How to Write a Moving Farewell Speech
You look at the colleague/boss/friend that you were used to every day for years, and now you know what? He is about to leave! It is time to say goodbye. It is an emotional time, and some tears could even roll down your cheeks uncontrollably. How do you write a goodbye speech?
A farewell speech for boss or colleague will be embedded in the minds of the person leaving and audience for years. Therefore, you want to have nothing but the best. Here, we are going to tell you how to craft a moving exit speech.
Table of Contents
What Is A Farewell Speech?
A farewell speech is a form of going away speech given by a person that details their experiences within a particular position or place. Although it has elements of optimism, the speech usually has a somber tone that chronicles their contributions and encounters during a particular time.
There are particular situations where farewell speeches are given. It is usually both an acknowledgment and goodbye speech.
For farewell speeches, it is mostly common amongst leaders, politicians, colleagues, students, teachers or anyone that has held a position at a particular time. They are considered the last part of paying respect to a place that has witnessed one’s growth within a particular time.
To know what to say in a farewell speech, you will have to reach back into lived experiences and times as well as hinting on the circumstances that have resulted in the leaving. Also, when it comes to what to say in a farewell speech, always know that the best farewell speech comes from the heart and speaks to truth.
How To Start Farewell Speech
In every type of writing, there is always one thing that abides to all of them and it’s sincerity. When writing a farewell speech, the first thing to have at the back of the mind is that your speech must be based on sincerity. This is how the best speeches are made.
A good farewell speech captures the attention and emotion of readers and remains embedded in their minds for a long time. While this is primary for farewell speeches, other points on how to start farewell speech include:
- Speak in a somber tone: The tone of every piece of writing is important. When writing your farewell speech, pay attention to the tone. Your tone will reflect your intent better than anything else.
- Speak clearly: Avoid being vague in a farewell speech. For clear reading and understanding, make your sentences as clear as possible by making it concise and sticking to simple and familiar words.
- Speak with Conviction: Your readers can only be moved by your words when it is rooted in firm belief.
- Add a little story: Storytelling is important in writing. To captivate your audience, you can tweak the beginning part of your speech to fit into a storytelling format related to the speech.
Characteristics Of Great Farewell Speeches
When crafting a going away speech, there are some characteristics that it should include. If you analyze some of the best farewell speeches, you will notice several characteristics;
- Sincerity: Here, you are talking from the depth of your heart by expressing the magnificence of your stay with the person leaving. While it is true that speech does not focus on negative things, it does not lie.
- Brevity: When crafting a farewell speech to boss or colleague, you need to be concise and precise. No need to beat around the bush!
- Positivity: Unlike other types of writing, the ideas you express in a farewell speech for friends need to be positive. Consider highlighting the successful undertakings about different projects you worked on together. If you must capture the failures, do it positively. Also, strike a notion of hope for the person who is leaving. Tell him/her why you believe the future holds better things.
Best Structure For Farewell Speech
So, how to write a farewell speech? Now that we have looked at the top characteristics for writing a top farewell speech for colleague or boss, you might be wondering; “What is the best structure to use?”
- Start by brainstorming the positive things you should say and pen them down. These ideas are the ones you will expound on to make the entire speech. Use suitable words to start paragraphs. Consider three to six main points.
- Start by working on a draft farewell speech at work. Expand on each point or idea in a different paragraph. Where necessary, consider throwing some examples and even statistics. For example, mention that 300% growth in sales that you hit after the departing boss introducing a new marketing strategy.
- Craft a short ending. This should summarize the main points that you have highlighted in the farewell speech to coworker or colleagues. Make sure to wish him luck.
- Write a brief introduction and place it at the start of the speech. The introduction aims to grab the attention of the audience. Here, do not look for complex words. Instead, go for a joke or an icebreaker. Note that you do not need to get a lot of pressure trying to work on the introduction first. Instead, you should consider working on the introduction after completing the farewell speech.
To learn more about writing great speeches, make sure to read other top retirement speeches for boss, colleagues, or friends.
Great Tips For Crafting Speech For Boss, Colleague Or Friends
When writing a farewell speech to your colleagues or boss, you want them to understand that the time you had together was invaluable. Also, you want to mention that it was an important mark that will remain forever embedded in your life. Therefore, here are some great tips to consider, from our best homework writers:
- Because people love to listen to stories, go ahead and tell them one. It will be a great break from the formal relationship that you had. If you can, you could even sing a stanza of a great song!
- Tell the people about the impact of leaving. How does it feel? It is sad, right? Express it in words.
- Go ahead and present a gift to the person who is leaving. Think of something that impresses the person who is leaving. It can be anything. If he loves riding a bike on weekends, get him a great mountain bike, a T-shirt with his name, or a trophy.
- Ensure that the ideas are logically organized to make it easy to transition from one point to another when reading.
- Include funny anecdotes about the times you had together with your boss or colleague. Think of the unique times when it was really amazing. This will rekindle the flames of the great times you had together. If your friend who is leaving was in the army, consider reminding him of the difficult times you spent in the mountains of Afghanistan, and how he helped you after getting shot in the field. Make it personal!
- Ensure that the speech is not too long. In most of the cases, it should be a Four-eight paragraph thing.
- Rehearse your farewell speech well before the final day. This will help you to internalize the points before reading in-front of your colleagues.
Does this make it simple to write a great farewell speech? Often, many people get overwhelmed by goodbye speeches such as resignation speeches. If you find yourself in this situation, you are not alone. The best thing to do is seeking expert speech writing help. These are professional writers who specialize in crafting top farewell speeches for colleague or retirement speeches for boss. It is one moment that you cannot afford to get things wrong. Therefore, let an expert write the farewell speech for boss or friend for you!
Farewell Speech Examples
To help you understand how to write a great farewell speech to colleague, we are now going to give you a sample that you can refer to. You can also contact our English experts who can help you with writing.
Sample Colleague Farewell Speech
Good afternoon to all of you. We are all gathered in this farewell party of Mr. Jordan Jackson, my Sales Department Head. As we all appreciate, Jackson has been one of our best, and my dearest colleague in this company. You have been outstanding in our office for the four years you have worked here. It is very sad to say that Jackson, you are leaving us today for another chapter in your life.
It is a great thing that you are moving to a bigger opportunity abroad, but it is a great loss to us. We will forever miss you. Being the head of the sales department in which I am based, I want to say something here.
I remember the day when you joined the sales office as a junior officer. But your commitment and hard work made you grow and become the deputy manager in just one year. And, in the subsequent year, you were the departmental head. Your growth was enviable to all of us in the department and the entire organization. And to those who doubted your capability, everything was laid bare in summer last year when our boss left after appointment in the office of the Prime Minister. You were selected the acting CEO for ten months. This period, our company reported an increase in production of 11% while sales grew by 17%. This is the magic of Jackson.
Jackson has made the sales department the most organized unit in the company. For two years in a row, the sales department was awarded the most improved department in the company. When we set the targets, Jackson would do everything to get them. Imagine leaving work at 3 am? That was a common thing for Jackson. That is what it took to make the sales department great.
Finally, I cannot fail to mention the after lunch coffee in the cafeteria we had with Jackson every day. Jackson always insisted that you need your mind sharp to grab a sales opportunity when it presents itself. What a workmate? What a colleague? But, now you are going away. I say again, all the things we did will forever remain embedded in my mind.
Goodbye friend. I wish you all the best.
Thank you.
Need To Write A Farewell Speech But Need Help?
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