How to write a welcome speech on farewell day
On farewell events, people reflect on the journey they have traveled to that point in time and the plans they have for the future. It is usually an emotional event that brings together two parties to celebrate their friendship and achievements. They invite their family, friends, colleagues, mates, etc. to witness their ceremony which is typically emotional. Farewell is centered on past interactions and future associations the two parties have had and the relationship they are looking forward to having. Various people are called upon to address the audience. Any speaker invited to deliver a speech on such occasions must prepare adequately. Though the speech is dependent on the occasion, it has a fundamental format and organization. The welcome speech for such an event is also critical to welcome and introduce the audience to the event. This article offers insightful information on how to write a great welcome speech on a farewell event.
Six tips on welcome speech writing
Focus on the audience
Ensure the content of the speech is relevant to the audience and presented in an understandable manner. Analyze the possible needs of the audience to avoid including boring and irrelevant information in the speech. Farewell speech ought to be interesting to the audience. However, the audience differs greatly from one event to the other. Therefore, take your time and understand what the audience expect and in what format, then prepare content consistent with their information needs.
Make it interesting
Using anecdotes, satire, irony, create a lively atmosphere to carry on with the speech. However, humor might not be important in all farewell occasions. You should not also overdo the humor in the speech. If the opening speech for the farewell occasion is boring, then the audience`s moods and alertness sinks and the audience will loose attention for the speech. The rest of the event would continually bore, and a large chunk of the audience would not listen to the contents of latter speakers.
Briefly, introduce the theme of the farewell party and welcome everyone to the event
The welcome part is supposed to make the audience feel they are at home. Let each member of the audience get acquainted with their environment. Ensure each member must feel invited and valued in the event. This is a key step to ensuring the audience listens to your message.
Avoid writing a lengthy introduction
A welcome to a farewell speech is meant to welcome the guests and familiarize them with the environment. It is unnecessary to deliver a lengthy at the start of the farewell event. Include the most important details about the farewell event and leave the rest. This is a way of ensuring the welcome farewell speech is concise. Write brief and clear sentences and paragraphs which convey the intended message. Lengthy introductions often lead to unnecessary details.
Recall some memorable moments you shared with the party being bid farewell
Since farewell is a reflection of past association. It is good to reflect on some memorable moments you had with the parties bidding farewell. Describe them if possible and show how far and important your relationship had grown. Such memories spice up your speech and capture the attention of the audience as they are likely guessing and imagining how things turned out for each short story in the past.
Write an outline in point form
A draft helps the speech writer to adhere to the main points. Failing to have an outline is likely to lead to forgetting of some of the main points the writer ought to have included in the article. The speech is also likely to be disjointed and non-coherent as the main points are scattered inside the essay without proper orderliness.
Outline example
Here below is an outline sample for a welcome farewell speech. It is featuring a 5- paragraph approach.
Introduction
- Briefly, introduce the party bidding farewell.
- Highlight the main features that led to your relationship
Main body
Paragraph 1:
- Highlight the memorable moments/ a brief history of the relationship between the two parties
Paragraph 2:
- What are the circumstances that led to the two parties bidding farewell to each other?
Paragraph 3:
- What does the future hold for the two parties bidding farewell to the other
Conclusion
- Wrap the main point of your essay
- Create a smooth transition to introduce the next speaker at the farewell party
