Leaving speech.
The leaving speech is the one you're asked to give on Thursday for Friday. Here's how it's built, a writer that drafts it from three true details, and the line that goes in the card.
A leaving speech for a colleague runs 60 to 120 seconds: one specific thing they did that nobody else would have, what the team will miss (be concrete — the Friday emails, the calm), a wish for where they're going, and a toast. Say their name early and look at them at the end.
Write my leaving speech
Three true details in, a draft out. Read it aloud once, then edit — the good one is the one in your voice.
The shape that works
- 1
Name the thing they did
Not 'always went the extra mile'. The actual mile: the launch they rescued, the new starter they looked after.
- 2
What we'll miss
One sentence, concrete. The team already knows it; saying it out loud is the gift.
- 3
Where they're going
Be generous about the new place. It's their day, not a referendum on the move.
- 4
The toast
'To Sam' — raise the glass, stop talking.
Three openers that make people lean in
Sam, before you go, there's something the rest of us need to say out loud.
Everyone has a story about the week Priya fixed the thing nobody else could find. Here's mine.
I've been told to keep this short, which is harder than it sounds when the subject is Tom.
Swap the names. The point is the shape: a moment, a number, a story — never 'for those who don't know me'.
What to leave out
- Talking about the company instead of the person.
- Listing projects. Pick one.
- Jokes about them leaving for more money.
- Forgetting the actual toast at the end.
Questions people ask
How long should a leaving speech be?
Sixty to ninety seconds for a colleague, two minutes for a manager or someone who's been there a decade. About 150 to 300 words.
Who gives it?
Usually their manager or the person who worked with them longest. If that's not you, speak for the team: 'I'm saying this for all of us'.
What goes in the card?
The toast line. The speech is for the room; the card is for the drawer they'll keep it in — so the last line of the speech is the first line of the card.
The card, and the gift
The speech is for the room. The card is what they keep.
The speech is for the room. The card is what they keep.
Put the toast line in a card — free, in a minute — and add a gift they choose themselves if the moment calls for it.