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Farewell Speech Examples: How to Say Goodbye with Grace

As much as we’d like our goodbyes — whether to a job, a loved one, or a chapter in our lives — to be extended and leave us with a lasting feeling of warmth and appreciation, that isn’t always the case.

A well-crafted farewell speech has the potential to turn any difficult goodbye into a fond farewell, leaving all parties feeling gracious and grateful. To guide you in bringing your goodbye to its highest form, let’s delve into the art of delivering a good farewell speech.

What is a Farewell Speech?

A farewell speech is a way to mark one’s departure from an organization, group, or event. It’s typically delivered by someone who is leaving or has recently left their role or position in the organization and is typically intended to say thank you and express empathy and gratitude for the audience.

Farewell speeches often include a call to action for those who remain in the group or organization, providing insights and advice that can help the group move forward even after the speaker leaves.

The debate about what constitutes an effective farewell speech depends largely on the context of the particular situation.

On one hand, some people argue that a simple goodbye and thank you are all that is needed in order to properly bid farewell. They might argue that more than this would be repetitive and unhelpful as it would not add any new information or create any additional value.

On the other hand, others argue that a more detailed goodbye and send-off provides more closure, comfort, and support, allowing those remaining to better process the change and find growth opportunities in it.

No matter the approach taken, however, it’s important to recognize that farewell speeches are important moments for both those who are leaving and those who are staying; they provide an opportunity for reflection on memories shared, lessons learned, and relationships formed—all of which contribute to making an impactful farewell experience.

With this in mind, the next section will discuss what makes an effective farewell speech.

Quick Answer

A farewell speech is an important way to mark one’s departure from an organization, group, or event. It usually includes gratitude and a call to action for those who remain in the group. Farewell speeches often include a reflection on memories shared, lessons learned, and relationships formed. What constitutes an effective farewell speech depends on the situation but it should provide closure and comfort.

What Makes an Effective Farewell Speech?

The delivery and content of a farewell speech can significantly influence the sentiment behind goodbye messages. It’s important for sendoff speakers to emphasize gratitude and to express their appreciation for the time spent with colleagues, friends, or family.

A successful farewell speech should be heartfelt, sincere, and thoughtful. When crafting a farewell speech, speakers may want to consider incorporating elements like humour, humility, and inspiration in order to add depth to their words.

Additionally, touch upon shared emotions to convey the bond between both parties. Focusing on these three elements allows for a memorable sendoff that will stick with the crowd in attendance.

Humour is an effective way of connecting with the audience and lightening the atmosphere; providing some levity amongst more serious anecdotes. Self-deprecating remarks can be a way of connecting with colleagues in a more intimate way; showing you are equally as human as they are.

On the flip side, too much humour can sometimes come across as insincere and hinder the speaker’s attempt at conveying genuine emotion; arguably one of the key components of an effective farewell speech.

Moreover, include inspirational stories which feature distinct examples of gratitude within them—this will create greater authenticity and leave guests feeling impacted by your words.

As aforementioned, it’s vital for goodbyes to incorporate appreciation for time spent together—evoke specific memories and draw attention to individuals when necessary rather than speaking in generalities.

Ensure that your words make an impact on those who need to hear them. With these in mind, it’s possible to craft a successful transition from one stage of life to another through an effective farewell speech that is full of grace and gratitude.

Having addressed what makes an effective farewell speech, we’ll next discuss how best to show appreciation in sending off messages.

Showing Appreciation

Showing appreciation is a key element of any farewell speech. Expressing gratitude for the years spent in each other’s company conveys respect and admiration for all that has been accomplished.

When it comes to including words of acknowledgement and appreciation, many people choose to highlight the special moments shared, celebrate the successes seen, and offer thoughtful acknowledgements or simple thank yous.

However, there are opposing opinions on how to best show appreciation. Some suggest keeping dedications to a minimum so as not bore listeners with too much detail while others believe a more thorough approach can help create lasting memories and nostalgia.

The most important thing is to be mindful of your audience and what feels right based on the relationship that the farewell speech is celebrating.

If appropriate, consider having a moment at the end of your speech where you thank everyone individually while explicitly naming their individual contributions. A more public approach can include a round of applause directed at individuals who have had an impact on you along your journey.

In conclusion, expressing appreciation in a farewell speech provides an opportunity for reflection and celebration of meaningful experiences. Celebrating the occasion marks a special moment in time as one move forward in life or career.

Celebrating the Occasion

When someone is leaving their current role, it is important to take some time to celebrate and recognize their achievements. Celebrating the occasion acknowledges their contribution, gives thanks for their hard work, and shows gratitude for their time.

It can be a meaningful gesture that highlights the value of the departing employee or colleague, and can also be an inspiring opportunity for those who remain in the position.

In planning a celebration for the person’s departure, consider what would best suit their personality and interests. A simple going-away party, a framed thank-you card, or another creative form of recognition might be just the right way to say goodbye.

However, it is also important to consider how this celebration could affect morale and productivity within the team. If there is already tension in the workplace due to changes in leadership or a reorganization of roles, then holding a celebratory event could serve to further emphasize inequalities among employees or even create an uncomfortable environment.

When deciding how best to celebrate someone’s departure, it is important to assess both potential positive and negative implications of any action and plan accordingly. Doing so ensures that both the departing employee or colleague is properly recognized as well as all other members of the team feel respected and appreciated for their own contributions.

By acknowledging this balance appropriately, it will help ensure that everyone feels included and appreciated when saying goodbye. From here we can move on to discuss how to use a farewell speech to inspire your audience.

Inspiring Your Audience

In order to move an audience and leave a lasting impression, it is important to ensure that your farewell speech is both inspirational and meaningful. To do this, consider talking about how much the experience meant to you, how much you have enjoyed and learned from your friends and colleagues, or highlighting the greatest accomplishments of the group.

Additionally, use personal anecdotes that reflect the experiences of everyone in the audience. This will not only inspire emotions in them but also allow them to connect with each other as they share similar memories.

If applicable, provide words of wisdom to encourage resilience and success in the future. Show gratitude for being part of something special, even if it may be difficult to say goodbye.

By doing so, you can instill hope rather than sadness in the audience with your kind words. By expressing solidarity and understanding, your message can picture a bright future on which everyone can look forward to despite leaving their respective positions.

Ultimately, it’s important to speak positively during a farewell speech so as to leave a good impression in people’s minds when departing. Inspiring your audience will also help them remember you fondly and feel positive about their time spent together.

As such, wrap up your speech with an example or phrase that gets repeated by people long after they heard it or send out a meaningful message that serves as an uplifting reminder for all who were present.

Now that we have discussed how to inspire an audience through a farewell speech it’s time to focus on what such speeches could be like. In the next section, we will cover examples of farewell speeches so you can get some great ideas on what to include in your own address.

Example of a Farewell Speech

When you’re leaving your current position at work, it’s customary to deliver a farewell speech. These speeches provide a meaningful way to say goodbye and reflect on the successes of your time spent in the role.

Here is an example of an effective farewell speech that can be tailored to your experience and the tenor of your workplace:

“Good morning everyone! I want to thank you all for being here today. As many of you know, today is my last day with [Company Name], and I wanted to take a few moments to say a few words about my experience here.

This company has been a great home for me during the last [insert length of time]. During my time here, I learned countless skills , met fantastic people, and made memories to last a lifetime. Working with all of you has been an incredible honor – you have always demonstrated kindness and strong work ethic. I’m sure the business will continue to grow under the capable leadership of [current leader].

I have enjoyed every minute of my time here and I wish this team tremendous success as they move forward. Remember: no matter what happens in life, don’t forget to find joy in what we do. Thank you so much for your support – now let’s celebrate!”

Farewell speeches are a great opportunity for reflection and sentimentality but it’s important to balance it out with humor or positivity depending on the setting.

On one hand, some people might opt for deeper reflections on their journey and how each person has played a part in their development, while others may choose to keep their speeches lighthearted and upbeat.

Regardless of which option works best for your audience, remember that these farewell speeches provide valuable opportunities to build connections before departing from an organization or team.

At the same time, it’s important not to let the farewell speech drag on too long – keep the message brief yet meaningful. This allows present colleagues to receive appreciation without disrupting daily workflow.

Prefer a longer example? Here’s one from George Washington to the people of the USA .

Crafting Your Own Farewell Speech follows similar guidelines – find the right mix between reflection and positivity in order to create an effective speech that resonates with its audience.

Crafting Your Own Farewell Speech

Crafting your own farewell speech is a task that should not be taken lightly. It requires thought and honest reflection to craft a meaningful and memorable goodbye speech.

Your words should pay tribute to the experience you have had while connecting emotionally with your audience. Crafting your own farewell speech gives you the opportunity to directly address how hard it was to leave and acknowledge the contributions made both by yourself and others in the organization.

When deciding on how to create a memorable farewell speech, there are two paths one can take. On one hand, those looking for guidance might want to find existing templates filled with the right sentiments that they can customize to fit their needs.

Alternatively, those who prefer writing from scratch can develop their own narrative thread, drawing on their own words of wisdom and emotions as they feel them in the moment.

When constructing a self-made speech, it’s important to remember brevity is key. Each word should have intent and purpose; it’s better to be thoughtful than wordy.

Bear in mind that this moment presents an opportunity for closure and for celebration for accomplishments along the journey you embarked upon together.

It’s also worth mentioning any lessons learned or valuable experiences gained during this transition. As daunting as this may sound, it can be immensely rewarding when done well.

Having taken into account both sides of creating a farewell speech, next is brainstorming potential topics that can serve as inspiration for crafting an effective goodbye message.

Brainstorm Topics

Brainstorming topics for a farewell speech allows you to come up with an effective way to express your gratitude and appreciation when saying goodbye. This is important because it helps you maintain dignity, respectfulness and meaningfulness in the words you choose to say.

Before delivering a heartfelt farewell, it’s important to consider what areas are worth mentioning.

You should focus on three main topics when creating a farewell speech: the past, the present, and the future.

When reflecting on “the past ,” you should focus on acknowledging your successes and accomplishments while working there. This helps to reinforce that your contributions did not go unnoticed and were appreciated by those around you.

It helps to inspire and motivate others with the knowledge of your success in the workplace. Consider thanking coworkers for helping you achieve your goals over time; collaborative efforts often go underappreciated and focusing on why their help was beneficial can be a pleasant surprise.

Another important topic to consider is “the present ”; this is where you can express your gratitude and thank everyone who has helped you through this long journey of leaving the company.

Provide sincere thanks to coworkers and colleagues who have been key in making it possible for you to depart gracefully.

Consider being transparent about what you have learned during your years in the organization and how these learnings will propel you forward into new opportunities or ventures.

Finally, mention how much the people in the organization mean to you, as well as how much they will be missed—this will help solidify that relationships were built during your stay at the company and that they won’t easily be forgotten or taken for granted.

Lastly, “the future ” focuses on optimism, hope, and reaffirms resilience—even in times of change. Here, emphasize any newfound strength that was built during this experience, as well as talk about future aspirations or goals with optimism.

Lastly, send off a few encouraging words for those left behind reminding them that great things can still occur despite difficulty or instability occurring at work due to your departure from the team.

With these three topics outlined it’s now time to choose your words carefully with precision so that the final speech resonates all of these concepts entirely; leading into a memorable goodbye for those who will hear it spoken aloud.

Choose Your Words Carefully

When crafting your farewell speech, it is important to choose your words carefully. Each word should invoke not only emotion, but also provide a level of understanding for the audience. It is essential that you communicate your message perfectly and with clarity.

To begin, strive to craft an introduction with strong language that grabs the attention of your listeners. This could range from using metaphors or analogies to compare yourself to a superhero or time traveler depending on the audience’s sense of humor and interests.

Anticipate potential questions from the audience and provide thoughtful answers in advance.

Be sure to include gratitude during your speech even if it’s uncomfortable. Doing so will make you look professional and acknowledge how much you appreciate any help given to you over the years. Showing appreciation will surely leave a lasting impression.

Try to close strong, offering perspectives to the colleagues who remain and looking ahead to new possibilities instead of focusing on sadness or regret. Reassure them that they too can pursue their dreams and opportunities just as you have, conveying optimism in the process.

Furthermore, reflect on your newfound clarity while providing an outlook full of positivity; emphasizing the benefits you may reap going forward regardless of any hardships faced along the way.

Choose your words carefully when preparing for a farewell speech; it will be key in making sure this moment shines.

Consider tips such as designing an introductio n full of strong language, expressing gratitude, and providing an optimistic outlook for those remaining when constructing your own dream goodbye speech.

As a final step before delivering it, practice speaking with emotion and deliver the speech body language that conveys both warmth and sincerity. With these strategies, you can say goodbye with grace and gratitude.

This next section looks at how best to deliver a farewell speech with emotion; from preparing beforehand to finding ways to connect with the audience on an emotional level while delivering it.

Deliver the Speech With Emotion

Delivering a farewell speech with emotion can make or break the impact of the speech. On one hand, some might say that showing too much emotion is not professional and may take away from the gravity of the situation.

For example, if someone gets overly emotional in a workplace setting, it could create an uncomfortable atmosphere. The speaker would need to maintain a certain level of composure to keep the focus of the audience and to remain professional.

On the other hand, delivering a farewell speech without emotion does not give justice to the heartfelt emotions connected to this particular occasion. Heartfelt tales of memories and personal experiences paired with earnest gratitude and respect should be expressed with intensity and feeling.

Audiences tend to connect more deeply with speeches that are delivered with genuine emotion rather than one filled with boring facts and statistics.

It is important to find balance in your delivery style between staying professional while also expressing your feelings fully in order to truly convey the gravity of the occasion.

A blend of stoic delivery and heartfelt emotions will ensure that everyone in attendance can both respect your professionalism while connecting on an emotional level with you as well.

As we have seen, it is important to strike a balance between staying professional while delivering a farewell speech with emotion – finding this balance will help ensure that everyone in attendance appreciates your sincere sentiments and respects your level of composure at the same time.

In the following section, we will discuss how to bid adieu in an effective conclusion to your farewell speech.

Conclusion: Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye can be one of the most emotionally fraught experiences in a person’s life. It is a moment when all of the hard work, dedication, and fond memories come flooding back in a flood of mixed emotions.

Farewell speech examples can provide structure and guidance for those who are preparing their own speeches. There are many different types of farewell speeches, from those that are funny and lighthearted to those that are more reflective and sombre.

No matter which type of speech you decide to write or deliver, always remember to express your utmost gratitude towards the people who have helped you during your time with them. Aim to make your speech memorable by ending it on an emotional high note. Above all else, strive to keep it sincere and meaningful.

It is often said that endings can be bittersweet, however, with proper planning and preparation through reviewal of some farewell speech examples, your own farewell speech can be both graceful and positive.

When the words come from the heart they will often linger with your friends or colleagues long after they are gone. With this in mind, remember to make goodbyes count – not only for yourself but for the people around you as well.

Answers to Common Questions with Detailed Explanations

How should i structure my farewell speech.

Structuring your Farewell Speech is important as it can help to make sure that your thoughts and sentiments are expressed in an organized manner. There are several steps that you can take to ensure that your speech is well-structured: 1. Acknowledge the occasion and thank people for being there – After beginning with a warm welcome, state the reason for gathering and express gratitude to everyone present for attending the function. 2. Take time to share memories – Many farewell speeches are full of nostalgia so use this time to reminisce about moments from the past, stories from shared experiences, fond memories of work or successes achieved together. 3. Show Gratitude – Take some time to express appreciation for colleagues and associates for their support, friendship, and guidance throughout your tenure. Express any sorrow you may have in leaving. 4. Thank & Recognize those who Inspire You – Use this opportunity to thank anyone who has deeply inspired you or been influential in facilitating your success thus far. 5. Conclude with Encouraging Words – Retrospect on what was accomplished and speak positively about what lies ahead both for yourself and other colleagues.

What are some of the key elements of a successful farewell speech?

The key elements of a successful farewell speech are to leave your audience with appreciation and gratitude, reflect on your best memories, thank those who have impacted your journey, highlight accomplishments and share a few wise words or memorable quotes .

Start by thanking everyone in the room for attending and taking the time to celebrate with you. Make sure to express your appreciation and gratitude for the unique experience that this role brought you.

Reflect on some of the best moments you experienced while fulfilling this role, focusing on what you learned and how these experiences shaped and motivated you.

Next, thank those who influenced your journey, like mentors, colleagues and friends. Acknowledge their support and ask them to continue providing advice when needed.

Highlight your successes, as they demonstrate how much work was put into achieving these goals , which should be cause for celebration!

Lastly, offer a few nuggets of wisdom or quotes that resonated with you from this experience – not only will it make people think, but it can also leave a lasting impression.

By following these tips and sharing heartfelt words of appreciation and wisdom, you can create a memorable farewell speech that celebrates your accomplishments while looking towards the future.

What are some tips for delivering a memorable farewell speech?

Delivering a memorable farewell speech is no easy feat, but it can be done with a little practice , creativity, and confidence. Here are a few tips to help you make your speech stand out:

1. Know your audience – Keep in mind who will be listening to your speech and tailor it accordingly. Are they colleagues? Friends? Family? Making sure that your speech resonates with the people you’re addressing is key for delivering a compelling message.

2. Be personable – Letting some of your personality shine through in your speech is key for making it memorable. Personal anecdotes, humor, and quotes are all great ways to do this.

3. Focus on the present – Make sure that you address the present feelings of those in attendance instead of solely dwelling on the past or future. Remind everyone why their current relationship has been special and unique and emphasize what brought everyone together in the first place.

4. Avoid cliché phrases – Goodbye speeches often contain phrases like “it’s been a pleasure” or “I wish you all the best” but these can come across as insincere if overused. Instead, try to come up with thoughtful compliments or memorable expressions that reflect the spirit of your goodbye.

5. Leave on a high note – A memorable goodbye speech should end with a moment of gratitude and optimism; this will stay in everyone’s minds as you leave them for good. Express how glad you have been to work or connect with these specific people and express hope for successful futures for them all (including yourself).

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• Farewell speeches

Farewell speeches 

How to give a great goodbye speech.

By:  Susan Dugdale  

Farewell speeches mark significant departures: getting a promotion which means leaving a long held job and a group of respected colleagues, graduating from a course of study, leaving the workforce to retire... 

To be meaningful they need to be more than a casual "see you later" and a mumbled "thanks for everything" as you dash for the door.  Or the opposite, a rambling collection of anecdotes that bore listeners silly.

In contrast, a planned farewell speech crystallizes the moment of leaving, giving it focus, form, and dignity. It provides an opportunity to publicly acknowledge people and events, as well as to graciously show your appreciation and gratitude for them.

If that's the sort of leaving speech you want to give you're in the right place. 

What's on this page?

Everything you need to prepare an excellent farewell speech, including:

• the characteristics of a great goodbye speech
• content guidelines for a farewell speech TO colleagues from a person leaving
• content guidelines for a farewell speech FROM a colleague to a person leaving
• an example farewell speech to colleagues
• a recording of the sample farewell speech to colleagues
• notes on how best to write and deliver your speech

Click the video for a complete overview.

Occasions for giving a farewell speech

Leaving a workplace.

A farewell speech is frequently expected when leaving a job to take another, particularly if people have got together at a farewell party to mark the occasion.

It is either given by the person leaving or, to the person leaving by a close colleague, often their manager or boss.

Other occasions for farewell speeches

Other occasions calling for a farewell address are graduations (leaving a school, a class...), retirements, (leaving the full time workforce), or perhaps when a long-time member of your club or neighborhood departs.

A funeral speech or eulogy is yet another form of a goodbye or farewell speech.

You can find out here how to prepare, write, deliver as well as read examples of:

• retirement speeches (including a sample farewell speech from a teacher retiring )
• funeral speeches

Return to Top

'Winging it' v being prepared in the workplace

If there's a possibility you may be called on for a farewell speech in your workplace think it through carefully. 

There is a fine line between formal and informal, prepared and unprepared (winging it) in front of a crowd. Publicly straying too far on the spontaneous and casual side of it may have a knock-on impact you have little control over.

Like for instance, being overlooked rather than being offered the opportunity to speak on behalf of your fellow colleagues and your company again. 

Consider. Plan. You will know if you're expected to give a farewell speech. 

Learn from either your own previous experience or what you've witnessed. Be it the good, the bad or the ugly!

Good communication skills, (which includes public speaking), will open more hearts, minds, and therefore doors, than any other skill you might have! 

(For more, please see  The Importance of Communication Skills in Business .)

Hallmarks of gracious farewell speeches

So having established the need to do more than bumble through, here's what you are aiming for. 

These are the characteristics of a speech an audience: your co-workers, employers, a dear colleague, classmates, a good friend, fellow club members, family members...anybody, would be delighted to hear.

• It is respectful and sincere. The speech expresses appropriate honest and genuine feelings about people, events and ideas.
• It is positive. The speech acknowledges outcomes, projects and events positively, without undue exaggeration or puffery. It concludes wishing hope and good luck for what the future holds. (If being positive is difficult be very careful about publicly passing judgement or making comments that could cause embarrassment or something far worse.)  
• It is brief. The speech is succinct and concise, minus padding or waffle. There are no prizes for rambling on and on. Three to five minutes is enough!

Content ideas for a leaver's going away speech

If it's you who is leaving and you're preparing a speech to mark the occasion, here is a list of the type of material expected, and appreciated, in a farewell speech.

• A brief summary of involvement eg. how long you've been with the company, club...
• What you have enjoyed, admired or appreciated about the work environment, job, neighborhood, club...
• The admiration and appreciation you have for the people: their qualities or their professional skills
• What you feel about leaving
• Your gratitude and thanks for support, opportunities to learn, friendship...
• Special memories: good humored anecdotes or a particularly memorable moment 
• Your reasons for leaving eg. shifting to a new city
• What, or where, you are going to
• Hopes and best wishes for those remaining

Obviously you're not expected to cover all nine points in lavish detail. Pick what feels right to you. Apply the guidelines and, prepare your speech.

A sample farewell speech to colleagues

To show you how the content suggestions and "graciousness" guidelines work together I've written a sample speech. That's below. 

The speech is 496 words long. Depending how fast or slow you speak, that will take approximately three and half minutes to deliver. (You can find out more speech rate here) 

About this speech

The speech is entirely fictional. I've written it from the point of view of a person working for a company called Smith and Black.

Here he/she, (I've not defined gender.), led a team which was involved in community initiatives. He/she is leaving to do further study.

The speech will be given at a gathering in the company staff room. 

Example of a leaver's farewell speech to colleagues

"Good morning. Thank you for coming along. I am delighted to see you all here.

Do you realize we've been sharing each other's company for 2920 days? 

That's eight years of fun times, challenging times and everything in between.

And today I am officially leaving you!

In the past some of you have questioned my sanity. Now, standing here in the midst of you good people, I'm wondering about it too!

It's bittersweet to leave a workplace you've enjoyed. I might joke about the Monday morning blues, but that's all it is – a joke.

I realize I have been very fortunate. This place, this work, and its people have meant so much to me. I am proud to have been a member of the team here.

Eight years ago you made it easy for me to feel at home. Smith and Black is a rare company. Its workplace is genuinely a mirror of its HR policy. Inclusion is more than a buzz word in a manual here. It's real! That makes it doubly difficult to leave.

Thank you for your belief in me, your support and your friendship. It's a pleasure and a privilege to have worked alongside colleagues who understand how to bring the best out in each other.

In the middle of our daily business: meeting targets, initiating projects and developing new ones, it's all too easy to lose sight of the most important element of all in any organization: the person, the people. Us. You and me, as individuals with hearts, minds, and feelings.

That we don't is what makes Smith and Black unique.

Thank you Bob for your inspired leadership. Thank you to my team: Monica, Tom and Sam for your trust in me, for your humor and all your hard work.

We've been involved in some outstanding projects together.

