How to Give (Deliver) a Vote of Thanks?

Giving away a welcome speech and "vote of thanks" are some of the responsibilities bestowed on us if we work in an organisation.

Alas! I am faced with the puzzle of how to give vote of thanks.

Did you have to face this situation? Well, you need not panic.

First and foremost, we need to understand that there is no vote of thanks template, be it a vote of thanks for farewell party or a vote of thanks for teachers day. But of course we need to keep in mind certain guidelines before preparing for a speech and presentation.

Vote of thanks for a function is given during the end of function. For a formal function, the organising secretary or an equivalent member who is involved in the function from beginning till end is the best person to give away the vote of thanks.

Many people search for vote of thanks examples. The most important point is that "Vote of thanks" should be very brief. Remember! Everyone who was involved including the person who is giving the "vote of thanks" may be tired and bored especially if it is for the valedictory function. The aim of vote of thanks is not to bore them further; but to give a sincere attempt to thank everyone who has made the show a success.

There should be an order of thanking according to the importance as in welcome speech. For a formal function, it is best to thank the chief guest first, then the dignitaries on the dais, people in the front row and then everybody down the hall.

Avoid thanking own people from the organisation. For example when you write vote of thanks for annual day or college day, one of the faculty who was involved in the organisation may be entrusted with the responsibility to give away the vote of thanks. It may not look appropriate to keep thanking the other entire departmental faculty for their active participation in the programme, because they might have done it as part of their job responsibility and it may not look appropriate to pat our own shoulder in the public

Avoid praising anybody. Expressing heart felt thanks need not be about praising a particular person or organisation.

While choosing words for the speech, take care not to be critical or evaluative about the day's events.

A vote of thanks speech is not an attempt at summarising the events for the day. Instead it should be a way of showing appreciation with heartfelt words of gratitude. It can also be used as an opportunity to respond to the remarks, requests or promises made by the chief guest.

Here you can mainly address the chief guest and guest of honour if any and express your words of gratitude. Specify exactly what you are grateful for and it should be expressed in a sincere manner using suitable words. Vote of thanks for inaugural function should not kill the anticipation of the participants. You can also connect or link to the upcoming events by a brief attempt.

The person who is giving away the vote of thanks should have a pleasant disposition. You will feel more confident if you have a small card with points written on who you want to thank and which phrase or words to be used for a particular person. Rehearsing the speech also helps in gaining confidence.

Have eye contact with the audience and talk to the audience. Beginners make a common mistake of talking to themselves rather than communicating to the audience. Speak slowly and deliberately as you look around the hall.

Use body language and gestures to emphasise the sincerity of your words. Smile on your face will enhance your appearance as well as leave the guests at ease.

Common expressions used for vote of thanks speech

I thank……

I am grateful to……

Let me express my gratitude….

I take this opportunity to thank…..

We remain grateful to…….

Our words may not be capable of communicating our sense of gratitude to….

We offer our sincere thanks to….

Permit me to mention our appreciation to

I bow my head in gratitude…..

May I take this occasion to salute him with…..

We are happy to mention our obligation to….

We express our gratefulness to…

Please avoid

Cliches like “On my behaf, On behlf of all concerned………., “ I will be failing in my duty if ….”, “ Last but not least……..” etc.

Good luck with your programme!

At the end of the programme, you will feel more assured and energetic that you could give away the vote of thanks sincerely and confidently!