Each Club or society has its own protocol. If, however, you are an officer of such a club it’s quite likely that on some occasion you may have to give a speech. You might, for instance, be giving an incoming club officer‘s inaugural speech in a fraternal club or speaking as the outgoing President of a professional organisation. It’s possible that you may, as an official, be speaking at the opening of a clubhouse. Whatever the occasion your speech should sell your club or association to all those present.
This may seem unnecessary if they are already members of the club or society. Yet you are giving them a reminder of the work the club or association actually does. You are telling them what has been accomplished and what lies ahead. Your speech should make them proud to belong.
You should express how honoured you are to be speaking on such an occasion. If you are an incoming officer you should give thanks for being elected and say that you are conscious of the trust that is being placed in your abilities. You should outline your own dreams and plans for the future and what you hope to do. As an outgoing officer you should, of course, express your thanks to those who helped you in your work during your term of office. No matter what the occasion is a few gracious words of thanks to all those involved in running the club or association is absolutely essential. Basically such speeches are about what can be or what needs to be accomplished in the future. So your speech should be both positive and practical. Above all they should express your pride in being a member.

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Being an M.C. means that you have to set the tone for a particular function. It is up to you to welcome guests or delegates and give them that feel good factor. Your job is to create a spirit of anticipation ahead of a social event or conference.
Of course there are dozens of different kinds of functions and what you say depends on what they are. You might be welcoming guests to a function where the business person of the year is receiving an award. It could be that you have been asked to be an M.C. at a book launch. You might be giving a welcome to guests at a social function. No matter what the occasion is what you say is very important.
So give a warm welcome and make whatever is going to happen next sound promising. It is always good to be topical so make some mention of a topical event if you can. You are not a comedian but a light hearted remark or two will add to the occasion. Obviously it is essential that you give outany safety notices that are important or any details of what the audience has to do.
The Irish have a saying that a good start is half the business and so if you do your job as M.C. well the function is already half way to being a success. When it comes to closing the event you should comment on successful the occasion has been, thanks to the participation of the audience or delegates. You thank the participants and the organizers and express the wish that all those present will meet again at another such successful occasion. Finally you should wish all those listening a safe journey home. Finally remember that being a good M.C. is all about creating and maintaining the right atmosphere.

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We’re in a recession and we don’t really care about the environment we just want jobs. That’s the message the American people are giving President Obama according to opinion polls recently published. Environmental concerns came way down on the list.
We are very concerned about terrorism but fail to ask ourselves if we are fanning the flames of terrorism. Then too despite being concerned about crime we seem to fail to recognise that prison is not the only punishment for crime. We worry about energy but fail to recognise the fact that Nuclear Power – is a sensitive issue.
Health Care - Our costly crisis is even further down on our list of priorities although, in conscience it should be a huge concern to every right thinking person.
We also fail to recognize the fact that Immigrants and Illegal Aliens are a part of us. Despite the fact that the world has had huge hurricanes and earthquakes lately global warming comes way down on our list of priorities.
Isn’t it time we got those priorities right? Our very world is in danger and we don’t seem to care. It’s time we got our act together and dealt with climate change before we have no fresh water, no clean air and no possibility that any of our other concerns will matter. Besides, tackling those environmental problems will give those jobs we so desperately need. So let’s look at that list again and put the environment right where it matters most, at the top of the list.

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St. Patrick’s Day is almost upon us and Irish Government officials are flying to the four corners of the earth. They are going to represent Ireland abroad. They hope, by their visits, to increase trade and to awaken interest in Irish tourism. That’s a far cry from the real meaning of St. Patrick’s message to the Irish so long ago. It was he who brought Christianity to Ireland.  It was he who lifted the shamrock and explained that the three leaves on one stem represented the three people in one God. What has that to do with green porter and lavish parades?
The fact that the officials fly to so many places does show, though, the impact the Irish have had around the world. Whether those ministers go to Africa or American some Irishman or woman has been there before them. Today they may be bringing the latest technology but they have always brought caring and compassion to the poor and the deprived.  In that age old tradition of caring and Christianity today many of the volunteers in Haiti are Irish.
So  St. Patrick’s Day is a day to celebrate one’s Irishness.   It is a day to remember home and what it means. It is a day when Irish emigrants all over the world remember their roots. So if they celebrate with dinners and dances and drinks well it’s just because they are Irish and it’s their national feast day.

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Timing and topicality are two of the most important rules when giving a speech. Sometimes you are given a certain time for which you have to speak and if that is the case you speech should last the length you have been given. Radio stations use as a guideline 180 words a minute and so that is a useful guideline for the public speaker as well. Obviously some people will speak faster than others but it should be remembered that you should not talk too fast when giving your address. Of course you should not speak too slowly either or you will lose the attention of your audience.
It goes without saying that topicality is equally important and it helps a speech greatly if your audience recognises that your speech, whatever the topic, has some connection with a recent happening. If you are giving an informative speech on buttons, for instance, you might mention that the Parish collections showing just now have an emphasis on buttons this year. Mention of global warming or marine pollution can be added to most speeches nowadays because the environment is so topical and it affects us in every sphere of our lives. So it doesn’t matter if you are talking at a business conference or a resident’s association meeting you can link it to some environmental point. However if you are talking about a subject such as it pays to have passion a mention of someone who is known to be passionate about something will add to your speech. You might, for example, mention President Obama’s passion for the reform of the Health Service. Get the timing right and the topicality and you are well on the way to giving a speech that will make them sit up and take notice.