I'll always remember our “Feed a Friend” out-reach program and its extraordinary success. 

The “Red Balloon” initiative had lofty goals which we slaved to bring to fruition, and failed. The hard lessons learned there we deployed in our biggest success of all: the “No Child Left Behind” program. That was magical, inspirational work which will go on making the world a better place.

With so much to be grateful for: outstanding colleagues, an ethical humane company, and meaningful work, it seems perverse to leave.

However, I am!

As some of you already know, I'm going to take up an offer to further my understanding of the practical implementation of diversity policy. It's an amazing course, taught by some of my heroes in the field.

This is something I've wanted for several years and the right time to do it is now.

I am going to miss you all. You've been part of my journey for a long time.

I've already packed fond memories of fun, collaboration, consultation, and friendship into my heart to take with me. Those I'm deeply grateful for.

My wish for you is that you too are able to follow your dreams. This is not goodbye. Per courtesy of email I will never be far away!"

Listen to this farewell speech

I've made a recording so you can listen if you want. The voice you're hearing is mine, Susan Dugdale's , and I have a New Zealand accent.

Example of a farewell speech to colleagues

Content ideas for a farewell speech to a leaver

If you're expected to give a speech on behalf of your club, company... to a person leaving use the content suggestions below. 

• What you have sincerely enjoyed, admired or appreciated about the leaver's contribution to the workplace, club, neighborhood... eg. their role in XXX project, their organizational skills, the creative new ideas they brought to the role, the chocolate cake they made for special occasions...
• A story or two, a special moment to illustrate the type of person they are: their positive qualities and personality traits eg. a wonderful team player
• How their departure will impact on those left behind eg. a great loss
• Good wishes for the future
• Presentation of gift on behalf of company, if there is one to give.

More on giving a farewell speech to a leaver

If you're looking for more on preparing a goodbye speech for a co-worker, you'll find it here: How to easily write a great farewell speech for a colleague leaving.

There's a start to finish 7 step process for writing the speech, printable brainstorm and outline documents to use, plus a sample speech.  Go to: How to write a great farewell speech for a colleague leaving .

Writing and delivering your speech

The easiest way to take your content ideas and turn them into a speech is to use an outline. Click the link for a free printable fill-in-the-blanks speech outline . The speech outline covers the main points you want to make in the order you want to make them. Once you've filled it out, test by saying it out loud.

• Listen for the flow of information. Is it ordered? Does each idea link logically? Are the transitions clear?
• Is there a beginning (introduction), body (middle) and conclusion?
• Is the content, tone and language use right for the occasion and your intended audience?
• Time the speech. Is it too long? Edit if necessary.
• And say your speech to a trusted friend or colleague at least a few days before the event.  This is a safety precaution to ensure you haven't left out anything that should be in, or put in anything that shouldn't be there. If there are alterations to make, you have enough time to get them done, and practiced.

3 ways to deliver your prepared farewell speech

Choose what best suits you and the occasion.

1. Read your speech

If the situation is very emotional or  you  are very emotional this may be the safest way to get everything you want to say out.

Using your completed speech outline as a guide, write the whole speech out. Word for word.

When you print your text out be sure to use a large font so that it is easily read. Double space your lines and number your pages for the same reason.

Reading aloud well needs practice. Without it you may find yourself with an audience full of people working very hard to be tolerant!

For tips and strategies go to: How to read a speech effectively  

2. Use cue cards

Make brief summary notes on numbered (cue) cards that will serve as memory prompts to guide you from one idea to the next. These are very good if you have practiced and know your speech. They let you interact with your audience more freely than reading word for word does. The result is a more spontaneous sounding speech. Click the link to find out more about preparing and using cue cards.

3. Give your speech from memory

If you have time this could be the option to go for. The advantages are that you speak directly to your audience. Because you are not relying on notes you can use readily use gestures and make eye contact. Check here for tips and techniques on how to remember a speech.

The disadvantage could be the risk of forgetting what you wanted to say entirely through being overcome by the emotion of the occasion. However that is significantly lessened through practice.

Deliver your speech well

If you'd like to know more about how to deliver your farewell speech well check out these pages:

• How to rehearse

Manage the nerves 

If you find yourself under attack from a fit of nervous apprehension at the mere thought of giving your goodbye speech look here. Help is a click away.

• How to deal with acute public speaking anxiety
• Breathing exercises to manage stress

P.S. Please, please don't use your farewell speech as an opportunity to vent any pent up frustrations you may have, regardless of how tempting it may be. Instead focus on what was undeniably positive and sincerely highlight it. Be the bigger person.

Expert advice - a little help from our friends

Chad Dyer from  MemesBams  says:

Is the physical or emotional separation from your friend just fate? Or was the decision to leave yours, or your friend’s? Either way separating from a friend can often be emotional. In some cases ending a friendship can be as difficult as ending a romantic relationship. Harder than a breakup!

Understanding friendship breakups can help you move forward and ease your pain.  Here are some suggested ways to cope after separating from a friend: 

• Acceptance. The reason for the friendship breakup may simply be out of you and your friend’s control. Sustaining friendship, for instance, can be hard if separated by great distances. Accept you have got to walk your journey on your own and that you'll meet new friends along the way.
• Evolve. Though you may have been used to dealing with your daily struggles with your pal by your side, realize this could be the time for you to grow and become the person you want to be .
• Saying farewell to a friend and wishing them well is alright and it can help ease  the pain. You can say it’s not a total goodbye. And that you are hoping to see your friend again.  Despite the uncertainty of that, a grain of hope can do wonders to lighten the burden you're carrying.

If you need help finding the right words to express your feelings take a look at these:   Farewell Sayings for Friends .

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Farewell Speech Writing 101: Tips and Inspiring Examples

• October 26, 2023

Yes, a farewell speech is the best chance for us to put goodbye into words! By presenting a great farewell speech, you express emotions and leave lasting impressions on your workmates, buddies, or graduates. Besides, they’re not just words. They’re a profound way to show respect for the time you’ve spent together and look forward to what’s coming next.

In this blog post, we’ll talk about what a farewell speech is, how to write it with honesty and style, and some examples that will help you do it well. Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

What is a farewell speech.

A farewell speech is a special talk you give to say a warm goodbye to someone or even to a particular time or event. It’s a way to say thanks, remember good times, and wish everyone well as you go your separate ways. Whether you’re leaving a job, parting with friends, or finishing school, a farewell speech lets you think back on the journey and recognize what you’ve been through.

A good farewell speech usually has a few important parts: saying thanks, recognizing achievements and how you’ve grown, sharing memorable moments, and giving positive wishes for the future. It’s a chance to leave a nice, long-lasting memory and express your feelings honestly and kindly.

How To Write A Farewell Speech?

Writing a farewell speech can be simple and meaningful with these steps:

1/ Start with a Greeting:

Begin your speech with a warm greeting to the audience. Keep it friendly and welcoming.

2/ Express Gratitude:

Thank the audience for being there and acknowledging the occasion. Show appreciation for their presence and support throughout your journey.

3/ Reflect on the Journey:

Reflect on the experiences and moments you’ve shared together. Discuss the achievements, challenges, and growth you’ve witnessed during your time together.

4/ Share Personal Stories:

Share personal stories or anecdotes that highlight the positive and memorable moments. Keep it light-hearted and engaging.

5/ Acknowledge People:

Acknowledge and appreciate the individuals who have made an impact on your journey. Mention colleagues, friends, mentors, or anyone who has been influential.

6/ Offer Best Wishes:

Extend heartfelt best wishes for the future, both for yourself and for the people you’re parting with. Encourage everyone to chase their dreams and embrace new opportunities.

7/ End with a Positive Note:

Conclude your speech with a positive and optimistic note, emphasizing hope and excitement for the future. Reiterate gratitude and express confidence in the road ahead.

8/ Practice and Rehearse:

Practice delivering your speech to ensure a smooth flow and to manage any nervousness. Rehearse in front of a mirror or with a friend to build confidence.

9/ Keep it Concise:

Aim for a brief and focused speech. Avoid making it too lengthy to maintain interest and impact.

Let your genuine emotions and thoughts guide your speech. Speak sincerely, and your authenticity will resonate with the audience.

Farewell Speech Examples

Here are examples of farewell speeches for different scenarios:

Farewell speech to coworkers

Dear colleagues,

I stand before you today with mixed emotions as I bid farewell to this incredible team. Working with all of you has been a true privilege. The memories we’ve created and the projects we’ve accomplished together will forever hold a special place in my heart.

I’ve learned so much from each one of you, and I appreciate the camaraderie, support, and guidance I’ve received throughout my time here. Your dedication and hard work have made this workplace a remarkable and vibrant environment.

As I move forward to new opportunities, I carry with me the invaluable experiences and lessons I’ve gained during my time here. I’m confident that our paths will cross again, and I look forward to staying connected.

Thank you for being amazing colleagues and friends. I wish all of you continued success and fulfillment in your endeavors. Goodbye, and until we meet again.

Farewell speech about colleague

Dear students,

Today is a bittersweet moment as we bid farewell to this wonderful group of young minds. Your time here has been filled with growth, learning, and countless memories that have enriched us all.

I’ve watched you overcome challenges, achieve remarkable feats, and build lasting friendships. Each one of you holds immense potential, and I’m excited to see the incredible paths you will carve for yourselves.

As you step into the world beyond these walls, remember the lessons you’ve learned and the bonds you’ve formed. Stay true to your dreams and aspirations, and never underestimate the impact you can make.

Farewell, dear students, and may you conquer the world with your brilliance.

Farewell speech for students

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Farewell speech for teacher

Dear [Teacher’s Name],

Today, we gather to express our heartfelt gratitude and bid farewell to an exceptional educator and mentor, [Teacher’s Name]. Your dedication and passion for teaching have left an indelible mark on us.

You have not only imparted knowledge but also instilled values, encouraged critical thinking, and nurtured a love for learning within us. Your guidance and support have shaped our academic and personal lives in profound ways.

As you embark on a new journey, know that your influence will always remain with us. We thank you for being an inspirational teacher and a caring mentor. Farewell, and may your future be filled with continued success and fulfillment.

Final Thoughts

A farewell speech is a heartfelt way to bid adieu, expressing gratitude and fond memories. To make your farewell party even more special, consider using AhaSlides – a tool that can add a touch of fun and engagement to the event. Using this tool in your  event management , you can create interactive and memorable experiences to remember.

More tips and advice about events? Pick an event that you’re concerned with, and we’ll give you a helping hand!

What do you say in a farewell speech?

In a farewell speech, express gratitude for the journey shared, acknowledge the support and friendships, reminisce about memorable moments, and offer well-wishes for the future. Keep it genuine and heartfelt.

What is the best farewell speech?

The best farewell speech is one that’s sincere, appreciative, and personal. It reflects on the positive experiences, growth, and relationships built. It leaves a lasting impact by making everyone feel valued and inspired for the future.

What do you say on your last day of work?

You can say thank you to your colleagues and the organization for the opportunities and experiences. Express your appreciation for the learning and growth, and let them know you’ll cherish the memories. Offer your contact details to stay in touch and wish everyone success and happiness in the future. Keep it friendly and positive.

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• Fall/Autumn

Farewell Party Speeches

Farewell parties are bittersweet, aren't they? Whether someone's moving away, switching jobs, or sailing into the sunset of retirement, these gatherings are all about celebrating the times shared and wishing well for the future.

And what's a farewell party without a heartfelt speech? If you're tasked with sending someone off with words, here’s how to make your farewell speech memorable, touching, and maybe even a bit fun!

Keep It Light and Bright

Start with a smile. Farewell doesn't have to mean tear-jerker. Think about some of the funniest, most endearing moments you’ve shared. Maybe it's that time when the guest of honor tried to photocopy a meeting agenda but ended up with 100 copies of their face instead. Stories like these not only lighten the mood but also show how much you’ve cherished your time together.

Mix in the Compliments

Everyone loves to hear good things about themselves, right? Use this opportunity to highlight the person’s strengths and achievements. Were they always the one to win at  ping pong ? Did they handle a tough project with unbelievable cool? Let them know how much you admire their skills and attitude, and how they've made a difference.

Don’t Forget the Thank-Yous

This is your chance to express gratitude . Thank the person for their companionship, their mentorship, or simply for the daily laughs. Acknowledging their contributions can make your speech feel more personal and meaningful.

End on a high note by looking forward. Wish them success and happiness in their new chapter. You might say something like, "We can't wait to hear all about your new adventures in Paris!" or "We know you’re going to be fantastic, just like you were here."

Keep It Short and Sweet

Remember, while you might have a million things to say, keeping your speech concise is key. Aim for a few minutes, just enough time to share a couple of great memories, show your appreciation, and convey your best wishes without losing the crowd to the buffet table.

Example Speech

"Hey everyone,

I just wanted to take a moment to talk about our amazing Jane, who’s heading off to start her own bakery. Remember the time Jane tried to replace the sugar with salt? We all needed about five cups of water after that coffee, but it was hilarious!

Jane, you’ve brought so much joy and laughter to our office. You’re not just our go-to for a midday treat; you've been a true friend and mentor to us all. We're so grateful for your hard work and all the sweet moments, pun intended. We can't wait to see all the success that comes your way with 'Jane’s Sweet Spot.'

Remember us when you're famous, and send us some samples! We'll miss you tons but we know you're off to bake the world a better place.

Cheers to Jane!"

How to Shine When Giving a Farewell Speech

Here are some fun and simple tips to help you nail that speech and leave everyone smiling!

Start with a Bang

Kick things off with a little humor or a touching story that's sure to grab everyone's attention. This could be a funny incident you shared or a memorable moment that highlights what makes the person so special. This isn’t just about saying goodbye; it’s about celebrating the journey!

Keep It Short

Remember, this is a party, not a lecture. Aim for a speech that’s brief yet impactful. Stick to the highlights: the achievements, the funny stories, and the heartfelt moments. It’s like creating a mini-highlight reel that leaves everyone feeling nostalgic yet hopeful.

Personal Touch

Personalize your speech with details that resonate with everyone listening. Mention the little quirks that make the person unique or the big wins that had everyone cheering. This personal touch not only adds warmth to your words but also makes the farewell feel more intimate and heartfelt.

Practice Makes Perfect

Even the pros practice! Run through your speech a few times to smooth out any awkward pauses and make sure your delivery feels natural. Try practicing in front of a friend or family member who can give you feedback. You’ll be more relaxed, and your words will flow better when it’s showtime.

End on a High Note

Wrap up your speech with a toast or a well-wishing quote that looks to the future. It's great to leave the crowd and the guest of honor feeling uplifted and excited about what’s coming next. Plus, it sets the tone for the rest of the celebration.

Be Yourself

The best speeches are given when you’re simply being yourself. Let your personality shine through. If you’re naturally funny, throw in a joke or two. If you’re more heartfelt, let your genuine emotions lead the way. People will appreciate the authenticity and remember the speech long after the party ends.

Bonus Tip: Keep Those Tissues Handy!

You never know when the waterworks might start, either from you or from the crowd. It’s okay to show emotion, it just shows how much you care.

Giving a farewell speech is a beautiful way to honor someone’s past and their bright future. So, take a deep breath, smile, and let your words come from the heart. 

Welcome Speech for Farewell Party

The welcome speech of a party is important as it is like the "hello" that sets the tone for the whole party.

It's a chance to show the guest of honor how much they mean to everyone and how awesome they are. Plus, it's a bit like flipping through a photo album of memories. You can reminisce about all the fun times you've had together, which can get everyone feeling all fuzzy inside.

Then, there's the vibe-setting part. A good welcome speech can pump up the party mood. It's like pressing play on your favorite party playlist. It gets people excited and ready to celebrate! And hey, it's a chance to crack a few jokes and share some laughs too.

But most importantly, it's a moment to express gratitude. Saying thank you for all the good times and memories shared. It's like sprinkling confetti of appreciation all around. It makes the guest of honor feel special and loved, which is what a farewell party is all about!

So, whether it's a simple "see you later" or a grand "bon voyage," a welcome speech adds that extra touch of magic to make the farewell party unforgettable! 

Example for Welcome Speech for Office Farewell Party:

Hey everyone!

Thanks for joining us today as we bid a cheerful goodbye to some of the amazing folks who've made a huge impact around here. I know, saying goodbye is never easy, but let's make it a day to remember, filled with smiles and fun memories!

First off, let's give a big round of applause to our departing stars. Each of you has brought something unique to our team, and though we're sad to see you go, we're excited to see what you'll tackle next. Your next chapters are bound to be incredible, and we're all cheering for you from the sidelines!

Now, let's talk about the fun times! Remember when we almost missed our project deadline, but pulled together at the last minute with some epic teamwork? Or the office Christmas party last year that, let’s just say, had some unforgettable karaoke performances? It's these moments that we'll hang onto. So today, let's add a few more of those to our collection.

We've got some great food and music lined up for today (yes, there's cake!), and maybe a few surprises to make you laugh and, okay, maybe tear up a bit too. Let’s make sure our friends leave knowing just how much they mean to us and how much they'll be missed.

So, grab a drink, share a story, and let’s give our friends the send-off they deserve. Here’s to new adventures, continued friendships, and memories that will last a lifetime!

Cheers to each of you, the journey ahead, and the ties that will always bring us back together, no matter where we are in the world.

Let the party begin!

With a little bit of humor, some genuine compliments, and lots of good wishes, you’ll give a farewell speech that’s just as memorable as the times you’re celebrating. So grab that mic, speak from the heart, and let’s give a warm, wonderful send-off that’ll be talked about long after the party’s over!

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Farewell Speech Examples For Every Situation

When you move on in life from a job, a neighborhood, or a position, you may be formally honored and need to make a farewell speech on your last day. While most goodbye speeches follow a simple format, you can pattern your address after these farewell speech examples.

Saying goodbye can be emotional and challenging, but delivering a heartfelt farewell speech leaves a lasting impact on the hearts and minds of those present.

This article explores inspiring examples of farewell speeches , showcasing the power of words to express gratitude, share memories, and inspire hope for the future. Whether bidding farewell to colleagues, classmates, or loved ones, these speeches offer a glimpse into the art of saying goodbye with grace and eloquence.

Table of Contents

What Should You Say In A Farewell Speech?

In the  best farewell speeches , people express their gratitude, share memories, and leave a positive lasting impression.  Some common elements include:

• Speakers often  express gratitude  to the individuals or groups they are addressing, acknowledging their support, friendship, or guidance throughout their journey together.
• Farewell speeches often r eflect shared experiences , memorable moments, and accomplishments. Speakers may recount anecdotes, highlight achievements, and reminisce about the time spent together.
• Speakers often  extend their best wishes to the group of people in attendance , expressing hopes for their future endeavors. They may offer encouragement, inspire confidence, and express optimism about what lies ahead.
• Farewell speeches often include  recognizing and appreciating specific individuals  who have had a significant impact. This can involve expressing gratitude to mentors, colleagues, friends, or family members who have supported and influenced the speaker’s journey.
• Speakers may  reflect on personal growth and lessons learned . They might share insights gained, challenges faced, and how those experiences have shaped them as individuals.
• Farewell messages often  create a sense of closure and unity  by emphasizing the importance of the shared journey and the connections formed. Speakers may encourage ongoing relationships, express a desire to stay connected, and leave the audience with a sense of unity and togetherness.

Tailor the content of your speech according to the situation and audience. For example, the mood of your address may be lighter at a farewell party than at a more intimate occasion in an office.

How Do You Start A Farewell Speech?

A good farewell speech captures the audience’s attention and establishes a connection. You can do this by  acknowledging the presence of everyone gathered and going into a heartfelt opening.  Sharing a personal anecdote or a reflective quote sets the tone and establishes an emotional connection with the listeners.

What Should I Do If I’m Too Nervous To Speak?

Many people find the thought of  public speaking terrifying , and it’s quite common to experience feelings of dread and sickness in the days and hours before you speak. The following steps may help you alleviate these symptoms:

• Before stepping up to speak,  take a few deep breaths  to help relax your body and calm your mind. Deep breathing can help reduce anxiety and nervousness by providing a moment of focus and centering.
• Adequate preparation  is key to building confidence. Rehearse your speech until you are entirely familiar with the content and have become comfortable with the flow and structure. Practice in front of a mirror or with a trusted friend or family member to gain feedback and build confidence.
• Begin your speech with a strong and engaging opening line  or anecdote that captures the audience’s attention, maybe about your personal life. This can help you overcome initial nerves and establish a positive connection with the listeners.
• If appropriate, consider using  visual aids or notes  to assist you during the speech. Having key points or reminders written down can help you stay on track and provide a sense of reassurance.
• When speaking, consciously  slow down your pace and remember to incorporate pauses . This lets you gather your thoughts, maintain composure, and engage with the audience. Pauses can also help you manage nerves and project confidence.
• Remember, the audience is there to support you.  Maintain eye contact, smile, and engage with them . Consider focusing on receptive or friendly audience members to help you feel more at ease.
• Feeling nervous is totally natural and even expected in public speaking. In fact, you should experience some trepidation.  Embrace any imperfections and be authentic in your delivery . Share your genuine emotions and tell the audience you value their presence.
• If your nerves persist,  seek support from a trusted friend, family member, or mentor.  They can offer guidance, encouragement, or even accompany you during your speech for added confidence.

You can overcome your nerves with practice, preparation, and a positive mindset and deliver a memorable farewell speech.

What Should I Do After The Speech?

After delivering your farewell address, wrap up the speech effectively and engage with the audience.  Here’s what you can do:

• Take a moment to  thank the audience  for their attention. Let them know how much their support and camaraderie have meant to you. Wish them good luck in their future endeavors.
• Depending on the setting and the nature of the farewell, you can i nvite the audience to ask questions or share their thoughts.  This can create an interactive and engaging atmosphere, allowing for further connection and dialogue.
• After the formal part of your speech, make an effort to  interact with the audience individually . Approach people and engage in conversations.
• Use the opportunity to  network with colleagues, classmates, or other attendees . Exchange contact information with individuals you would like to stay connected with.
• Take some time to r eflect on the experience of delivering the goodbye speech . Consider what went well, what you could improve, and any lessons learned. Reflecting on your performance can help you grow as a speaker and build confidence for future public speaking engagements.
• If possible,  seek feedback from trusted individuals  present during your speech. Ask for their honest opinion, constructive criticism, and suggestions for improvement. Feedback provides valuable insights and helps you refine your speaking skills.
• After the farewell event, consider  sending thank-you notes or messages . This gesture shows appreciation and reinforces the connections you have formed.

What Are Some Good Farewell Speech Examples?

Here are some sample farewell speech excerpts:

Leaving A Job

“Good evening. Looking back, I am reminded of the countless triumphs we achieved together. From overcoming complex challenges to celebrating major milestones, we have consistently demonstrated the power of teamwork and unwavering dedication.”

Transferring To Another Office

“Throughout my time in this office, it has been a privilege to work alongside some of the most talented individuals who have inspired me every day. Together, we have tackled challenges, celebrated successes, and created a vibrant and supportive work environment. The fond memories we have shared will always hold a special place in my heart.”

“Dear friends and neighbors, I stand before you on this special occasion with mixed emotions as I bid farewell to this beloved neighborhood that has been my home for many years. As I prepare to move to a new house, I am reminded of the countless memories and the strong sense of community that has made this place so special.”

Joining The Military

“Joining the military is not merely a career choice; it is a commitment to defend and protect the ideals we hold dear. Standing alongside the brave men and women who dedicate their lives to safeguarding our nation’s freedom is an honor. I find it hard to find the right words, but I am humbled by the opportunity to contribute to this noble cause and be part of a legacy of courage, sacrifice, and selfless service.”

Going Away To College

“Standing here today, I am humbled by the tremendous support and guidance I have received from my parents and teachers. Their unwavering belief in my potential has prepared me for this natural progression from high school to college, where I am eager to embark on a journey of self-discovery, hard work, knowledge, and endless possibilities.”

