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How good are you at drawing an effective line? Is your motivational final speech able to “ignite” people or is it just a “speech about nothing”? This article was written at the request of the federal magazine “General Director”.
It is created for leaders who want to learn how to write bright, lively, psychologically powerful final speeches. If you are one of these people, be sure to read this material.
The real power of a final motivational speech is enormous. Unfortunately, many managers still have not accepted this as a fact and have not realized how much opportunity they are missing. There are several reasons for such a cool attitude
These include: errors in preparing speeches, lack of a clear structure, bias toward emotions, and so on. All of them together weaken the overall potential of speech. It loses its power, and therefore is not perceived by the leader as something really important.
As a rule, congratulatory final speeches look like either a stream of compliments and emotions, or a boring report, or an assortment of information and jokes. Hence the attitude: the leader sometimes treats such speech only as a “point on the program.”
And completely in vain!
If you approach it correctly, your speech will become a bright indicator of the path along which employees will check their direction for a long time. This is extremely valuable and worth it to learn how to competently persuade and inspire.
Let's learn how to write great congratulatory speeches!
How can a manager avoid ruining a congratulatory speech at a corporate party?
New Year is a favorite holiday for most people since childhood; it is also a time for summing up work activities for managers and their subordinates.
That is why the manager’s speech at a corporate party is a kind of measure of the success of the entire team as a whole and each of its members in particular. Therefore, congratulations should be open, honest, relating not only to the holiday and wishes of health and happiness, but also touching on the successes and victories of all company employees in the past year. It is not surprising that a speech at a New Year’s corporate party sometimes becomes a problem for the head of an organization - what points to cover and voice, how long should the congratulations be, what topics should be avoided.
The ideal speech of a manager at a corporate event is one that sounds short, simple and to the point.
2. Meet other leaders
Outline projects to eliminate bottlenecks. Here you cannot rely only on your intellect. And that's why. Reform projects must first of all have a good knowledge of the reality of a given unit, and such knowledge cannot be acquired in a few weeks.
In a congratulatory public speech, it makes sense to adhere to the classical rules of public speaking. That is, remember about a clear structure: introduction, main part and conclusion.
Thus, we can conclude that the whole point is not what the leader will say, but how he will say it. Western business people say: “If you are given the word, then immediately make a show out of it.” Of course, the leader delivering congratulations does not need to become a showman and entertain those gathered. But making a performance memorable is a matter of honor.
If you are a boss, this does not automatically mean that you are smarter than everyone else. And not only understand, but also not try to bend technical problems in pursuit of imaginary authority to the detriment of common goals.
Difficulties in preparing for a congratulatory speech
Why might a company leader feel discomfort when thinking about expressing wishes and parting words to the team? After all, he is a leader who gives instructions and orders in everyday life, and even in the event of a failed speech, you do not have to fear the anger or ridicule of your subordinates - who will decide to criticize the boss or be offended by him. However, a speech for a leader is an exciting moment. Here are the common reasons why a boss either shifts the task of writing congratulations to his subordinates (secretary, deputy, PR manager), or limits himself to a set of standard phrases (wishes of joy and professional growth):
Unusual role.
Usually the head of the company listens to his subordinates. And if the boss has been used to only asking questions from employees all year, now he himself needs to stand in front of a crowd of smart employees and give any forecasts about the future of the team, and maybe also make excuses because of the failures in the past year.
Responsibility for what is said.
The manager's New Year's speech is a guarantor of stability in the future for employees. The leader’s congratulations always not only sum up the results, but also give guidance for the good work of a well-coordinated and friendly team in the future. Therefore, the boss’s words are perceived as a promise of fruitful and highly paid work.
Fear of uninteresting congratulations.
Indeed, a manager's New Year's speech may turn out to be a simple set of standard phrases that employees hear every year. An uninteresting and drawn-out story by the head of the company would be inappropriate if during the feast there are witty and humorous subordinates who can amuse everyone with bright toasts.
A lot of unfinished work.
Unfortunately, the end of the year does not always mean the fulfillment of the manager’s plans. That’s why the boss thinks about how to congratulate his employees on the New Year, so that the speech does not escalate from wishes for the best into reproaches for work not done.
Unfavorable relationships in the team.
