A retirement speech to the retiree should be light-hearted and upbeat. A retirement speech should also be sincere and personal. So you should do your homework and find out something about the retiree?s working life, their talents and skills and their plans for the future.

What to include in the retirement speech:

• It should have an opening that will captivate the attention of the audience.
• It should refer to the contribution made by the retiree to the company. If at all possible this should be more than a platitude. If the retiree is helpful to new staff this should be mentioned. Try to find out his or her good points.
• It should mention an incident or experience during the retiree's working life. Someone who shared the retiree's office or met them every tea break will probably be able to give you the information you need. So mention that John or Mary was a wonderful organizer or ran the social committee single-handed.
• A funny story always adds to the retirement speech.
• It should (if applicable) include the presentation of a retirement gift.

What not to include:

• It should not mention anything that will cause pain or embarrassment to guests (e.g. alcoholism)
• The retirement speech should not be smutty or dirty in any way.

How to end:

• A retirement speech should end with appropriate wishes for a happy future and a toast to the retiree.