Retirement means a whole new start in life. It is a time of opportunity as well as change. Sadly many retirement speeches speak only of the past and simply wish the retiree a mundane happy retirement. How much better if such speeches were motivational in tone, speaking of the abilities of the retiree. Naturally his or her working skills should be mentioned. Certainly his or her loyalty to the firm and many friendships there should also be mentioned. The retiree’s special contribution to the company should also definitely be included. Nonetheless the speech should refer to the future in glowing terms. Far too often such speeches make it seem as though the retiree is a “Has been” instead of someone who will now have the time to take on the world. Words expressing optimism and hope should form a central part of the speech. The theme should be what he or she is going to do and should express the envy of those left behind. If you are presenting a gift you should do so and then toast the retiree with a personal toast that says, “Here’s to a future that is even more satisfying, more exciting and more fulfilling than your past.”

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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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Most of us value our friends although we may not express our appreciation of them publicly. Yet what better way to show what they mean in our lives than by telling others how important they are to us? You might, for instance, take a friend’s 50th birthday party as the ideal opportunity to say how much he or she means in your life. What about a wedding anniversary? Your toast to the couple could express how much you value them as friends. The same applies on a wedding day of course. You might express your good wishes as a friend of the family or as a friend of the bride or groom. If a friend is retiring a good friend should wish him or her well in that retirement and express the hope that their friendship with you will continue. Graduation time is yet another time when we can express our feelings for our friends. Giving a eulogy for a friend is probably the last act of friendship you can make. Whatever the occasion take the opportunity to talk about friendship and how important it is. Friends, make them and keep them by letting them and everyone else know just how important they are to you.

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Many military officers are coming and going. They are leaving their command or joining another. When they do they usually want to say a few words about their feelings on the occasion. They may, for instance, have served in battle and want to express their admiration for their troops who were so brave under fire. They may simply be taking up another command in another country. If so they might want to speak of the challenges that lie ahead. It could be that they want to explain that those troops are going as representatives of their country which will be judged by them. Being a commanding officer is a privilege but without their troops they cannot amount to anything. Usually they will recognise this and speak of the contribution made by such troops. They will praise them of course and perhaps speak of a shared mission or incident. Their speeches will be motivational in tone and of course, refer graciously either to the previous officer or the one who will be taking over the command. Such speeches should be short and sincere and leave those listening feeling proud and patriotic.

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Wedding speeches don’t have to be given by the best man. The father of the bride does not have to speak at the wedding meal. It’s a day to express love and best wishes, of course, but these can be expressed by anyone at the wedding. The mother of the bride, for instance, might want to speak on behalf of her husband or on her own behalf. The son of the bride might be giving her away and wish to speak. A relative of the bride might like to express his thoughts on the day or a friend or peer of the couple might want to say a few words. No matter who speaks though the thoughts and feelings are the same. They want to wish the couple every happiness in their future lives. They may choose to give a bit of light-hearted advice to the couple or tell a tale about the courtship or about either the bride or groom as children. It’s important, of course, that the speaker remembers that a wedding is a family occasion so smutty jokes are taboo. Other than that, though, they can express, each in his or her own way how much they love the bride or the groom and how much they are enjoying the wedding. Whoever gives the speech should end it with an appropriate toast.

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Mothers are precious but how often do we tell them so? For one thing many of us live miles away from home so we don’t see them as often as we would like. Our lives are so busy and we find it hard to find time for our nuclear families, never mind our parents. Then too while we would do anything we can for our mothers we are not usually vocal about how much we love them. Yet if anyone says anything nice about us we always remember it and think highly of those who knew a good thing when they saw one. Your mother is the same. She too would love to hear you expressing your feelings for her publicly and her birthday is the ideal time to do so. Whether it is your mother’s 50th birthday or her 90th birthday take it as an opportunity to tell her she is special to you and that you love her. Such a speech will really make her day.

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Most pupils have a favourite teacher. Quite often, though, they don’t express their appreciation of the work of that teacher. They don’t say “Thank you” when leaving the school but they should. Think of the training a teacher has to do. Think of the interest a good teacher takes in his or her pupils. Consider how much time and effort they put into helping and encouraging their pupils. Manners really matter and expressing gratitude is good manners. Very often in later years the student will think back and mention what a wonderful teacher they had. That’s fine but it would have been much nicer to actually tell them that to their face. So give a little speech of thanks or frame a poem saying just how much you learnt in the class. You’ll be glad you did and so will the teacher in question.

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What can you do to make your business succeed? Every business is different, of course, but one of the things most have in common is having a staff. The success of that business is largely reliant on that staff. That is why it is so important to motivate and encourage those who work for you. That is why it is so important to listen to what they may suggest. That is why it is up to managers and C.E.O.’s to make that staff feel appreciated. Staff motivational speeches are often given at Christmas or at company’s annual dinner. Don’t forget though that the anniversary of a business is also an appropriate time to have a celebration and to tell staff members how important they are to the company. In summertime a staff outing gives you the ideal opportunity to inspire them to even greater things. Even on a personal level a few words of appreciation can make all the difference. So take whatever opportunity you can to ensure your staff know that you believe in their loyalty and abilities. It can’t do any harm and it could help your business.

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A good Master of Ceremonies makes all the difference to any social occasion. In fact you could say that the M.C. is the oil that lubricates the event and makes go smoothly. It doesn’t matter if he is the M.C. for a wedding, an award ceremony or a concert. What is important is how he makes those present feel welcome and in the mood to enjoy or take part in that particular event. His welcome to those attending should, therefore, be warm and if he is welcoming guest speakers he should do so graciously. Naturally a good M.C. will do his homework about the occasion and people in question. He will know their attributes and background before introducing them. If he can add a topical touch to what he says so much the better. He should know what announcements have to be given during the event and so he should announce the cutting of the cake at the wedding for instance. If there is a break in proceedings such as at a concert he will make an announcement about where drinks are served and about the timing of the interval. At the end of the occasion he should thank all who have contributed to the occasion. Above all his farewell words should leave those present with a feeling of satisfaction. In other words a good M.C. ensures everyone goes home with that intangible feel good factor.

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Beer as well as burgers is the latest offering from some fast food outlets. That’s one sure way to add to the already fast growing number of people with obesity. Junk food is already a killer. Drink is a death warrant. Selling it alongside the everyday food of choice for thousands is one sure way to add to the hospital population. The fast food outlets are being hit by the recession and this is their way of fighting back. They may make more money but at what cost to people’s lives and to the medical system? Customers may have to produce their i.d. cards to prove they are of drinking age. If they cannot resist fries they are almost certainly not adult enough to be able to refuse beer with their burgers.

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