Great team building speeches are presentations that inspire a group of people to want to work together and to share common vision. Simply put, it’s something that gets everyone in the room excited and inspired about the same thing. Additionally, effective keynote speaking for team building needs to leave audience members with a plan of action – something each individual can to do follow up on the inspiration they feel when they leave the room.
Here’s background on what makes a great speech. I’ve also included opening remarks you can use for your own speech as well as a template you can use to get started!
Writing Team Building Speeches
Here’s a fantastic article with some great speech writing tips. Fantastic because it uses the “Gettysburg Address” as an outline to help you create a great team building speech. After all, Lincoln was trying to create unity, to heal and bring everyone together.
- Keep it short
- Be full of heart
- Show your purpose
- End on a powerful call to action
- Use language the drives home your points and inspires
When I started giving speaking presentations I memorized everything and practiced out loud. It takes time to become comfortable in front of a group. And there’s no teacher like experience. But until you have lots of experience, practice and memorization will stand you well. I believe the most important element to any presentation – be it music, dance, theater or a speech, is timing and length. How often have you been drawn in at the beginning of a presentation, only to tune out after the speaker rambles on for too long? Too often, I’m sure! Make sure to craft a presentation that leaves everyone in the room engaged and wanting a bit more. Lincoln’s speech is a masterful example of short and sweet.
Delivering The Best Team Building Speeches
So let’s say you’ve done your homework; created great content that’s relevant to your group, practiced and whittled down your presentation. How do you ensure that your speech will be well received? You have to make sure you’re delivering your honest self as part of the package. No one can be you like you can! So tap into whatever makes you unique and go with that. I’m assuming that if you’re speaking about a specific subject, then you’re sincerely into it. So don’t be afraid to channel your genuine emotion. Be in the moment with the audience and be real. Your audience will connect with that, and you’ll be a success.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech is a powerful example of a great orator sharing unbridled emotion, passion and power.
Opening Remarks You Can Use for Team Building
Here are some fantastic examples of opening remarks for team building events. Always customize to your audience and team but these can serve as a great starting point.
1. Friendly and Welcoming
“Good morning, everyone! I’m really glad to see all of you here today. We’re taking a break from our day-to-day routines to focus on something just as important—how we work together. Today is all about connection, communication, and maybe even a little fun along the way. So let’s relax, participate, and see what we can learn about ourselves and each other.”
2. Purpose-Driven
“Thanks for being here. We’ve gathered today because strong teams don’t just happen—they’re built. This session is designed to help us better understand how we function as a group, how we can support one another, and how we can grow stronger together. The stronger we are as a team, the more successful we’ll be in everything we do.”
3. Light and Fun
“Hey everyone! Welcome to our team building session. No spreadsheets, no deadlines—just us focusing on what makes a great team. Today’s all about stepping outside our usual roles, getting to know each other a little better, and hopefully having some laughs along the way. Let’s keep it light, be open, and enjoy the ride.”
4. Leadership-Oriented
“As your leader, I see first-hand how talented and committed each of you is. But even great teams benefit from taking time to realign and reconnect. Today is about sharpening the way we work together, solving problems, and maybe discovering something new about ourselves. Let’s approach this with open minds and a collaborative spirit.”
Team Building Speech Template
Below is another great example of a full speech that can kick off a team building event well. Customize as needed and make sure it’s personal.
“Hello everyone, and welcome to our [adjective] team building session! I’m [name], your [role or title], and I’m really excited to kick things off today.
We’ve all been working hard on [project, goal, or recent achievement], and today is a chance to shift gears and focus on something just as important: how we work together. Whether you’ve been here for [amount of time] or just joined the team, this is a great opportunity to connect, collaborate, and maybe even have a little [funny adjective or activity, like ‘competitive karaoke’] along the way.
The goal of today’s session is to [goal of the day, like “improve communication,” “build trust,” “learn new problem-solving techniques”]. We’ll be doing a mix of [activities planned, like “interactive games,” “creative challenges,” or “group discussions”], so don’t worry—it won’t be all sitting and listening.
So let’s bring our energy, curiosity, and open minds, and make the most of this time together. Let’s build a stronger, more connected [team name or department], one conversation (and maybe one laugh) at a time.
Let’s get started!”
You’ll see that the template above is a call to action and ends with “let’s get started”. Make sure you have an impactful ending that leads to whatever actions, emotions or engagement you’d like your team to take as follow up to what you’ve just said.