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’s too close to it themselves.
These are the moments I write and deliver speeches for. 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 that shows whether that time meant anything. A list of roles and achievements rarely does it justice.
Beforehand, I speak 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’s a speech that shows the 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. I ask questions, gather stories and important stages, and clarify with you who will be listening.
For a farewell at work, the stories rarely come from one person alone. I therefore like to speak with several colleagues, including people from different areas or different periods. It takes a little longer, but it brings together stories no one else would have told – and nobody has to write the speech themselves between two meetings.
I then write the speech and agree it with you before the event. Changes and additions are possible. On the agreed date, I deliver the speech in person.
As with a funeral speech: only what feels right will be said.
Fee
Farewell speech or laudation · €630
Included: preparation conversations, with several people if you wish · individual writing · agreement of the speech · delivery in person · 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 do you speak with beforehand?
That’s up to you. A conversation with one person is enough. For a farewell at work it usually helps if I can 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 tell me about the person, the occasion and what matters for the speech. I ask questions and gather what I need. 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. I deliver farewell speeches and laudations in English and German and can also make them bilingual. 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. I’ll then get back to you and we can discuss everything else – including who I should speak with beforehand.