Content

• Steps
• Advice

Preparing an effective welcome speech is the best way to inspire an event, and it can be as simple or formal as the calling. Start your speech by greeting the audience before giving the event overview. End your speech by introducing the next speaker and thank you once again for attending. When writing your speech, make sure you set up the right tone, the speech has a time limit, and that you have its main purpose in mind when writing.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Hello audience

1. 

   Greet the audience using polite language for a formal event. Choose a suitable greeting such as "Good evening ladies and gentlemen". Then, welcome the audience to the event by saying, "I am honored to welcome everyone to our wonderful event tonight."
   • Take your tone more seriously if it's an important ceremony. Use formal language and don't break your seriousness with any inappropriate jokes. For example, at a pre-funeral ceremony, you could say, "We are thrilled to have you all here tonight. We appreciate your presence at this difficult time."

2. 

   
   
   Greet the guest informally in soft language. Choose a greeting that is simple and straightforward, such as "Good morning everyone!" Show your gratitude to the guests in attendance by saying, "It's great to see you all here on a sunny day like this".
   • For an event with family and close friends, everyday language would be appropriate. You can say a few jokes and keep your speech quieter.

   

   
   

   Patrick Muñoz

   Patrick's Voice & Speech Coach is an internationally recognized voice & speech coach, with a focus on public speaking techniques, vocal power, voice and native language, voice acting, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was elected by BACKSTAGE as Los Angeles' favorite Native and Voice Coach, a voice and speech coach for classic Disney and Turner movies, and a member of the Voice Coach Association Speaking & Words.

   

   Patrick Muñoz
   Voice & Speech Coach

   Capture the audience's attention with an energetic opening. Start with a loud voice and a well-tuned presence that welcomes everyone and captures their attention. Ask a question they can answer or tell a joke - anything that connects with an audience. Do something that attracts attention, excites them, and makes them excited about the event.

   
   

3. 

   Add a private greeting to any special guest. Call out the names of the special guests in the stands. You can gesture and look at special guests when mentioning them.
   • Special guests include any honorable person, who plays a particularly important role in the event, or someone who travels a long way to get there.
   • Make sure you practice reading all the names, titles, and pronunciations of special guests' names before giving your speech.
   • For example, you could say, "We would like to send a special welcome to our guest of honor, Judge Minh, who will speak tonight."
   • Alternatively, to welcome a group of people, you can say, "While we are so delighted with all of you here tonight, we would especially like to greet the students. from Johnson High School ".

4. 

   Event introduction. Briefly introduce the name and purpose of the event. You can provide the name and year of the event if appropriate, and talk a little about the organizer of the event.
   • For an informal event like a birthday party, you could say, "We are delighted to have you here tonight to eat together and celebrate the birthday party. Bao's baby. Now, let's join the party ".
   • For a more formal event hosted by an agency you could say, “We are all delighted to have all of you here to participate in the 5th annual pet day. 10 organized by the Animal Rescue Group ”.
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Part 2 of 3: Write the content of the speech

1. 

   Thank you to everyone who played an important role in the event. Please mention the 2-3 people who helped make the idea of ​​the event come to fruition. Please state their name and each person's role.
   • To personally thank you, you can say, “We could not have completed this fundraising ceremony without the hard work and dedication of Mr. Nam and Ms. Xuan, who have worked tirelessly since the first days of making today a reality ”.
   • Avoid reading a long list of people or sponsors, as your audience will start to get bored. You just need to focus on a few prominent people.

2. 

   Mention any part of the event of particular importance. Please provide information about what will happen at the event or over the next few days if available. Choose the parts that are most important, and encourage people to pay attention to or pay special attention to anything.
   • For example, at a conference, you can specify when dinner will be served, or where specific sessions will take place.
   • During the wedding reception you can note when the dance will start or when the cake will be served.

3. 

   Repeat your welcome. Welcome the guests again, but this time in a way that involves the general information you just mentioned. For example, at an informal gathering you might say, "I'm so glad to get to know all the new faces here as we play soccer together!" For a more formal event, wish everyone a smooth transition to the event's sequel.
   • Alternatively, you can end your speech in an informal meeting by saying, "I can't wait to see you all on the dance floor!"
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Part 3 of 3: End of the speech

1. 

   Say you hope the audience enjoyed the event. Give your warm wishes to the audience for the rest of the event. For example, at a seminar you could say, "I hope you will enjoy the exciting speakers coming up!"
   • You can also say that you hope the audience gets something out of the event. For example, "I hope today can inspire ideas and discuss ways we can make the city a better place!"

2. 

   Introduce next speaker if necessary. At a large-scale event, you should prepare a formal introduction, including a short biography of the speaker and relevant organization. At an informal event, a brief and cheerful introduction is appropriate.
   • In a formal event you could say: "Now is our speaker introduction. Ms. Rebecca Roberts is from Montreal, Canada and she is a leading expert in brain research. Tonight, she will discuss what motivates people to make decisions. Please welcome her. "
   • For a more informal event such as a party, you could say, “Next is Mr. Son, Lan's close friend for 10 years. He has a long list of interesting stories about Lan to share with us tonight! "

3. 

   Thank you for the audience who attended. Please say 1 or 2 short sentences to express your gratitude to the visitors. Keep it short and go straight to the topic. For example, at an informal event, you could say, "Thank you everyone here for coming tonight to join me."
   • Alternatively, you can say, “Once again, I thank everyone for being here to celebrate Hung and Xuan's 50th wedding anniversary! Let's start the celebration! "

4. 

   Set appropriate time limits for your speech. This will limit the time for you to speak. Usually, shorter times are better because people just want the event to continue. 1-2 minutes is usually suitable for smaller events and about 5 minutes is suitable for larger and more formal events, such as conferences.
   • If you are unsure, ask the event organizer or the host about the appropriate timing for your speech.
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Advice

• Practice your speech in front of your trusted family and friends in the days leading up to the event.