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Christmas speeches: short and sweet

By: Susan Dugdale 

How to prepare the best Christmas speech ever!

 7 step Christmas speech template

1. Who is your speech for?

Is it family, friends, work colleagues, club members...?

What do they want, or expect, to hear? What would delight them? Is it stories about the events of the year shared by everybody, the company triumphs or challenges...? 

Does the occasion suit light-hearted humor or is a solemn tone more appropriate?

Knowing exactly who the audience is will help you choose the tone and content of the speech.

For example, it's unlikely your workplace colleagues would think it appropriate if you were overly flippant, or familiar, and regaled them with tales of your five year old son's exploits.

Or that your family would be thrilled to hear a detailed week by week breakdown of how sales sunk or soared in the third quarter.  

2. What is the purpose of your speech?

Are you aiming to inspire people?
Do you wish to unite them?
Perhaps you want to thank them?
Maybe you want them to laugh and relax.

And perhaps what you want to achieve is a combination of all those suggestions.

Being clear about why you are making the speech will guide your choice of theme, tone and content.

What's certain is you're not deliberately setting out to bore them by rambling on and on, then on some more. 

3. What theme is right for your audience?

4. Organize or outline the body of your speech

It's easier to begin with the body or middle of your speech because this is where you express your main points or ideas around your chosen theme. You will add the conclusion and beginning later.

Depending on how long you want to speak for, choose 1 to 3 main points fitting your audience, purpose and theme. 

Start with the most important first. For each point you make, give one or two examples to illustrate it.

When you give your speech you'll link the points with transitions, or bridges, to enable your audience to follow you easily from one idea to the next.

(If you want more information about transitions, why you need them, and how they work, you'll find it here on this page: how to write a speech. Scroll down the page to Step 5: Transitions.)

The pattern or template you'll use looks like this:

• Point One: Main idea - Example, example
  Transition or link to...
  
• Point Two: Idea - Example, example
  Transition or link to...
  
• Point Three: Idea - Example, example
  Transition or link to conclusion of your Christmas speech.
  
  

5. Organize or outline the conclusion

The ending of you speech should leave your audience full of hope: looking forward to coming events, united, and with a sense of gratitude.

To finish well, reinforce your theme, summarize your main points and end with strong statement or maybe a quotation.   What's ideal is an ending your audience will remember.

For more about conclusions, with examples of speech endings, see: how to end a speech.

6. Organize or outline the introduction

The beginning of your speech:

• Acknowledges and welcomes guests to the occasion. (If you have guests of honor, name them.)
  
• Introduces the theme of your speech.
  
• Gives a broad overview of the main points.
  
• And links or transitions into the body of the speech - your most important and first point.
  
  

Download a printable outline template

The printable outline template pdf will guide you through each of the first six steps. Once it's complete you'll be ready to move on to step 7: working with your notes to turn them into a speech.

(The pdf will open in a new window.)

7. Getting from outline to speech

A speech is not a speech until it is spoken out loud to an audience. 

If you've followed the first six steps what you've got now is a collection of ideas: sequenced notes covering everything you intend to speak about.

Your next task is to tie your content together from beginning to end so when you say it out loud it flows naturally and can be easily followed by your audience. 

There are several ways of doing this. 

a) Give a manuscript speech

One way is to use your outline to write the entire speech out paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, word for word. This is called a manuscript speech.

When you deliver the speech, you will read it.

Use the manuscript method if it makes you feel more comfortable or safer. That's important if this is a first speech, or you are very pushed for time.

(Here are two short company Christmas party speeches. Both are in manuscript format. I have given you the complete text of each one to read.)

For much more about writing speeches see: how to write a speech. The article has tips on how to write oral language, that is language to be spoken rather than read, writing for a particular audience, tone and vocabulary choices, how to write a good introduction and a lot more. 

Once you've finalized the text you're ready to practice reading it aloud. For you own sake please take the time to do this. A speech badly read is very difficult to listen to and you want your speech remembered for the right reasons.

Besides, delivering a manuscript speech well is a valuable skill to have. Find out how to read a speech effectively.

b) Give an extemporaneous speech using cue cards

Another way is to give your speech extemporaneously. That is to use a mix of carefully scripted and sequenced material and impromptu speaking.

