Retirement Speech Blog
Quotes in Retirement Speeches - Five Examples
Quotes can be very effective in any kind of speech but they have to support the content. On a site that I contribute to, a user recently asked for suggestions for “retirement quotes” to use in a speech for his retiring colleague. I replied that the topic of a retirement speech is not really retirement, it’s the colleague and what he or she brought to the organization.
1. Think about what the retiree meant to you.
2. Find quotes on that topic.
3. Find ways to integrate quotes.
Here are some examples, in this case I chose the topic “excellence”, looked for relevant quotes and then considered how I could integrate them into a speech.
Adding Humor to a Retirement Speech
Humor enjoys a top position in human society. More people are willing to pay for tickets at a movie theater to see a top comedy than a sad drama. Humorous emails are the most frequently sent type of communication today. You can add humor to retirement speeches, to lighten the mood, connect with the audience or honor a cherished colleague. However, if you go about it the wrong way, the entire thing can backfire on you. How should you add humor to a retirement speech?
10 Tips for Setting the Tone of Your Retirement Speech
If you are preparing a retirement speech to toast a colleague, it is important to use the right tone.
Here are 10 tips that should help you get the right tone for your retirement speech:
1. When expressing gratitude sincerely, it’s best to keep the tone conversational and casual; don’t be formal or pompous.
2. If you choose to use humor in your retirement speech, make it relevant.
3. When offering a retirement speech to celebrate someone’s retirement, ensure that you stay on topic. The event is about the retiree and their time with the company.
Use the Rule of Threes to Give Impact to Your Retirement Speech
Are you looking to write an retirement speech with impact? Use the Rule of Threes. The Rule of Threes is used not only in speeches to add emphasis, power and persuasiveness, but for the same reasons, is utilized in commercials and print advertisements. Three seems to be a magic number to people; three little pigs, three musketeers. The magic of three can even be applied to expressions- “stop, drop and roll”, “airway, breathing and circulation”, “eat, drink and be merry,” and “stop, look and listen.”
Let’s discuss how to incorporate the Rule of Threes into your retirement speech.
Brainstorming a Retirement Speech for your Colleague
Speechwriting can seem like a mysterious process, particularly when you are trying to brainstorm ideas for a retirement speech you need to give when a colleague retires. However, with a few tips, you can make the brainstorming process much simpler and more effective. What should you know about the process? What are your vital considerations in learning how to write a retirement speech?
Great Retirement Speech Example
"I can look around the room and I can tell a little story about everybody". I like the way that Marty Seifert makes his retirement speech about his colleagues more than about himself. At retirement time, people often realize that, their colleagues were more important to them than their job.