Leaving Your Post In An Organization

“Good morning. I leave the business today with a mixture of gratitude and a sense of heaviness in my heart. My journey with my manager and colleagues has been transformative, and their unwavering support and guidance have prepared me for this moment. While it has been incredibly difficult to make the decision to move on, I believe it is time for me to embark on a new path, carrying with me the cherished memories and lessons we have shared.”

Adam Howarth

Adam covers the topic of Public Speaking for Digital Authority. From his first experience of oratory with his school debating society to his more recent experiences of promoting the local business scene in Wrexham, Wales, he has always been involved in public speaking.

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How To Give a Farewell Speech in English (How To, Samples, and Tips)

What is a Farewell Speech?

A farewell speech is given at the end of an event or occasion, such as a graduation ceremony, in order to thank those who have been involved and to wish everyone well. The speech can be emotional or humorous, but it should always be positive. Farewell speeches are also an opportunity to reflect on the past and to look forward to the future.

If you are giving a farewell speech, be sure to thank those who have helped you along the way and to express your excitement for what lies ahead. Whatever you do, don’t forget to take the time to say goodbye. So take some deep breaths, and get writing down those fond memories!

The Right Time to Give a Farewell Speech?

There is no one “right” time to give a farewell speech. The key is to gauge the mood of your audience and decide whether a farewell speech would be well-received. If you’re leaving a job, for example, you might give a farewell speech at your going away party. If you’re moving to a new city, you might give a farewell speech to your friends, family, and other members of your personal life. And if you’re retiring from a long career, you might give a farewell speech at your retirement party.

The important thing is to make sure that your farewell speech is appropriate for the occasion. If you’re not sure whether a farewell speech would be welcome, err on the side of caution and don’t give one. But if you think your audience would appreciate a few words of farewell, then go ahead and give your farewell speech with confidence.

How to Write Farewell Speech at Work:

1. drafting an outline.

The best way to approach writing a farewell speech is to draft an outline. This will help you stay on track and ensure that you hit all the key points you want to make. Here’s a basic outline for a farewell speech:

• Introduce yourself and explain why you’re giving the speech.
• Thank your audience for their time, support, and friendship.
• Reflect on your time together and shared experiences.
• Offer words of wisdom, encouragement, and hope for the future.
• Conclude with a final thank you and farewell.

3. Writing an introduction

When it comes time to write a farewell speech at work, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

• Make sure that you thank the people who have been most instrumental in your career. This could be your boss, your colleagues, or even your clients.
• Take this opportunity to reflect on your time at the company and highlight some of your proudest accomplishments.
• Wish everyone all the best for the future and express your gratitude for being part of such a great team.

5. Adding humor when appropriate

When it’s time to say farewell, a little humor can go a long way. Whether you’re the one moving on to a new adventure or the one left behind, a funny farewell speech can help to lighten the mood and make the tough times a little bit easier.

Of course, it’s important to strike the right balance – too much humor and you risk coming across as insensitive or unprofessional. But a well-placed joke or two can help to ease the tension and let everyone know that it’s ok to laugh through the tears. So if you’re looking for a way to add a little levity to your farewell speech, here are a few pointers:

• Try to avoid making fun of anyone in particular. Jokes about your boss or coworker might be entertaining, but they’re also likely to backfire.
• Steer clear of controversial topics like religion or politics – nobody wants to get into an argument at a farewell party.
• Don’t be afraid to self-deprecate – sometimes the best jokes are the ones we make at our own expense.

3. Expanding on your ideas

What are some of your fondest memories? What have you learned? This is your opportunity to share your gratitude for the experience and the people who have made it possible.

Next, turn your attention to the future. What are your plans? What do you hope to accomplish? Use this as an opportunity to inspire your colleagues and remind them of their own potential. Finally, end on a positive note and thank everyone for their support.

4. Editing your speech

Take some time to edit your speech before delivering it. Make sure it flows well and sounds natural. Editing your speech effectively will make sure it is clear and concise.

Remember, this is not a time to deliver a long, drawn-out speech. Instead, keep your farewell speech short and sweet. And most importantly, make sure you express your sincere thanks and best wishes to your colleagues. With these tips in mind, you can write a farewell speech that will be both memorable and meaningful.

5. Proofreading your work

When it comes time to write a farewell speech at work, proofreading your work is essential. Not only do you want to make sure that your grammar and punctuation are correct, but you also want to check for any awkward phrasing or awkward sentences. By taking the time to proofread your speech, you can be sure that you’re putting your best foot forward as you say farewell to your colleagues.

7. Asking for a colleague’s opinion

One way to ensure that your farewell speech is a hit is to ask for input from a trusted colleague. This person can help you to choose the right words and tone, ensuring that your farewell speech is both heartfelt and professional. In addition, seeking out feedback will show your colleagues that you value their opinion and are willing to work together to create a farewell speech that everyone will remember.

10 Tips for Making a Memorable Farewell Speech

1. express gratitude:.

Regardless of the occasion, a farewell speech is an opportunity to share your feelings and experiences, and to express your gratitude to the people who have been a part of your life.

2. Keep it Personal:

The most memorable farewell speeches are those that are heartfelt and personal. Avoid using cliches or recycled jokes, and instead take the time to reflect on your unique experiences and relationships.

3. Mind Your Tone:

It’s also important to be mindful of the tone you set with your farewell speech. While it’s okay to be sentimental, avoid being too negative or nostalgic as this can make the event feel more like a funeral than a celebration.

4. Keep it Short:

Keep your farewell speech short and sweet. No one wants to listen to a long, drawn-out farewell, so try to keep your comments concise and to the point.

5. Give Shoutouts:

Be sure to thank all of the important people in your life, from your family and friends, to your colleagues and mentors. A sincere expression of gratitude will go a long way in making your farewell speech memorable.

6. Lessons Learned:

Share a few words about what you’ve learned during your time at the organization or in the relationship, and offer some advice for the future.

7. Keep it Tasteful:

Use humorous anecdotes sparingly, as they can easily backfire if not delivered properly. If you do choose to share a funny story, make sure it is appropriate for the occasion and that everyone in attendance will have the correct interpretation of it.

8. Be Authentic:

Be authentic in your delivery, and don’t try to be someone you’re not. Your farewell speech should be a reflection of who you are, so resist the urge to put on an act or put on a show.

9. Be Positive:

When possible, end on a positive note by sharing your hopes for the future or expressing excitement about what’s to come next in your life.

10. Say Goodbye and Thank You:

And finally, don’t forget to say goodbye! A simple “thank you for everything” or “I’ll miss you” will suffice – just make sure you actually mean it.

Examples of Farewell Speeches at Work

Farewell speech for retirement.

“Although I am sad to be leaving, I am also excited to start this new phase of my life. I want to thank you all for being such a great team to work with over the years. I will really miss Getty Images, but I know that you will continue to do great things without me.

I am so proud of all that we have accomplished together and I know that the future is bright for this company. Thank you again for everything. I wish you all the best in the years to come.”

Farewell speech for moving on

“As we all know, today is my last day here at the office. It’s been a great ride, but now it’s time for me to move on to new opportunities. I want to take this opportunity to say farewell and thank you all for the support and friendship you’ve shown me over the years. I’ll never forget the good times we’ve had together, and I’ll always cherish the relationships I’ve made here. I wish you all the best in everything you do, and I know you’ll continue to be successful in all your endeavors. Thank you again, and farewell!”

Farewell speech for your boss

“It has been my honor and privilege to work with you for the American people over the past few years. You have been a great mentor and an even better friend. I will never forget all the advice, support, and laughs we’ve shared as we improved the American experience. I am grateful for everything you’ve done for me and I know I will always cherish our time together. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors to improve the American memory and American Industry.”

Farewell speech with humour

“I’m not going to lie, I’m going to miss each and every one of you. But I know that you’ll all be fine without me. You’ve been surviving without me for years, after all! I just want to say thanks for all the support, laughter, and advice over the years. I know I’ve been known to be a bit forgetful, so please bear with me if I forget your names from time to time (or the 34th time!). Just wave and say ‘It’s me!’ And I’ll be sure to remember. Thanks again, everyone.”

Farewell speech over email

“Hello everyone,

I wanted to take a moment to say farewell. I have enjoyed working with all of you and am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this team. I am moving on to a new opportunity now, but I will always remember the good times we had here.

I wish everyone the best in their future endeavors and professional lives. Thank you for everything.

[Your name]”

Farewell speech in person

“As I stand before you today, I can’t help but reflect on all the incredible memories we’ve shared over the years. It seems like only yesterday we were laughing and joking together in the staff room about popular culture and singing karaoke at John’s 39th birthday party. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and so today is my farewell.

I’m not going to lie, it’s been tough saying goodbye to all of you. But I know that with each passing day, the memories of our time together will only grow more and more dear. So although this may be farewell for now, I know we’ll all be back in each other’s lives very soon.

In the meantime, I want to thank you all for everything. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with each and every one of you. And I sincerely hope that our paths will cross again soon.

Until then, farewell! And may the odds be ever in your favour!”

When it comes time to move on in your career, you’ll want to make sure you craft the perfect farewell speech. And with the tips from this blog, you’ll be able to do just that.

First, you’ll want to thank your colleagues, mentors, and others who have helped you along the way. Next, you’ll want to reflect on your time at the company and share any lessons you’ve learned. Finally, you’ll want to express your excitement for the future and wish your company all the best.

By following the tips detailed in this blog, you’ll be able to deliver a farewell speech that is both memorable and meaningful. So go ahead and start planning your farewell speech today – it’s sure to be a hit!

The main purpose of a farewell speech is to thank the person for their contributions and to wish them well in the future. However, a farewell speech can also be used to give advice or share memories. If you are giving a farewell speech, it is important to keep the tone positive and upbeat. Thank the person for their contributions and express your best wishes for their future endeavors. You may also want to share a memory or give some advice.

While it may be difficult to say goodbye, a farewell speech can be a great way to show your appreciation for someone who is leaving. Whether you are the one saying farewell or you are the one who is being farewelled, there are a few things to keep in mind when starting to write a farewell speech. First, consider what you want to say. A farewell speech should be positive and focus on the good memories you have with the person. It is also important to be genuine in your words. If you are the one giving the farewell speech, try to personalize it as much as possible. For example, you might share a story about how the person has helped you or made an impact in your life. With these tips in mind, you’re sure to deliver a farewell speech that will be remembered long after the farewell itself.

It can be difficult to know what to say, especially if you are feeling emotional. However, there are a few key elements that can help to make your farewell speech more effective. First, take a moment to reflect on the relationships you have enjoyed with the people you are saying goodbye to. What have you learned from them? What memories do you have of good times together? sharing these reflections can help to create a more personal and meaningful farewell speech.

Whether you are leaving a job, a project, or just moving on to something new, it can be tough to find the right words to express to your team. However, a farewell speech is a great opportunity to thank your team for their hard work and let them know how much you have appreciated their dedication. Here are a few tips to help you write a farewell message that will resonate with your team: 1. Keep it positive. Focus on the good times and the things you have accomplished together. Avoid dwelling on negative experiences or putting blame on anyone. 2. Be personal. Share stories and anecdotes that illustrate your time working together. This will help your team remember you and feel connected to you even after you’re gone. 3. Be specific. Thank each member of your team by name and mention what they contributed that was most valuable to you. This will make everyone feel appreciated. 4. Keep it short. No one wants to listen to a long, drawn-out speech. Be concise and to the point so that your team can move on quickly. Saying farewell is never easy, but if you keep these tips in mind, you can write a message that will leave a lasting impression on your team.

A farewell speech is an opportunity to say goodbye to your colleagues, classmates, or friends. It can be a bittersweet moment, especially if you’re moving on to a new phase in your life. However, a farewell speech can also be a powerful way to reflect on the past and inspire others to pursue their dreams. In a farewell speech, you have the chance to thank the people who have supported you, share your hopes for the future, and express your gratitude for the experiences you’ve had. Whether you’re the one leaving or the one staying behind, a farewell speech can be a meaningful way to commemorate a special time in your life.

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Bethany MacDonald

Bethany MacDonald has contributed articles LillyPad.ai since 2020. As their Blog Lead, she specialises in informative pieces on culture, education, and language learning

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• Condolences & What To Say

How to Write an Inspiring Farewell Speech: Step-By-Step

Updated 06/7/2022

Published 05/14/2020

Kate Wight, BA in English

Contributing writer

Cake values integrity and transparency. We follow a strict editorial process to provide you with the best content possible. We also may earn commission from purchases made through affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more in our affiliate disclosure .

There are many times in our lives when we have to say goodbye to the people we care about. We may retire or switch jobs. We may move away or graduate. We may even die. If you’re leaving a place or situation, you may be asked to give a farewell speech.

Jump ahead to these sections:

Step 1: determine your audience, step 2: figure out what you want to say, step 3: make an outline, step 4: be personal, step 5: don’t speak for too long, step 6: practice makes perfect, sample farewell speeches.

This can be nerve-wracking for people who aren’t experienced in writing speeches or speaking in public. You may be tempted to just read a farewell poem and call it a day. But even a novice writer can craft an inspiring farewell speech.

Here, we’ll break down how to write one step-by-step and also provide examples of farewell speeches from several different occasions.  

Knowing who you’re speaking to will determine the tone of your speech. If you’re giving a retirement speech or saying goodbye to a co-worker, you’ll want to be slightly more formal. It’s definitely not the right place to engage in risqué humor.

If you’re a valedictorian speaking to your classmates, strive for an uplifting and inspirational tone. If you’re eulogizing yourself at a living funeral, you can be more irreverent than you might be eulogizing someone else. Give thought to the appropriate tone for the occasion and go on from there. 

Even professional writers and public speakers can’t just whip up a speech in one draft. Before you start writing, take some time to jot down some ideas.

Are there particular stories you want to share about your time with the people you’re speaking to? Make a note of them. Are there specific anecdotes about coworkers or friends you want to revisit? Write those down, too. Once you’ve narrowed down what you want to say, you’ll find it a lot easier to begin writing.

Once you’ve figured out what you want to say, it’s time to write up an outline. A speech should include the following components:

• Introduction: This will set the tone for the rest of your speech. A good introduction will grab people’s attention and keep it on you. A good introduction will include a greeting to the audience. It may also contain an icebreaker like a joke to loosen up the crowd. Finally, it will let people know the purpose of the speech.
• Body: This is the meat of your speech. In the body, you can delve into the stories and anecdotes you wrote down in your brainstorming session. You will likely be talking about a few different events, so make sure to include transitions between events.
• Conclusion: Finally, you’ll need to wrap up your speech. Most conclusions will summarize things you’ve already covered. For a farewell speech, you may want to end on a poignant note, even if the rest of your speech has been fairly lighthearted. This lends it emotional resonance. 

You may want to make your speech feel perfect and polished. The problem with that is that a perfectly polished speech can end up feeling a little generic.

It’s important to infuse your speech with personal and specific stories. This will help your audience feel more connected to what you’re saying. 

Once you’ve completed your speech, it’s time to edit it down. People may start to tune you out if you go on for too long. Even if your introduction is attention-grabbing, it won’t keep people engaged indefinitely. Five minutes is an appropriate length for more casual speeches. For a more formal farewell speech, you could speak for up to ten minutes. This might apply to a valedictorian speech at graduation or a retirement dinner for an important company figure. 

Ultimately, you need to use your best judgment. Read your speech out loud, being sure to speak slowly and clearly enough to be understood. Factor in pauses for laughter during humorous moments. If your speech is too long, then go through and trim out any unnecessary parts. This will ensure your speech is as strong and memorable as possible.

You may think that once your speech is written, you’re all done. But there’s still one more important step. You need to be comfortable delivering your speech. This means practicing it as many times as it takes.

A lot of people will rush through speeches if they feel nervous or uncomfortable in front of a crowd. Practicing it at the correct speed will help ensure you don’t speak too fast on the actual day of a farewell event. It’s almost like muscle memory. As you practice, you can even note spots where you need to breathe or take a sip of water. Being prepared for little things like that can make you feel more confident.

Practicing can also help you memorize your speech. However, this doesn’t mean that you need to go up without cards or notes. Even the most well-prepared person can have a forgetful moment. Without notes, you may panic and go completely blank.

Keep your speech in front of you so you’re able to quickly pick up where you left off. Just don’t rely on your notes too heavily, either. You want to connect with the audience by making eye contact. Practicing and preparing can help you strike the right balance.  

Now that we’ve broken down the steps that go into writing a farewell speech, we’ll share some examples. You can see how to say goodbye to coworkers through a touching retirement speech. You can see how people say goodbye when graduating or moving away.

You can even see how someone eulogizes themselves at a living funeral . Read on for excerpts from all of these kinds of farewell speeches:

Example for saying goodbye at work or retirement

“Over the past twenty years, I’ve seen this company grow from five people to over five hundred. But even though the office has changed significantly over the years, some things remain the same. We are truly like a family here. We’re just a much larger family than we used to be. 

But just because I’m retiring, it doesn’t mean I don’t still care about every one of you. A family doesn’t stop being a family just because someone moves away. Anytime you need to talk, I’m just a phone call away.” 

Example for saying farewell at the end of someone’s life

“I’ve attended an unfortunately large number of funerals in the past several years. This is the first time I’ve ever attended my own, though. 

I decided to have a living funeral after burying so many of my other friends who also had terminal illnesses. I thought it was a real shame that they didn’t get to hear their friends and family members celebrate them. Perhaps selfishly, I want to hear all of you talk about how awesome I am.

But more than that, I wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate you, too. If you’re here, it’s because I can never fully express how much your support has meant to me while I’ve battled this illness. You’ve all helped me in so many ways. You’ve driven me to treatments. You’ve organized meal trains to feed my family. You’ve cleaned my house. You’ve taken care of my kids. You’ve told me jokes and let me vent. You’ve laughed with me and cried with me. You’ve been there for me in so many ways.

As you all know, we’ve hit a point where treatment isn’t doing anything to help anymore. I’ve gone ahead and discontinued it because it’s making me feel terrible and not actually doing anything. I’d rather go out peacefully and say goodbye on my own terms. And what better way to do that than throw myself a funeral party? So everyone please enjoy some food and music. And don’t forget to come over and tell me how great I am, because I do want to hear it.” 

Example for students or teachers

“Over the past four years, our class has been through a lot together. We’ve had ups and downs, but no matter what, we’ve always come through it closer than ever. Maybe it’s because we’re such a small school. While we might not all be the closest of friends, we don’t have the same cliques you might find at other schools. That might also be because many of us have been in school together since kindergarten. In a lot of ways, we’ve always been like a team. 

Now that we’re all going off to college, many of us will be on our own for the first time. It’s bound to be an enormous challenge for some. But I have faith in every single one of us. We’re graduating from a highly-competitive college prep school. Everything we’ve been through has prepared us for this.

We may be small fish going into a big pond. But we’re some of the smartest and toughest small fish you’re going to find. And ultimately, even if we end up scattered across the country, I know I’ll always be able to count on you. And I hope you know you can always reach out to me, too.”

Example for someone who’s moving away

“Moving away from friends isn’t exactly new for me. With a wife in the military, I end up having to pack up every few years to move. I know you all know what that experience is like. But this is definitely the hardest time I’ve ever had packing up to go.

Y ou don’t always encounter a lot of other civilian husbands living on base. It’s been incredible having a built-in support system with other dads and husbands who understand what this life is like. I’m really going to miss having our families all get together for cookouts on the weekends.”  

Writing an Inspiring and Memorable Farewell Speech: Tips, Tricks, and Examples 

When you’re leaving people behind, it’s hard to know how to say goodbye . You may worry that you won’t be able to properly express what the people in your life have meant to you.

Just follow the steps above and remember to speak from your heart. At the end of the day, that’s what will have the most impact.  

And if you're interested in unique ways to continue someone's legacy after their passing, you can consider a custom urn from a store like Foreverence  or even have a memorial diamond made from ashes with a company like  Eterneva .

Categories:

• Legacy Projects

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Tips & Tricks to Prepare a Memorable Farewell Speech

Saying goodbye is an inevitable part of life's journey, a moment that often leaves an indelible mark on both the speaker and the audience. Whether bidding farewell to colleagues, friends, students, or mentors, the ability to articulate sentiments, memories, and aspirations becomes an art—a craft that requires precision and authenticity.

As we delve into the intricacies of crafting a memorable farewell speech, it's essential to recognize the power embedded in the spoken word. A well-constructed farewell speech is more than a formality; it's a poignant narrative that encapsulates shared experiences, acknowledges individual contributions, and leaves a lasting impression on those present.

How to Craft a Perfect Farewell Speech?

In the following exploration, we'll navigate the nuances of bid adieus, uncovering the art of addressing diverse audiences and blending nostalgia with humour. It's about expressing gratitude sincerely, navigating challenges gracefully, and infusing hope for the future. So, let's embark on this journey, unravelling the threads that weave a farewell speech into a tapestry of remembrance, laughter, and optimism.

1. Know Your Audience: Tailoring Your Message

Understanding the diversity of your audience is crucial. Colleagues, friends, students, and seniors all come together for a farewell. Tailor your message to resonate with this diversity, ensuring everyone feels acknowledged.

Example: As I stand here, I see faces that have shared laughter, challenges, and triumphs. Each of you holds a special place in my heart, and it's essential to tailor my words to embrace our diverse connections.

Situational Example:

If addressing colleagues: In our professional journey together, I've had the privilege of working alongside dedicated individuals who have not only been colleagues but also friends. Crafting the message to honour the professional bonds you've formed is crucial for a meaningful farewell.

2. Reflect on Shared Experiences: Nostalgia Done Right

Nostalgia is a powerful tool. Reflect on shared experiences, highlighting moments that defined your journey. These shared memories create a sense of unity and appreciation for the time spent side by side.

Example: Let's take a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about the time we faced that challenging project head-on or the spontaneous moments of joy that lit up our workspace. These shared experiences are the threads that weave our unique tapestry.

For a farewell speech in a student setting: From late-night study sessions to the joyous celebrations after exams, our shared experiences as students have created bonds that will last a lifetime. Let's cherish these moments as we bid adieu to this chapter of our academic journey.

3. Express Gratitude: Acknowledge Contributions

Expressing gratitude is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of those around you. Acknowledge the efforts and unique qualities of individuals, making each person feel seen and valued.

Example: I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each of you. Your dedication, creativity, and unwavering support have not only shaped our shared journey but have left an indelible mark on my professional and personal growth.

If addressing seniors or mentors: To my mentors and seniors, your guidance has been instrumental in shaping my career. Expressing gratitude for your wisdom and leadership is not just a formality but a sincere acknowledgement of the impact you've had on my professional development.

4. Add Humor: Balance Laughter and Sentiment

Humor adds a delightful touch. Balance sentiment with well-timed humour, sharing light-hearted anecdotes that bring smiles to faces. Laughter becomes a bridge that connects hearts even amid goodbyes.

Example: They say laughter is the best medicine, and I couldn't agree more. So, let's trade tears for laughter as we recall that hilarious incident during our team retreat. Who knew team-building activities could be so adventurous?

In a farewell party of students or colleagues: As we bid farewell, let's not forget the laughter that echoed through these halls. From inside jokes to shared pranks, our ability to find humour in the daily grind has been the glue that held us together.

5. Address Challenges: Turn Goodbyes into Opportunities

Acknowledge the challenges of saying goodbye. Addressing potential conflicts or emotional difficulties demonstrates emotional intelligence. Turn these challenges into opportunities for growth, emphasizing the positive aspects of change.

Example: Goodbyes are never easy. They come with a mix of emotions, and it's okay to feel them all. But let's view this goodbye not as an end but as a new chapter filled with opportunities for both personal and professional growth.

If addressing a diverse group of friends: In our circle of friends, goodbyes can be bittersweet. It's challenging to part ways, but let's view it as an opportunity to expand our horizons and create new connections while cherishing the bonds we've formed.