Done well, an extemporaneous speech is naturally flowing and conversational. (My sample office Christmas party speech is an example of one.)

Steps 4, 5 and 6 of your completed outline forms a large chunk of the preparation for one. 

How you link all that material together, and the exact words you use is the improvised or impromptu part of the mix. 

To interact with your audience and speak freely, without having to use a podium to put outline notes on, use hand held cue cards. This entails transferring your outline to a carefully curated series of numbered and labeled cards.

Each card carries one MAIN point and its supporting details. 

When you glance at it, the words and phrases you've put on it act as a prompt and you remember what you wanted to cover.

For more: how to make and use cue cards

Rehearsing your speech

Both ways, manuscript and extemporaneous, need practice or rehearsal before you deliver the speech to your audience.

Have a few trusted friends, colleagues or family members listen to it. Get their feedback on content, tone and length,* (2-3 minutes is good.) Make any changes necessary, and run it through again.

*Timing your speech is important. You'll want to make sure it easily fits the time allotted in occasion's program. And that you avoid the embarrassment of going on too long and keeping people from what they want to do! Keep it brief.

8. How, when and where is the speech being delivered?

This eighth step covers the make or break details: the seemingly little things that if overlooked can change an experience from happy to challenging in an instant.

How, when and where you deliver your speech significantly affects aspects of the preparation you need to do.

For example if the setting for your speech is an intimate family gathering around the dinner table you won't need a lectern/podium on a raised stage or a microphone.

But if you're in a hall they might be absolutely necessary to be seen and heard.

Thinking ahead will help you make sure you have gathered together everything you need and have done everything you can in order to give your speech well.

For instance:

• If you need a mike, you've got it, know how to use it and have tested it.
   
• If you're standing on a stage or dais to give your speech that you've stood on it before the event to make sure the sight lines for those watching are OK and that everyone will see you.
   
• You've made sure the lighting works for you and the audience.
   
• If you're using either cue cards or a complete manuscript, you've practiced with them to make sure you can read them easily.
  (See how make cue cards and how to read a speech effectively for information about the best readable lay outs.)
  
  
• You've got a stand to put your notes on, if you need one.  You've checked that it's the right height for you and have practiced using it.
  
  
• If possible, you've scheduled your speech for the beginning of the occasion.
   
• You've saved the glass of Christmas cheer to have after your speech rather than before it and, you've remembered to smile. This is a festive 'we-are-having-a-good-time' speech. You need to look the part! ☺
  
  

(This list is a version of what I call a Bring-It-On list. The principle behind compiling one is that if you carefully think through every aspect of making the speech, there'll be very little chance of something vital being overlooked.

• Have I got the right date, the right venue?
• Are my clothes sorted?
• Etc., etc.

A bring-it-on list is great for reassuring yourself that you've done as much as you can to be ready.

Open the Bring-It-On list link and you'll find out more about them and a printable ready for your use.)  

6 suitable themes for Christmas speeches

1. Gratitude

Be specific about what you are expressing gratitude for, and why.  Are you grateful for health, family, workmates, friendship, kindness, favorable events, good times together, challenges, food, your country, the world we share...?

2. Giving

This could be about the joy of giving:  giving time, giving thought, giving a helping hand, giving gifts, giving donations...

3. Hope

Hope is feeling positive about looking ahead. You could talk about feeling hopeful regarding new beginnings, plans for the future, resolutions, nurturing creativity or ideas, sowing seeds...

4. Remembrance

Remembrance is way of honoring or respecting the past. It could be recollections of people or events and their significance, highlights of the previous year's events...

5. Family, company or organization

What unites the group of people you are giving this speech to? Are you family? Do you share the same workplace or club?

Use this theme to talk about significant events impacting the lives of group members: births, deaths, triumphs, and challenges...

Or you could talk about the importance of love, belonging, continuity, history, values, hopes... from the point of view of being a member of this group. 

6. Unity

Use this theme to emphasize cooperation, community, the achievements made possible through working together, embracing and celebrating differences, humanity, love, compassion and understanding...