The welcome speech is the spine of any corporate event. It pulls or repels the audience to tune in or run away before any special events start.

Here, learn the best practices to make your welcome speech, or future welcome speeches, for any corporate event successful. This guide will also work if you’re a special guest somewhere for a special occasion. 

Below, you will see a sample speech written under headers. Those headers serve as a guide on the order of what to say and when to say it.

But first, here is a link to one of my most talked-about speeches titled Fake News: It’s Your Fault.

Sample Welcome Speech for a Corporate Event

Don’t know where to start on a welcome speech that impresses your listeners? Use the welcome speech guide below and tweak it to make it your own to ensure you start off on the right foot and with the right tone.

Start with a Salutation

A very pleasant Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Evening to one and all,

Welcome Speech Introduction

Thank you for being with us today. From our oldest members who’ve been diligently supporting us since the beginning as well as every new face to our 7^th Annual Get-Together, we extend a warm welcome.

Show Appreciation

On behalf of my Team/Community/Group, I sincerely thank and acknowledge every one of you who extended help to us for making this event a grand success.

(Include names you want to thank).

Trust us, all of this would’ve been just a dream if not for your immense support.

The Theme of the Event

Today, I would like to point your attention to our fresh faces in the volunteer category who are part of our history since (include a date).

You are here today because we are asking for your support and contributions to our organization to realize (specify the vision/mission of the company/association/firm). We grow and scale successfully only with your dedication toward individual and group goals. You are an integral part of our success story and we need you as much as you need us.

In the coming months, you will learn and practice initiative programs via seminars and exclusive events designed to enhance your hands-on experience and professional skills.

Finally, the Conclusion

Lastly, without taking any more of your time, I call (insert name of the next speaker) to introduce himself/herself to you as well as elaborate on the core details of ongoing and upcoming projects and contracts.

If you’re on the veranda, don’t hesitate to hit me up with a ‘Hi’ if you have any doubts. You’re all most welcome here (insert company name).

5 Speech Writing and Giving Tips

This short welcome speech sample will help you create your own great welcome speech for the start of any special event.

What you just read was a bit of a formal opening. When planning, it’s a good idea to have an overview of the event to determine if it’s a very formal event or if it’s more laid-back.

You also need to know who will be there – new volunteers, new members, a chief guest, government officials, young children, etc. This way, you will keep in mind the different initiatives.

1. Outline the structure.

Obviously, this post is helpful in creating a structure, but I invite you to use what’s written above as an outline. Think of it as a helpful way to show what order to put things in. Then you can fill in the details, like a speech template.

When you’re doing this, remember the purpose of your speech as well as the tone of the event.

2. Flesh out the main ideas in your outline.

The main body of your speech is going to be different for every event and audience. The example above is very formal.

Feel free to crack a joke or tell a story. Storytelling is what keeps people interested and it’s what they remember most in a speech. So, while you’re brainstorming, think of story examples of 3-5 points that can be made in your speech.

When you flesh out the main ideas, you get away from listeners thinking that the speech takes a long time because they’re enjoying the ride.

If you are allowed cue cards on the day of the event, this is where those new ideas would go. When I did my TEDx talk mentioned above, I wasn’t allowed cue cards but I used my slides as a reminder of what to say next and keep me on track.

You could do the same for things like remembering the names of individuals, ensuring you say the right words, calling out the name of the next person to speak, and other important information.

3. Edit and polish what you’ve written until you have a cohesive first draft of your speech.

A good welcome speech draft should live in your head. Don’t think of editing and polishing as something on paper. The last thing you want to see is a speaker reading from a piece of paper. The best way is to edit and polish in your mind so it becomes so familiar to you that you can speak off the cuff.

For my TEDx Talk shared above, I used an outline for the points I wanted to make in my talk. Then, I filled in the details with stories and added images to make it a bit more entertaining.

I never wrote what I was going to say word for word. When you do that and try to memorize it, you will end up either sounding like a robot (not conversational at all) or you’ll get lost after tripping up one word. Remember, be conversational.

4. Practice.

While this can get repetitive, it’s so important to practice with notes to start, then without notes. For TEDx, my practice was to accomplish two things:

1. Stay within the 7-8 minute set time limit
2. Memorize the order of the points I wanted to make. As mentioned above, to make this easier, I used slides to remind me what point to make next. I also shared a few numbered points, like first, second, third, etc.

I would run through my talk a few times. Then the next day, I’d do it again. Wash, rinse, and repeat was my method for weeks.

5. Ask for Feedback.

If you want to give another speech, it’s important to know what people did and did not like about the one you just presented. Now, I’m one who does NOT like taking advice from the cheap seats. I’m not telling you to get professional speaking advice from someone who is not a professional speaker.

Instead, learn what people liked best, what was most exciting, where you lost them because things got boring, how they left feeling, etc.

If you want to learn more about giving great speeches and speaking in public, check out this blog post about Toastmasters. It’s a great way to network and become a seasoned public speaker.

Have you heard a that gave you great pleasure? Is there a keynote speech that stands out? Maybe it’s a professional speaker. Find me on Instagram at @ChristinaAllDay and let me know.