6. Share Future Endeavors: Create Hope and Excitement

Share your future plans and aspirations, infusing hope and excitement. Your enthusiasm for the future becomes infectious, inspiring confidence and optimism among your audience.

Example: As I embark on this new journey, I carry with me the lessons learned, the friendships forged, and the skills honed. I'm excited about what lies ahead, and I hope you share in this anticipation of new beginnings.

In a farewell speech to colleagues: As I transition to a new professional chapter, I carry the knowledge and skills gained here with me. I'm eager to apply them in new ways, and I'm confident that our paths will cross again in the world of opportunities that awaits.

7. Close on a Poignant Note: Leave a Lasting Impression

The closing moments of your farewell speech should be poignant, leaving a lasting impression on your audience. Choose words that resonate deeply, encapsulating the essence of your time together.

Example: In closing, let me express my deepest gratitude. Our paths may diverge, but the impact you've had on my life will endure. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey, and may our paths cross again in the tapestry of life.

In a farewell speech for a retiring colleague: As you step into the realm of a well-deserved retirement, let the legacy of your contributions be a beacon of inspiration for us all. May your days ahead be filled with the joy and relaxation you've earned.

8. Dos and Don'ts: A Quick Guide for an Effective Farewell Speech

Explore practical dos and don'ts for crafting an effective farewell speech. From maintaining sincerity to avoiding common pitfalls, these guidelines will ensure your speech is impactful and well-received.

• Dos: Speak from the heart, personalize your message, and maintain a positive tone.
• Don'ts: Rush through your speech, dwell on negatives, or use language that may be misunderstood. A well-crafted farewell speech requires a delicate balance.

For a farewell speech to students:

• Dos: Inspire them with your journey, share valuable life lessons, and express genuine gratitude.
• Don'ts: Overwhelm them with advice, overlook their achievements, or dismiss the impact they've had on your growth as an educator.

9. Q&A Session: Engaging with the Audience

Encourage audience participation with a Q&A session. This interactive segment allows the audience to express their thoughts, seek clarification, and actively engage with the farewell experience.

Example: Before we wrap up, I'd love to hear from you. Any questions or thoughts you'd like to share? Let's make this farewell a dialogue, enriching the collective experience.

Situational Example: In a farewell speech to a team: Your input has always been valuable to me. As we open the floor for questions, let's engage in a meaningful conversation. Your insights are an essential part of our shared journey.

10. Personal Touch: A Unique Farewell Gesture

Consider adding a personal touch to your farewell speech. This could be a symbolic gesture, a memento, or a special acknowledgement. A thoughtful farewell gesture leaves a lasting impression.

Example: As a token of appreciation, I've prepared a small collage capturing our memorable moments together. Each picture tells a story, and I hope it serves as a reminder of the bonds we've forged.

Situational Example: For a farewell speech in a close-knit team: I've arranged a 'Memory Jar' where each of you can write a note or share a memory. This jar will travel with me, preserving the essence of our time together. Let's continue adding to it, even from afar.

Crafting a memorable farewell speech involves weaving together gratitude, humour, and a personal touch. As you bid farewell, remember that your words have the power to resonate long after you've said goodbye. Cherish the moments, embrace the change, and may your farewell be a celebration of the chapters you've written together. Here's to new beginnings, lasting friendships, and the echoes of a well-crafted farewell that transcend the confines of goodbye.

Good Bye Speech Ideas for Colleagues, Mentors & Friends

1. farewell party speech.

• Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, and dear friends, today marks a momentous occasion as we gather to bid farewell. In the spirit of camaraderie, let us celebrate the incredible journey we've shared, the memories that have woven us together, and the laughter that echoes in the halls of our time together.
• As we gather for this farewell party, let's raise our glasses not just to bid adieu but to celebrate the incredible moments that have made our journey unforgettable.
• This farewell party isn't just about saying goodbye; it's a testament to the laughter, tears, and shared experiences that have shaped us into a family.
• As the music plays and the laughter echoes, let's savour this moment of togetherness and gratitude for the friendships that will endure beyond the farewell.
• Here's to the late-night adventures, the inside jokes, and the dance-floor memories that define our time together.
• As the curtains fall on this chapter, let's carry the spirit of this farewell party into the future, where new adventures and cherished memories await.
• In the symphony of farewells, let this party be a crescendo, a celebration of the unique notes each one of you brought to our collective melody.
• Cheers to the triumphs and the setbacks, to the unspoken bonds, and the shared dreams that have made this farewell party a reflection of our journey.
• May the echoes of our laughter tonight be the soundtrack to the memories we'll carry with us as we step into new beginnings.
• As the night unfolds, let's cherish the moments that make saying goodbye a little sweeter and the memories that will forever linger in our hearts.
• Here's to the farewell party – a kaleidoscope of emotions, a canvas of shared stories, and a testament to the bond that time nor distance can diminish.
• As the curtain falls on this chapter, let the echoes of our shared laughter and the warmth of our friendships linger in our hearts. Here's to the farewell party – a celebration of memories, a tribute to enduring bonds, and a reminder that though farewells are inevitable, the spirit of our shared journey lives on.

2. Farewell Speech for Students

• Dear students, esteemed faculty, and honoured guests, today is a poignant moment as we stand at the crossroads of academia and future endeavours. We gather not only to bid farewell but to celebrate the achievements, growth, and indomitable spirit that define our graduating class.
• Dear students, as we stand on the brink of farewells, let's not focus on the goodbyes but on the incredible journey that brought us to this moment.
• In your academic pursuits, you've not only gained knowledge but also forged friendships, discovered passions, and grown into resilient individuals ready to face the world.
• As you leave these halls, remember that your legacy isn't just in academic achievements but in the kindness, leadership, and indomitable spirit you brought to our institution.
• May your future be as bright as the potential we see in each one of you today. Congratulations on reaching this milestone.
• Here's to the late-night study sessions, the shared victories, and the unspoken support that defined your time here. You've made us proud.
• As you spread your wings, carry with you the values you've imbibed here – curiosity, perseverance, and the belief that you can make a difference.
• To our graduating class, your achievements have left an indelible mark on our institution. May your journey ahead be filled with purpose, success, and joy.
• As you embark on new adventures, remember that the foundation you've built here will be the stepping stone to a future of endless possibilities.
• Your time here was not just about textbooks and exams; it was about discovering your passions, building lasting friendships, and becoming the best version of yourselves.
• May the lessons you've learned here guide you to success and fulfilment in all your future endeavours. Go out and make us proud, graduates.
• To our graduates, as you step into the world beyond these halls, carry with you the lessons learned, the friendships forged, and the experiences that have shaped you into the remarkable individuals you are today. May your future be as bright as the potential we see in each one of you. Congratulations on reaching this milestone!

3. Farewell Speech for Colleague in Office

• Good [morning/afternoon/evening], esteemed colleagues, and cherished guests, today is a day of mixed emotions as we bid farewell to a respected colleague. In [Colleague's Name], we've not just had a team member but a source of inspiration, support, and an embodiment of the collaborative spirit that defines our office culture.
• Today, we bid farewell to a colleague who has been more than a team member – [Colleague's Name], you've been a source of inspiration and a true friend.
• In [his/her] time here, [Colleague's Name] has not just contributed to projects; [he/she] has enriched our work culture with [his/her] positivity and collaborative spirit.
• As we say goodbye, let's not mourn the departure but celebrate the contributions [Colleague's Name] has made to our team, leaving a legacy that will endure.
• To [Colleague's Name], your dedication and hard work have set a standard for excellence. May your next chapter be as rewarding as the time spent with us.
• As [his/her] journey takes a new turn, let's express our gratitude for the camaraderie, support, and moments of shared success we've experienced together.
• In [Colleague's Name], we don't just lose a team member; we bid farewell to a mentor, a friend, and an invaluable part of our professional family.
• May the next adventure bring as much joy and success as the time spent with us. [Colleague's Name], you'll be missed, but your impact will resonate in our workplace.
• Here's to [Colleague's Name] – the colleague who turned challenges into opportunities, the one who made the workplace more than just a job, and the friend we'll always cherish.
• As you embark on new endeavours, take with you the appreciation and respect of a team that was fortunate to have you. Farewell, [Colleague's Name].
• In saying goodbye, let's not forget the lessons learned, the laughter shared, and the bonds forged. [Colleague's Name], you leave behind a legacy that will inspire us all.
• As we bid adieu to [Colleague's Name], let's not mourn the departure but celebrate the contributions that have enriched our collective journey. May [his/her] future endeavours be as rewarding as the time spent with us, and may the legacy of teamwork, creativity, and camaraderie endure.

4. Goodbye Speech for Boss

• Distinguished [morning/afternoon/evening], team members, and colleagues, today we gather to bid farewell to a leader, mentor, and friend. [Boss's Name] has been the driving force behind our achievements, the guiding light in times of uncertainty, and a cornerstone of our professional growth.
• Esteemed [morning/afternoon/evening], team members, and colleagues, today we bid farewell to a leader who has been the guiding force behind our collective success – [Boss's Name].
• Under [his/her] leadership, we've not just achieved milestones; we've cultivated a workplace culture defined by teamwork, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• As [Boss's Name] steps into a new chapter, let's express our gratitude for [his/her] vision, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to excellence.
• To [Boss's Name], your leadership style – marked by empathy, strategic vision, and a dedication to the growth of each team member – has set a benchmark for us all.
• In saying goodbye, we acknowledge not just a boss but a mentor, a guide, and a friend who has shaped our professional journeys in ways we can't fully express.
• As [his/her] departure creates a void, let's also celebrate the legacy [Boss's Name] leaves behind – a legacy of success, camaraderie, and a commitment to excellence.
• May the next chapter be as fulfilling as [his/her] time with us, and may [he/she] continue to inspire and lead with the same passion and dedication.
• To [Boss's Name], you've been more than a leader – you've been a catalyst for growth, a supporter in challenges, and a beacon of inspiration for us all.
• Farewell, [Boss's Name], and thank you for not just managing us but leading us with grace, wisdom, and a genuine commitment to our collective success.
• As [his/her] journey continues, let's carry forward the values instilled by [Boss's Name] – integrity, collaboration, and the pursuit of excellence.
• Farewell, [Boss's Name], and thank you for not just managing us but leading us with grace, wisdom, and a genuine commitment to our collective success. As you step into new horizons, may the values instilled and the lessons learned continue to guide us in your absence.

5. Short Goodbye Speech for Employee

• Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues, and friends, today is a brief but significant moment as we say goodbye to [Employee's Name], a valued member of our team. Though succinct, this farewell is filled with genuine appreciation for the time [he/she] has spent with us.
• Ladies and gentlemen, today we bid a heartfelt goodbye to [Employee's Name], a colleague whose contributions have made a lasting impact on our team.
• Though brief, [his/her] time with us has been characterized by hard work, dedication, and a positive spirit that has enriched our workplace.
• In saying goodbye, let's express our gratitude for the teamwork, creativity, and camaraderie [Employee's Name] brought to our projects.
• To [Employee's Name], your presence will be missed, but your contributions will continue to inspire us. Thank you for being a valuable part of our team.
• As [his/her] journey takes [him/her] to new horizons, let's wish [Employee's Name] success, fulfilment, and new adventures on [his/her] professional path.
• Though [his/her] time here was short, [Employee's Name] leaves behind a legacy of hard work, enthusiasm, and a positive impact on our team.
• May [his/her] future endeavours be as bright as the moments shared with us. Farewell, [Employee's Name], and best wishes for the chapters ahead.
• As we say goodbye to [Employee's Name], let's remember the teamwork, laughter, and shared successes that defined [his/her] tenure with us.
• To [Employee's Name], your contributions were far-reaching, and though your physical presence may leave, the impact you've made will endure.
• In expressing our farewell to [Employee's Name], let's also celebrate the collaborative spirit, dedication, and positivity that defined [his/her] time with us.
• In saying goodbye to [Employee's Name], let's remember the teamwork, laughter, and shared successes that defined [his/her] tenure with us. May [his/her] future endeavours be as bright as the moments shared with us, and [he/she] will always be a part of our work family.

6. Farewell Speech for Seniors

• Dear [School/College/University] community, today we gather to bid farewell to a cohort of exceptional individuals – our esteemed seniors. Your impact on our institution has been profound, and as you take your final bow, we reflect on the leadership, talent, and camaraderie that defined your time here.
• As our seniors take their final bow, let's reflect on the leadership, talent, and camaraderie that defined their time here. You've set the bar high, and we're grateful for the legacy you leave behind.
• To our seniors, you've not just been students; you've been architects of positive change, ambassadors of excellence, and role models for those who follow in your footsteps.
• In saying goodbye to our seniors, let's express our gratitude for the friendships, guidance, and moments of shared success that have enriched our academic community.
• May the journey ahead for our seniors be as promising and fulfilling as the years spent with us. You've made a lasting impact, and we wish you continued success in all your future endeavours.
• As our seniors transition to new chapters, let's acknowledge the indelible mark they've left on our institution – a mark of leadership, excellence, and a commitment to making a difference.
• To our graduating class, your achievements have been a source of pride for us all. May your future endeavours be met with the same determination, passion, and success.
• As we bid farewell to our seniors, let's not see it as a goodbye but as an 'until we meet again.' Your presence will be missed, but your influence will remain.
• In celebrating our seniors, let's also celebrate the growth, diversity, and sense of community they've brought to our academic family.
• To the seniors who have left an indelible mark on our institution, may your journey ahead be as bright as the memories you've created here. Farewell and best wishes.
• To the seniors who have left an indelible mark on our institution, may your journey ahead be as bright as the memories you've created here. Farewell and best wishes for the chapters ahead. Your achievements have been a source of pride, and your legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.

7. Retirement Farewell Speech

• Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues, family, and friends, today we gather to celebrate a career that has spanned years of dedication, commitment, and unwavering service. As [Retiree's Name] steps into retirement, we reflect on the invaluable contributions that have shaped not just a career but an era.
• Under [his/her] guidance, our organization has witnessed growth, milestones, and a commitment to excellence that has defined [his/her] legacy. Today, we bid farewell to not just a colleague but a mentor, a leader, and a true inspiration.
• Throughout [his/her] tenure, [Retiree's Name] has been the cornerstone of our organization, providing wisdom, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. The impact of [his/her] work extends beyond the professional realm, touching the lives of colleagues, clients, and the community at large.
• As we bid farewell to [Retiree's Name], let's not mourn the departure but celebrate the decades of service, dedication, and the positive influence [he/she] has had on our organization.
• To [Retiree's Name], your retirement is well-deserved, and as you embark on this new chapter, may it be filled with relaxation, joy, and the satisfaction of a career well spent.
• In saying goodbye to [Retiree's Name], let's express our deepest gratitude for the indelible mark [he/she] has left on our organization. May [his/her] legacy continue to inspire generations to come.
• To [Retiree's Name], your impact goes beyond the professional realm. Your kindness, leadership, and unwavering commitment to excellence have left an indelible mark on us all.
• As [his/her] colleagues, we've been fortunate to witness the dedication and passion [Retiree's Name] brought to [his/her] work. May retirement bring new adventures and the fulfilment [he/she] deserves.
• Farewell, [Retiree's Name], and thank you for not just a career but for the mentorship, guidance, and positive energy you've shared with us throughout the years.
• Farewell, [Retiree's Name], and thank you for not just a career but for the mentorship, guidance, and positive energy you've shared with us throughout the years. May your retirement be filled with relaxation, joy, and the satisfaction of a career well spent in shaping future generations.

8. Farewell Speech for Teacher by Student

• Respected teachers, fellow students, and honoured guests, today is a poignant moment as we bid farewell to a mentor, guide, and friend. [Teacher's Name] has been more than just an educator; [he/she] has been a beacon of knowledge and inspiration, shaping the minds and hearts of countless students.
• In [his/her] classroom, learning wasn't confined to textbooks; it was an immersive experience that fueled our curiosity and passion for knowledge.
• Through [his/her] guidance, we not only gained academic insights but also learned invaluable life lessons that extend far beyond the classroom.
• As [Teacher's Name] takes a step into a new chapter, we carry with us the wisdom, encouragement, and inspiration that [he/she] has generously shared.
• In saying farewell, let's express our gratitude for [his/her] tireless dedication to fostering a love for learning and the growth of each student.
• To [Teacher's Name], your impact reaches far beyond the subjects taught; it resonates in the character, aspirations, and achievements of your students.
• May the next phase of [Teacher's Name]'s journey be as fulfilling and inspiring as the countless lessons taught and the positive influence shared with students.
• In saying goodbye to [Teacher's Name], we acknowledge not just an educator but a mentor who has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of countless individuals.
• To [Teacher's Name], your commitment to education has been a guiding light for us all. May retirement bring new adventures and the joy [he/she] deserves.
• As we bid farewell, let's celebrate [Teacher's Name]'s legacy – one of dedication, knowledge, and a profound impact on the lives of students.

9. Short Farewell Speech for Students by Teacher

• Dear students, faculty, and respected guests, today is a brief but significant moment as we say farewell to a group of students who have added vibrancy, enthusiasm, and immense talent to our academic community. As their teacher, it is an honour to share a few words on this occasion.
• In your time here, you've exemplified the qualities of curiosity, resilience, and a thirst for knowledge that make teaching a truly rewarding profession.
• Each one of you has brought a unique perspective to our classrooms, creating an environment that fosters creativity, collaboration, and a love for learning.
• Though brief, our time together has been impactful, and I'm confident that you carry with you the tools and insights to succeed in your future endeavours.
• To my students, as you step into the next phase of your academic journey, know that the doors of learning are always open. May you continue to explore, grow, and embrace the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead.
• In saying goodbye, let's not forget the laughter shared, the lessons learned, and the unique contributions each student has made to our academic community.
• May the knowledge gained here be the foundation for your future success, and may your passion for learning continue to fuel your aspirations.
• As we bid farewell to these students, let's celebrate the growth, achievements, and collective spirit that has defined their time in our academic family.
• To my students, your presence has been a source of joy and inspiration. Best of luck on your journey ahead, and may success follow you in all your endeavours.
• As we say goodbye, let's express gratitude for the memories created and the shared experiences that have enriched our academic community. Farewell, students!
• As we bid farewell to these students, let's celebrate the growth, achievements, and collective spirit that has defined their time in our academic family. Your presence has been a source of joy and inspiration. Best of luck on your journey ahead, and may success follow you in all your endeavours.

10. Farewell Speech for Friends

• Dear friends, family, and esteemed guests, today is a day of both celebration and melancholy as we gather to bid farewell to a cherished group of friends. The bonds we share go beyond mere friendships; they are the threads that have woven the fabric of our lives together.
• From late-night adventures to shared laughter, our friendship has been a source of joy, support, and countless unforgettable moments.
• In each other, we've found confidantes, partners in crime, and a chosen family that has made every experience richer and more meaningful.
• As we bid farewell, let us not dwell on the goodbyes but instead celebrate the incredible journey we've had together. The memories we've created will forever be etched in our hearts, and the friendships we've forged will withstand the passage of time.
• To my friends, your presence has been a source of strength, laughter, and unwavering support. May the bonds we've built continue to grow, even if miles apart.
• As we say goodbye, let's cherish the shared triumphs, the comforting embraces, and the understanding that comes with true friendship.
• May the paths we take lead to new adventures, but may our friendships remain a constant source of joy and support.
• In celebrating our friends, let's express gratitude for the shared laughter, the moments of vulnerability, and the understanding that has defined our friendships.
• To my friends, though the physical distance may increase, the memories we've created will always keep us close at heart. Farewell and until we meet again.
• As we bid adieu, let's not see it as a goodbye but as a 'see you later,' for the friendships we've forged are timeless and enduring.
• As we say goodbye, let's express gratitude for the memories created and the shared experiences that have enriched our academic community. Farewell, and until we meet again. Let's not see it as a goodbye but as a 'see you later,' for the friendships we've forged are timeless and enduring.

11. Funny Goodbye Speech for Departing Friend

• Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, and of course, the star of the hour – [Friend's Name], today is a day tinged with humour, nostalgia, and a touch of bittersweet sentiment. As we say goodbye to our dear friend, we do so with laughter, anecdotes, and a whole lot of fondness.
• Who would have thought that [Friend's Name] would be leaving us to pursue a career as a professional tightrope walker? We always knew you had a flair for balancing the fine line between chaos and hilarity.
• As we bid farewell to [Friend's Name], we also say goodbye to the days of office pranks, spontaneous dance parties, and the questionable fashion choices that only [he/she] could pull off with such finesse.
• Our friend, [Friend's Name], is not just leaving; [he/she] is graduating to a new level of adulthood – one where the fridge is stocked with more than just energy drinks and leftovers from last week.
• In the spirit of bidding adieu, let's remember the times [Friend's Name] convinced us that wearing socks with sandals was the next big fashion trend. You truly are a trendsetter, my friend.
• As we say goodbye to [Friend's Name], let's not forget the epic tales of misadventures, the inside jokes, and the infectious laughter that defined our time together.
• Who else will be the mastermind behind our elaborate office pranks now that [Friend's Name] is leaving? Your legacy of hilarity will be tough to surpass, my friend.
• As we bid farewell to [Friend's Name], let's also thank [him/her] for the laughter therapy sessions, the comic relief during stressful times, and the undeniable talent for turning ordinary moments into extraordinary memories.
• To our departing friend, may your new endeavours be as entertaining and unforgettable as the countless moments you've gifted us with. Farewell, and may your comedic genius shine wherever you go.
• In saying goodbye, let's not shed tears but share laughs, for the departure of [Friend's Name] is not an end but a new chapter in the comedy of life. Break a leg, my friend – metaphorically, of course!

12. Farewell Speech for Principal Sir/Mam

• Esteemed faculty, students, parents, and honoured guests, today marks a significant moment in the history of our institution as we bid farewell to a leader, visionary, and the heart and soul of our academic community – our beloved principal, [Principal's Name].
• Under [his/her] leadership, our school has flourished, not just academically but as a nurturing space that fosters growth, values, and a commitment to excellence.
• As [Principal's Name] steps down from the helm, we reflect on the indelible impact [he/she] has had on shaping the minds and characters of countless students.
• To [Principal's Name], your legacy is not just in the bricks and mortar of this institution but in the lives transformed, the aspirations kindled, and the pursuit of knowledge instilled in each student.
• In saying goodbye to [Principal's Name], let's express our deepest gratitude for the unwavering dedication, passion, and love for education that [he/she] has brought to our school.
• May [Principal's Name]'s retirement be filled with the same inspiration, joy, and fulfilment that [he/she] has shared with our academic community.
• As we bid farewell to [Principal's Name], let's not mourn the departure but celebrate the chapters of growth, success, and unity that [he/she] has authored for our institution.
• To our principal, your leadership has been a guiding light, and your impact will continue to resonate in the halls of this school and the hearts of those you've touched.
• Farewell, [Principal's Name], and thank you for not just leading us but inspiring us to reach for the stars. Your influence will endure in the achievements of every student who passes through these corridors.
• As we say goodbye, let's also welcome the new chapter for our principal – one filled with relaxation, exploration, and the satisfaction of a career well spent in shaping future generations. Your influence will endure in the achievements of every student who passes through these corridors.

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How to Make a Farewell Speech

Last Updated: December 30, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz . Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 281,073 times.

Writing a farewell speech can seem like a daunting task. It can be hard to find the right words for your last day, whether it's your graduation, retirement, or any other occasion. You want to try to sum up your experiences, thank everyone involved, and offer wishes for the future, and do it all with grace and charm. This is a difficult task, but with some careful thought, you can write the perfect farewell speech.

Writing Your Speech

• Your outline can be as detailed as you'd like.
• Your outline should contain spaces for an opening, the body of the speech, and a tight conclusion.
• An outline doesn’t contain the complete text of the speech. It simply has bullet points and summaries of each section.

