Be natural in your gestures and posture– avoid distracting mannerisms (for e.g., keeping one’s hands in one’s pockets). Some other situations when a short formal speech is made are mentioned below: To welcome a guest at a function To bid farewell to someone leaving an institution/organization or To propose a vote of thanks at the close of a formal event Phrases used when delivering a welcome address are given below. Opening courtesies Giving the background Introducing the theme/ purpose Good morning/afternoon /evening The idea took birth a year ago… This gathering offers us a diverse platform to… Let me first welcome… I n the last meeting, we discussed the possibility of… Let us take the first step towards… I feel privileged to welcome We were exploring the possibility of… The initiative to… will go a long way in creating… I would like to welcome… There was a need felt to work together on… Today’s function marks… Unit- - - - - I have great pleasure in welcoming…/ It is my pleasure to welcome… It was felt that… This meeting/conference stands for I take this opportunity to welcome… Given the research and developmental trends in the area/field, it was found to be important to… This gathering presents… I welcome you all to… We need to give attention to… The occasion offers a unique platform for… I extend a warm welcome to The situation implores us to focus on… This event showcases a window of opportunity to… A few useful phrases for proposing the vote of thanks are given below. I have the task of delivering the vote of thanks to this august gathering here.
My thanks to distinguished…. I am also grateful to… I must also thank the other members of… My thanks to all… It’s a great honour to have this opportunity to thank all of you. We are deeply indebted to… We would like to thank… We are very grateful to you for… In this connection, we would like to make particular mention of… We thank you for your patience… Thank you so much. Presentation of a