So, I had my last day at work yesterday and over tea and cakes I had to give a speech. All went well until the last sentence, when my voice noticeably wobbled.

How f*cking embarrassing is that? Even now, waking up with a huge hang-over after a great night with friends, it's the only thing on my mind.

Nothing wrong with it. You didn't cry, but you showed some emotion, which demonstrates that you're sad to leave people you like and respect.
I'll bet everyone there thinks a little bit more of you now, rather than any less.

Cheers hobbes, I started the thread to get that kind of assurance.

Still feel as embarrassed as hell, but that's natural whenever I have a hangover.

Oh don't get me wrong. I still think it makes you a massive bell end.

/comedy slapdown

Welcome to middle age.

This has happened to me a couple of times when farewelling genuinely valued colleagues.

Bell-end hobbes? Thought so.

Farewell speech? What are you - American?

What kind of comment is that? In line with your cateto location description?

Click here, sportinguista. Bought your shares yet?

Sorry. No smilies here.

As mentioned on a previous thread this began happening for me around 50 years-old, and has increased in frequency (and embarrassment) since. So much so that I went to see a psychologist last year. He basically said it was OK, even laudable, and in public situations I should continue to control it with beta-blockers, which I do.

Well this thread went weird until AdeC rescued it.

It's all right. Lodz just happened to think that my lack of enthusiasm for corporate rites and American-style speeches (ba-dum-tssshhh) is caused by a deficient exposure to cosmpolitanism due to my Madrid location.

So just to clarify. If you leave a job in Spain, perhaps after a lengthy tenure, you don't make any form of farewell utterance^ to a group of colleagues you may have become quite friendly with? We used to do that when I worked in London, and we do it here in Sydney. I've never worked in America.

^or is it the word "speech" that's the issue?

Actually more importantly, I hope your issue isn't with Americans?

My guess is it's an issue with the Americanisation of British English. "Leaving speech" is not a term that needs fixing.

All right, major voice wobble story here. Wife and I taught for 9 yrs. in rural Alaska, absolutely loved it. My dad has leukemia in New Mexico and is not doing well. We made necessary, but painful decision to leave place we loved in order to be closer to family. The school board creates a plaque for me and has a meeting for those leaving the district. Yeah, have to give a speech and then, major voice wobble, felt a bit red-faced, but so be it.

As AdeC puts it, I too get a helluva lot more 'wobbly' as I get older and while there's a touch of embarrassment, no shame.

P.S. My dad hung in there until this August when he finally passed away. He got to get close to his only grandchild and I like to think that our moving close to him only helped his recovery. We think fondly of our Alaska years, but have zero regrets about leaving.

Just curious, but where ya heading Steveeeeeeeeee....?

Nice post CA and condolences about your Dad.

Cairo, go next Sunday. My condolences too CA.

Not a voice wobble as such but, in my head, my wedding "I do" was meant to be a deep baritone Richard Burton-esque "I Do" but came out with a question mark on the end "I do?"

steveeeeeeeee wrote:


Thanks. It was for the best. Enjoy Cairo. Many yrs ago we hung out in Alexandria and met the head of an international school there. Not much salary, but not much expenses either.

Janik wrote:

Well, apologies for hijacking the thread.

My issue is not a linguistic one. I just consider human relations on a personal level and I don't feel I need a corporate filter. It seems terribly awkward and cheesy to me to prepare a speech for people you've probably spent more time with in the last years than your own family, not to mention the compulsory sub-Vegas comedy act by your supervisor. It would be the equivalent of giving a speech to your wife.

You can tust me to by everyone drinks, but speeches? Forget it.

My condolences, CA.