Hi there
I’ve done a lot of talking in front of groups of people, and had to do
several of these "leaving" speeches, and here are some guidelines from
my own experience. I’ll add a "bullet list" for your speech at the
end.
When making a speech, especially one to a group of people you know and
who might interrupt you and disturb your flow, you need to be
organised. Unless you organize your thoughts somehow, it will seem
disorganized and not make much sense to your audience. The way to
success is in the planning. Going into a presentation well prepared,
will reduce your nervousness and increase your own enjoyment of it.
Know your audience
______________________
In your case this is the easy bit, as you’ve known your PA for a long
time. The only other thing you have to consider is if it is just work
colleagues, or will your PAs friends and family be there as well? It
may effect how "risque" or friendly you are in the speech
Design an opening that will lead on smoothly to the rest
_______________________________________________________
Firstly tell your audience what the speech is about. Address it to
your PA herself, rather than to everybody .
You can keep it quite formal eg
"<..name here...>, we will all be sad to see you go, and I’d like to
take a few minutes to say just what you’ve meant to me/done for
me/done for the business over the past 15 years."
Or you could start with a joke or funny incident, as in "I remember
the time…. possibly slipping in a self-depreciating joke against
yourself that your PA was involved in (that always gets a laugh). Then
lead in to the first paragraph as above.
Follow with the main items
__________________________
I’d suggest keeping your speech to 3 or 4 main points - in these cases
people want the boss to say something nice, then they want him to shut
up so that they can get on with the party. :)
- Start with how you met, and maybe a few anecdotes about the early
days.
- Move on to how much help she has been over the years and talk a bit
about how she knows you and your job so well that she could probably
do it better than you. ( That always gets a laugh as well.)
- Make special reference to her computer skills, or anything else you
know she is especially proud of.
- Ponder about how you’re going to cope without her.
Ending the speech
_________________
- Close with a reference as to how she can now organise her
grandchildren’s life for them, rather than organising yours
- Does she have a favourite writer/TV show/movie? If so, maybe you
could work in a closing remark that contains a quote or allusion to
it? That usually gets a good response as well.
- And finally, thank her, and get on to presenting any gifts or
collections. It is usual for the office to give a gift, but in the
case of a PA that’s been with you so long, it is customary for you to
also give a gift from yourself. If there are drinks involved, propose
a toast to her.
If you are very nervous, try writing it all down in advance and
practice reading in front of a mirror, or in front of someone else you
trust. Make a short list of the bullet points below on a file-card or
similar small piece of paper for the speech itself.
But try not to read from the paper. Remember this is a gathering of
friends of your PA, and they’re not expecting a formal presentation
from you. Relax and be yourself. You might even enjoy it :)
Here are the bullet points to remember
OPENING
_______
- what the speech is about. Address it to your PA herself, rather than
to everybody . Maybe lead in with a joke against yourself
THE MAIN ITEMS
______________
- the early days.
- how much help she has been over the years
- Make special reference to her skills, or anything she is especially
proud of.
- how you’re going to cope without her.
Ending the speech
_________________
- reference to her grandchildren
- possible joke or allusion to a favourite book/TV show/movie/song.
- Thank her
- Gifts etc
If there's anything else, just ask for clarification
willie-ga |
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