6 Essentials of the Perfect Office Holiday Party Speech

Company holiday party season is here, and if you’re the Big Cheese, well- it’s time to start thinking about your speech.

Here in NYC, team building events are usually interwoven with the holiday party during the Christmas season as a means of boosting employee morale, showing gratitude and maintaining staff loyalty. What better way to focus on the great work your company has done than with a perfect holiday party speech?

Here are 6 things a manager, principal or company owner must include in his/her company holiday party speech in order to get the very most out of the opportunity to motivate employees:

1.         Recognize Successes – Highlight individuals, teams, projects and key accomplishments over the previous year, relentlessly.

2.         Acknowledge Challenges – It’s been a tough time for everyone in this economy; make sure you refer to the difficulties which have been faced, as well as overcome.

3.         Don’t Embarrass Anybody – Good natured ribbing of colleagues has its time and place, but be extra mindful during the staff holiday party about what your say – you don’t want anybody feeling humiliated at what’s supposed to be a rewarding occasion.

4.         Confess Something – This is a time to demonstrate your genuine appreciation of the staff, and an opportunity to connect with them emotionally. To do so, reveal something about yourself. It will humanize you, and make you more approachable in their eyes.

5.         Keep it Brief – When the boss is giving a toast, everybody is listening – for a short time. Keep their attention and respect their time by keeping things brief – please, no long-winded stories or anecdotes!

6.         End on a High Note – The holiday party speech is an opportunity to galvanize the troops heading into Q1, so make sure you end on an appropriately rousing point.

For bosses giving the holiday party speech, use your “on air” time to your full advantage by viewing it as an opportunity to not only get some chuckles from the crowd, but to let the staff know how much you appreciate their hard work in a challenging economic environment, as well as to motivate them for the future.