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Your farewell speech for a colleague

Someone from your team is leaving. Tell us about your time together, and we write a farewell speech that says thank you and looks ahead.

Start writing your speech
  • Free preview
  • 14-day money-back guarantee
  • You review every word

From first notes to the last rehearsal

An interview that asks follow-up questions

Every role has its own questions, so your stories make it into the speech.

Read first, then decide

You see the outline and the opening for free before you pay anything.

Cue cards to print

A6 landscape, one card per section, with a time mark for a glance at the clock.

Practise with timer and teleprompter

You know beforehand how long your speech really takes.

What a speech from your stories sounds like

An excerpt as an example. Your speech is written from your own answers.

Farewell speech for a colleague, example

Our biggest customer needed a replacement delivery by Monday, and the courier had cancelled. We sat in the office with no idea what to do. Margaret put on her coat, loaded the boxes into her estate car and drove off. By Saturday lunchtime she was at the customer's door.

When we asked her on Monday why she hadn't told anyone, she just said: ‘You all had enough on your plates.’

What this speech needs to do

A good farewell speech shows who your colleague was at work. Not through job titles and projects, but through moments: the call only she could handle, the Saturday he stepped in, the ritual without which Mondays will never be the same.

You're speaking to a mixed room. Some people have known this person for decades, others only from the corridor. So tell it in a way that the colleague from accounts and the director from head office can laugh along with too.

How your speech can be structured

  1. Opening: an image or line everyone immediately connects with the person.
  2. Your connection: who you are and how you worked together.
  3. The story: a moment from working life that shows what they're like.
  4. Tribute: what makes this person a great colleague.
  5. Thanks: specific, and on behalf of the people you're speaking for.
  6. Good wishes: for what comes next, whether retirement, a new job or time out.
  7. Handover and toast: the gift if there is one, then a toast or applause.

What stays out

Salary, conflicts and the reasons for leaving stay out, even as a hint. A farewell speech isn't the place to settle anything. It's the place where a team says thank you.

Common questions

Can't find your question? Write to us at support@moverba.com

How long should a farewell speech for a colleague be?
We suggest 4 minutes. In the interview you choose anything from 1 to 8 minutes. If everyone is standing, keep it on the shorter side.
I'm speaking for the whole team. Does that work?
Yes. In the interview you choose whether you're speaking for yourself, for the whole team or for management or the department. The thanks are shaped by that.
Retirement or a new job: what changes?
For a retirement, looking back and saying thank you get more room. For a new job the speech looks ahead, without guessing at the reasons and without a word about salary or conflicts.
We're handing over a gift. How do I build that in?
Mention the gift in the interview. The speech then ends with the handover, followed by a toast or a round of applause.
Can I include team in-jokes?
Yes, as long as everyone in the room can follow them. Otherwise the speech explains the joke in one sentence or leaves it out.

What you can rely on

Promises you can check before you pay anything.

More about Moverba

  • Nothing made up

    Every detail comes from your answers. If something is missing, we mark the spot instead of making it up.

  • You have the last word

    You review and change every word before you give your speech.

  • Read first, then pay

    You see the outline and the opening for free. Your first purchase comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

  • Your stories only for your speech

    We use what you tell us only for your speech, never for advertising. Our servers are in Germany.

Occasions
5
Roles with their own interview
14
Speech languages
8
Days money-back guarantee
14
Servers in Germany
DE

Other roles, their own questions

From the guides

Guide

Retirement speech for a colleague

How to send someone off after years of work with a speech that makes the room laugh and makes them feel seen.

Your speech starts with your story

Answer a few questions, read the free preview and then decide.

Start writing your speech