This farewell speech can be given to coworkers, students, friends, or the public.
Hello.
I guess since this is a farewell speech, I should have opened with "goodbye" instead. But then that would mean I would be starting with the ending, and you'd only have to sit through a one-word speech. And we can't have that, can we?
These things are never easy to do. How do you say goodbye to people, knowing that there's a good chance you'll never see any of them again? And now you're all wondering, "Is he talking about me? Does he never want to see me again?" To that I say, "No, of course not." Of course I want to see you again. I'm talking about all those around you.
Well, we've had quite a run, haven't we? I want to keep this thing brief, so that you can all go back to{drinking, dancing, eating, etc.}, so let me just say that it has been a pleasure{working with, being friends with, volunteering with, etc.} each and every one of you. You have made my time here {at a company, in a town, etc.} so much fun and so much better than I ever could have anticipated when I first got a look at the lot of you.
I hope you all have fantastic lives, and that you'll share those details with me only in your Christmas letters. I kid. Email me, write, call, whatever. I'd love to talk to any one of you. I'll never forget you, and I even hope to run into you again one of these days.
But, for now, goodbye.
