How to Write a Thank You Speech

Learn how to write a speech, especially a thank-you one, just in case you find yourself having an honor bestowed upon you. You don't want to feel unprepared for a big moment.

Make a List
You'll want to organize your thoughts on paper before you go about thanking people verbally, so take some time to write it down. You can make two different lists. The first one can contain the people you must thank, and the second one can be the people you want to thank. It's a good idea to get the must ones out of the way first. As you are making your lists, see where you can cut, and try to evaluate why a person is on the list to begin with. If you see someone's name in print and it doesn't seem right to you, perhaps they can be left out of the speech.

Don't Forget Family
You may have written a great speech thanking your coworkers, mentors and the guy who hands you your coffee in the morning, but try not to leave out your parents and your significant other. It's important to thank people who support you every day in a personal capacity, even if they weren't directly involved with whatever honor is being bestowed upon you.

Time Is of the Essence
When it comes to public speaking tips, a big one is to keep it within the time frame. Figure out how much time you have to make the speech, and work within those constraints. Otherwise, just keep it short. No one wants to hear someone drone on for 15 minutes more than they should have. Imagine that you are an Oscar winner and the orchestra is about to drown you out with music.

Leave yourself a little time to close with a few thoughtful words to describe how you feel about the award or honor. If you tend to be funny, use humor in the speech, but don't force it if it doesn't come naturally.