Speeches beyond the funeral
Farewell speeches & laudations
Some farewells need more than a few spontaneous words.
Someone is leaving the company after twenty or thirty years. The room is booked, the invitations have gone out, the date is set. And a few days beforehand it’s still unclear who will give the speech. Often because the person best placed to do it is too close to it themselves.
For moments like these, you receive a speech written and delivered for this one person. Whenever someone is being said goodbye to, or their contribution honoured, and it calls for more than a few words between the buffet and the group photo.
Farewells after long service
When someone leaves after many years, the speech is often the moment when grief, gratitude, relationships and even tears find expression through the right choice of words. A list of roles and achievements rarely does it justice.
Beforehand, there are conversations with several people around them. Colleagues from different departments, people who were there from the start, and those who joined later. From these perspectives a picture emerges that no single person could have assembled.
What comes out of it is a speech that shows the whole person, not their CV.
Other occasions
- retirement
- leaving a team or the end of a shared project
- a memorial event for a colleague who has died
- an anniversary, or recognition of a particular contribution
- other occasions where a person and what they’ve meant to others should be at the centre
How the speech is created
At the beginning we clarify the occasion, the setting and what the speech should convey. We gather experiences and shared moments and clarify who will be listening.
For a farewell at work, the stories rarely come from one person alone. That’s why conversations with several colleagues are welcome, including people from different areas or different periods. It takes a little longer, but it brings together stories no one else would have told.
The speech then takes shape, and you receive it before the event for agreement. Changes and additions are possible. On the agreed date, the speech is delivered in person.
As with a funeral speech, only what feels right will be said.
Fee
Farewell speech or laudation · €630
The fee includes preparation conversations, with several people if you wish, individual writing, agreement of the speech, delivery in person and travel within North Rhine-Westphalia.
All prices are final prices.
For organisations
Enquiries about farewells often come from HR teams or managers. If you’re also considering how farewells, change or strain within the organisation could be supported, there’s a separate offer for that.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask
What occasions can I request a speech for?
Most often for the farewell of an employee after long service or on retirement. Also for leaving a team, memorial events, anniversaries and other occasions where a person and their contribution are to be honoured.
Who takes part in the conversations beforehand?
That’s up to you. A conversation with one person is enough. For a farewell at work it usually helps to speak with several people, for example a manager and two or three colleagues from different periods. These conversations are included in the fee.
Do I need to prepare material for the speech?
No. In the preparation conversation you talk about the person, the occasion and what matters for the speech. Through questions, everything the speech needs comes together. You’re of course welcome to send photos, stories or other material if you’d like to.
Can I read the speech beforehand?
Yes. You receive the speech before the event for agreement. We can then work in any changes or additions together.
Can the speech be in English or bilingual?
Yes. Farewell speeches and laudations are possible in English, in German or bilingually. That’s particularly useful when several languages are spoken within a team.
Request a farewell speech or laudation
Send me a short message with the occasion, when and where the event is taking place and what’s already known. You’ll then hear back, and we can discuss everything else. Including who should be part of the conversations beforehand.