MODUL PERKULIAHAN
ENGLISH FOR ENGINEERING 2
Welcome Speech/Welcome Address
Fakultas Program Studi Tatap Muka Kode MK Disusun Oleh
09
Teknik Teknik Elektro F021700001 Fadli Sirait, S.Si, MT
Abstract Kompetensi
Adjectives are words that describe Students are able to prepare a
or modify another person or thing presentation for academic purpose
in the sentence.
Introduction
Welcome address is vital in any function because it heralds the commencement of the
programme or function and sets the feel of the function. A pleasing welcome speech has its
effect throughout the function from the beginning till the end. In English, it differs as per the
occasion demands; for example, a wedding welcome speech, a graduation welcome speech, a
welcome address in a seminar / conference etc will be totally different in the phrases and
terms used. Giving away a “welcome speech” and "vote of thanks" are some of the
responsibilities bestowed on us if we work in an organisation.
This chapter guides you with how to do a formal welcome speech.
Characteristics of Welcome Speech:
Welcome speech should be brief. It should start with greeting the dignitaries on and
off the dais.
This is followed by a brief description about the objectives of the meet.
The chief guest of the formal function should be welcomed first; then the other
important guests on the dais should be addressed; it should be followed by guests on
the front row and then everybody down the hall.
On some occasions, if the chief guest is not a known person, a brief introduction of
the chief guest is also given by the person who gives the welcome speech.
A welcome speech should not be concluded by thanking. It should make the
participants be at ease and eagerly waiting for the upcoming events.
Maximum duration of welcome speech can be three to four minutes.
Care should be taken to make the speech livelier.
Some common "welcome quotes"
I extend a hearty welcome to________________
I offer a warm welcome to ____________________
I accord a genial welcome to __________________________
I am delighted to offer a happy welcome to _____________________
I request the members of the audience to join me in offering a warm - hearted welcome
to __________________
I salute him / her with a winsome welcome
I welcome ____________________with the loving hearts of all present
2016 English for Engineering 1
2 Fadli Sirait, S.Si, MT
Pusat Bahan Ajar dan eLearning
http://www.mercubuana.ac.id
I welcome ________________ with my whole heart
I welcome ________________ with all my heart
Let me offer you a pleasant welcome
Please permit me to offer you a fraternal welcome
We feel honored in offering you a cheerful welcome
Welcome Speech: Samples
1. Opening Speech for UG Literary Association of your Department
Esteemed Head of the Department of __________________ , honourable Chief Guest of the
Programme Mr./Mrs./Dr.___________________, our most valued invited faculties and my
sincere student friends, Good afternoon everybody.
It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you all to this UG Literary Association Meet this
year. I am extremely grateful to you all for sparing some of your precious moments (valuable
time) for us and grace this occasion.
The presence of our Chief Guest in today’s programme inspite of his / her busy schedule is a
reflection of the importance that is attached to the commitment of our department to quality
growth. We are all inspired by your gracious presence Sir / Madam.
I would like to take this opportunity to express our hearty welcome to the Head of our
Department for the support and guidance he / she has extended to all the activities of our
department.
I take immense joy in welcoming the President of this Association who encourages us with
his minute – to – minute guidance for the success of this programme.
I take this opportunity to welcome all the faculties who are dedicated and result-oriented.
We welcome all our student friends who are eagerly waiting for listening to our chief guest’s
motivational speech on __________________________.
I owe my greeting to all who are associated with the success of this Meet.
Once again I welcome you all.
2.Opening Speech for a Programme
Esteemed excellencies, distinguished delegates, honourable teaching and non-teaching
faculties, good morning to you all.
It gives me great pleasure to extend you all a very warm welcome on behalf of the
___________Name of the Department_________. We are grateful to the dignitaries who
2016 English for Engineering 1
3 Fadli Sirait, S.Si, MT
Pusat Bahan Ajar dan eLearning
http://www.mercubuana.ac.id
have accepted our invitation to this ________________Name of the
Programme________________ in our College.