• An ice breaker might be some kind of inside joke or chant that everyone present would know about and be able to appreciate.
• If one of the anecdotes you wrote down is particularly funny or snappy, it could make a good opener as well.
• Sometimes a quote or inspirational message can work well as an opener, though you may want to save this for your closer.

• When speaking generally or summarizing, remember to, “show, don’t tell.” This means that it’s usually stronger to be specific and give details or examples, rather than generalizing.
• An example of “show, don’t tell” is saying, “On my first day of work, I noticed that half of the office stayed an extra half hour after closing time to make sure the reports were done,” instead of, “Everyone here always works extra hard.”

• You can search for great quotes online by subject. There are quotes for almost every occasion.
• If you’re particularly clever, you can end with a punchline that ties together with a joke or anecdote you told at the beginning of your speech.
• For example, if you started the speech with something like, “I’ll never forget my first day here. I thought I was doomed when I walked in the door and saw that I was twenty minute late,” you could close the speech with, “Well, I guess that’s all I have time for. Look at this. Five years later, and still running twenty minutes behind.”

Choosing What to Say

• Try writing down a narrative history of your time at this place. It doesn’t have to all be appropriate for a speech. Simply write it down to help yourself remember everything you’ve done, and to help yourself realize what has been the most meaningful to you.
• Your narrative may start with something like, “I came to work here right out of college and had never lived on my own before. I was so shy that I didn’t make any friends for nine months. Then I got that promotion a year later and formed close bonds within my new department.”
• It’s okay to write down things that were difficult. You can edit them out later. You might include something like, “I hated when we had to move to the new office.” When you edit your speech, this may turn into a funny anecdote, or maybe you’ll say something like, “Even when we had to move to the new office, I couldn’t help but notice how cheerful my colleagues managed to be in a hard time.”

• An anecdote might start out something like this: “I’ll always remember my third day of school. Spencer and I had been assigned to sit next to each other on the bus, but on the third day, my grandmother followed me onto the bus and declared she’d need to have a word with Spencer…”
• Anecdotes can be great ways to express appreciation for a specific person, or to illustrate something you appreciate about the place as a whole. For example, the above anecdote might end with something like, “...and of course, he’s never left my side since then,” or, “...which is how I knew that this school community would finally be a place that I’d feel at home.”

• Think of things you’re grateful for, or moments that helped you become who you are. Make a note of something like, “when John stood up for me freshman year,” or, “when the boss actually brought my proposal to the board and I realized that my voice mattered.”
• Think about the reasons you’re sad to go. This could be something like, “I know that a group of people who look out for each other like this is a rare thing to find,” or, “I learned so much from each person here, it will be sad to move on without everyone.”

• You can offer wishes for the group in general, such as, “Of course, next year, I’m sure you’ll all finally get to nationals without me on the team.”
• You can also offer individual good wishes, such as, “Janet, I hope you have an easy transition to being vice president; I know you’ll do great. Richard, good luck taking over the entire smoothing department.”
• You can also state hopes and wishes you have for yourself, such as, “I don’t know what’s next for me, but I certainly hope it involves people as kind as all of you.”

Delivering Your Speech

• Go over any parts that seem confusing or that don’t flow easily. Make any notes or changes that will be helpful when delivering the speech.
• Time the speech when you recite it.

• A farewell speech should usually be about five minutes long. Ten minutes is acceptable in certain circumstances. More than that should be reserved for extremely special circumstances, such as when a head of state resigns.

• Know that you may make a mistake. Be prepared for this. Don't beat yourself up if it happens. Acknowledge it and move on. You can even laugh at yourself to help put the audience at ease.
• Focus on people who seem to connect to your speech. If they're nodding, smiling, or have their eyes glued to you, focus on them. Their energy will help give you confidence.

Community Q&A

• When in doubt, keep it positive. People will keep the memory of the positive feelings for a long time after you’re gone. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• If you’re going to make jokes about others, make sure they’re clearly light hearted and couldn’t be perceived as mean. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Patrick Muñoz. Voice & Speech Coach. Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.
• ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zv7fqp3/articles/z4w96v4
• ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffschmitt/2013/07/16/10-keys-to-writing-a-speech/?sh=3eff35264fb7
• ↑ https://finley-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/f/finley-h/localcontent/how_to_write_a_speech.pdf
• ↑ https://www.ohlone.edu/sites/default/files/documents/imported/samplestudentnarrativespeech-outline.pdf
• ↑ https://canvas.santarosa.edu/courses/22355/assignments/92237?module_item_id=350284
• ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/chapter/9-2-the-attention-getter-the-first-step-of-an-introduction/
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/giving-a-farewell-speech-at-work
• ↑ http://www.greatspeech.co.uk/farewell-speech-if-leaving-company.html
• ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nikki-stone/confident-public-speaking_b_4058830.html

About This Article

Before you make your farewell speech, write an outline to organize your thoughts. Open with a joke or funny anecdote to grab the audience’s attention. The body of your speech should summarize your time there and include specific stories to express your feelings about the people and place. Conclude your speech with a quote or a punchline, depending on if you want to leave on a serious or funny note. Then, once your speech is written, practice so it will flow easily. For tips on how to give your speech confidently, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Giving A Farewell Speech At Work (With Examples)

• Say Goodbye To Coworkers
• Clean Up Your Desk
• How To Ask For A Reference
• Farewell To Coworkers
• How To Resign From A Job
• Farewell Speech

Find a Job You Really Want In

Summary. Your farewell speech at work is an opportunity to bring your time with the company to a close in a friendly way. In your speech should express your gratitude for your company and colleagues and let people know where you are going. Your speech should be personal and it’s a good idea to use anecdotes from your time in the office. No one can stay at a job forever, and there comes a time in everyone’s career when you have to say goodbye to a group of coworkers. Whether you got promoted and relocated, you’re retiring, or you were given a better offer by another company, it’s nice to give all of your coworkers a proper goodbye, and one of the best ways to do this is in a farewell speech. No matter when or why you need to give a farewell speech, we’ll help you prep one that’s memorable and moving in no time. Keep reading to learn what a farewell speech is, how to create a good one, and a few examples you can model yours after. Key Takeaways: Keep your speech positive and use a relaxed tone while giving it. Create an outline when writing your speech to get an idea of what you want to say before you start writing. Thank your coworkers for their support and for creating a fun work environment. In This Article    Skip to section What Is a Farewell Speech? How to Write a Job Farewell Speech Examples of Farewell Speeches Tips for Delivering a Good Farewell Speech Writing a Farewell Speech for a Colleague Farewell Speech FAQs References Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs Show More What Is a Farewell Speech?

Farewell speeches are an opportunity to bring your time with a company to a close in a polite and friendly way. Typically, they’re short speeches you can make on your last day or if your coworkers throw you a going-away party. They don’t need to be long monologues; you just need to express your gratitude for your time with the company and let people know where you’re heading.

Keep in mind that farewell speeches don’t have to happen every time someone leaves a job or switches offices. Farewell speeches are usually reserved for people who have had a significant impact on a company, worked somewhere for a long time, or are retiring . Not everyone has to give a special speech, so if you feel like you haven’t been at a company long enough or don’t have a high enough position to make a speech, you definitely don’t need to.

How to Write a Job Farewell Speech

Farewell speeches are pretty low pressure, and you can just speak from the heart, so they’re not the trickiest professional speech you’ll ever have to give. But, it still doesn’t hurt to be prepared and have an idea of what you want to say before your opportunity arises. Here are the steps you should take when you want to prepare your farewell speech ahead of time:

Start with an outline. Even though goodbye speeches are just a few minutes long, it doesn’t hurt to have a general idea of what you want to say before you start forming your thoughts.

Beef up your ideas. After you have an outline, you can start filling it in with anything you want to share. Be sure to make everything flow, which the outline can help with since you already know what you want your next point to be.

Let people know where you’re going. Before you wrap up your speech, make sure you take a moment to tell your coworkers what your next step is . Whether you’re retiring, moving to a new company, or having a career change, people want to know what you’re up to and how they can stay in touch with you.

Create a strong conclusion. When you’re writing the end of your speech, make sure it follows the tone you’ve created throughout the rest of the speech. If you went for a more serious tone, you should make sure you keep the ending serious, and the same goes for if you went for a humorous tone.

Edit your speech. Before you read your speech for your coworkers, you should read it aloud for yourself to make sure everything feels right. You can even have a friend read it over for you, but just make sure you give it a read over before giving your speech.

Examples of Farewell Speeches

Here are a few examples of farewell speeches you can give to your coworkers before you leave your job. We’ll give you some samples of different reasons you might be departing a company.

If You’re Retiring

Hi everyone. Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to celebrate my last day with ABC Company. After 20 years here, I can’t believe I won’t be seeing that hideous fake plant and all of your lovely faces every morning. I’m immensely grateful to everyone in this room, especially my HR team. We’ve done some amazing work during my time here, from implementing our database years ago to supporting our colleagues throughout some rocky patches at ABC. I’ll miss everyone on the HR team, especially our weekly Friday gossip lunches. I also want to give a huge thanks to Linda, our head of HR. Linda’s been with me almost since my start, and I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today without her kindness and support. Thanks for everything, Linda. I’m sad to say goodbye to all of you, but I’ll be stopping in from time to time. It’s been an incredible journey with you all, but now it’s time for me to kick back and finally watch that new show you’ve all been telling me about! Thanks again, everyone!

If You’re Leaving For Another Company

Thank you all for coming. I really appreciate you taking some time out of your days to send me off like this. I’ve loved my time here because of all the wonderful people I’ve met, so you’re making it really hard for me to leave. I just want to say a little thank you to my team, who has been by my side since I started at Smith Consulting. Without the leadership and mentorship of Brenda, I don’t know how I would’ve ever moved up to Senior Consultant . Of course, I have to thank my fellow team members Oliver, Sarah, and John, for keeping me motivated and laughing during our late-night brainstorms, countless airport trips, and meetings with tough clients. I also want to give a quick shoutout to Jamie, who will be taking over for me. Jamie is amazing, and I’ve really enjoyed working with her and watching her grow over the last month. I know she’ll do a great job and be a real asset to the team after I’m gone. I’ve enjoyed every second I’ve been with Smith Consulting, and I’m sad to leave. I’ll be moving to Chicago with my husband to be closer to our families, but I sincerely hope everyone will stay in touch. Hopefully, I’ll make it back out here soon, and we’ll have a chance to work together again. Thank you again to everyone, and I’ll miss all of you!

Tips for Delivering a Good Farewell Speech

No matter how formal or informal your farewell speech is, you can follow these tips to make sure you deliver one that’s memorable:

Practice before the big day. Just like anything else, practicing your speech a few times before you give it is a good way to make sure it flows. It can also help you make sure you sound natural and relaxed when you give your speech.

Greet your listeners. To make your speech more lighthearted, you should acknowledge your audience before launching into your speech. Take a second to greet everyone and incorporate them into your speech.

Make it personal. At the end of the day, the speech is about you and your colleagues, so don’t be afraid to make it personal. Your audience will find it more entertaining if you make your speech specific and personal than if you just keep things generic and vague.

Stay positive. While you might be departing with your company for negative reasons, don’t bring anything up in your farewell speech.

Use anecdotes. One way to make your speech memorable and engaging is to use stories from your time in the office. Think of running jokes you have with your coworkers or talk about the great prank you pulled on your boss one year.

Thank your coworkers. While this is a speech about your time at the company, you should take time to thank your coworkers for their support and creating a fun work environment .

Keep it natural. There’s no need to force yourself to do a formal farewell speech if that’s not your personality. Do something that feels natural to you and represents who you are in relation to your audience. You can keep it light and humorous if that fits you, or go for something more serious; just keep it natural.

Use a relaxed tone. Since farewell speeches aren’t overly formal, you want to make sure you’re using a relaxed tone when you address your audience.

Be brief. Your colleagues want to hear from you, but they don’t want a ten-minute walk down memory lane, especially when they’re waiting to eat or need to get to a meeting.

Writing a Farewell Speech for a Colleague

Sometimes you’ll be asked to give a farewell speech for a colleague that is leaving. In this case, you’ll follow many of the same principles that we listed for a farewell speech that you’d give when you’re the one leaving.

Instead of talking about your time with the group as a whole, however, you’ll talk about the individual who is leaving.

Share some of their positive qualities and accomplishments, a few memories or uplifting experiences you had with the person, and how the person has impacted your career or the workplace as a whole.

Close by thanking them for their hard work and wishing them well as they move on to other endeavors.

Farewell Speech FAQs

How do I give a farewell speech for leaving a company?

You give a farewell speech for leaving a company by briefly mentioning a few positive memories of your time working there, expressing your sadness at your departure, and thanking your coworkers.

This speech should be more about your colleagues than about you, so make sure you keep your speech to the point and focused on topics everyone can appreciate.

General memories that most people have in common or your gratitude toward different people or groups in the organization are both great points to include in your speech.

How should I start my farewell speech?

You should start your farewell speech by thanking everyone for being there. Chances are you’re giving your speech at an event of some kind, and even if it’s just a gathering in the conference room to eat cake, you need to thank everyone for taking the time to attend.

From there, you can move into sharing what you’ve appreciated or positive things you’ve learned from your time at the company, thanking your coworkers, and sharing where you’re going next.

What are some good farewell sayings?

Some good farewell sayings are, “It’s been an incredible journey,” “I hope you will keep in touch,” and “I wish you the best.” These sayings all express your appreciation for your coworkers and your desire to continue those relationships.

It’s important to include phrases like these in your speech to show that while you may be excited about what you’re moving to next, you are still sad to be leaving this job and community behind.

How do I say goodbye to my colleagues?

Same ways to say goodbye include:

“I’m going to miss you. Wishing you luck in your new role and your future. We’ll talk soon.”

“It was a blast working with you. We will miss having you around. Goodbye, dear friend.”

“leaving this place and everyone will be difficult, thank you, everybody. Goodbye.”

“Although I am thrilled about my new position, I’m sad to leave the company. Everyone, goodbye.”

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Amanda is a writer with experience in various industries, including travel, real estate, and career advice. After taking on internships and entry-level jobs, she is familiar with the job search process and landing that crucial first job. Included in her experience is work at an employer/intern matching startup where she marketed an intern database to employers and supported college interns looking for work experience.

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• Career Advice >
• Leaving The Office >
• Farewell Speech At Work

15 Short Farewell Speech Tips And Ideas

As someone who has been tasked with bidding farewell to friends or coworkers, you may be feeling overwhelmed and unsure how to approach the situation. But don’t worry—there are plenty of short farewell speech tips and ideas that can help you craft the perfect goodbye. 

Whether you’re speaking to a crowd or just a few friends, these tips will help make your farewell speech meaningful and memorable .

Keep it short and sweet. A farewell speech should be just a few minutes long. Be concise and get straight to the point without dragging on.

1. Focus on the Positive

2. use personal anecdotes and stories, 3. thank those who have helped you, 4. share your future plans, 5. keep it light and funny, 6. share your highlights and accomplishments from your time at the company, 7.offer words of wisdom or advice for your colleagues, 8. encourage your coworkers to stay in touch and keep in touch with you, 9. reflect on the skills and knowledge you’ve gained while working at the company, 10. express your appreciation for the support and guidance you received from your colleagues and superiors, 11. share any funny or memorable moments that you’ve experienced while working at the company, 12. be authentic, 13. have fun, 14. reminisce about any special events or projects that you were a part of, 15. end on a positive note.

A farewell speech offers a chance to celebrate the good times and memories shared. Focus on the positive aspects of your time at the company rather than any negative experiences.

Sharing personal stories makes your farewell speech more impactful. Use specific examples from your time at the company to illustrate your points, avoiding general statements.

Thank those who’ve helped you—coworkers, supervisors, or mentors. Expressing gratitude to those who supported you at the company is essential.

If you’ve got future plans, now’s a great time to share them with your colleagues. This gives you a chance to discuss what you’ll do next and offer your coworkers a sense of closure.

Use humor to lighten the mood and make your farewell speech more enjoyable for everyone. Adding a touch of levity can make your audience enjoy your speech more.

Highlight some key achievements or milestones you reached while working at the company. This demonstrates your positive impact to colleagues.

Share any insights or advice you’ve learned at the company or from your own experiences. This can help colleagues grow and succeed.

Stay connected with colleagues after leaving the company. Encourage them to do the same. This keeps relationships strong and ensures you remain in touch.

Take a moment to reflect on the skills and knowledge you gained at the company. These will benefit you in the future. Ending your speech this way can leave your colleagues with a sense of accomplishment.

Thank those who supported and guided you during your time at the company. It’s a great way to show appreciation and acknowledge their help.

Share any memorable or amusing moments from your time at the company to entertain your audience and bring a smile to their faces.

Being genuine in your farewell speech makes it more meaningful and sincere, helping you connect with your audience.

Have fun . Celebrate the end of your time at the company, and share your experiences with your colleagues.

This tip urges you to think about any notable events or projects you worked on at the company. It’s a chance to celebrate your achievements and share your experiences with colleagues.

End your speech with a positive message. Express hope for the future or gratitude for the chance to work with your colleagues. This leaves everyone with good feelings about your time at the company.

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How to Give a Retirement Speech: Making Your Farewell Count

• The Speaker Lab
• February 14, 2024

Table of Contents

Picture this: You’re about to deliver your retirement speech. It’s more than just words; it’s the capstone of your career. But how do you wrap up years of dedication in a few minutes? You’ve got tales to tell and thanks to give—how can they all fit?

Believe it or not, there’s a way to craft that perfect goodbye, one that leaves everyone not just listening but feeling every word. Stay tuned as we unpack how to turn memories into narratives, sprinkle in life lessons, personalize for impact, nail the delivery tone right on target, and even handle emotions that come uninvited.

Crafting the Perfect Retirement Speech

Standing at the podium, you might find your career flashing before your eyes. Crafting a retirement speech that captures years of experiences while engaging colleagues is no small feat. But fear not, we’re going to dissect how to create a memorable address that will resonate.

The Art of Storytelling in Retirement Speeches

Storytelling isn’t just for kids around a campfire. It’s the secret sauce that can turn your retirement speech from a mere summary into an epic tale that captures hearts and minds. By weaving narratives throughout your speech, you not only entertain your audience, but also connect with them on a deeper level.

When crafting these narratives , simplicity reigns supreme. A well-told story beats elaborate vocabulary any day because what sticks with people is how you made them feel, not the words you chose.

Start by selecting anecdotes that showcase challenges overcome, moments of camaraderie, or even light-hearted office blunders. Use memories that involve the listeners, so they can see their role in your journey and feel part of something larger than day-to-day work.

Let’s say there was a project that nearly went off the rails but became a triumph—a classic underdog story. Share that. Or maybe recall those little day-to-day victories with humor because everyone loves a good laugh, especially when they can nod along as they remember your references. These shared experiences forge stronger bonds than any list of achievements could.

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Key Themes to Include in a Retirement Speech

Think of your retirement speech as the capstone to a grand building you’ve been constructing over years of hard work. Let’s dig into some themes that suit such a momentous occasion.

Celebrating Milestones and Achievements

The meat and potatoes of any good retirement speech are the milestones. Reflect on what you’ve accomplished, emphasizing gratitude as you do so. Avoid bragging as you give credit where credit is due, both to yourself and those who helped along the way. Acknowledging shared successes fosters a sense of unity and could boost morale long after you leave.

The Power of Relationships

Your colleagues weren’t just coworkers but comrades-in-arms against every challenge faced together. Highlighting these relationships gives warmth to your farewell and lets others know how much their camaraderie meant. This theme also allows the opportunity for humorous stories, another great way to engage your audience.

Growth and Change over Time

You’re not leaving your job as the same person who walked through those doors however many moons ago. You’ve grown, changed, evolved. Sharing this personal journey helps others see change as positive and inevitable rather than something scary or negative.

“I started here thinking I knew everything about sales,” could be an opening line before detailing lessons learned that shaped both career and character.

Vision for the Future

Inspire confidence in your colleagues by painting vivid images of continued success. Let your words be the legacy that inspires others to climb higher, even when you’re not around. They’ll stand as a testament to the idea that progress isn’t about reaching a final destination—it’s an ongoing journey of evolution and improvement.

Tips for Personalizing Your Retirement Speech

When it’s time to hang up your hat, a retirement speech is in order. This final address should be as unique and as authentically you as possible. But how do you pour decades into minutes? Let’s look at some strategies.

Including Anecdotes in Your Retirement Speech

Your career wasn’t all spreadsheets or sales pitches—it was packed with moments unique to you. So light up your speech with anecdotes only you can tell. Maybe it was the time you turned an office blunder into a win or that company retreat that still gets laughs at reunions. These are nuggets of gold in personalizing your message.

Anecdotes work because they’re windows into who we are beyond our titles. They show vulnerability, humor, and humanity. People remember stories better than facts anyway.

Finding Your Speech’s Signature Style

A great chef has their secret sauce—what’s yours when speaking? Think about phrases or words synonymous with you. Perhaps “unconventional wisdom” rings true for your approach or “straight talk” sums up how colleagues describe those pep talks by the coffee machine?

Carve out your style within this framework, You want folks nodding along thinking “That’s so them.”

The Delicate Dance of Humor

Humor disarms an audience like nothing else but balancing professionalism while cracking jokes takes finesse. Consider working in lighthearted quips related to common experiences everyone shares at work—the never-ending quest for inbox zero or conference call woes.

Pulling off humor requires reading the room correctly—a well-timed joke lands perfectly but always be prepared to pivot if not all faces in the crowd are smiling back.

While leaving behind familiar halls may tug at heartstrings, infusing personality makes sure those listening get one last memorable glimpse of who you were within these walls—and isn’t legacy what we’re really talking about here?

The Importance of Tone and Delivery in Your Retirement Speech

Think about your favorite comedian’s delivery. They could read the phone book, and you’d still crack up, right? That’s because how you say something is often as potent as what you’re saying—especially when it comes to retirement speeches.

A speech can be full of great stories and shout-outs, but if delivered in monotone or without feeling, it might fall flat. It’s not just words that convey your message; it’s the laughter in your voice when recalling a funny moment or the slight quiver during a heartfelt thank-you. These nuances breathe life into your speech.

To truly connect with listeners, let them hear who you are through variations in pitch, strategic pauses for effect, and even appropriate silence—a powerful tool for letting important points sink in. Don’t underestimate body language either. Standing tall with open gestures invites audience engagement more than crossed arms ever will.

Mastering Vocal Variety

Vocal variety isn’t about being loud—it’s about using volume smartly to emphasize key points or to draw people back if their attention has wandered off (admit it: we’ve all been there). The ebb and flow of volume keep ears perked and minds focused on what matters most: your experience coming alive through anecdotes only you can tell.

Sometimes whispering can have more impact than shouting ever could. It has the power to draw everyone closer like they’re part of an inside joke or a secret success story from behind-the-scenes battles won together at work. And don’t forget pace; speeding up through exciting achievements builds momentum while slowing down adds gravity to moments that shaped careers—including yours.

Leveraging Pauses like a Pro

We’ve all seen speakers who never seem to take a breath between sentences, but audiences actually need those breaks just as much as lungs do. Strategic pauses give folks time to digest information before moving onto the next big idea. Whether it’s the brief pause at the end of a sentence or a longer pause given after stating your main point, they’ll appreciate this courtesy (and so will their brains).

In addition, pausing, like after a shout-out to your team, subtly emphasizes thanks in a way that words alone can’t match. It’s powerful.

Visual Aids and Props in Retirement Speeches

Picture this: you’re at a retirement party, the mood is nostalgic, and then out comes a prop that sends everyone into an uproar of laughter. That’s the power visual aids and props can have when used effectively in retirement speeches. But it’s not just about getting laughs; these tools can underscore your message with memorable impact.

