Gratitude is of vital importance in human life. We need to thank people who have, directly or indirectly, explicitly or implicitly, made a positive change in our life. ‘Thank You’ is the least that we can say. So never shy away from that.

In professional life too, gratefulness is of utmost importance, especially when someone has helped you climb up the career ladder.

It’s your promotion party and you have to give a thank you speech – this situation is something which many people dread, obviously not the first part but the latter!

For giving a thank you speech, you need a little bit of preparation. Here are a few points which will help you do so. (In a previous blog post, we had listed some tips on giving an introduction and thank you speech for your office welcome party).

Prepare your speech

• Write down your speech. Start with a beautiful quotation, to create an effect.
• Think of the people you want to thank, write down their name and rank, preferably in the order of hierarchy. Depending upon the availability of time, thank those who have really contributed to your success, if possible adding anecdotes which go well to create authenticity and personal touch. Remember the most important people should be mentioned first.
• Write the specific reason for thanking them, explaining how they were helpful in your success.
• When the list of people is long and time limited, thank them in a group by calling out their names together and then thanking profusely for their contribution.

Practise your speech

• Rehearsing your speech is very important. Do so in front of the mirror several times and also ensure that you haven’t left out anyone’s name. Even practice it in front of a friend or family member to get an honest feedback.
• Check for the timing. You shouldn’t go beyond the allotted time. Keep it short and crispy – people hate long speeches and tend to stop listening to them. Let it have all the ingredients of a successful speech which is well within the time frame.
• Check for the habitual gestures that you make and try, as far as possible, to avoid them.

Deliver the speech with panache

Writing a beautiful speech is not enough but the way you deliver it makes tremendous difference. Deliver it well and create the impact.

• Dress appropriately. You should wear comfortable clothing.
• Breathe normally. Overcome your public speaking fears. Be calm before delivering the speech.
• Make eye contact with your audience.
• You can read out the script, which may not create great effect or you can create cue cards which you can use to pull things from your memory. The best option is to completely memorize the speech and deliver it in such a way that it sounds coming from your heart.
• Body language matters a lot. People will believe whatever you are saying only if your body language concurs with your speech.
• Sound natural. This might seem difficult for a novice but for people who are used to it can do it well.
• Do not be too fast and avoid repeated phrases, like ‘um’, ‘ah’. It is ok to pause or slow down – some of the best orators in the world take long pauses during their speeches.
• Forgot something or said something wrong? Do not let that stop you completely. If you make a mistake, quickly acknowledge it with an ‘excuse me’ and get back on track.
• Be positive – you might have had your share of troubles with some of the people who helped you to reach high on the ladder of success. But this is not the time to pick the nits. Be polite and speak only positive things. Don’t hold any grudges.
• Be honest – genuinely thank people. So that it sounds honest and sincere. Avoid hyperbole.
• Include humour. People will love it. But timing matters a lot. Do it only if you are confident about yourself.

Make people realize that your promotion was well deserved and that you will do your best, in the interest of the company.

Smile and leave the stage.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -JFK

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