I am happy to note that the agenda of the Programme covers a wide range of very interesting
topics for discussion.
We are aware of the tremendous effort made by the Management and the faculties of the
Department for the success of this Programme. We wish them every success in their noble
actions.
In concluding, I wish you success in your discussions and a very pleasant stay here.
3. Opening Speech in a Seminar
Mr. Chairman, Honourable Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my privilege to address you, on behalf of the Department_Name____. We are happy
to welcome the dignitaries and the participants to this Seminar on ______Topic of the
Seminar____.
First of all, we express our sincere thanks and gratitude to our Management for hosting this
Seminar; and for providing us with all the facilities which will undoubtedly contribute to the
success of this Seminar. This magnificent meeting room with all modern interpretation
equipment is but one example of these facilities.
I wish to take this opportunity to welcome the participants from our State as well as other
States like _____________________ who have joined this seminar for the first time.
I also wish to welcome ______________________________for financing the Seminar.
Mr. Chairman, Honourable Delegates, it should be pointed out that this Seminar was held in
accordance with the recommendation of the UGC. Therefore, it becomes essential to research
and discuss on the views on the topic ; and of
course, basically, the main purpose of the Seminar is to exchange ideas. We will have the
opportunity to listen to experts at this Seminar on this matter.
I am confident that the discussions held during the Seminar will lead us at the end to
important conclusions on the subject of __________________________________.
Before I close, I’d like to thank each of your for attending our Seminar and bringing your
expertise to our gathering. You, as organization leaders, have the vision, the knowledge, and
the experience to help us pave our way into the future. You are truly our greatest asset today
and we could not achieve in our future without your support and leadership. My personal
respect and thanks goes out to all of you.
2016 English for Engineering 1
4 Fadli Sirait, S.Si, MT
Pusat Bahan Ajar dan eLearning
http://www.mercubuana.ac.id
In conclusion, I should like to wish each and every one of you with success in their work.
You can carry with you the best wishes of our College for a productive and successful
Seminar, and a pleasant stay amongst us.
Thank you
4. Opening Speech in an Association
Good morning Members,
We thank you all for coming and joining us here today. We are pleased to welcome those
who have been with us from the beginning and those who are new to our association.
Just before we get started, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who generously
helped us to make this event successful, (mention names of individuals you wish to thank
here). We couldn't have done it without you!
In today's gathering I would like to focus on all our new volunteers who have joined us since
January 2015. You have all chosen to be a part of our association and we hope we can
achieve our individual as well as group goals. During the next few months, you will be
getting to know more about our planned activities and special events where you will be able
to join in and get your very own hands on experiences. I hope you will also be meeting lots
of new people and making new friends along the way.
Here at (name of association), we value and cherish the friendships we make which in turn
last for many many, years to come. So a very warm welcome to all of you, please come and
find me in the (Place) if you have any questions, suggestions or just want to meet and say hi!
Ladies and gentleman, and our (Coordinator Name) - ...Thank you.
5. Opening Speech for the Opening Day of a New School / College
Good evening to one and all who assemble here.
May I take this opportunity to welcome you all, and to extend a further word of welcome to
everyone here this evening?
The Opening Day of our new School / College Name is certainly a moment that we should all
value and enjoy. If you take a quick look around you, I'm sure you will all agree that our
School College has come a long way in the last few months.
It all started as a dream of establishing a world class educational institution; a School /
College that would mould and guide future generations of enlightened minds.
2016 English for Engineering 1
5 Fadli Sirait, S.Si, MT
Pusat Bahan Ajar dan eLearning
http://www.mercubuana.ac.id
We would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to all those who made it possible for the
dream to become a reality. Tonight marks this occasion - the Opening and Commencement
Ceremony of our School / College.
However, our young ladies and gentlemen students too are beginning to realize the
importance of self-motivation and are prepared to help themselves to further their education. I
have no doubt that they will remain motivated in the classroom to achieve their goals. Their
education is sound, creative and innovative; and with their parents’ support they will make
this a reality.
