I no longer run a large company, but when I did, I always gave a speech at our holiday party. It was a mixture of state of the union and thanks for a great year.
But what do you do this year when there is economic carnage all around you and the prospects for 2009 do not look any brighter? Do you pump up the team even if you did not have a good year? Help is on the way. In the tradition of Mad Libs, read the following speech at your party and fill in the blanks as appropriate for your company based on your year:
“I first want to thank you all for coming to our _______ (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Holiday) Party. I especially want to thank all the __________ (spouses, significant others, boyfriends, and girlfriends) that put up with us all through the year to make this party possible.
This has been a _______ (great, horrible) year for all of us. There are so many _________ (more, less) people here than last year for our party. It really ________ (wonderful, stinks) This _______ (warms, sinks) my heart. We all worked very hard this year and it really __________ (paid off, went unnoticed) by our clients. As a result of your efforts, we ______________(grew, shrunk) the company by _____ percent (Fill in exact percentage). This is something we can all be ___________ (proud, ashamed)
For 2009, we are expecting another ____________ (great, lousy) year. I hope to see ________ (all, some, a few) of you back here next year. Please enjoy the evening, it may be ___________ (the last we have, a significant memory for all of us). “
