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How to give a vote of thanks speech
I get a lot of inquiries asking for help with giving short vote of thanks speeches. A vote of thanks is often tough to do well because you are generally:
a. following an established ‘headline’ speaker for the event who has been hired to wow the crowd
b. the last piece on the event agenda – the audience are itching to get away
c. the last thing that the audience will remember from the event – it’s your job to make a good final impression!
So, for your delight, here’s my tried and trusted template for giving an engaging, concise and relevant vote of thanks.
How to build your vote of thanks speech
Step 1. Begin with a clear introduction
Introduce yourself to the audience. Who you are and why you have been asked to give the vote of thanks.
Step 2. Thank the audience
Thank everyone for coming along (they will love being mentioned and thanked!) and supporting the event.
Step 3. Add a personal observation
Make a humorous comment on the day or give a positive personal opinion about the event. This demonstration of emotion helps to engage the audience and build rapport quickly.
Step 3. Give specific thanks to the speaker
It's now time to thank the speaker. To do this well, highlighting three points from their speech that you felt were the most valuable, enjoyable or relevant. Explain why you felt they were so good. Thank the speaker for sharing their insight, experience and wisdom with the group. If you have a gift for the speaker, now is the time to share it.
Step 4. Wish everyone a safe journey home
Begin concluding your speech by wishing the audience a safe journey home (they will love being mentioned again!).
Step 5. Finish with a flourish
Is there a final lesson or point that you can make as the final thought for the event. Perhaps it is a lesson from the speaker that we should all put into practice this week or a final takeaway thought. Try to make it memorable, relevant and useful. A neat final line shows you have given good care and thought to how your speech has been crafted and leaves your audience with a positive final feeling as they leave the room.
So that you can see the above template in action, here’s a short (humorous and fictional!) vote of thanks written using this very template:
Contact Rich today, for coaching and support with your next speech.
A demonstration of a vote of thanks speech
The clear introduction
Good evening ladies and gentlemen, my name is Rich Watts and it is my job this evening to give the vote of thanks.
The thank you
I’d like to start by thanking you all for attending and supporting the wonderful cause that is this fundraiser for the Monkey Tears charity.
The show of emotion and personality
The highlight for me has been Mrs Jones’ cake stall and if you haven’t already, I’d urge you to try the blueberry muffins before you leave, but not the chocolate ones, because I’m hoping to take as many as possible home with me tonight!
The specific thanks
I’m sure you will all join me in thanking once again our speaker tonight, Mr David Ferneybottom.
APPLAUSE.
David, I particularly enjoyed your speech. I couldn’t agree more with your points about how we should all adopt a monkey next year to help develop economic prosperity. Such a scheme truly is required if we are to get out of this recession.
I delighted in hearing about your experiences of monkeys from your school days, and it reminded me vividly of my own wonderful days of education and those long, hot summer holidays.
Finally, I’m still laughing at your joke about the banana and the monkey. I think we all are, and I shall be sharing it with my wife when I return home tonight.
The wishing of a safe journey home
All that remains now is for me to wish you all a safe journey home.
The conclusion and final lesson / thought
And as Mr Ferneybottom has taught us – never mess with a monkey with a banana in its hand!
Good night.
Need support and coaching for your next speech?
Hi, I'm Rich, a former winner of the UK Business Speaker of the Year competition and public speaking coach. I work with speakers across the world, helping them to successfully write and deliver their most important speeches and presentations.
If you would like to book sometime to work together on your next speech or presentation, please contact me by usig the form at the link below.