This year, the Parents Association will continue to tirelessly take action to help raise funds
for [name of school]. The Managing Board will plan and work towards an educationally
sound and innovative future for our School.
The teachers / faculties at [name of school / College ] will help the students to achieve
academic, sporting, cultural and life-long learning. May I take this opportunity to thank the
teachers for their continued professionalism, excellence and dedication? It is your motivation
in the classroom that helps to create a year that is bright with opportunities.
You will help the students to solve their problems through innovation and invention. And,
you will help the students to turn indifference into motivated, helpful action.
This is our goal as the year at [name of school / College] commences! Let's continue to work
together to do our best for the world!
You are all most welcome to stay here this evening. I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening's
program and thank you for sharing this special event with us.
Vote of Thanks
How to write "vote of thanks"?
Vote of thanks for a function is given during the end of function. It is a brief talk
given on behalf of the organization as group to a specific person or group of people.
For a formal function, the organizing 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.
Just like a welcome speech, vote of thanks should also be brief. As thanksgiving is
the concluding session, everyone 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 summarize the programme or to bore anyone else but to thank everyone who has made
the show a success.
2016 English for Engineering 1
6 Fadli Sirait, S.Si, MT
Pusat Bahan Ajar dan eLearning
http://www.mercubuana.ac.id
The order of speech for "vote of thanks"
As in welcome speech, there should be an order of thanking according to the
importance. 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.
While drafting the speech, thanks should be given to each individual who is
responsible for the arrangements, catering, setting up event, organizing the event etc. It ends
with a call to applause from the crowd for all the efforts taken for the successful organization
of programme.
Think about people who are responsible for:
invitations stage * setting and lighting * catering
technical arrangements * musicians * the press and media contacts
To be avoided
Avoid too much of thanking own people from the organisation.
For example; when you deliver vote of thanks for an annual day or college day, one of the
faculties who was involved in the organisation may be given the responsibility to give away
the vote of thanks. It may not look appropriate to keep thanking the 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.
Take care not to be critical or evaluative about the day's events in thanks giving
speech.
A vote of thanks speech is not an attempt at summarizing 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.
Specify exactly what you are grateful for and it should be expressed in a sincere
manner using suitable words.
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.
Speak slowly with confidence and deliberately as you look around the hall.
2016 English for Engineering 1
7 Fadli Sirait, S.Si, MT
Pusat Bahan Ajar dan eLearning
http://www.mercubuana.ac.id
Use body language and gestures to emphasize 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 to ….
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 towards …..
May I take this occasion to salute him with a great applause.
We are happy to mention our obligation to….
We express our gratefulness to…
VOTE OF THANKS SAMPLES
1. Vote of thanks for a Valedictory Programme
Well, Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, an event like this cannot happen overnight. The
wheels start rolling weeks ago. It requires planning and a bird’s eye for details. We have been
fortunate enough to be backed by a team of very motivated and dedicated colleagues of our
[institute / organization] who know their job and are result oriented.
I thank everyone for their involvement and their willingness to take on the completion of
tasks beyond their comfort zones!
Good morning everybody!
It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you all at this valedictory function of
the_________________________________________. I am extremely grateful to you all for
sparing some of your valuable time for us and grace this occasion.
I deem it a great privilege to extend a vote of thanks on this historic occasion. This day will
be remembered as a milestone in the history of our ______department_____as it is the first
occasion.
2016 English for Engineering 1
8 Fadli Sirait, S.Si, MT
Pusat Bahan Ajar dan eLearning
http://www.mercubuana.ac.id
We thank the Hon'ble __Chief Guest__in today's programme inspite of his extremely busy
schedule. Thank you a lot Sir.
I, on behalf of the entire organization extend a very hearty vote of thanks for gracing the
function and sharing with this august audience your vision of _____Topic________for our
country.
I would like to take this opportunity to express our hearty thanks to
_____(organizer)_____for support and guidance he has extended to all of us in organizing
this Programme.
