Your farewell speech

For saying goodbye to a colleague and for your own farewell speech.

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Farewell speech for a colleague
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.
Your own farewell speech
Your farewell speech to your colleagues
You're leaving and want to say goodbye. Tell us what matters to you, and we write your own farewell speech.

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.

Step 3 of 4 The couple

What do you think of Lisa, and what has changed in Tom?

This is the turning point of every good witness speech: from your friend to the couple.

At our first barbecue Lisa praised Tom's burnt sausages. That's when I knew she was serious.

One or two more sentences and it becomes truly personal.

92 of 4000 characters

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Read first, then decide

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

Your preview about 5 min

1 Opening

Croatia, 2015. It has been raining for three days, and Tom is standing knee-deep in water, the airbed under his arm.

2 Introduction

3 Your connection

We write this part once you unlock your speech.

Cue cards to print

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

3/9 from 1:45

The airbed

Croatia 2015, non-stop rain
Barbecue saved, airbed as a raft
never gives up, move on to Lisa

First line: Croatia, 2015.

Practise with timer and teleprompter

You know beforehand how long your speech really takes.

2:40 of 5:00

0:20 under plan

knee-deep in water, the airbed under his arm.

Not to save himself.

To save the barbecue.

Speed 1× Listen

What a speech from your stories sounds like

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

Example speech
Example speech: a colleague's retirement

Farewell, 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 makes a good farewell speech

A farewell speech is appreciation, not a performance review. Nobody in the room wants to hear which targets someone hit. Everyone wants to hear what it was like to work with this person. One or two stories from everyday working life show that better than any list.

The audience is mixed: your own team, other departments, sometimes senior management, customers or family. In-jokes only work if everyone gets them, or if the speech explains them in a sentence.

Who speaks when

At many leaving dos, in the office or at the pub, the manager speaks first, then colleagues, and finally the person leaving says thank you. A card and a gift from the collection are usually handed over at the end of a colleague's speech. Agree beforehand so that three speeches don't tell the same story.

What stays out

salary, severance or the terms of leaving
reasons for resigning, or guesses about them
conflicts in the team or with management
bitterness about the company, even as a joke
in-jokes only two people understand

Common questions

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

How long should a farewell speech be?

A speech for a colleague usually lasts two to five minutes, your own leaving speech two to four. People often listen standing up, so shorter is better.

Retirement or a new job: does it make a difference?

Yes. For a retirement there's more room to look back and say thank you. For a new job the speech looks ahead, without guessing at the reasons and without any bitterness.

Can I include team in-jokes?

Yes, as long as managers, customers and other departments can follow them too. Otherwise the speech explains the joke in one sentence or leaves it out.

Is there a gift or card to hand over?

If you mention it in the interview, the speech ends with the handover, followed by a toast or a round of applause.

I'm saying goodbye myself. What belongs in it?

Thanks with real reasons, a short look back, one story and good wishes for everyone staying. Settling scores with the company or with colleagues doesn't belong in it, even if there were conflicts.

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

From the guides

Your speech starts with your story

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Your farewell speech

Who is giving the speech?