sample speech for year end party

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How to Give Your Year End Speech

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Your year end speech is probably one of your big concerns right now. Yes, you know how to give office party speeches . You have yours nailed and that's all ready for this week's office party. But, the small matter of your end of year summary is still pressing.

How To Give Your Year End Speech

Typically, when you think of an end of year speech you imagine Heads of State or Government. The Queen's speech is typically Christmas themed, A Kim Jong-un New Year speech isn't filled with much bonhomie and a politician's New Year speech is often a chance for a new beginning . They hope.

What's In Your Speech?

So what is it to be with your speech this year? What will you do?

Well, your task is different. It's more personal for one. That's probably because you will have to look your audience in the eye. Both on the day of your speech and for the rest of the year!

Your speech is also more likely to be more informal. An impromptu speech , perhaps.

But, don't be fooled. Because your speech might look impromptu, but you will need to commit time and effort beforehand.

What Goes in Your Year End Speech?

The contents for your special speech could well include:

Major Achievements Of The Year
Important Relationships Or Contracts
New Distribution Partners
Expansion Into New Markets
New Members Of The Team And Farewells
Sponsorship, Charitable Giving And Work In The Community
Awards And Recognition

So much of this might well be labelled a SWOT analysis. Fair enough, that might well be true. But, your task is not to bore for Britain with your year end speech. You want your speech to be as uplifting and positive as possible.

It's true, there might well be metaphorical clouds on the horizon. And, of course, you are entitled to say so. But, then explain, positively, how your team and your products and services for example are more than a match for anyone. So, be uplifting with your words.

Why You Need To Give An End Of The Year Speech

Your year end speech aims to rally your team for the exciting year ahead. A new year that's obviously filled with new opportunities and challenges. So,

Set The Tone For The Year Ahead
Set The Pace For The New Year
Define The Mood For The Year
Recognise The Commitment Of One And All

A question that's often asked is, "when should I give my year end speech?"

Seriously, When Should You Give Your Speech?

Yes, seriously, it does get tricky at this time of year. You have the holidays ahead and people are already taking their annual holiday entitlement. Therefore, it's best done well before the big getaway .

And the mechanics of your year end speech? Well, everyone has a favoured way of doing it.

But a favourite of mine is a speech that's planned for early afternoon, perhaps an hour or two after lunch. And make sure that everyone knows that after the event, it's "going home time". No gradual drift back to desks or work stations.

Because it's meant to be relaxed, aim to serve some refreshments. And then you should speak for about 20 to 25 minutes maximum. Then take questions. That's a given, because you will get questions.

You can finish off with more refreshments, hot and cold food or mince pies. You get the idea. Because this is an important event. Your year end speech will help to set the tone, the pace and, of course, the overall mood for your team next year.

Happy Christmas, everyone.

You can always ask us to arrange a one to one coaching session when you need to get ready for your year end speech. Please don't hesitate to get in touch when the time is right.

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PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff

How to Give a Short Speech at a Celebratory Festive Event

By Paul Carroll , Toastmasters International

With the end of the year approaching rapidly it means year-end events, parties and other celebratory get-togethers. This may mean you have to give a speech, perhaps short and off-the-cuff or longer and prepared. If you’re a business owner or manager, or perhaps you’re receiving an achievement award, you may well find that you are expected to say a few words.

If you know in advance that you’ll be speaking, you’ll have time to prepare but it is worth preparing to say a few words even if you might not be called upon. It helps to have your thoughts and reflections on the year in a handy well-organised form.

Reaching your audience’s emotions is necessary because it produces results. Martin Luther King didn’t have a spreadsheet. He had a dream of justice for all. He was the master of pathos – appealing to and connecting with the emotions and reaching people’s hearts (also known as ‘pathos’).

Pathos is what we need for a successful speech or ‘few words’ to colleagues and friends. Let’s look at how you can best achieve this and give the perfect short speech for the occasion.

The Overview of What You Want to Say

In any speech for an occasion, your easy prep guide is:

Your association with the event (setting the tone of the occasion and why you’re the person speaking)
Three points on the importance (or specialness) of the occasion. The first point may be serious or reflective, but at least the last one should be a humorous or light-hearted anecdote
Finish with a toast which summarises the occasion.