We are very thankful to all the former Chairpersons & Vice-Chairpersons, Secretaries,
Members for their support & valuable guidance.
I take this opportunity to extend our most sincere thanks to all our guest invitees who have
come from different places for their immense support and cooperation.
I may also like to express our sincere thanks to media persons both print and electronic for
giving an excellent coverage to our programme.
Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, once again I want to state that we are all most grateful
to all speakers on this stage. We thank you for being with us this evening - it’s been a great
pleasure.
Thank You Very Much! [applause]
2.Vote of thanks for the Valediction day of “Soft Skills Training Cell”
Good morning to one and all who assemble here.
We feel honoured and delighted to have our College Managing Board, our esteemed dynamic
Principal __________________________________, our beacon light
____________________, the Director of SF Courses, the backbone of this programme our
Co-ordinator _________________________ who are with us here today.
On behalf of our Soft Skills Training Cell, I feel happy to deliver vote of thanks on this nice
day.
It is a well-known fact that not only educational qualification but also the skills of the
students that matters in getting and maintaining a good job. First of all, we thank our
Management for establishing Soft Skills Training Cell in 2011.
I wish to recall the selection of the name “Elite Forum”, a branch of this Training Cell. Elite
Forum was named in honour of Evelyn Lysander Madam, who did her service as Assistant
Professor in Computer Science, tirelessly for the success of this Cell.
2016 English for Engineering 1
9 Fadli Sirait, S.Si, MT
Pusat Bahan Ajar dan eLearning
http://www.mercubuana.ac.id
We convey our thanks to our Principal and Director of SF Courses for their august presence
here amidst their tight work schedule. We are happy to have their blessings also.
Together everyone achieves success – this acronym for TEAM becomes true here again by
the Organizer’s hard effort in arranging this successful programme. From the beginning, he
takes effort in conducting coaching classes for Aptitude, Bank coaching examination and
Group Discussion.
We thank all the members of the cell for their cooperation and effective contribution.
We thank our senior professors for training us in handling bank coaching classes.
We thank all the student participants for their energetic and enthusiastic participation in
learning and enhancing their skills.
We thank our teaching and non-teaching faculties for their help in successful completion of
all the classes.
Finally, we express our thanks to God, the ever powerful immortal behind us for giving us
such great personalities and moral support for the success of this training cell.
Once again, I thank you all.
3. Vote of thanks for a Seminar / Conference
Esteemed………………………………………, Honorable…………………………………,
Respected………………………….. , our most valued invited guests, ladies and gentlemen!
It's my privilege to propose a vote of thanks on this occasion. I, on behalf of [name of the
organization of the event__________________________________] extend a very hearty
vote of thanks to all, for sharing with us your ideas and opinions today!
A big 'Thank You' to [name speaker 1] for her/his efforts towards [speech topic].
I must mention our deep sense of appreciation for [name speaker 2], for her/his explanation
of [speech topic].
Further, we are grateful to [speaker 3], for demonstrating her/his [speech topic].
I also extend my thanks to [ organiser’s name_], for their enormous cooperation in the
organization of this event.
I may like to express our sincere thanks to the media, press - both print and electronic, for
giving an excellent coverage to the Programme.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to place on record our hearty thanks to
………………………….for the support and guidance extended to all of us at
[occasion__________________________________]. We are all inspired by your great
words! Once again, thank you.
2016 English for Engineering 1
10 Fadli Sirait, S.Si, MT
Pusat Bahan Ajar dan eLearning
http://www.mercubuana.ac.id
References
[1] Bovee, C., & Thill, J. (2010). Business communication essentials: A skills-based
approach to vital business English (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
[2] Guffey, M. (2008).Essentials of business communication(7th ed.). Mason, OH:
Thomson/Wadsworth. [3] Tripler. (2001). Fisika Untuk
[4] Shea, V. (1994).Netiquette. San Francisco, CA: Albion Books.
2016 English for Engineering 1
11 Fadli Sirait, S.Si, MT
Pusat Bahan Ajar dan eLearning
http://www.mercubuana.ac.id
