One of the most effective ways to make employees and volunteers feel appreciated is by presenting them with an elegant award in recognition of their service.
Awards in and of themselves are always welcomed by recipients. But why not go the extra mile and present the award in front of others along with a short, heartfelt speech about their contributions?
Don’t know where to begin? Here are a few tips, along with a sample script, that should help get you started.
The Opener
First, start with a funny or touching anecdote about the person if possible. This sets up the framework for what makes the recipient special. However, make sure it’s not too personal or potentially embarrassing.
Talk about Why
Describe some of the recipient’s accomplishments and relate it to why they’re receiving the award. Although they may have a long list of achievements, try to keep it relatively brief and play up the ones that are most significant.
Look Outside of Work
Give a quick, general description of the recipient as a person outside of their accomplishments. Are they funny or warm? Do they have other significant interests or hobbies? Are there particular quirks they’re known for?
Finish it UpSample Military Emcee Script
Wrap it up with the presentation itself and lead the applause.
Try This Sample Script
Feel free to use this as a template for your own presentation.
The first day Joan Henry volunteered at the Southview SPCA, she performed a miracle. In one dog run was a little scared poodle named Gigi. Gigi had cowered from everyone who tried to approach her and refused to eat, and the staff was getting concerned. Joan asked if she could try. The staff agreed but told her not to get her hopes up. Joan entered the run, sat down and remained perfectly still for the longest time. Finally, Gigi crept out of the corner, sniffed Joan and then, to our amazement, curled up in Joan’s lap and fell asleep. It was one of the most remarkable things any of us had ever seen.
Since that day 10 years ago, Joan has become an invaluable and beloved member of the Southview family. During that time, by some estimates, she has walked 10,000 dogs and scooped 25,000 litter boxes. She has helped organize fundraising events, assisted at vaccination clinics and got Southview set up on social media. And she’s done all this without ever being paid a dime.
Joan is passionate and compassionate, determined and soft-hearted. She has boundless energy, is quick to laugh and, as all of us here know, is completely obsessed with pistachio ice cream. Countless animals owe her their thanks and we here at Southview owe her even more.
Ladies and gentleman, the Southview SPCA’s volunteer of the year — Joan Henry!
We wish you luck in creating your own speeches for recognition! If you’re looking for a high-quality award to present, look no further than PaperDirect’s selection of awards and certificates. Browse our selection today!
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Go BACK An “itinerary” is different than a “script.”
In the previous post we discussed the Responsibilities of your Master of Ceremonies. Just because your wedding coordinator has put together “an itinerary” or a “time line” for your wedding this does not mean that you have “a script for your Master of Ceremonies.”
Hello. My name is Eric Zimmermann. I am a DJ and Master of Ceremonies, Pianist and Bandleader. Phone: 626-797-1795
One of the major concerns most people have about hiring a DJ/MC is “will he talk too much?” You can have control over your DJ/MC by making him use a script for his announcements.
Wedding Itinerary
Please know that a “wedding itinerary” is usually a list of generalized events listed in logical sequence. An itinerary might indicate:
6:55 pour Champagne,
7:00 Grand Entrance, 7:03 First Dance, 7:10 Toasts, 7:15 Dinner Scripted Announcements
A script would be the specific communication the MC needs to make; what he should say:
“Good evening and welcome to the the…”
“Congratulations to the family and friends of…” “At this time please join me in welcoming…” Professional Announcements & Presentation
Weddings are special occasions and usually formal. An MC doesn’t have to be “stuffy” but he should be respectful, have his facts organized and be prepared to make professional announcements. It is usually left up to the Master of Ceremonies to come up with his own announcements. It might be a good idea to test your Master of Ceremonies to find out what he is going to say and how he is going to say it. See: Responsibilities of Your Master of Ceremonies.