Choosing the Right Visuals

Selecting visuals or props for your speech should be like picking the right spice for a meal—it must complement, not overpower. If you’ve worked decades at an architecture firm, why not show off a miniature model of your first project? It connects to your journey personally and professionally.

A wise guideline is to contemplate if it contributes worth or only empty show. Your audience will appreciate something tangible that represents your legacy—like showcasing awards or photos from significant company milestones—but they’ll see through anything that feels gimmicky.

Making Technology Work for You

In today’s digital age, technology offers endless possibilities to enhance presentations with slideshows showcasing career highlights. Imagine projecting images that span across eras while sharing anecdotes—that kind of storytelling sticks with people long after they leave.

But remember, tech snafus happen even to seasoned pros. Always have backups ready and do run-throughs beforehand so you’re comfortable no matter what happens on stage.

The Power of Simplicity

Sometimes less really is more. A single item—a first employee badge or perhaps a classic product prototype—can symbolize growth without overwhelming listeners. The beauty lies in simplicity allowing stories told during one’s farewell moment shine brighter than any elaborate setup could ever hope to achieve.

Tying everything back to heartfelt narratives ensures those memories linger well beyond the confines of the event venue—and isn’t leaving behind enduring impressions what every retiree wishes for?

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Preparing for the Unexpected During Your Speech

Even the most carefully crafted plans can still go wrong, especially when it comes to giving a presentation in public. You’ve rehearsed your retirement speech, you know it by heart, but life loves a curveball. When an unexpected moment arises during your address, stay cool and your audience will follow suit.

Navigating Emotional Surprises

Sometimes emotions catch us off guard. One minute you’re sharing a lighthearted story, the next, you’re choked up reminiscing about good times gone by. If tears or laughter come knocking unexpectedly, breathe deep and pause if needed. Remember that showing genuine emotion can be powerful; it connects you with listeners because they see themselves in your vulnerability.

Tackling Technical Troubles

A slideshow goes blank or a microphone starts giving feedback—it happens. The key here is not just having a backup plan but also being able to transition smoothly into Plan B as though it were part of the show all along.

Ditching dependency on tech means knowing which parts of your speech pack enough punch on their own—the stories and jokes that need no visual aids yet leave lasting impressions are goldmines for such occasions.

The Audience Factor

An interruption from an enthusiastic retiree-to-be? A question thrown from left field? These aren’t disruptions—they’re interactions. They offer unique chances to engage directly with individuals who share this milestone moment with you. Here’s how we suggest weaving those interactions back into the narrative flow:

• Show appreciation: Thank them for contributing,
• Pivot gracefully: Bridge their input back to what you were discussing,
• Leverage humor: Lighten any tension while acknowledging their participation.

Examples of Memorable Retirement Speeches

Taking the stage to give a retirement speech can feel like stepping into the spotlight for one final bow. It’s your opportunity to share reflections, motivate, and leave a lasting impression on those you have worked with. One shining example is Lou Gehrig’s farewell at Yankee Stadium in 1939; his poignant words captured hearts as he called himself “the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.” The power of this statement lies not just in its optimism but also in its vulnerability during what was clearly a personal trial.

A more recent memory brings us to Steve Jobs’ address at Stanford University’s commencement in 2005. He urged graduates to stay hungry and foolish—a simple yet profound message that resonated globally because it came from someone who lived those words every day. By sharing his own story about love, loss, and redemption, Jobs left us with life lessons beyond career success or technological innovation.

The impact of such speeches often lies in their authenticity—how well they capture an individual’s essence while striking universal chords with listeners. To craft something memorable, look beyond mere accomplishments. Instead, tell stories that reveal character, share insights gleaned over years, maybe even sprinkle some humor if it suits you—and always speak straight from the heart because sincerity speaks volumes.

Rehearsing Your Retirement Speech

You know the saying, “practice makes perfect,” right? Well, it couldn’t be more true when it comes to nailing your retirement speech.

Practice your speech to perfect the delivery, just as a musician tunes their instrument before a concert. Imagine yourself as a musician tuning an instrument before a concert; every note matters for the performance of a lifetime. When rehearsing your retirement speech, pay attention not only to what you’re saying but also how you’re saying it—your pacing, pauses, and inflection can change everything.

If you get nervous just thinking about speaking in front of people, take a look at these tips on how to overcome your fears . We’ll give you effective strategies for public speaking success—even if all eyes are on you during one of life’s big moments.

FAQs on How to Give A Retirement Speech

What should a retiree say at a retirement party.

Thank the team, share highlights, and express hope for the future. Keep it heartfelt yet concise.

What do you say in a farewell speech?

Acknowledge good times, give thanks to colleagues, and wish well for everyone’s path ahead.

How do you emotionally transition to retirement?

Create new routines, pursue passions and stay connected with former coworkers to ease into this chapter.

How do you start a retirement speech for someone else?

Kick off with an anecdote or praise that captures their essence and contributions they’ve made.

Stand tall as you craft your retirement speech. Capture hearts with stories and gratitude, maintaining a personal yet professional tone throughout. Perfecting tone and delivery matters just as much as words do.

Consider visuals—they can turn a good speech into an unforgettable one—but be prepared for those unexpected technical difficulties or emotions.

For inspiration, leverage lessons from great speeches past. And practice? It’s non-negotiable for delivering with confidence.

Your farewell marks a new beginning. Let it echo with warmth, wisdom, and wit.

• Last Updated: February 29, 2024

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Practical Media Training and Public Speaking Tips

How To Give A Memorable Farewell Speech

It’s your last day on the job. Your colleagues have gathered in a conference room, gotten you a few nice going away gifts, and purchased a cake in your honor.

Suddenly, your co-workers begin chanting: Speech! Speech! Speech! 

Your adrenaline surges, your heart begins pounding. Oh no! A goodbye speech! If you’re like most people, you’ll mutter something like this:

“Okay, well, I wasn’t expecting to say anything, but, well, I guess what I’d like to say is that it’s been an amazing eight years here. You’re all an amazing team, you’re like a second family, and we’ve really been through some ups and downs together … okay, a lot of downs together. But I will really miss you, although this isn’t really goodbye, because I’m going to stay in touch with all of you…whether you like it or not!”

I’ve been guilty of giving that bland farewell speech as well. In 1999, for example, when I left ABC News’ Nightline, at the time one of the most prominent evening news programs, the staff gathered in a conference room to send me off. Ted Koppel, the host of the program was there, as were the executive producer, all of the senior producers, on-air correspondents, and others. Frankly, I was overwhelmed that so many important people thought enough of me to have gathered in my honor. I made it through a few sentences, got emotional, and abruptly ended my farewell speech.

Tips for Your Best Farewell Speech

There’s no specific formula for how to give a great goodbye speech to colleagues at work, but here are some tips on how to deliver your best farewell speech.

Tell a story or two. Stick to anecdotes that are humorous and self-effacing, as well as heartfelt. Don’t be afraid to offer some details of your personal biography – particularly an episode that captures a universal human experience or condition. Reveal gratitude or offer thanks. Share with your colleagues how they helped you to do your job better, allowed you to grow as a person, and/or helped you to understand something about yourself. Keep it short and sweet. Strip your stories and remarks to their most essential details. It will help you to pack a lot of content – and offer a meaningful message – in  a short amount of time. Make it original. When you focus on personal anecdotes and revelations, you deliver a farewell speech that is unique to you and far from trite.

Example Goodbye Speech to Colleagues

As I look back at my farewell speech to my colleagues, I wish I could do it over again. If I could, my goodbye speech would have looked more like this:

“Most people are nervous to meet Ted Koppel. I know I was. When I finally worked up the nerve to say hello, I confidently stuck out my hand and introduced myself. I then promptly took a step forward and caught my foot on an open file cabinet drawer, which sent me plummeting to the ground. (pause) It took me a good two weeks to get past that humiliation. When I did, I quickly learned that this was a place that offered endless opportunities to a young staffer, far more than I had earned. You were open to my story ideas, welcomed me into edit rooms, sent me on video shoots, and gave me the opportunity to make some very public mistakes. People know Nightline is a great show, but they probably don’t know how great its staff is at making a young, aspiring journalist feel like a fully initiated part of the team. My mother tells me that my grandfather never missed a Nightline . He died in 1982, when I was nine years old and when Nightline was only two. To this day, every night when I hear that opening theme music, I think of him, and how proud he would have been to know that his grandson worked here, with all of you. Thank you.”

As you can see, this version is humorous, heartfelt and reveals a bit about who I am . How I start this farewell speech is with a funny story and then I move to a serious point – a thank you for not making an inexperienced staffer feel so inexperienced. I keep the remarks purposefully short but pack a lot of content into the 90 seconds it takes to deliver. And, it’s entirely original. No one else could deliver these remarks, because no one else has had all of these specific experiences.

Get Help Planning Your Goodbye Speech

When giving a goodbye speech to your colleagues at work, it’s important to keep it personal and professional. In our custom public speaking workshops , we delve deeper into these public speaking tips and techniques, as well as others, to deliver effective and memorable presentations and speeches that are both.

Forearmed is forewarned, as they say. Your colleagues’ call to deliver a farewell speech may be impromptu, but that doesn’t mean you should feel unprepared.

The next time you leave a job, challenge yourself. Deliver a goodbye speech that will be remembered long after you finish your slice of goodbye cake.

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Comments (13)

When I left the newsroom where I’d worked for six years, the people in my department threw a party for me. It’s one of my deepest regrets that I didn’t speak in any sort of official way! I was too emotional and didn’t feel I could say anything without breaking down. I won’t ever make that mistake again. Thanks for providing such a great template!!

Lovely piece & some great advice, thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much, Heather! I have fond memories of my days with Nightline, and hope that came through in the piece. Thanks for commenting, Brad

Thank you for sharing this. In a few weeks, I will be leaving a firm where I’ve spent the past 15 years. This provides the framework to prepare my thoughts for both an email farewell message as well as a “speech” to co-workers on my last day.

Patrick, I’m delighted to hear that this post was useful to you. Congratulations on your 15 years of service to your firm, and best wishes in your future endeavors. Best, Brad

I made the same mistake as Daphine. I think about it often. I widh i would have read this back then.

Great advice, wish I’d read it before I left my first job. I was much loved and so popular that the whole building arranged a surprise party for me. My boss presented me with a cake and flowers and a gift and said such lovely things about me that, when everyone called for a speech, I became so nervous and panicked and punched my boss to the ground. Never will I be caught out like that again!

When I left my post as a director and scriptwriter of a daily radio show I knew I could not deliver a speech, so I did not. I wrote it down and send it to each work mate, and to my bosses. I made it in the same wording an extension of one of our editorial pieces, and the top brass decided to air it the day next to my departure. I was overwhelmed. Many thanks for sharing your moments.

Your speech was nice only that am still a student preparing a send-off speech as an assignment.

Thank you so much your speech is very impressive I have leant a lot in it, I am leaving my current position sooner.. by Fikile Mkhanyiswa

Well written one

Thanks for sharing your valuable compose regarding good-bye Speech on last day of job. This will help me a lot to prepare my speech which would deliver few months later. Thanks again Mr. Phillips….

Thank you very much for such an insightful template; Im only left with one month at work, so I have been nevous for what to say during farewell day; but now I know how I will construct the speech

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40 Examples of Farewell Speech for Colleagues and Others

Posted: February 19, 2019 •

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“Farewell” we wish people who leave us to start a journey all new. Farewell means that wherever you go, whatever you do, may it be in peace and you get success. “Farewell” is not just a word, but an emotion. So, is there someone who is retiring or , among your colleagues? Or is anyone leaving your institution and joining others for growth and prosperity? Then you would want to give them a farewell speech. It isn’t difficult to do that, however, you would want the speech to touch their heart, wouldn’t you? Then you would need to have some guidelines and examples before writing down your own. who

Examples of Farewell Speech for Colleagues and Others

How do you give a farewell speech?

The best farewell speech is the one that comes from the heart and not what you read on different articles. Although the examples cold be useful to actually shape your thoughts into words, your farewell speech should be the one that has a taste of what you experienced at the place you are leaving behind. For example, mention the first day that you had at your workplace of college that is where the story starts. Gradually include how you got familiar with people around you and made some amazing friends who stood by you through thick and thin . Further, credit your mentor, for it is because of him/ her that you could survive in that environment and blossom. Tell everyone all the fun moments that you had with your friends and what mischiefs you did. Make everyone remember the memorable days that you had spent in there and how you will always cherish being there.

Why is farewell important?

When a baby is born, everyone celebrates its birth and eventually, it is a celebration to wish the baby a good new start . Similarly, when a person leaves an institution, he is bid farewell so that the journey that he has a merry journey ahead as he had where he had associated. A farewell ceremony is therefore important as it acts as a get together to wish someone happy journey.

What should I write in a farewell letter?

Remember, farewell is associated with a positive feeling that is mutual of one who left us. So when you write a farewell letter, keep it positive. Remember that you want their journey to be happy and positive so even if there were and negative incidents between you, avoid them. Start by addressing them in a friendly manner. Then inculcate some amazing, happy and funny moments you had with them. Write how you will miss them and doing stuff with them. Finally wish them good luck, success, and happiness for the future.

Remember, a farewell speech is not a formal speech so you don’t have to behave formally and it is okay if you are emotional. Moreover, the best way one can give a farewell speech is by being emotional. A few tips for giving a farewell speech are

Jot down the speech on a paper and read it form that paper.

If the speech is emotional, let your emotions flow.

Speak of the memories you had with the one you are delivering the speech for.

Wish them all the best for their future and have a promise of keeping touch.

  EXAMPLES OF FAREWELL SPEECH FOR COLLEAGUES

Example Speech 1:

Good Evening Everyone!

I am sure all of us know Ms. Sarah Summers in the Sales Department of our office. She has always been an outstanding employee and it is impossible for anyone not to have heard of her yet. Fortunately for her and unfortunately for us, Sarah has chosen to move out of the city to study further. And I, as the head of the sales department, would like to say a few things about her, to her and all of you here, before she leaves.

Sarah joined our company as an intern, right out of college. Though our organization was a little hesitant to hire her for her lack of experience, they also saw true potential in her. And, might I add, she never missed an opportunity to prove us wrong. A highly passionate girl, Sarah has, if anything, greatly contributed to the improvement in the function of the sales department. We are now more organized, we challenge ourselves to think differently, and we implement plans we thought would be impossible to implement. While many discard the vision of a youth as a mere idealistic tendency, we found that these inputs indeed helped us move ahead and give our department a much-needed change.

Sarah, we are going to miss you deeply, for the liveliness you brought whenever you entered a room, for the spark your enthusiasm could ignite, and for the sheer dedication, you gave your job. Replacing you is going to so difficult. I, on behalf of everyone here, wish you all the luck with your life ahead. We hope to see you shining brighter and achieve what you truly deserve. God Bless!

  Example Speech 2:

Good afternoon everyone,

I am delighted to welcome you to the farewell party. It is an honor and a great pleasure for me to deliver this speech. Today, we are all here to bid goodbye to our very good boss, an exceptional leader and a mentor who retired from active service.

It gives me great satisfaction to say that we must recognize, respect, and appreciate all the valuable skills, knowledge, and all the positive qualities that our amiable boss had instilled onto us and to thank him for all his time and efforts in shaping our profession. Of course, we all know how painful it is, to say goodbye to a very friendly boss and a father. However, we all need to express our sincerest gratitude to him for all his uncommon contributions not only to this organization but toward every staff career progression.

He spent 15 years guiding and inspiring everyone in the workplace; it seems like it was yesterday we started to work under him. Sir, you have given us so many opportunities to be thankful for. I see myself and my colleagues as lucky to have worked under your leadership. Words are not enough to express how much we are going to miss you.

You will be remembered for the great things that you have done not only for this company but for every staff in the workplace. If it had been possible for us to stop your retirement, or decrease your age and increase the number of years left to continue with what you know how to do best—creating a peaceful workplace for the superiors and subordinates to work together in harmony—we would have done that for you. However, it is your turn today. Our own retirement period is also waiting around the corner when someone else will have to bid us goodbye just like we are doing for you today.

I am also delighted to have witnessed today’s event, and proud to have worked under your leadership. Not only are you an amazing boss, but you have shown yourself to be a loving and caring person. I remember when I was sick and had lost all hope of ever getting on with this job, you counseled me, gave me moral support, and prayed for a miraculous healing from the illness. During that difficult time, all your words of encouragement, inspiration, and kindly support put me back on track for optimal job performance. I will never forget the positive influence that you have made on my life.

Through your compassionate heart and support, you have put smiles on many faces. Your leadership made working in the office easy and enjoyable. Thank you for opening many opportunities for me and my coworkers and for being so passionate about our well-being and career advancement.

I remember when the company was facing some financial difficulties, with your professional skills and knowledge in making quick decisions in a very hostile situation; you were able to bring back hope to the organization even beyond our expectations. Indeed, your exceptional qualities have inspired us in so many ways. For that, we cannot thank you enough — the sweet memories of ever working with you will remain in our hearts forever.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement, you are the best boss we have ever worked with. Your many contributions to our success are immeasurable. You have contributed immensely to the company’s success in so many ways. It is no gain saying that it will be difficult for anyone to surpass the good examples that you are leaving behind.

Our very good outgoing boss has put in great efforts in instilling values, such as determination, tolerance, equity, kindness, honesty, patience, and professional skills that are needed to get on with the job even in his absence. You have worked assiduously; now it is time to enjoy all that you have labored for all over the years and live life happily without any stress. As you join the seniors of this great country, I pray that God continues to grant you sound health, mercy and blessings. And may you find life after retirement a happy moment with endless sweet memories.

On behalf of the company and my colleagues, I wish you good luck and full success in future endeavors.

Example Speech 3:

I remember the first time I saw you,” Allie said. “I thought you smelled me first.” “Right,” said Allie. “The chocolate. But then I saw you as I sat up in the dead forest, thinking I knew you. At the time, I thought I must have seen you through the windshield when our cars crashed…. But that wasn’t it. I think, way back then, I was seeing you as you are now. Isn’t that funny?” “Not as funny as the way I always complained, and the way you always bossed me around!” They embraced and held each other for a long time. “Don’t forget me,” Nick said. “No matter where your life goes, no matter how old you get. And if you ever get the feeling that someone is looking over your shoulder, but there’s nobody there, maybe it’ll be me.” “I’ll write to you,” said Allie, and Nick laughed. “No really. I’ll write the letter then burn it, and if I care just enough it will cross into Everlost.” “And,” added Nick, “it will show up as a dead letter at that the post office Milos made cross into San Antonio!” Allie could have stood there saying good-bye forever, because it was more than Nick she was saying good-bye to. She was leaving behind four years of half-life in a world that was both stunningly beautiful, and hauntingly dark. And she was saying good-bye to Mikey. I’ll be waiting for you, he had said…. Well, if he was, maybe she wasn’t saying good-bye at all. Nick hefted the backpack on his shoulder. “Shouldn’t you be heading off to Memphis?” he said. “You’d better hit the road…. Jack.” Then he chuckled by his own joke, and walked off.”

Example Speech  4: A Poem!

“Out of the starless night that covers me, (O tribulation of the wind that rolls!) Black as the cloud of some tremendous spell, The susurration of the sighing sea Sounds like the sobbing whisper of two souls That tremble in a passion of farewell.

To the desires that trebled life in me, (O melancholy of the wind that rolls!) The dreams that seemed the future to foretell, The hopes that mounted herward like the sea, To all the sweet things sent on happy souls, I cannot choose but bid a mute farewell.

And to the girl who was so much to me (O lamentation of this wind that rolls!) Since I may not the life of her compel, Out of the night, beside the sounding sea, Full of the love that might have blent our souls, A sad, a last, a long, supreme farewell.” ― W.E. Henley,

Example Speech 5:

Today is a very sad day for us in the office as we have to say goodbye to our wonderful coworker. He/she has worked with us for a long time and has never let us down. He/she has always been extremely  professional, hard-working and a team player. He/she has a brilliant mind and always brought creative new ideas to the team.

He/she has not only been a fantastic colleague, he/she has also been a true friend. He/she always took the time to ask how his/her fellow colleagues were, always had time to listen and talk to anybody with a problem and was great fun in the office. He/she was always full of energy and happy to see everyone on Monday mornings.

He/she is a great loss to our company but we were lucky to have the opportunity to work with him/her. We all wish you the very best in the future. I know that whatever the future holds, he/she will excel and continue to be successful.

We will miss you but this isn’t goodbye as we know you will keep in touch and we will see you sooner rather than later. Thank you for everything you have given to the company.”

If you want to make this speech more effective, you could include a funny or memorable story or a time your colleague excelled at work. I would also use their name whenever you can so it is more personal.

EXAMPLES OF FAREWELL QUOTES THAT YOU CAN USE IN SPEECHES

“Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.”

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh)

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”

“There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.”

Mahatma Gandhi

“You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.”

E.B. White (Charlotte’s Web)

“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”

Paulo Coelho

“This is not a goodbye, my darling, this is a thank you.”

Nicholas Sparks (Message in a Bottle)

“The two hardest things to say in life are hello for the first time and goodbye for the last.”

Moira Rogers

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

“Man’s feelings are always purest and most glowing in the hour of meeting and of farewell.”

Jean Paul Richter

“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.”

Richard Bach

“Why can’t we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn’t work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos.”

Charles M. Schulz

“It’s time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I’d much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.”

Ernie Harwell

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.”

Anatole France

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.”

J.M. Barrie (Peter Pan)

“We’ll meet again, Don’t know where,don’t know when, But I know we’ll meet again, some sunny day.”

Vera Lynn (We’ll Meet Again)

“Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love.”

George Eliot

“What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”

Jack Kerouac (On the Road)

“Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry.”

“So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good.”

Helen Keller

“Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, though somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends.”

“Goodbyes make you think. They make you realize what you’ve had, what you’ve lost, and what you’ve taken for granted.”

Ritu Ghatourey

“Moving on, is a simple thing, what it leaves behind is hard.”

Dave Mustaine

“They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.”

“The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.”

Charles Dickens (Nicholas Nickleby)

“Life is a journey, not a destination.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Though miles may lie between us, We are never far apart, For friendship doesn’t count miles, It’s measured by the heart.”

“To part is the lot of all mankind. The world is a scene of constant leave-taking, and the hands that grasp in cordial greeting today, are doomed ere long to unite for the the last time, when the quivering lips pronounce the word – Farewell.”

R.M. Ballantyne

“Goodbyes are not forever, Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I’ll miss you, Until we meet again.”

Are these Examples of Farewell Speech for Colleagues and Others helpful? We hope they are! Keep in mind the tips we shared with you on making your speech effective and write the speech in your own words rather than coping it. You can always have some inspiration from the examples give above, however, your experiences are yours, and they cannot be found in example speeches. One effective way of wishing farewell is by writing the speech in the form of a poem or in other words sentences that rhyme. In this, you can include all the names of the members you had memories with and this will help you indulge everyone actively in your speech.

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Latest Education and Career News

Farewell Speech | Best Farewell Speech Samples and templates (Free)

Reported by Pankaj Bhatt

Published on 26 August 2024

Best Farewell Speech – Farewell speech samples for Juniors, College Student, Goodbye speech for Senior, Principal, Teachers, Office, Farewell Speech for School, kids. This will help you to construct a well-balanced farewell/goodbye speech.

The day of farewell is special for the teachers, senior students, and junior students. Juniors are those who arrange the farewell party for the seniors. They wish seniors the best of luck for their upcoming challenges and also take their suggestions as seniors were at the same place where juniors are today.

Best Farewell Speech

Need for Farewell Speech – The farewell party is the time to speak something on behalf of the class to the seniors to wish them well. You may get an opportunity to speak on this day on behalf of your class. Many students get nervous by the name of speech but in reality its an easy task. To deliver an effective speech all you need to do is to remain confident and have eye contact with the audience in the hall. Sometimes writing an effective Goodbye speech can be an issue as you don’t know where to start a speech and how to end it. So we are here to help you with this.

