A leaving speech, much like a wedding speech, fills many people with dread.  Your colleagues turn up expecting to hear few poignant words, to be entertained with some funny stories and if there is enough in the company budget,  maybe enjoy a nice slice of cake!

I have left two jobs over the last ten years and both companies had a tradition of people giving leaving speeches.

My first leaving speech was seven years ago. Shakespeare said that “Brevity is the soul of wit”.  Well he would have found me very witty as I was very brief.

Because after my manager said a few lovely words about me in front of the gathered crowd, I just waved goodbye to everyone.

I felt embarrassed that I couldn’t muster enough courage to thank my colleagues and friends in public.  But  speaking in front of a group of 50 people was just not an option for me.

Shortly after I left this job, I joined Dublin Toastmasters. And after 20 speeches, about 50 meeting roles and hundreds of topics responses, I handed in my notice at another job.

My colleagues knew I was in Toastmasters and joked about having high expectations for my leaving speech.  I didn’t mind because one of the biggest changes in me since I joined Toastmasters is that I now have a much higher threshold for getting embarrassed.  

And this is because I’ve learned that even if you say something people don’t quite understand, crack a joke people don’t laugh at, or get given a table topic you don’t have a clue how to answer*, the moment passes and you can laugh about it afterwards.

This time around I spent time preparing for my leaving speech. I wanted to make sure I thanked the people who helped and supported me at work. I wanted to make sure I spoke authentically. And I wanted to be a little bit entertaining.

The speech was great.  Sure, I started crying when thanking one of my good friends.  And sure, some of my jokes didn’t get as big a laugh as I had hoped. But I was so proud of myself that I could now stand in front of a group of professional colleagues, and say goodbye and thank you. 

A lot better than a little wave.

Thank you Toastmasters!

* There is nothing quite as painful as me answering a table topic on sports