Retirement Speech
Retirement parties are not always a fun event. People attend the parties out of obligation and respect for the person who has reached the end of their career and are not usually excited to be attending. The retiree is facing a complete change in their life and may not always be completely happy with the idea of retirement. As a whole a party has the potential to be a boring and depressing event. One way to insure a successful party is for the retiree to give a great speech. There are several things to think about in planning the speech and several ways to make the speech enjoyable and memorable for the listeners. With some careful thought and planning the speech can be as successful as the career of the person retiring and will be a great finish to a lifetime commitment. Keys To Success The first thing the speech maker needs to remember is to make the speech simple and personal. The speech giver should be them self and not attempt to put on airs or be overly impressive. People attending the party are well aware of the personality and identity of the retiree and will not be fooled by an elaborate speech. The speech should be an extension of

the person retiring and should simply convey the thoughts of the speaker. The speech should also incorporate a bit of humor. Of course there are people who are incapable of telling a joke or funny story but it is nice for a person to tell something humorous from the past years spent in their career. This type of story is also a good way for a person to share something they learned over the years or to express gratitude for those who contributed to their career. The speech should also be kept to just a few minutes with a maximum of twenty minutes being adhered to. It has been proven many times that people have limited attention spans and will be most apt to hear and remember something communicated in short amount of time. People are glad to hear the speaker share some key thoughts but do not want to hear a rambling discourse. Once the speech has been written the speaker should have an honest friend or relative listen to it one time prior to the event. The friend can give some insight as to possible changes or omissions that need to be made. The person can also offer encouragement to a person who is not used to making speeches and is intimidated by the thought of speech making.