Here we have compiled a sample speech for the Juniors that they can deliver to the farewell party to wish well to their seniors. You can get some inspiration from this speech and compile a new one for you. So without much ado, let’s read the sample Farewell Speech/Goodbye speech;

Let’s get started with Farewell Speech Samples-

Farewell Speech For Juniors

A very good evening to the respected teachers, seniors, and my dear friends. As we all know that, today we are gathered here to give farewell to our seniors and it’s my pleasure that I am here to say thanks and wish to the seniors on behalf of my class. Having brilliant seniors is always a motivating factor and we are lucky that we have you as our seniors. 

I would like to congratulate all the seniors for their nice journey in this school. They must have some good and ordinary memories of this school but as s junior, I also have some memories of them and it is from the fresher’s party. We all juniors think that our seniors have set a high benchmark of excellence and to reach that point we need to work hard.  You guys were like a guardian in the schools for us and we know that if we would need your help you would be always ready for it.

Now when you are going to college to pursue your dream career we all are happy. But somewhere we have the pressure to be as good as you were. To be there for the juniors as you were for us.

A farewell is a celebration to celebrate your success and wish the seniors well but today I want you to wish us well and to be as great as you all. As students, you all made the school proud and now it’s our responsibility to carry forward the legacy. We learned many important things from our seniors including the art of making healthy interactions with everyone in the school.  We will make sure to have a healthy relationship with the juniors and to follow the instructions of teachers.

At last to conclude this speech I want to say to our seniors that our wishes are always with you all. We wish you well for your successful future.

Farewell Speech for College Student

Hello hello!!!! Mike testing 1, 2, 3, 4 everyone can hear me ok so let’s get started

Good evening dean sir, our professors and all those who are here with me for the last four years.

I am happy that I got the chance to stand in front of you and remind you of the good and bad memories which we lived in our college which are now going to be souvenirs for all of us.

It seems like yesterday when we joined our college. There is something in this college because we all acclimatize with the ambiance of this college very quickly.

Earlier we thought that college life is so boring and we are going to miss our school days for sure, yeah we still miss our school days though, but this college never makes us feeling short of our school. We make new friends here who are awesome in all ways.

 I would like to thank all the professors for not only teaching us but also the moral values which they inculcate in us which is more necessary in today’s world.

They taught us how to celebrate your defeat because it will remind you to do better next time and they also inculcate the never lose and never give up mentality.

College life is the most important phase of your life and if you didn’t get the right path then it will ruin your whole life.

Our professor always inspired us and challenged us throughout the 4 years and we also never let them down in any way. We really worked hard for this day.

They made us tough and gentle to face the real world we are going to face.

From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of all the batch mates I would like to thank all professors for making us responsible people.

Friends the day you all are waiting for has arrived today. Today we all are going to graduate from our college and I can see so many faces that are happy, knowing that from tomorrow onwards they do not have to attend any lectures, no project work, no practical anything but…

They are also feeling said when they thought about, that they are going to miss all the wickedness, lecture bunk, unnecessary gossip, times we laughed, cried, screamed in joy, eating food without paying the bill in the canteen and all that.

From tomorrow our all memories will be kept forever on the walls of the college. We don’t want to part from each other but it’s the part of life we have to move on, now everyone will cherish these memories throughout their life.

It is the day when you have a mixed feeling, at one time you will feel elated, and at the same time, you feel dejected. All these feelings will vanish as time passes.

Before stepping down I would like to thank you once again to all professors and friends to be a part of a wonderful journey wish you all the luck for your future and I promise to be in touch with you forever. Now let’s celebrate this day because it will not be going to come again.

Farewell Speech For Students (By Senior)

Sometimes the departure of a few people becomes a reason for celebration rather than their arrival and farewell is the same time. When a teacher or the juniors say goodbye to the seniors then it’s the time of celebration for all. When school staff and the juniors bid goodbye to the pass-out seniors it becomes a celebration. A farewell is a time to wish good luck to the seniors and seniors motivate juniors to work harder whereas teachers feel proud of their students.      

This is the time when all teachers, juniors, or seniors three of them speak of their mind. As a parting gift, a farewell speech for teachers by students is the best. This is the time when students can give a speech to thank their teachers. We understand that penning down a speech is a difficult task so here we have given a farewell speech for students ideally for seniors who are leaving the school. You can get inspiration from this and compile a speech for yourself.

Goodbye speech For Students (By Senior)

Good evening to the respected Principal sir, teachers, my juniors, and my dear classmates. It’s a pleasure for me to speak here at this farewell party on behalf of my class. I would like to thank my classmates and friends to give me this opportunity.

Today as our farewell party is going on and it is going to be the last day of us in this school, we are overwhelmed with your love and respect. It’s like a journey to get admission to this school as a young kid who doesn’t know how to even hold a pencil and leave it when my height is almost equal to my teachers. From here we all will go to see a bigger world in the form of college but it is the hard work of the teachers that made us capable enough to step out of this school. On behalf of my class, I would like to say that we all will never forget all the support and care given by our teachers.

Unlike college in school, we are to be in discipline, and the etiquette and discipline we learned here have given us a strong foundation. It seems like I just joined the school and it’s too early for me to leave this secure and familiar place. I am scared that how will I face the world outside of this school premises. But somewhere I am confident that I will make you proud and this confidence I got from your teachings and blessings.

This school was like our second home where we learned to differentiate between right and wrong. I will make sure that I will make my teachers and school proud. To my juniors, I would like to say that follow what your teachers say. Teachers may scold you sometimes but it’s for your betterment only. And to my batch mates, I would like to say that guys we will keep in touch. We have spent a very good time here and thanks for all those memories.  

Thank you all

Farewell Speech for Students by Principal

Respected Teachers and my dear students,

Students, we all welcome you to this auspicious moment. This moment is very special for you as well as for us (principal, school staff). Every year we have students who pass out from our institute. For me, it has mixed feelings of joy, and happiness and on the other side, it gives sorrow and pain. A feeling of joy that all my students will achieve success, and sorrow for the thing that from today onwards we won’t meet in the classroom. Although, you are invited to every function in the institute. I with my faculty staff will always be there to support you. If you feel any help of mine, please do visit me.

I remember the day when you took admitted to the school. You were not so bold enough to represent yourself. After your parents, we were the only ones who supported you, made you walk on your feet confidently, and made you realize about the world through imparting knowledge. Sometimes we scolded you for your mistakes but trust me all we did was for the sake of your future. We have trust in our students and the knowledge we have provided you that you will never fail in your life. You have just completed the first phase of life and there are more to come. Now, you have to take the major decision of your life and you cannot depend on anyone for that. All my students have very good character and I never want you to diminish your good behaviour. I request you to remember the much-used proverb, which has been told you by your faculties is “ If health is gone nothing is gone if wealth is gone something is gone, but if the character is gone everything is gone . You will face many situations in your coming life and the principles, which are inculcated in you, will help you to get rid of you

The name and reputation we have earned for this institute are all because of you. The progress of the school equally depends upon the faculties and the students. I am thankful to all of the students for their support and for maintaining the dignity of the school. An institute is a structure whose pillars are students and the faculty.

I won’t conclude it by saying that work hard for your examination, our faculties have already told you the strategy to study . However, I must say that your goal should be achieving good marks and parallel work on self-development. Inculcate good habits, Eat healthy food and stay focussed. I thank you again for being a part of this huge family.

Good luck with your future endeavors.

Farewell Speech For Students By Teachers

A farewell is an occasion when juniors, seniors, and teachers gathered in one place and share their thoughts and experiences. A Farewell party is one of the rarest occasions when people celebrate the see-off to others else generally saying goodbye to someone is not a happy moment. 

Farewell, the party is a celebration time as the seniors leave the school to appear in further studies and bigger college. They will get more chances to grow and make their career. For juniors, it’s a time of celebration as their seniors are leaving a legacy behind. And for teachers, it’s celebration time as their students have grown enough to come out from the boundaries and the discipline of the school and to move to a bigger world.

At the farewell celebration students and teachers speak of their minds which is generally known as a farewell speech. When you write a farewell speech you may have many thoughts in mind but penning down them is not easy. So here we have compiled a sample farewell speech for students by teachers. The speech given here has been written keeping the Introduction , Briefing and wrapping up part in mind so this one going to be a perfect speech to bid goodbye on the farewell party.

Goodbye Speech By Teachers

Good morning respected principal, dear colleagues, and friends, and my dear outgoing 12th class students. Finally, the day has arrived when we all are gathered here to wish farewell to the students of the most senior class of our school. Time really flies like anything. For me, it’s just a few days back when I was appointed as your class teacher and today I am honored and pleased to deliver this farewell speech.

Dear students of the 12 th class, you may have faced many challenges in your academic session so far. For a few, Maths is the biggest difficulty in life and for others, it may be some other subject. But as you are moving to college now and going to plan your career then as a teacher it’s my responsibility to prepare you mentally about the upcoming challenges.

This school was like a nest of birds to you, and now it’s the time to fly to explore the world. Trust me, students, today we are as happy as a bird would be after seeing her baby flying. We have worked hard to teach you how to fly and now when you are moving out, you will have to use that teaching.  I am overwhelmed today as, under our guidance, you have achieved this impressive milestone of your student life with integrity. Because of your intelligence, you have left behind a very good legacy for the juniors to follow.

When you are leaving school, its name will follow you everywhere you will go. I know that you will keep making us proud wherever you will go. We have given you a firm foundation here in schools so now it’s in your hand what kind of building you want to develop on it. With this responsibility on your shoulders, I would like to wish all the best to you for your future. Keep shining and get more success in the future. May God bless you all!

Thank you very much.

Farewell Speech for Office

A very good evening to all of you, you all must be wondering why you have been invited to today’s party. So let me reveal the surprise for you, as you know I have been a part of this wonderful company for the last 18 years and it’s like my second home. I still remember it was 14 th of March 2002 when I associated with the company and it seems like it was yesterday when I joined the company and today I am standing in front of you and delivering my farewell speech …

Yes, you all heard it right I am going to retire from the company today. On the first day of joining, I never thought that one day I will deliver a farewell speech and it’s true but I am retiring from my job but not from my duties.

I am thankful to the company that improves my level of skills. The journey from a contract basis to a permanent employee of the company is so challenging for me. I learned so many things from the company especially from our seniors, they are always supportive and never pressurize me for any work and never gave me the deadline, I don’t know but somehow I understand what they want from me and in what duration, this is just because of mutual understanding between me and my seniors.

I saw so many ups and downs but I never quit and that’s my motto. I keep on working and always try to give my best from yesterday.

Today, I would like to thank everyone who is always there to help and support me, even my junior’s colleagues, they are from the new generation and they know various things and I learned so many things from them and I am that kind of person who is so keen to learn new-new things.

Yesterday when someone asked me how much money you are going to receive on the retirement day, I told him that I am going to receive the wealth of knowledge and respect which is more than any treasure. I am thankful to all of you to be a part of this journey and make my journey easier.

Being a part of this company is an honor to me it gives me so much respect among my family and friends circle.

I will tell you the two important things which I learned here, are time management and instant decision making and both these qualities are going to help me in the future. Because earlier I am not that great in both the department but slowly-slowly my seniors inculcate these qualities in me.

In my term, I got so many offers from other companies but I don’t want to part with from the company because this company made me eligible to stand tall in the market and because of this I got the opportunity from other company and…

When everyone is getting a pink slip in recession time then, this company stays strong with me, then how could I leave such a company? And always refuse such offers.

All the moments in which I lived with this company and all of my colleagues will be there with me for time immemorial.  We have given our day and night to this company and I can expect the same from the young guns of my team and they will carry on as we are doing and even more of it.

Someone asks me what will you do after retirement and I always keep my answer ready for such a question from the last few years, I didn’t spend quality time with my family so for the next few months I am going to do that and after that, I will join my friends business.

Once again thank you so much to all of you it’s been a wonderful experience working with you guys and thanks for coming to the party and all the very best for your future!

Farewell Speech For Teachers

Farewell in school is the time when the students and the teachers both have mixed feelings. The students are sad as they are to leave their school but excited for college or new schools. The same applies to the teachers, on one hand, they are sad as their students to whom they have taught for years are moving forward and on another hand, they are happy that the students are going to study in further classes.

Schools and students both organize a party to farewell to the students. Generally, this party or get-together is organized by the juniors but teachers are equally involved in this as they also want their students to leave their existing school with good memories. At the farewell party, the teachers also speak something to motivate the students for the upcoming challenges. Here we have compiled a farewell speech for the teacher. If you are a teacher, read the speech compiled below to get inspiration. We hope this will help you on the farewell day.

Goodbye Speech For Teachers

Good morning to the respected, principal, vice-principal, dear colleagues, families, and friends, lovely students, and students of 12th standard who are going to join different schools after a few days.

I am honoured to give this farewell speech . Today I am speaking with a mixed feeling in my heart. Today is the day of happiness as students have grown up and now they are moving forward for further education but I am sad too as soon these familiar faces of students will move in front of my eyes. As you all know we are here to give a farewell to all our students, who are leaving school after the successful completion of their 12th in the college.

It’s a pleasure for me to welcome all of you to this colorful ceremony. Today I am overwhelmed to see you guys grown up enough to go out from this school to explore the new world. I congratulate all the students of the 12th class as their journey in this school is going to be over soon. Despite all the challenges you have faced in past years related to tour studies, other activities, and competitions you shine like a star. As your teacher, I know you will make your new college proud too as you made us proud.  

Today we have your juniors also with us in this hall. They have made all the arrangements for your farewell party. Nothing can be greater than this when your junior follows your footstep and our school is witnessing this proud moment.

Dear students, being a teacher is not an easy job. We need to be harsh and strict to you in order to make you capable enough to handle the upcoming challenges. Now when you will join a college it will be a test of your education as well. At last, I would like to wish the best of luck to all the students for their future.  I hope you guys will make your new teachers proud too as you did to us.

Farewell Speech for School

Good Evening Principal sir/mam, vice-principal sir/mam, teachers, our beloved juniors, and my dear colleagues. Today we gathered here to celebrate our farewell party and our juniors giving us a bid farewell. Our juniors are so sincere they respect each of their teacher and seniors very well and guys you have done an awesome arrangement for a farewell party and you definitely deserve an applaud for it.

Today, I am standing in front of you on behalf of my class to deliver the last speech of my school life; right now our classmates are feeling nostalgic because we all are going to part from today. It is our last day of school and after that we all will jump into the well of competition, to get the best college to make our future bright.

I would like to thank all our teachers for their selfless dedication, just because of you we all are standing here and going to join our college life soon. You made us so strong so that we can face any kind of situation.

Our teachers play an important role in our life; they showed us the right path, especially mine because earlier I am just a below-average student and always in the chart of bad behavior students…

But my teacher knows the hidden caliber in me and they know, if they took me in the right direction then no one is going to stop me and seriously they worked really hard on me and because of it, I am the perfect of my class for the last five years and in the top three ranked students of our class from last five years.

The kind of support we get from our teachers in our lows and highs is commendable; they not only teach us but also prepared us how to face the world we are going to now face.

I would also like to thank the principal, vice-principal, and chairman sir; just because of you, we got a fantastic environment for study and always ready supportive teachers. You have arranged for us whatever we need in a short span of time.

You are always ready to help any students anytime and this shows your dedication towards the schools and students, thank you so much for that sir.

I would like to thank all my dear colleagues, you guys are so supportive, and as you all know…

Maximum of us are in the school since our first class and we spent twelve years of our school life together and we all are like a second family to each other.

I will miss all the moments we live in the classroom, campus, canteen, and especially on the roads.

The way we crack a joke , doing interesting things, playing games, doing silly mistakes, a competition that who is going to reach the school gate first, eating other lunch boxes especially in the periods and never endings talks and…

Even sometimes we fight with each other but we can’t live more than one day without talking to each other but moreover of it, we always ready to help each other when anyone is in need.

I am sure from tomorrow onwards whenever we recall our school days then there will be a dull smile on our face.

Friends you remember that day when we are in junior class and we heard about a farewell party first time ever…

And how we all are excited that we are going to have a party this year but when we get to know this is only for senior students who are in their final years then we all feel so said and…

We all keep on waiting for this day and we are so excited, that we will get the farewell party but when we get to know, that the day of the farewell party is going to be the last day of our school life then we are praying from god that we do not want this day to come in our life…

And as the day comes closer and closer our heart starts pumping faster. But someday it has to come and here it is.

The entire moments of our school life are a souvenir for all of us and we are going to cherish it for our entire life.

The more I will talk about the past it makes me feel nostalgic, so I will wrap up my speech and once again…

I would like to thank all the teachers, other staff members, and the watchmen uncle from the bottom of my heart.

Let’s celebrate this day because it’s never going to come again in my life again.

Farewell Speech for Kids

Respected, Principal sir, teachers, and all my dear friends. My name is Taashi and I am a student of class 4. Today is the last day of our class at this school. From tomorrow onwards we are going to join the senior secondary school branch of our school. My class teacher gave me the responsibility to give a speech on our farewell day. This is the first time I am giving a speech so pardon me if I have done any mistake.

I would like to thank on behalf of my class the teachers who teach us their new ideas and because of them, we learn daily new things. Vikas sir we never forget the single table thanks to you for teaching us in a new way. My parents are so happy that I am a part of this school and the way I perform and this happens just because of our teachers.

We will miss our teachers who never give up and tolerate our silly mistakes. Especially our class teacher Nalini mam, she is so nice and she never forgets to celebrate our birthday in class and she always played with us in our free time. She is one of the best teachers in our school every student from our class loved her a lot. Mam, we will miss you.

The moments we shared in this school are unforgettable for each student, we will definitely going to miss the last corner of my class where we all students play games.

I would like to thank our sports and cultural teacher also, they gave us chance to join their team and we won a trophy for our class last year just in a cultural activity it was because of them. Most of the students of our class are now always ready to take part in cultural activity and sir you will be happy to know that we are going to give audition for kid’s talent hunt which is going to be held next month in Delhi.

I also like to thank our principal sir who is so friendly in nature. It feels homely when we are in school. We never miss our homes when we are in school, but we definitely going to miss our school when we are at home for sure.

At last, I also like to thank our driver uncle who took all of us from home to school and vice versa.

We will definitely rock in our senior secondary school to make all our teachers proud thank you all of for your guidance and love.

If you would like to add your farewell speech you can send us below your name and details. OR if you have any queries, then comment below.

Pankaj Bhatt

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Don’t call it a farewell: Joe Biden to give keynote address to Democrats

• Deep Read ( 4 Min. )
• By Linda Feldmann Staff writer
• Cameron Joseph Staff writer

Updated Aug. 19, 2024, 2:41 p.m. ET | Chicago

When President Joe Biden delivers the keynote address Monday night at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, emotions among the delegates are likely to run high – a mix of gratitude for his decades of public service, a sense of poignancy, and a tinge of relief.  

One month ago, President Biden was still his party’s presumptive nominee for the November election, despite poll numbers heading south. He still had his base: ride-or-die supporters who believed he had the best shot at beating former President Donald Trump. 

Why We Wrote This

The opening night of the Democratic National Convention features a bittersweet moment: a keynote address by President Joe Biden. The party shoved him aside, but he’s also deeply respected and known for resilience.

But it wasn’t to be. Mr. Biden, under intense intraparty pressure, stepped aside on July 21. Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, a loyal Biden delegate, is floored by how much better things now look for the party.

“I’m a big fan of Joe Biden’s, and I was sad to see what happened, happen,” Ms. Mendoza says in an interview. “But I’d be lying to you if I told you that the momentum shift was anything other than monumental.”

The president “passing the torch,” she adds, “is going to be one of those defining moments of his legacy.” 

But it wasn’t to be. Mr. Biden, under intense intraparty pressure, stepped aside on July 21. Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, a loyal Biden delegate, is floored by how much better things now look for the party.

A missed opportunity for competitive primaries?

Other Democrats are less glowing. They wish that the octogenarian president had come to accept much sooner that he had slowed down and would better serve his party by not running for reelection. That could have allowed for a proper primary contest among the party’s next-generation talent, these party members say.

But the emergency transition to Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic nominee, has been remarkably smooth. And in his prime-time address Monday night, Mr. Biden  is expected to make a strong pitch for her candidacy . Electing her, based on their joint record, and blocking Mr. Trump, whom Mr. Biden views as a threat to democracy, would in effect solidify the president’s legacy. 

After Mr. Biden’s speech, he and his wife, Jill – also speaking Monday night – will board Air Force One and fly to California for a vacation. The idea of Mr. Biden, who lives and breathes politics, leaving a Democratic convention early would have been unheard of, under different circumstances. 

The president has been to all but one Democratic convention since his first in 1972, when he was an upstart Senate candidate and council member from New Castle County, Delaware, who had yet to turn 30. That’s 13 conventions spread over more than a half-century. (The only one he missed was in 1988, as he recovered from brain surgery not long after his failed first presidential campaign.)

But this year, Mr. Biden’s intent clearly is to cede the stage, literally and figuratively, to his hoped-for successor. 

Still an election for Biden to focus on

One close friend who will be watching Monday night from the United Center is Ted Kaufman, who served as Mr. Biden’s decades-long chief of staff in the U.S. Senate. He also served as a senator from Delaware himself when Mr. Biden became vice president. 

In an interview, Mr. Kaufman ascribes the current unity among Democrats to the “existential threat” posed by former President Trump. He emphasizes that Monday night will not be Mr. Biden’s goodbye to the nation.  

“This is not going to be his farewell speech,” Mr. Kaufman says. “His farewell speech will be in January.”

On Monday, the speech will center on “how important it is that we leave this convention and go out and elect Kamala Harris president of the United States,” he says. “That’s enough.”

Mr. Kaufman says he wasn’t surprised that Mr. Biden decided to drop his reelection bid – or that it seemed to happen so suddenly, with the president insisting that he wouldn’t quit the race until the day he abruptly announced he was out. 

That’s how Mr. Biden operates, his friend and former aide says. “He’s been doing this for 50 years, and one of the things that’s made him so successful is that he’s really good at analyzing his situations and making decisions and making them quickly.”

“More betrayals than a Shakespearean drama”

Chris Whipple, author of the book “The Fight of His Life,” which covers the first two years of the Biden presidency, sees the moment as “bittersweet.” 

Dropping out of the 2024 race “was obviously the most difficult decision he or any other president has made in a long, long time,” Mr. Whipple says. “I mean, just think back to Lyndon Johnson in 1968” – the last sitting U.S. president to quit his reelection race. 

“But it’s also tragic in a way. This had more betrayals than a Shakespearean drama,” he adds, rattling off the names of high-profile Democrats who turned on Mr. Biden one by one – former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, former President Barack Obama, and even celebrities such as actor George Clooney. 

Even more brutal, Ms. Pelosi has been offering some glimpses of the behind-the-scenes machinations to get Mr. Biden to drop out, as she promotes her new book, “The Art of Power.” “I never called one person, but people were calling me saying that there was a challenge there,” she told The New Yorker .

Another close observer of Mr. Biden, former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska – a friend of the president dating back to their days in the Senate – also says he’s not surprised that the president ultimately decided to drop out. The Nebraskan says he spent a couple of hours with Mr. Biden in the White House back in December, and has spoken with him a few times since.  

“I always had the feeling that he would eventually make this decision,” Mr. Hagel says. 

“Put yourself in his position,” he says. “For 50 years, he’s been doing this, and he’s been knocked down, as he likes to say, a number of times, but he gets back up and he eventually succeeds.” 

“That’s who Joe Biden is. But you get to a point in your life and your career where things have really shifted and changed dramatically – not only your age and your capacity,” he adds. “When it’s time for new leadership, it’s time for new leadership.”