Sometimes the climate among company employees and bosses is unfavorable. Mutual reproaches (when the boss pays little and the employees work extremely poorly), dissatisfaction, lack of trust between people - these reasons, naturally, do not contribute to the preparation of a sincere speech at the New Year's corporate party. After all, a leader is an ordinary person, why on earth should he be eager to smile and say congratulations to those who are not pleasant to him? However, no one canceled the New Year.
Even if the leader does not want to speak in front of the team, there is no chance for him to refuse to speak. What topics should be touched upon, how to congratulate employees on the New Year, so that there is no unpleasant aftertaste in the soul from wasted words and empty promises?
5 life hacks for a novice manager
Ekaterina Zarichnaya, business coach, notes that it is imperative to introduce a new manager, even if he is already familiar to the team - he grew up within the company. This is how the leader is “initiated” into a new role. You probably already know the people you have to manage - analyze each one: what approach to them is needed in order to motivate them to work effectively, but not appear in front of them as a cruel boss, how you can help them and meet them halfway, without being too soft and condescending.
Take our prime ministers. The current one will be discharged with honor, and even with a parachute, and they won’t be asked for his mistakes. But he made a mess, or rather did nothing...
When taking on a position, a manager needs attention to detail. By default, he is competent, has experience, etc. It is also important to understand the “internal” processes, so to speak, xy from xy, make the right bet on certain people and start forming a team. In three days maximum, he should understand the essence of the business model, no matter how complex it (they) may be.
Excuse me again, but reading orders and the like is included in the concept of “getting up to speed.” And checking the formal regulations with the real state of affairs is an obvious step that does not require intelligence or special skills.
The subordinate thinks that having earned the favor of the leader, he will receive an indulgence for the possibility of not completing certain tasks.
If they earned a bonus with their work, that’s great, but there is no need to show that you have favorites - this will deteriorate relationships within the team, and they will treat you worse. If you see that someone is not meeting the bar of requirements, talk privately with this employee. Perhaps he needs help from more professional colleagues or needs to take advanced training courses.
The main reason can be considered the contradictory expectations that surround the new leader. Management expects him to breathe new life into his department and change the way his subordinates work. His subordinates more or less clearly make it clear to him that he should not start with radical reforms, but rather get involved in the work, “grow into the local soil.”
That is, corporate culture is the relationship between employees, the attitude towards work, towards clients; the atmosphere that prevails in the company.
To win over a new team, you can mention in a conversation about plans for the future (you should only name those that you have no doubt about their implementation). It is important to make your interlocutor feel that you are consulting with him, trusting what not everyone knows, setting him apart a little from the rest. Any employee is pleased to learn information before his colleagues.
And if you use an interactive style (ask questions to listeners, ask their opinion), then it will be 1.5 - 2 times more.
It won't be easy in the first days. You need to look around the place you have received and understand the intricacies of the company’s functioning. Do not hesitate to ask questions to the new team, and if necessary, seek help from your deputies. You started working for the benefit of the company recently, and therefore the presence of unknown nuances will not arouse bewilderment or condemnation among others.
Congratulatory speech from the director for the New Year 2020 for employees
The winter holidays are approaching and your company is organizing a celebration? As a rule, employees listen to the manager’s speech at a New Year’s corporate party with special attention, because for them this is a kind of guarantee of the company’s stability in the future.
What should be said in such a speech, how long should it last? We will try to answer these and other questions.
If in the pre-holiday bustle you don’t have enough time to compose the director’s welcoming speech for the corporate party for the New Year 2021, it doesn’t matter. On this page of our website there are several options for such texts from which you can choose the appropriate one.
Speech by the manager at the New Year's corporate party 2021
*** Dear friends! Today we celebrate the coming New Year together. And on the eve of this wonderful holiday, I would like to wish all our company’s employees and business partners a New Year’s mood! I wish the coming year to be no less successful than the past. I am confident that thanks to experience, established traditions and a close-knit team, our organization will continue to occupy a leading position in business. Let all your bold plans come true, let sales grow, let there be more good and different clients! I wish you all family well-being, financial stability, active work days and exciting weekends and vacations! Happy New Year!
Don't rush to fire and hire
Poor communications with “neighbors” can create big problems in your work, as well as give rise to doubts about your competence. Business coach Lyudmila Gorodnicheva, a partner at Right Solution, often encounters the fact that immature managers do not know how to build boundaries with related departments and, trying to please management, take on impossible tasks.