Talk to DJ/Master of CeremoniesEric Zimmermann626-797-1795Announcing
Announcing “the first name only” colors the event as being informal or not important. A good master of ceremonies would need to find out complete information about each person he is announcing. So for one announcement he needs to know the person’s full name but in addition to his name, who is he? Does he have a title? Is he only the best man? Is he the brother of the groom? If he is both the announcement he would be:
“The best man and brother of the groom Mr.” “first name” “last name”.”
Add to this the possibility that this individual might have an additional title. (military rank for example)
One wedding reception I attended as a guest I heard the MC say: “Yo! How’s everybody doin’!?” (no response from the guests) MC: “I SAID, HOW’S EVERYBODY DOIN’!!!?”(etc.) He then said, “Yo, let’s give it up for Joe the Best Man!”
Who was Joe? An officer in the US Marines in full dress blues. (“dress blues” is a formal uniform worn for special occasions.) So here is a Military Officer representing the Bride and Groom and also representing the US Marines and being introduced as “Joe”.
The family of the bride spent thousands of dollars on their daughter’s wedding and yes there was an itinerary but what the MC would say wasn’t considered.
The announcement should have been: “Good evening and welcome to the Athena Ballroom of the Odyssey Restaurant here in Granada Hills, CA. My name is _____. I am your DJ and Master of Ceremonies. Here to offer a toast please join me in welcoming the Best Man and Brother of the Groom Lieutenant Joseph Rodriguez!”
Take the time to ensure you and your family will be represented well by your DJ/Master of Ceremonies.
See: “Wedding Stress”
To help define the scope of service, before you hire your DJ you should require him to present an itinerary with scripted announcements so you know what you are paying for. Please know that an itinerary with scripted announcements accompanies every Elegant Music DJ contract.
Sincerely, Eric Zimmermann
Fifa free download 2019. Elegant Music 626-797-1795
Lisa DiVirgilioUpdated April 17, 2017
An awards ceremony is a time for celebration. Be it a celebration of the successes of a particular group of people or a single individual, or the success of a company or group, always make the speech you give as unique and personal as you can to engage your audience. Use memories the majority of people recall or jokes many people will relate to and laugh about.
Know Your Audience
Whether you know the individuals for whom you are doing a script and speech or you are there to be an inspirational speaker, craft your script to be one that is understandable to those whom you are addressing. For example, if you are speaking to individuals who have hit their sales goal in television advertising, be sure to pepper your script with anecdotes of television-advertising sales challenges, such as a decrease in advertising sales but being able to navigate their ways around it to go above their sales goals. Show the strengths of those being awarded.
Tell a Story
A speech can be fact-based with a script that goes along with a PowerPoint presentation or it can have a script that is loosely written since much of your talk will be dependent on the audience’s reaction. To engage an audience, consider a script that tells a story. Perhaps the story can begin with the history of the organization that is recognizing the individuals at the ceremony, then weave the individuals' histories and contributions to making the organization better. Introductions that award the organization, company and individual show the employees play significant roles in the company or organization’s success and are recognized for doing so.
Interactive Speech
An interactive speech with a script that runs with it can be fun, but takes time to prepare. To do this, prepare envelopes to give away small prizes to those who have attended the speech but are not recognized. This helps keep people interested in the event. During your script writing, incorporate the mini-prize giveaways in the speech.
All-Encompassing Speech Script
Unrecognized individuals of the company or organization often attend awards ceremonies, and while they may not be honored that night, they played roles in the success of the company. A speech talking about this may be tricky. Draw attention to the company as a whole without making it seem as though you are neglecting those not being recognized that night. The best way to do this is to begin the speech script with notes on how the company or organization has done well, then continue on to the individuals toward the end of the speech. This works well because people usually remember what they hear last, so it will seem as though you merely mentioned the company and all of its employees before zeroing in on those who have achieved.
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DiVirgilio, Lisa. 'Ideas for Award Ceremony Scripts.' , https://penandthepad.com/info-8353967-ideas-award-ceremony-scripts.html. 07 August 2017.
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