Biden’s own legacy at stake as Harris seeks election win

Ms. Mendoza, the Illinois state comptroller, says she’s expecting the mood at the convention around the president’s speech to feel “somewhat nostalgic, somewhat bittersweet.” She says she still feels some sadness around how things played out.

“He’s been through so much pain and heartache and loss in his life that having to walk away from this position had to just be another major blow,” she says, alluding to the deaths of the president’s first wife and baby daughter in 1972, then his eldest son, Beau Biden, in 2015. 

“But I think at the end of the day, he’s gonna have a huge smile on his face when he sees Kamala Harris be sworn in as president of the United States.” 

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Watch and Read Joe Biden’s Full Speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention

P resident Joe Biden closed out the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with a nearly hour-long speech—amid chants of “thank you, Joe” and “we love Joe” from the crowd—that had been built up as a farewell address from the longtime politician who recently withdrew from the 2024 presidential election and passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris to carry his legacy forward.

Read More: ‘America, I Gave My Best To You:’ The Biggest Moments From Joe Biden’s 2024 DNC Speech

The following transcript was prepared and provided to TIME by Rev , using AI-powered software, and it was reviewed and edited for accuracy by TIME staff.

To my dearest daughter, Ashley, God love you, you’re incredible. Thanks for the introduction, and for being my courageous heart, along with Hunter and our entire family. And especially our rock, Jill, who is, those of you who know us, she still leaves me both breathless and speechless. Everybody knows her. I love her more than she loves me. She walks down the stairs and I still get that going “boom, boom, boom.” You all who know me know I’m not kidding. Let’s give a special round of applause to our First Lady Jill Biden.

My dad used to have an expression for real. He’d say, “Joey, family is the beginning, the middle, and the end.” And I love you all. Folks—and America, I love you.

Folks, let me ask you. Let me ask you: Are you ready to vote for freedom? Are you ready to vote for democracy and for America? Let me ask you: Are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz President and Vice President of the United States?

My fellow Democrats, my fellow Americans, nearly four years ago in winter on the steps of the Capitol, on a cold January day, I raised my right hand and I swore an oath to you and to God, to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and to faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States. In front of me was a city surrounded by the National Guard. Behind me, a Capitol just two weeks before had been overrun by a violent mob. But I knew then, from the bottom of my heart that I knew now, there is no place in America for political violence. None.

You cannot say you love your country only when you win. In that moment, I wasn’t looking to the past, I was looking to the future. I spoke to the work at hand, the moment we had to meet. It was, as I told you then, a winter of peril and possibility. Of peril and possibility. We’re in the grip of a once in a century pandemic, historic joblessness, a call for racial justice long overdue, clear and present threats to our very democracy.

( Crowd chants: “We love Joe!” ) Thank you.

Yet, I believed then, and I believe now, that progress was and is possible. Justice is achievable, and our best days are not behind us, they’re before us. Now it’s summer. The winter has passed, and with a grateful heart I stand before you now on this August night to report that democracy has prevailed, democracy has delivered, and now democracy must be preserved. 

You’ve heard me say it before, we’re facing an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come. That’s not hyperbole, I mean it literally. We’re in a battle for the very soul of America.

I ran for President in 2020 because of what I saw in Charlottesville in August of 2017. Extremists coming out of the woods, carrying torches, their veins bulging from their necks, carrying Nazi swastikas and chanting the same exact antisemitic bile that was heard in Germany in the early ’30s. Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and the Ku Klux Klan, so emboldened by a President then in the White House that they saw as an ally. They didn’t even bother to wear their hoods. 

Hate was on the march in America. Old ghosts in new garments, stirring up the oldest divisions, stoking the oldest fears, giving oxygen to the oldest forces that they long sought to tear apart America. In the process, a young woman was killed. When I contacted her mother, I asked about what happened. She told me. When the President was asked what he thought had happened, Donald Trump said, and I quote, “There are very fine people on both sides.” My God, that’s what he said. That is what he said and what he meant. 

That’s when I realized—had to listen to the admonition of my dead son—I could not stay on the sidelines. So I ran. 

Because I had no intention of running again. I’d just lost part of my soul. But I ran with a deep conviction in America. I know and believe in an America where honesty, dignity, decency, still matter. An America where everyone has a fair shot and hate has no safe harbor. An America where the fundamental creed of this nation that all of us are created equal is still very much alive. And a broad coalition of Americans joined with me. Eighty-one million voters voted for us, more than any time in all of history. Because of all of you in this room and others, we came together in 2020 to save democracy. 

As your President, I’ve been determined to keep America moving forward, not going back. To stand against hate and violence in all its forms. To be a nation where we not only live with but thrive on diversity, demonizing no one, leaving no one behind, and becoming a nation that we profess to be.

I also ran to rebuild the backbone of America, the middle class. I made a commitment to you that I’d be a President for all Americans, whether you voted for me or not. We have done that. Studies show the major bills we have passed actually delivered more to red states than blue, because the job of the President is to deliver to all of America. 

And because of you—and I’m not exaggerating, because of you—we’ve had one of the most extraordinary four years of progress ever. Period. When I say we, I mean Kamala and me. 

Just think about it. COVID no longer controls our lives. We got from economic crisis to the strongest economy in the entire world. Record 16 million new jobs. Record small business growth. Record high stock market. Record high 401(k)s. Wages up and inflation down, way down and continuing to go down. The smallest racial wealth gap in 20 years. And yes, we both know we have more to do, but we’re moving in the right direction. More Americans have peace of mind that comes from having health insurance. More Americans have health insurance today than ever before in American history. 

And after—as a young senator beginning to fight, beginning to fight for 50 years, to give Medicare the power to negotiate low prescription drug prices, we finally beat big Pharma. And guess who cast the tie breaking vote? Vice President soon-to-be President Kamala Harris. And now it’s the law of the land. Instead of paying $400 a month for insulin, seniors with diabetes will pay $35 a month. The law we passed already includes, starting in January, every senior’s total prescription costs can be capped at $2,000 no matter how expensive the drugs they have. And what we don’t focus on, and our Republican friends don’t seem to understand, our reforms don’t just save seniors money, they save the American taxpayers money. You know what we just passed saved? It saved $160 billion over the next decade. That’s not hyperbole. It’s because Medicare no longer has to pay those exorbitant prices to the Big Pharma.

But look. 

( Crowd chants: “Thank you, Joe!” ) Thank you, Kamala, too.

Look. Folks, how can we have the strongest economy in the world without the best infrastructure in the world? Donald Trump promised Infrastructure Week, every week for four years, and he never built a damn thing.

And now because of what Kamala and I have done—remember, we were told we couldn’t get it done? Remember, when we came into office, we couldn’t get anything passed?—but right now, we’re giving America an infrastructure decade not week. We’re modernizing our roads, our bridges, our ports, our airports, our trains, our buses, removing every lead pipe from schools and homes so every child could drink clean water. We’re providing affordable high speed internet for every American no matter where they live, unlike, not unlike what Roosevelt did with electricity. And so much more. We are uniting the country, we’re growing our economy, we’re improving our quality of life, and we’re building a better America. Because that’s who we are.

How can we be the strongest nation in the world without leading the world in science and technology? After years of importing 90% of our semiconductor chips from abroad, which America invented those chips, our CHIPS and Science Act meant that private companies from around the world are now investing literally tens of billions of dollars to build new chip factories right here in America. And over that period, they’ll create tens of thousands of jobs. And many of those jobs in the so-called Fabs, the buildings that make the chips that are being constructed now. And guess what? The average salary in those fabs, size of a football field, will be over $100,000 a year, and you don’t need a college degree. 

Because of you and so many electeds out there, American manufacturing is back. Where the hell does it say we wouldn’t lead the world in manufacturing. Eight-hundred-thousand new manufacturing jobs.

Our Republican friends and others made sure they’d go abroad to get the cheapest labor. We used to import products and export jobs. Now we export American products and create American jobs, right here in America, where jobs belong. With every new job, with every new factory, pride and hope is being brought back to communities throughout the country that were left behind. You know you’re from it, many of you. You know what it’s like when that factory closed where your mother, your father, your grandmother, grandfather worked. And now you’re back, providing once again, proving that Wall Street didn’t build America, the middle class built America, and unions—unions—built the middle class. 

It’s been my view since I came to the Senate and that’s why I’m proud to have been the first President to walk a picket line and be labeled the most pro-union President in history. And I accept it. That’s a fact. Because when unions do well, we all do well. 

( Crowd chants: “Union Joe!” ) You got it man. You got it. I agree. I’m proud.

Look, remember when we were told we couldn’t get anything done, we couldn’t get anything done in the Congress? Well, with your support, we passed the most significant climate law in the history of mankind. Over $370 billion. Cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030. Launching a Climate Corps similar to AmeriCorps and Peace Corps, creating tens of thousands of jobs for young people in the future who are gonna make sure this continues. Creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in clean energy for American workers, including the IBEW installing 500,000—500,000—charging stations all across America. And in the process, reducing carbon emissions.  And we’re seeing it, we’re seeing to it that the first beneficiaries of environmental initiatives are those fenceline communities that have been smothered by the legacy of pollution. Louisiana and Delaware, Route 9, all the factories, all those chemical factors are right next to the poorest neighborhoods. They’re the ones we’re going to bring back. 

And how, how can we be the greatest nation in the world without the best education system in the world? Donald Trump and the Republican friends—they not only can’t think, they can’t read very well. Seriously, think about it. Look at their Project 2025. They want to do away with the Department of Education. 

Well, during the pandemic, Kamala and I helped states and cities get back their schools back open. And we gave public school teachers a raise. We created apprenticeships with businesses in the communities, putting students on a path to a good paying job whether or not they go to college. And by the way, we’re making college a hell of a lot more affordable. Increasing Pell grants by $900. Over $15 billion dollars to HBCUs, minority-serving institutions including Hispanic institutions and tribal colleges. We kept our commitment to provide more student relief than ever by lifting the burden of helping millions of families so they could get married, start a family, buy a home, and begin to build family wealth and contribute to the community and grow our economy. It’s not costing us, it’s creating more wealth. 

We fundamentally transformed how our economy grows, from the middle-out and the bottom-up instead of the top-down. You know, my dad used to say there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot to drop down on my kitchen table at the end of the month. I come from a basic middle-class family—three bedroom house, four kids, a grandpop living with us, decent neighborhood, but never a penny to spare—and look, that top-down notion never worked. A lot of Democrats thought it worked, but it doesn’t. And when we did all that, what we’ve done, everybody can do well. Everybody.

Donald Trump calls America a failing nation. No, I’m saying, but think about this. Think about this. He publicly says to the whole world—I’m going to say something outrageous. I know more foreign leaders by their first names and know them well than anybody alive just because I’m so damn old. Well, I’m not joking—think of the message he sends around the world when he talks about America being a failing nation. 

He says, we’re losing. He’s the loser. He’s dead wrong. Many of you are very successful people who travel the world. Name me a country in the world that doesn’t think we’re the leading nation in the world. Without America—not a joke, think about it, I’m being literal—who can lead the world other than the United States of America? 

Well, guess what? America’s winning and the world’s better off for it. America’s more prosperous and America is safer today than under Donald Trump. Trump continues to lie about crime in America like everything else. Guess what? On his watch, the murder rate went up 30%, the biggest increase in history. Meanwhile, we made the largest investment, Kamala and I, in public safety ever. Now, the murder rate is falling faster than any time in history. Violent crime has dropped to the lowest level of more than 50 years. And crime will keep coming down when we put a prosecutor in the Oval Office instead of a convicted felon. 

And folks, the distinguished Senator from California and I passed the first ban on assault weapons. And guess what? It worked. If we care about public safety, we need to prevent gun violence. And what makes me ashamed when I've traveled the world, which I do, more children in America are killed by a gunshot than any other cause in the United States. More die from a bullet than cancer, accidents, or anything else in the United States of America. My God. That's why Kamala and I are proud. We beat the NRA when we passed the first major bipartisan gun safety law in 30 years. I am serious. That comes from here. ( Biden points to his heart. ) And now it’s time to ban assault weapons again and demand universal background checks. 

It’s hard. I never thought I’d stand before a crowd of Democrats and refer to a President as a liar so many times. No, I’m not trying to be funny. It’s sad. 

Trump continues to lie about the border. Here’s what he won’t tell you. Trump killed the strongest bipartisan border deal in the history of the United States that we negotiated with the Senate Republican took four weeks. Once it passed, and then we acknowledged those expansive border change in American history, he called senators to say, “Don’t support the bipartisan bill” because he said it would help me politically and hurt him politically. My God. No, I’m serious. Think about it. Not a joke. Ask even the press who doesn’t like me, they’ll tell you that’s true. Typically Trump, once again, putting himself first and America last. 

Then I had to take executive action. The result of the executive action I took: border encounters have dropped over 50%. In fact, there are fewer border crossings today than when Donald Trump left office. And unlike Trump, we will not demonize immigrants, saying they’re the poison of the blood of America, poison the blood of our country. Kamala and I are committed to strengthening legal immigration, including protecting Dreamers and more. 

And here’s what else I believe in: protecting your freedom. Your freedom to vote, your freedom to love who you love, and your freedom to choose. In its decision overturning Roe v. Wade , as you heard earlier tonight, the United States Supreme Court majority wrote the following, “Women are not without electoral or political power.” No kidding. MAGA Republicans found out the power of women in 2022. And Donald Trump is going to find out the power of women in 2024. Watch.

And where Trump and his MAGA Republican right wingers seek to erase history, we Democrats continue to write history and make more history. I’m proud. I’m proud to have kept my commitment to appoint the first Black woman in the United States Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, a symbol for every young woman in America that you can do anything. I’m proud that I’ve kept my commitment to have an administration that looks like America and that taps into the full talent of our nation. The most diverse cabinet in history, including the first Black woman and South Asian descent to serve as Vice President—and will soon serve as the 47th President of the United States. 

She’s good. Look.

( Crowd chants: “Thank you, Joe!” ) Thank you, Kamala.

Folks, I’ve long said, we have many obligations as a nation. But I got in trouble years ago for saying I’d make no apologies. We have only one truly sacred obligation: to prepare and equip those we send to war and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don’t. That’s why I was so proud to have written and signed the PACT Act, one of the most significant laws ever, helping veterans and their families exposed to toxic materials like burn pits and Agent Orange. 

I was around during the Vietnam War. It’s hard. Nobody's able to prove that their illness is a consequence of Agent Orange. And no one was able to prove initially that because they lived in burn pits—like my son lived next to in Iraq for a year—that it was the cause of their illness. But because of the PACT Act, a surviving spouse to two children, is now eligible for a stipend of about $3,000 a month. And those children who lost a parent are eligible for tuition benefits to go to college and to get job training. It’s already helping over one million veterans and their families just so far. Well, I love them and I’m so proud of my son’s service. 

We get it. But guess who doesn’t get it—and doesn’t respect our veterans. We know from his own chief of staff, the four-star general John Kelly, that Trump when in Europe would not go to the grave sites, the one of—in France—the brave service members who gave their lives to this country. He called them suckers and losers. Who in the hell does he think he is? Who does he think he is? There’s no words for a person. They are not the words of a person—not worthy of being a commander-in-chief, period. Not then. Not now. And not ever. I mean that. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Just as no commander-in-chief should ever bow down to a dictator, the way Trump bows down to Putin. I never have, and I promise you, Kamala Harris will never do it, will never bow down. 

When Trump left office, Europe and NATO was in tatters. Not a joke. “America First” doctrine changed our whole image in the world. Well, I spent—they gave the hours, about 190 hours, sum total—[inaudible] with my counterparts or heads of state in Europe to strengthen NATO. We did. We united Europe like it hadn’t been united for years, adding Finland and Sweden to NATO. 

Ten days before he died, Henry Kissinger called and said, “Not since, not since Napoleon has Europe not looked over their shoulder at Russia with dread, until now. Until now.” Well, guess what? Putin thought he’d take Kyiv in three days. Three years later, Ukraine is still free. 

When I came to office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably surpass the United States. They haven’t noticed: No one’s saying that now. 

And we’ll keep working to bring hostages home and end the war in Gaza and bring peace and security to the Middle East. As you know, I wrote a peace treaty for Gaza. A few days ago, I put forward a proposal that brought us closer to doing that than we’ve done since October 7th. We’re working around the clock, my Secretary of State, to prevent a wider war and reunite hostages with their families and surge humanitarian health and food assistance into Gaza now, to end the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people and finally, finally, finally deliver a ceasefire and end this war. 

Those protesters out in the street, they have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.

Just as we worked around the clock to bring home wrongfully detained Americans and others from Russia, in one of the most complicated swaps in history—but they’re home—Kamala and I are going to keep working to bring all Americans wrongfully detained around the world home. I mean it. 

Folks, I’ve got five months left in my presidency. I’ve got a lot to do. I intend to get it done.

It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your President. I love the job, but I love my country more. I love my country more. 

And all this talk about how I’m angry with all those people who said I should step down—that’s not true. 

(Crowd chants: “We love Joe.”)

I love my country more, and we need to preserve our democracy. In 2024, we need you to vote. We need you to keep the Senate. We need you to win back the House of Representatives. And above all, we need you to beat Donald Trump and elect Kamala and Tim President and Vice President of the United States of America. 

Look, they’ll continue to lead America forward, creating more jobs, standing up for workers, growing the economy, lowering the cost of American families so they just have a little more breathing room. We made incredible progress, and we have more work to do. And Kamala and Tim will continue to take on corporate greed and bring down cost of food. They’ll keep taking on Big Pharma, making insulin $35 a month, not just for seniors but for everyone in America. And capping prescription drug cost to a total of $2,000, not just for seniors but for everyone. And folks, that’s going to save America again tens of billions of dollars. Folks, they’ll make housing more affordable, building 3 million new homes, providing $25,000 down payment assistance for the first-time home buyer, more than the 10 we approved.

Donald Trump wants a new tax on imported goods, food, gas, clothing, more. You know what that would cost the average family, according to the experts? $3,900 a year in tax. No, it’s a fact. Kamala and Tim will make the childcare tax credit permanent, lifting millions of children out of poverty and helping millions of families get ahead.

But you know what Trump has? He created the largest debt any President had in four years with his $2 trillion tax cut for the wealthy. Well, Trump has a new plan. He wants to provide a $5 billion tax cut for corporations that are very wealthy—read it—put us further in debt. And folks, you know we have a thousand billionaires in America. You know what their average tax rate they pay? 8.2%. If we just increased their taxes—we proposed to 25%, which isn’t the highest tax rate even—it would raise 500 billion new dollars over 10 years, and they’d still be very wealthy. Look, Kamala and Tim are going to make them pay their fair share. They’ll protect social security and Medicare. Trump wants to cut social security and Medicare. Kamala and Tim will protect your freedom. They’ll protect your right to vote. They’ll protect your civil rights. 

And you know Trump will do everything to ban abortion nationwide. Oh, he will. You know, Kamala and Tim will do everything they possibly can. That’s why you have to elect a Senate and a House to restore Roe v. Wade .

The ancient Greeks taught us that character is destiny. Character is destiny. For me and Jill, we know Kamala and Doug are people of character. It’s been our honor to serve alongside them. And we know that Tim and Gwen Walz are also people of great character. 

Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made when I became our nominee. And it was the best decision I made my whole career. We’ve not only gotten to know each other, we’ve become close friends. She’s tough, she’s experienced, and she has enormous integrity. Enormous integrity. Her story represents the best American story. 

And like many of our best Presidents, she was also Vice President. That’s a joke. 

But she’ll be a President our children could look up to. She'll be a President respected by world leaders because she already is. She’ll be a President we can all be proud of. And she will be an historic President who puts her stamp on America’s future. 

This will be the first presidential election since January 6th. On that day, we almost lost everything about who we are as a country. And that threat—this is not hyperbole—that threat is still very much alive. Donald Trump says he will refuse to accept the election result if he loses again. Think about that. He means it. Think about that. He’s promising a “bloodbath” if he loses, in his words, and that he’ll be a dictator on “day one,” in his own words. By the way, this sucker means it. No, I’m not joking. Think about it. Anybody else said that in the past, you’d think he was crazy—he is crazy—but you’d think it was an exaggeration. But he means it. We can’t let that happen. 

Folks, all of us carry a special obligation. Independents, Republicans, Democrats. We saved democracy in 2020, and now we must save it again in 2024. The vote that each of us cast this year will determine whether democracy and freedom will prevail. It’s that simple. It’s that serious. And the power is literally in your hands. History’s in your hands. Not hyperbole. It’s in your hands. America’s future’s in your hands. 

Let me close with this: Nowhere else in the world could a kid with a stutter and modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, grow up to sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. That’s because America is and always has been a nation of possibilities. Possibilities. We must never lose that. Never. 

Kamala and Tim understand that this nation must continue to be a place of possibilities. Not just for the few of us, but for all of us. Join me in promising your whole heart to this effort. And where my heart will be, I promise I’ll be the best volunteer Harris and Walz’s camp have ever seen. 

Each of us has a part in the American story. For me and my family, there’s a song that means a lot to us, that captures the best of who we are as a nation. The song is called American Anthem . There’s one verse that stands out—and I can’t sing worth a damn so I’m not gonna try, I’ll just quote it—“The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day. What shall our legacy be? What will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are through. America, America, I gave my best to you.”

( Crowd chants: “Thank you, Joe!” )

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my career, but I gave my best to you. For 50 years, like many of you, I’ve given my heart and soul to our nation. And I’ve been blessed a million times in return with the support of the American people. 

I’ve either been too young to be in the Senate because I wasn’t 30 yet and too old to stay as President. But I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you. 

I can honestly say, and I mean this from the bottom—I’ll give you my word as a Biden—I can honestly say I’m more optimistic about the future than I was when I was elected as a 29-year-old United States Senator. I mean it.

Folks, we just have to remember who we are. We’re the United States of America. And there's nothing we cannot do when we do it together. God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. Thank you.

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WATCH: Kamala Harris’ full speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention

Once Kamala Harris took the stage on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, she made history.

Watch Harris’ speech in the player above.

The vice president formally accepted the party’s nomination for president, becoming the first Black woman or first person of South Asian descent to do so. If she wins November’s election, she would be the first woman president in U.S. history.

After a weeklong convention that touted her personal story and her career as a prosecutor and in politics, a cavalcade of speakers described Harris to voters as a “joyful warrior” and defender of personal freedoms and democracy — a stark contrast to the agent for division they’d find in her opponent, former President Donald Trump.

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In her speech, she laid out a choice for voters on Election Day.

“With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past,” she said. “A chance to chart a new way forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans.”

Harris’ ascension this election season was swift. She stepped in after President Joe Biden faced mounting pressure to exit the race. In a matter of weeks, Democratic leaders and voters coalesced around Harris as their best chance to win the Oval Office.

With fewer than 75 days before the election, that urgency carried to her message to voters in the biggest speech of her political career: The nation can move forward and leave Trump behind.

“America, we are not going back,” she said.

Find more of our DNC 2024 coverage

• Live updates: Kamala Harris will accept her party’s nomination on Day 4 of the DNC
• WATCH: Tim Walz delivers pep talk in full speech at 2024 Democratic National Convention
• WATCH: Official explains why DNC denied a speaking spot to Palestinian American
• WATCH: Poet Amanda Gorman recites ‘This Sacred Scene’ at 2024 Democratic National Convention
• 7 takeaways from Day 3 of the DNC
• WATCH: Bill Clinton speaks at 2024 Democratic National Convention | 2024 DNC Night 3
• WATCH: Oprah Winfrey urges voters to choose joy by choosing Harris at Democratic National Convention

Cooper reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed from Washington.

Joshua Barajas is a senior editor for the PBS NewsHour's Communities Initiative. He also the senior editor and manager of newsletters.

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Teacher, coach and veteran, Tim Walz makes his primetime DNC debut to accept VP nomination

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