You will see an average type of leader. Try it on yourself: what qualities and abilities you already have, and what needs to be supplemented. You can also turn to your idea of an ideal leader: how do you imagine him? How would you like to be treated? Add these considerations as well. All that remains is to bring the resulting image to life.
This fact is noteworthy. The word “charm” today means charm, captivating influence, attractive force. The original meaning of the word "charm" was different. “Charm” meant being able to speak beautifully, captivating with words. The word “charm” itself comes from the root “bai” - bayat, bayan, talk, tale.
By corporate culture we mean those practices that operate in an organization and that are formed on the basis of corporate values.
Ability to convey information correctly
Any performance requires at least a little preparation. The audience or hall must be known and inspected in advance. This is necessary in order to understand whether the one who will speak will be visible and audible from all places.
Maintaining eye contact with the audience throughout the entire time certainly includes a high-quality welcoming speech, an example of which all lecturers should take note of.
Before a performance, you should practice the sound of your voice so that there is no interference later.
Gratitude to those who came
Towards the end, the solemn speech at a particular event should move on to a declaration of gratitude to those who gathered and especially to those who contributed to what became the occasion for the celebration.
Words of gratitude should sound appropriate and natural, that is, without a hint of flattery.
You can express your respect using the following clichés:
- this event was made possible only thanks to...;
- if not for your help...;
- we walked this path together;
- this anniversary speech is dedicated to you, colleagues;
- I want to thank everyone who has been with me along this journey;
- thank you, friends;
- I want to express my gratitude/respect, etc.
An example is the speech of the director of the company, delivered at an event in honor of the organization’s anniversary: “The company is like a clockwork. If some seemingly small detail is missing, the watch stops. It’s the same in a company: every employee is important. That is why on this solemn day I want, first of all, to thank each of my colleagues for the work they have done. We came to this milestone together. It is only thanks to all of you that our company thrives. Thanks friends!".
About the event itself
The central part of a welcoming speech, whether it is a speech from a school principal or a speech on a company anniversary, is a short story about the essence of what is happening. Thus, the speech of the host at a wedding is based on the introduction of the couple, the history of their acquaintance, the description of the celebration itself, etc. It is necessary to present to the audience the reason for the event, its purpose, significance, as well as the program in individual cases.
To describe what is happening at an event, you can use expressions such as:
- we have gathered here to...;
- The purpose of today's event is...;
- this event is dedicated to...;
- this conference/this opening/this holiday has a special meaning for everyone present;
- Today you will find performances by artists/scientists/teachers, etc.
Speech by the manager at the corporate party: “We have gathered here to celebrate the upcoming holidays together. We are all not just colleagues, but rather one big family. The festive atmosphere will unite us even more, which will allow us to continue to effectively work shoulder to shoulder for the benefit of our common cause.”
Solemn speech at the opening of the sports complex: “This wonderful event is dedicated to the opening of the most important facility in the lives of citizens, namely the sports complex. We have all been waiting for this for a long time and believed that in the near future a modern sports center will appear in our city. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of today's event for the life of the entire city. Let’s enjoy the performances of young athletes who will begin attending classes at our new sports complex tomorrow.”
A few words about the venue
After the greeting, in most cases, a laconic but vivid commentary is given about the facility where the event is being held. Depending on the occasion of the speech, only a few beautiful words are said about the location of the event or, on the contrary, a whole digression is made to describe the location of the meeting. The latter often happens when a welcoming speech is read at the opening of a significant object.
The following expressions can be used to describe the location of the meeting:
- we have gathered in this beautiful/new/renovated hall;
- the new complex opened its doors;
- a lot of effort and resources went into the construction of this memorial/complex/building;
- Famous architects and designers worked on the object;
- the best materials were used during construction;
- innovative technologies were introduced, etc.
Welcoming speech at the opening of the kindergarten: “Today we are witnessing the opening of kindergarten No. 36, which all residents of the new microdistrict have been waiting for so long. This modern building is bright and cheerful not only on the outside, but also on the inside. Specially invited designers worked on the interior. We took into account all the wishes of parents, so this kindergarten has special children’s exercise equipment and a swimming pool for active games, as well as musical instruments for music lessons.”
Birthday speech.
