Worrying about your speech and what you are going to say will not help you need to think positively and think about how you are going to give a good speech.

If you are struggling with this then listening to tapes by someone like Anthony Robins can help and getting books by the likes of Paul McKenna can really help.

If you can and you are in control of the length of the speech – keep it to the bare minimum, never try to write too much and say too much, you will simply bore your audience and put yourself under unnecessary pressure.

Try to enjoy the speech and good luck!

If this is you and you have a speak to do or perhaps a presentation to make at work then you might like to consider going to a hypnotherapist.

Hypnotherapy taps in to your subconscious and with a few positive suggestions it can help many people to give them the added confidence to make a speech.

An example of a hypnotherapist and this one is based in Bournemouth can be found by clicking here – Dorset Hypnotherapy.

Before you write the announcement you will have to first agree with your partner who to invite in the first place to your special day! Once you have agreed on the list of guests to include at your wedding day you will need to decide on the following for writing your wedding announcement:

- The names of the people you are inviting – If you are inviting couples always include on the invite whether or not children are to be included in your invite. Where the person that is invited is single include on the announcement if they will be able to bring a guest on the day. It is good to check with both parents about the guest list and who should and should not be invited to your wedding day.

- Your details on the announcement – It might sound obvious, but you do need to include details of you and your future husband or wife. I would always suggest you include your full names and you can include within this your parents’ names which is nice for your parents and good for the people receiving the announcement.

- Include the date of your marriage – Probably one of the most important pieces of information to include is the date you intend to get married. If you are sending the announcement out to more people than will be invited on the day (which I would suggest not to do) decide whether to include more specifics, such as the wedding time and location.

- Wedding list – you will need to decide whether you send out a wedding list to the people you are sending the announcement to, as some will want to buy you a gift at this stage.

It is always difficult to know when to stop saying Happy New Year and what to say looking forward in any new year, but I’d like to start this year by presenting a speech by the new American President – Mr Barack Obama:

44th US President Barack Obama Inaugural Speech on 20th January 2009

My fellow citizens – I stand here today humbled by the task before us. Grateful for the trust you have bestowed. Mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.

I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

44 Americans have now taken the presidential oath, the words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace, yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because “We the People” have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood, our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred, our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered.

Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land, a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.

But know this, America: they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit’ to choose our better history, to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation.

The God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given, it must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things. Some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and travelled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and ploughed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg, Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life, they saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions, greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today, we remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth!

Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began!

Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year!

Our capacity remains undiminished!

But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions, that time has surely passed.

Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done, the state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act, not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.

We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.

Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward.

Where the answer is no, programs will end.

And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill, its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control, and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous.

The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity, on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart, not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use, our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort. Even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we’ll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the spectre of a warming planet.

We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass. That the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve, that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow, to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect.

For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honour them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service, a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the fire fighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends; honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism. These things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility, a recognition on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence, the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have travelled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned, the enemy was advancing, the snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it.”

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

Now that’s a speech and this is exactly what the UK needs – we need change, as did the Americans and it is about time the UK’s Government realised this! So come on Gordon Brown call and election and let the public decide on what is best for the UK. We need a change! We need to have a choice and if the choice is to re-select Labour then so be it, but don’t be arrogant and don’t be foolish, this country needs the Government to listen to the people today!

The groom must make sure that he says all of his thank yous and comments as a couple, especially if his bride does not join him in the speech. During the grooms speech the presents should be given out to all those people who have helped with the organisation of the wedding. Presents should be given to both parents and in particular the mums, a large bunch of flowers always does the trick. Presents should also be given to the bridesmaids, the best man, the page boys and a nice touch is to give the bride a large bunch of flowers too.

The groom’s speech should include the following:

1. I always think that the groom should start his speech with commenting on how beautiful his bride looks and tell the guests how happy he is to have married her.

2. Even though the father of the bride might well have thanked everyone for coming to the wedding, it is good for the groom to thank everyone too. The groom might also want to make mention of those guests who have travelled a long way to attend their special day.

3. The groom should then thank the bride’s parents for the reception and of course if this is a shared cost between both parents then make sure to thank both. The groom should then go on to comment on how good it is to become a part of the bride’s family, and then to return some sort of comment to the father of the bride where he has made comment to the effect that he has passed over the responsibility of looking after his daughter. The groom should say that he will look after his daughter and love her for ever or words to that effect.

4. The groom should thank his own parents for his upbringing and family life.

5. The groom should also thank his best man for his services and it is normal for the couple to buy him a gift and even nicer to have it engraved. The groom might want to get a few words in about the best man at this point, as he is very likely to humiliate him in his speech. Guests will like to see this sort of banter and this will help set the scene well for the best man’s speech.

6. A short story about how the groom met his lovely bride should be told and a thank you to her parents for producing such a lovely daughter will go down well.

7. The groom should close with a toast to the bridesmaids and a nice touch is to thank each of them by name. Traditionally these days it is nice to present the bridesmaids with flowers too.

So I hope that you have all booked your office parties, as time is drawing near and if you don’t book it soon you might be left with having to make do with a “Fish n Chip” takeaway! Well maybe not quite as bad as that, but you certainly need to think about booking your tables sooner rather than later to make sure you get somewhere of your choice, as compared to the last resort option.

So what are your thoughts on the Christmas party speech, should the owners or directors or perhaps your manager being making a speech at your party. This is debateable, and the content of the speech is worth discussing.

There is nothing worse than someone that loves the sound of their own voice and making a speech at an office party that goes on, and on and on and perhaps on a bit more. It might be okay to thank the staff for their work for the last 12 months and maybe use the time to hand out awards for “best employee of the year”, but much more than this might find your staff yawning and looking forward to the entertainment arranged for later.

Tell us about your “office Party” speech nightmares or the funny ones you have heard, as we’d love to hear them.

The way that I have dealt with this in the past is to do lots of positive thinking and to go into a separate room and let out my fears by shouting as loud as I dare depending on the location and who is around.

This does work for me, but it would be good to hear how others control their fear of public speaking, which is a fear that more have higher up than death! Which when you think about it is crazy – speaking in front of people will not kill you and yet we fear it so much.

Don’t fall a victim to crumpled papers and blank screens ever again. Adopt some simple, easy-to-follow guidelines on how to write a speech, study analyses of sample speeches, view sample speeches for the relevant occasion – get all the help you need to pluck out your speech-writing phobia from the roots.

speeches4u.com is your best online coach on the art of electrifying speech-making. From the first written word to the last spoken word – we’re here to build your skills and confidence with our resources.

Whether you want to know how to write a speech for a family ceremony, a business meeting or for any other public speaking arena – you can consult our resources for every occasion.

Our resources contain the following sections:

• how to write a speech – This section lays out a thorough step-by-step plan on how to write a speech.
• presentation skills – Knowing how to write a speech isn’t enough to make your speech a smasher. Learn the styles and techniques of effective presentation from this section.
• sample speeches – An example always makes abstract rules clear. Get a clear view on how to write a speech for the occasion at hand from a collection of sample speeches.
• jokes and poems – Tie in appropriate jokes and poems to build some depth and interest in your speech.
• famous speeches – This section has transcripts of famous speeches by Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill along with their analyses. Learn how to write a speech by imitating the great orators.

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