The 40th birthday SpeechA 40th birthday speech is required and you've accepted the responsibility of writing and delivering it! You've may have read my tips on how to write a birthday speech, browsed the pages of milestone birthday quotations and taken down a couple you think are great. But the BIG question remains - how do you put it all together to create the birthday speech you want? Because I know having an example can help kick start the process of writing your own, I've got a 40th birthday speech sample here. Although it's specifically about a 40th birthday, you could easily adapt the format for any age you want. Let's set the scene first.Imagine a very large family gathering. Everybody is seated around a dinner table set with all sorts of wonderful birthday food. The candelabras have been lit and a woman, Mrs Martin, raps a fork on a glass. Its ring stops the talking. All eyes turn to her as she stands to give her daughter's fortieth birthday speech. 'On behalf of the Martin family and Camille in particular, it is my pleasure to welcome you here tonight to her 40th birthday celebration. We are delighted to have you with us and especial thanks to those who have traveled from afar. Before we eat I am going to say a few words about my beautiful daughter. I've promised her two things. I'll keep it short and I won't embarrass her by telling tales she'd rather I forgot. In the year that bras were burnt at the Miss America Beauty Contest and Lady Madonna and Jumpin' Jack Flashrocked the air waves, Camille Martin was born. 1968. It was as Louis Armstrong sang, 'a wonderful world' and made so much better with the addition of you. Forty years! Who would believe that looking at you? I can't and I'm your mother! It seems just yesterday that I was singing 'Rockabye Baby' to get you to sleep, putting bandaids on scraped knees, policing your teenage curfews, and not knowing whether to laugh or cry with pride at your graduation from college and then again at your wedding. Putting my difficulty with time aside, facts are facts. You were born in 1968 and now it is 2008. Camille, you've reached that age which has been the subject of much wit. Fortunately I've been there too and can report back truthfully. It's fine, despite its bad press. That F word is nothing to be frightened by. We are indebted to Francis Cardinal Spellman for this gem. 'You've heard of the three ages of man - youth, age, and "you are looking wonderful" and to Lucile Ball for, 'The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.' But my favorite comes from John Andrew Holmes who is obviously a philosophical gardener; 'At middle age the soul should be opening up like a rose, not closing up like a cabbage' To us Camille, you will always look and be wonderful. We admire and love your energy, the way you share your gift for living fully with your family and friends, we delight in your children, the integrity you bring to your work, the joy you find in the outdoors... My list could go on indefinitely but our delicious meal would go cold. Let's raise our glasses to Camille. You are a rose, our rose and in our hearts you always be in full bloom. Here's to another 40 cabbage-free years! And now let's enjoy the evening and, eat slowly! In case you're wondering:
Go well writing your speech.
There are many other public speaking resources to help you with your speech, like for instance, 'how to make cue cards', 'how to rehearse', 'how to beat public speaking anxiety' on site. You'll find them listed on the sitemap page. Return to top of 40th birthday speech page Check out the 50th birthday speech sample Return to write-out-loud.com home page |
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