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Most of us have been told there is nothing new under the sun. That can make it awkward for speechwriters who are trying to write a speech. They may, understandably, feel that there is nothing new to be said at all.
A speech is a very personal  thing, though, and so, whatever the topic, they should write it from their own perspective. A business person may want to speak about innovation and with a clever twist of words he can say make innovation your business. In a time of recession he may want to take the angle companies don’t succeed in business people do.
A good speech is all about the angle you take and the perspective you have. If you are speaking about mirrors you should try to speak as thought you were explaining mirrors to someone living in a jungle who had never seen one. In other words you speech should not just state the obvious. It should intrigue.
If you are speaking about health instead of speaking about cancer or hearth disease why not speak about feet: a question of mutual support. It’s a more unusual topic and everyone has feet. A very good rule when writing a speech is to write one about something that applies to everyone in the audience.
Everything has not been said yet. You can choose to speak from your own heart or your own perspective. Get your message across - clear communications count.

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Being a valedictorian doesn’t necessary mean you will be a good public speaker. You may be an expert on ancient Greece but that won’t necessarily make you a Socrates. He, after, all was the one who said “To speak is easy, to speak well more difficult.
As a valedictorian your speech should reflect the fact that you are an excellent student. You need to have an opening that will catch the attention of your audience. You might decide to use a relevant saying or ask a question or state an unusual fact. You should, of course, mention your fellow students and how you studied together… You ought to give thanks where they are due, whether it’s to parents or guardians. Your speech should, however, always reflect on your own experiences in college and on the course from which you have graduated.
You may, for instance, be talking at a nursing graduation pinning ceremony. You may be a mature student who has achieved a lifetime’s ambition by graduating. Theology or Tourism may have been your area of interest. Whatever the subject like all graduates you will feel relief, excitement and a little apprehension about what lies ahead. Your speech should I reflect such feelings. Finally whatever you say or however you say it you should end your speech with a good luck wish to your fellow graduates.

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Most of us don’t write books or plays or even poetry. Yet lots of us are asked to speak at a wedding and that means, whatever our ability, that we must write a speech. It is important, therefore, to know what to say and how to say it. After all nobody will read a book at the wedding. It’s unlikely that anyone will stage a play. Someone may, admittedly, quote some poetry but it is usually a well known piece and not particularly relevant to the couple. At most weddings the speeches are the entertainment of the day and that is the challenge for the person who has been asked to speak.
Probably the most important thing to do is to do your homework. If you are the father of the bride you may feel you know your daughter well enough to speak about her. Jot down your thoughts and then consult your wife or other family members. You may find that you didn’t know your daughter as well as you thought. You did. If you are the best man exactly how much do you know about the bride and her parents? You will, naturally, wish to refer to them in your speech. If you are the groom you may speak glowingly about your lovely new wife but how much do you know about the bridesmaids?  You would, of course, want your toast to them to be memorable wouldn’t you?
Your speech doesn’t have to be long but it does have to be sincere and if it is professionally written it will definitely add to the day. So you should practise what you have to say until you know it by heart because, after all, on such an important day you should be speaking from the heart!

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It’s now legal for children to laugh in Berlin. The sound of children playing, like the sound of chapel bells has been deemed to be a legally acceptable noise.  The same does not apply yet to the rest of Germany. It’s a victory for Berlin’s parents, of course, but what kind of people object to the very natural sound of children playing? What kind of people have made it necessary for those running playschools to have to keep finding new places to play because of local complaints?
That is not to say that parents should not control their children if they are rowdy or too noisy. Maybe it’s a reflection on the fact that there are so many large playgroups. Could it be that those who complain believe, however sexist it may seem, that mothers should stay at home and control their own children?
Maybe they should think of what it would be like not to be able to hear those children playing at all. Deafness, the hidden illness affects many people who would love to hear any sound whatever it might be. Play is a natural part of growing up for our children. Without them it’s worth remembering we have no future.

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Best men aren’t all the same. The speeches they give on the wedding day should reflect this fact. Generally speaking the best man will be the brother or friend of the groom. However there are many others who may have to give that all important speech and who may be approaching the subject from a different angle. There is the best man who is the colleague of the groom. His speech will be different to that of a brother or friend who has known the groom for years. He will speak of the groom from the perspective of someone who knows him in his working life. The best man speeches where the groom is a lawyer may have legal terms in them. Nowadays too because of re-marriages the duties may be carried out by a best man who is the son of the groom.  Obviously he should be able to tell a few stories about the groom in his capacity as a parent.
Today too many grooms will choose a female best buddy instead of the equivalent male best man. As every man knows women see things differently and certainly her speech will reflect a different aspect of the groom than one given by a man. Military weddings can have a touch of pomp and ceremony and best man’s speeches for an army wedding will again be slightly different the best man will be speaking about a groom who is imbued with the spirit of loyalty and service to his country. There are thousands of weddings every year and lots of reasons why the speeches should be different. Make sure yours reflects your exact connection with the groom.

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