18th or 21st birthday speech
Cue cards for a parent, sibling or friend giving an 18th or 21st birthday speech: growing-up stories, who they are now, hopes for the future and a toast.
Speech10 cardsAbout 5 min to speakBeginnerWork
Retirement speech
Retirement speech cue cards for the person retiring: thanks, highlights from your career, the people who shaped it, what comes next and a warm goodbye.
Free to use, edit, print and study. No account needed: your set stays on this device.
The cards
- 1
Open
“Thank you, [name of the person who introduced you], for those kind words, most of which were true.”
“And thank you all for coming.”
- 2
Where it began
“When I started [at this company / in this job / in this field] in [year], [what work looked like then: the tools, the office, the first boss].”
- 3
How things changed
One or two changes you have seen: [technology, the team, the customers, the building].
Keep it light, not a lecture about the old days.
- 4
Highlights
- [A project or moment you are proud of]
- [A time the team pulled together]
- [A funny story everyone remembers]
- 5
The people
Thank people by name or group: [mentors, your team, colleagues from other departments, clients].
“What I’ll miss most is [the people / the morning coffee / solving problems together].”
- 6
Something I learnt
One lesson from your working life, told through a short story: [lesson and story].
- 7
Thank my family
Thank the people at home: “[Partner / family], thank you for [early starts, late nights, listening to every work story].”
- 8
What’s next
“I’m planning to [travel / garden / spend time with grandchildren / learn [something] / sleep in].”
Tell people how to stay in touch.
- 9
Passing it on
A word for whoever takes over your work: “[Name], you’re going to be great. My one tip: [practical tip].”
Offer to answer questions after you go, if you are happy to.
- 10
Goodbye
“It has been a privilege to work with you. Please [look after each other / keep the coffee machine running].”
Raise a glass: “To all of you.”
How to use this template
This template is for the person retiring who has been asked to say a few words at a farewell lunch, morning tea, team meeting or party. A good retirement speech is mainly a thank-you, with a few stories that show what the work meant to you. The cards move from thanking the person who introduced you to where your career began, what changed, highlights, the people you will miss, one lesson, thanks to your family, your plans and a goodbye toast. Each card holds a single idea with sample wording to rewrite in your own voice. Fill in the [brackets], cut any card you do not need, and aim for four to six minutes. If you are giving a speech about a colleague who is retiring, the farewell speech template is a better fit. Keep the cards in a pocket and a glass nearby, as the speech usually ends in a toast.
Tips
- Write your list of thank-yous first; it is the part people will listen for, and the easiest to forget on the day.
- Keep stories about colleagues kind and check that anyone you name is happy to be mentioned.
- Avoid settling old scores or criticising the organisation; people remember a gracious exit.
- If there is a microphone, use it, even in a small room, so colleagues on video calls and at the back can hear.
- Have water nearby; emotion often shows up in the voice at the thank-you card.
- Practise the opening and the goodbye until you can say them without looking down.
Make it fit
- For a short morning tea or team call, keep where it began, the people, what is next and the goodbye: about two minutes.
- If you are retiring from a small business you own, thank customers and suppliers as well as staff, and introduce whoever is taking over.
- If colleagues are joining online from other countries, greet them by location and keep jokes that rely on local knowledge to a minimum.
- If your retirement was not entirely your choice, keep the speech on the people and the good years, and skip the reasons.
- In workplaces where speeches are given in more than one language, add a line of thanks in each.
Updated October 28, 2026