Talk About Shared Experiences

Shared experience is the basis of bonding for a group of people. This can be a serious thing (those who escaped from the Twin Towers on 9/11 when many friends didn’t) but it can also be non-serious. I mention this because one of the oft-overlooked aspects of pathos is humour.

If you’re called upon to say a few words at the office Christmas Party, it’s not the time for the heavy experiences. Nor is it the time for I-climbed-the-metaphorical-mountain inspiration. You can remind your audience of a metaphorical mountain you all climbed together, but I recommend getting right back to the fun stuff.

While this is not limited to the festive season, it’s particularly relevant now.

Why does a business have a Christmas party, or a leaving do for a retiring colleague or someone taking maternity leave? It’s not something the business sells to customers. It’s not a profit centre. It’s a cost. If they want to lavish money on you, they could add it to a year-end bonus and let you spend it on yourself. Why would your department have a celebratory dinner after you’ve completed a big deal? Again, the cost of that could be put into your pay.

But that would not achieve what a group celebration achieves: bonding of the group. When you make an appeal to your audience’s emotions through speaking about a common experience then you bring everyone together.

What Will You Find Funny?

Of course, what’s funny to a group who experienced it might not seem so rib-tickling to anyone outside the group, which is why examples of this kind of thing normally don’t seem funny–but rather nerdy–to outsiders. There’s a saying people sometime use when a funny line fails to draw laughter: “You had to be there”. This may be cliché, but for speakers reaching out to an audience it’s very true.

You can test my theory with this experiment. Tell a group of friends from outside your workplace the funniest incident you can recall happening at work. Or, tell a group of (non-fishing) colleagues something hilarious that happened on the expedition with your fishing buddies. The lack of common experience will mean they won’t see the humour, even though it’s obvious to you.

Impromptu Speaking

When I worked for a bank, I went to the retirement dinner of a colleague from a counterpart bank. The chap who gave the prepared talk was warm, funny, and gave us a good reminder of Jack’s cool calm during a 1987 financial crisis. After that, several of us were asked to say a few extemporaneous words.

After the others, I related a story of going along with Jack on a charity golf outing which his bank had sponsored. As we were setting off in the motor-carts, a steward came running from the clubhouse to say that they had a problem with Jack’s car, which they wanted to move, and they’d misplaced the set of keys he’d given them.

“Call Avis!” he cried, puttering off. Now, if you didn’t know the way Jack concentrated his attention on his clients then this story wouldn’t be funny at all. But it brought the house down, both among the dozen people who’d been at the golf club and with the hundred or so more who hadn’t been there but who knew Jack.

Preparing for an Off-the-cuff Speech!

It may sound strange, but if you’re going to a company event (particularly a year-end party) it’s a good time to prepare what to say whether or not you’re not called upon to speak. You might just offer a toast of your own to a half dozen people around you.

You can prepare to speak impromptu! Reflect on events and try to recall something outstanding. Remember, you can express your own point of view. If someone else mentions the same event as you do, you can talk about it from your perspective. How did the people closest to you work through it? Your audience will then share in a broader, richer accounting.

Include Essential Detail Only

Think of this analogy to a TV drama. Shows about doctors, lawyers, police etc. don’t show the humdrum and routine elements of the job. Was there ever an entire episode of Suits where a paralegal sat at a table covered in documents and looked through them trying to find important points? For the hour? No. All you see is the “Aha! Got it!” moment

There’s nothing wrong with this. My point is that you must use a bit of shorthand and cut events down to a few elements which establish the context, followed by the interesting part you want to remind your audience about.

When you’re reminding colleagues of that time leaflets had been printed to send to clients about “market volitility ” and strategies for dealing with it, and an intern (with English as a third language) pointed out that “volatility” is misspelled (on the front cover no less), what details do you add and which ones do you leave out?

I thought it was funny (later, much later) that nobody had read the front cover and that the intern (who normally didn’t speak up) pointed it out. Correcting a spelling error “in his third language” was the icing on the cake whenever I retold this story.

Emotional Connection

Celebrations are not the time to share data analysis. In this situation emotional connection is what counts. Spend some time pondering on what you’ll say. Use stories and humour (pathos) that your audience will respond to. That way you’ll share the emotion and feel a genuine sense of celebration.

Members follow a structured educational program to gain skills and confidence in public and impromptu speaking, chairing meetings and time management. To find your nearest club, visit Toastmasters International .

