.

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