Standing in front of a crowd can make your heart beat fast. Your hands might shake. Your mouth might feel dry. Most people feel this way before they give a speech. But with good ideas and some help, you can give a speech that people will like and enjoy. Speeches for special events need to fit the day and make people feel something.
This list of 25 ideas will help you pick a topic for your next big talk. Each idea can work for many events. You can change them to fit what you need. Let’s look at some great ideas for your next speech.
Ceremonial Speech Ideas
These ideas will help you make a speech that gets people to clap and smile. You can use these for school, work, or other places where you might need to talk to a group.
1. The Power of Thanks
Saying thanks can make people feel good. A thank you speech can work for many events, like after getting a gift or award. Talk about why you feel grateful and who helped you along the way.
This kind of speech makes both you and the people listening feel good. You can thank one person or many people. Make sure to say why their help means so much to you.
2. Welcome to New Friends
A welcome speech helps new people feel like they fit in. It works when new kids come to school or new workers join a job. Tell them why your place is special and how they can be part of it.
People like to feel wanted. Your speech should make them feel like they belong with you. Talk about fun things they can do or nice people they will meet.
3. Happy Birthday Wishes
Birthday speeches honor someone special on their big day. Talk about why this person means a lot to you and others. Share short, happy stories about them that show why they are great.
Good birthday speeches come from the heart. Think about what makes this person smile. Share things that show how much they mean to you.
4. Sports Team Pep Talk
A pep talk gets a team ready to play their best. You want to make them feel strong and brave. Tell your team why you think they can win and how much you like watching them try hard.
Teams need to feel you care about them. Tell them you know they worked hard to get ready. Say you are proud no matter what happens in the game.
5. Saying Goodbye to Friends
Goodbye speeches help when someone moves away or leaves a job. They let you say why you’ll miss a person. You can talk about good times you had and wish them luck.
A good goodbye speech is a gift to the person leaving. Tell them how they made your life better. Let them know you will think of them even when they are gone.
6. New Year Hopes
New Year speeches look back at the old year and ahead to the new one. Talk about things that made the last year special. Then share what you hope will happen in the days to come.
This speech gives people a chance to think about time passing. Share big things that happened to all of you. Ask people to think about what they want in the new year.
7. Award Winner Talks
When you get an award, you can thank the people who picked you. Tell them why the award matters to you. Share how you worked to earn this honor and who helped you.
Award speeches should be short but full of feeling. Thank the judges or voters by name if you can. Let them know you will keep doing good work.
8. Welcoming a New Baby
A baby speech helps everyone meet a new child. Talk about your hopes for the new baby. Share why this child means so much to your family or friends.
Baby speeches should be full of joy. Talk about how cute the baby is and what makes them special. Tell funny stories about their first days if you can.
9. School Graduation Day
Graduation speeches mark the end of school and the start of new things. Talk about what you learned in school. Share your hopes for what comes next for you and your friends.
This speech looks back and ahead at the same time. Thank teachers who helped you learn. Tell your friends you will miss them but are happy for their next steps.
10. Work Retirement Party
Retirement speeches honor someone’s years of hard work. Talk about what this person did well at their job. Share how they helped others and made the job better.
A good retirement speech shows real care. Tell stories that show why this person was a good worker. Thank them for all they did to help others do well.
11. Wedding Toast Fun
Wedding toasts help people feel the love at a wedding. Talk about how the couple met or why they fit well together. Share a short story that shows their love for each other.
Wedding toasts should make people smile. Keep your words clean and nice for all ages. End by asking everyone to raise their cups to wish the couple well.
12. Honoring a Hero
Hero speeches tell why someone did something brave or kind. Talk about what this person did that was so special. Share how their good deed helped others.
These speeches show why we should try to be better people. Tell why the hero’s actions matter to everyone. Ask people to think about how they can be more like this hero.
13. Opening a New Place
Opening speeches help start a new store, school, or other place. Talk about why this new spot will help people. Share your hope that lots of people will use and enjoy it.
This kind of speech builds excitement. Tell people what makes this new place special. Thank the people who worked hard to get the place ready.
14. School or Work Award Night
Award night speeches honor people who did great things. Talk about why we give awards and what they mean. Share how each winner showed they were the best.
These speeches should make the winners feel proud. Tell a short story about each person if you can. Make sure to say their names clearly and get them right.
15. Holiday Party Talk
Holiday speeches help people enjoy special days. Talk about why this holiday means a lot to you. Share how you hope everyone will have fun and make good times.
Holiday talks should feel warm and happy. Tell people you are glad they came to share the day. Wish them all the joy and fun of the special time.
16. Team Success Party
Team success speeches honor a group that did well. Talk about how each person helped the team win. Share why their hard work and team play made a big score.
This speech makes everyone feel part of the win. Thank each team member by name if you can. Tell them you know they will keep doing great things.
17. Class or Club President Talk
President speeches tell your plans as a new leader. Talk about what you want to do for the group. Share how you will listen to others and work for all.
A good president speech builds trust. Tell people you will work hard for them. Thank them for picking you and ask for their help.
18. Family Dinner Speech
Family speeches bring people together at big meals. Talk about why your family means so much to you. Share how glad you are that everyone could come to eat together.
These speeches should be short but full of love. Tell your family you care about each one. Thank the cooks and the people who helped set up.
19. School or Work Project Start
Project speeches help a new task get off to a good start. Talk about why this work matters to all of you. Share your hope that everyone will do their part to make it work.
This speech gets people ready to work together. Tell them you know they have good ideas to share. Ask them to help make the project the best it can be.
20. Honoring a Teacher
Teacher speeches thank someone who helped you learn. Talk about how this person made hard things easy to get. Share a time when they helped you do better than you thought you could.
Good teacher speeches come from the heart. Tell why this teacher was better than others you had. Let them know you will use what they taught you for many years.
21. Scout or Club Award Night
Scout speeches honor kids who did hard things to earn badges. Talk about why each badge means a lot. Share how proud you are of each child’s hard work.
These talks help kids feel good about working hard. Tell parents why they should be proud too. Make each child feel special when you call their name.
22. Office Party Fun
Office party speeches help workers have fun together. Talk about good things that happened at work this year. Share a joke or funny story that everyone can laugh at.
This speech should be light and fun. Thank people for coming to have fun with you. Keep it short so people can get back to eating and talking.
23. Church or Group Event
Church speeches help people think about big ideas. Talk about why your group means a lot to you. Share how being part of it makes your life better.
These speeches should lift people up. Tell them you are glad to be with them. Thank the people who worked to set up the event.
24. Parent Group Meeting
Parent speeches help moms and dads work together for kids. Talk about why you care about all the children. Share ideas for how you can all help them learn and grow.
This speech builds a team feeling. Tell parents you know they care as much as you do. Ask them to share their ideas and help with plans.
25. Honoring Lost Friends
Memorial speeches help us say goodbye to people we lose. Talk about why this person meant so much to you. Share happy stories that show why they were special.
These speeches help with sad feelings. Tell funny stories if they fit the person who is gone. Let people know it’s OK to cry and also OK to smile at good times.
Wrap-up
Giving a speech can feel hard, but you can do it. Pick an idea that feels right for you and your event. Then think about the people who will hear you. What do they want to know? What will make them feel good?
Start writing your talk today. Use these ideas to help you start. Then add your own words and stories to make it yours. You will feel proud when you stand up and give a speech that makes people smile, think, or feel something new.