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Filed Under: Guest Posts Tagged as: Guest Post , Paul Carroll , Public Speaking , Speaking , Toastmasters

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The Master Communicator Blog

How to deliver your best holiday speech.

Holiday time is here as we count down to the end of 2023. Office parties and gatherings come with many opportunities for leaders to deliver the appropriate words to set the celebratory mood, unite everyone and build momentum for the year ahead. Holiday speeches and toasts have evolved into something of a verbal souvenir. They are something people take home as a sort of remembrance of the moment.

Whether you’re the designated speaker or the toastmaster of the festivities, a well-crafted speech can uplift spirits and rally people around a common cause. If you are in person or virtually for remote teams, your remarks should be upbeat, positive, and focused on the collective WE, and most importantly, brief.

The theme sets the tone of your speech and creates the throughline that connects everything you say, creates coherence, and makes your words memorable. What is your intention? What do you want your audience to remember? How do you want them to feel after you have spoken?

You can’t afford to wing it no matter if you are the boss, a department head, or a team leader charged with delivering the remarks. Planning, practicing, and writing it down in advance will make your remarks more relevant, resonant, and easier for you to deliver.

Here’s your guide to crafting the perfect holiday speech that will leave your colleagues feeling warm and festive.

1. Keep it brief

How long should it be? If you are making a speech, it should be no more than five minutes. That’s about 750 words given the average rate of speech of 125 to 150 words per minute. The secrets to a good speech are relevance and brevity , which most people find daunting. Brevity takes time and requires surgical removal of what doesn’t serve your throughline.

If you are doing a holiday toast, aim for a length of two to three minutes, allowing enough time to convey your message without overtalking and risking boredom. Designing your content in three-parts provides a structure on which to build your remarks: a) Why we are here. b) Thank you and acknowledgements. c) What lies ahead.

2. Know your audience

Before you start drafting your remarks, take a moment to consider the diverse group of individuals in your organization and their physical locations. Contemplate the various holiday traditions and celebrations that people may observe. A thoughtful and inclusive speech or toast respects everyone’s background and fosters a sense of unity. Remember to keep the focus on them and keep the ratio of “You-to-I” references high (more YOU than I).

3. Start with gratitude

Express your gratitude for the hard work and dedication of the team throughout the year. Acknowledge the challenges everyone has faced and conquered together. A sincere appreciation sets a positive tone and reminds every member of the organization of the collective efforts that make the company a great place to work.

4. Inject humor and vivid language

Lighten the atmosphere with a touch of humor. Share a lighthearted anecdote without putting anyone on the spot. Use colorful, vivid language that will energize your message. Take a verbal time-out from the pressures of the business and keep company jargon to a minimum.

5. Reflect on achievements

Take a moment to reflect on the team’s accomplishments and successes over the past year. Recognizing and celebrating small and big wins fosters a sense of pride and camaraderie. It’s an opportunity to highlight the collective impact of everyone’s hard work. Spread the praise evenly so no one feels left out or ignored.

6. Look forward with optimism

Inspire members of your organization by expressing optimism for the future. Share your hopes and aspirations for the upcoming year, both personally and professionally. A forward-looking perspective can instill a sense of purpose and motivation as the team heads into the new year.

7. Deliver with warmth and sincerity

Apply the verbal and non-verbal communication cues that signal sincerity. Use vocal variety and intonation. Deliver slowly and pause at intervals. Smile, keep good eye contact, gesture appropriately to add warmth and authenticity to your words.

Remember, the goal of your holiday speech or party toast is to uplift and unite your colleagues and employees in celebration. With a thoughtful and inclusive approach, your words can set the stage for a joyful and memorable year ahead.

And if you are challenged by the small talk that accompanies office parties, you may find solace in this Master Communicator Blog from last year: Talking tips to survive your holiday parties. Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, these pro tips will help you overcome feeling awkward and shine as a communicator.

Rosemary Ravinal

Business leaders and entrepreneurs who want to elevate their public speaking impact, executive presence, and media interview skills come to me for personalized attention and measurable results. I am recognized as America’s Premier Bilingual Public Speaking Coach after decades as a corporate spokesperson and media personality in the U.S. mainstream, Hispanic and Latin American markets. My company’s services are available for individuals, teams, in-person and online, and in English and Spanish in South Florida and elsewhere.

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