A vote of thanks is a brief expression of thanks given to a speaker on behalf of the audience in attendance. It is not another speech or an evaluation of the speech. It should not serve as a repetition of the chairman's introduction of the speaker. A vote of thanks is typically two or three minutes long and is only loosely prepared in advance, as the person who gives the vote of thanks doesn't
. know the exact subject matter of the speech the speaker will give. In preparation for giving a vote of thanks, the speaker should take time to develop a basic structure and be able to incorporate information provided by the speech for which he is giving thanks. The person who proposes the vote of thanks must listen carefully to the speech, more so than anyone else. He must be careful to outline the subject of the speech in the vote of thanks without criticizing, analyzing, repeating the same information at length or sparking debate. A vote of thanks is designed to praise the speaker, no matter his subject or position. Examples of votes of thanks are widely available online as templates. For examples and general advice, see http://www.bdv-skills.co.uk/A_Vote_Of_Thanks.html or http://www.speech-topics-help.com/vote-of-thanks-examples.html. While listening to the speaker, the proposer of the vote of thanks should watch the audience and observe which parts of the speech they found most engaging. He should then select two or three points of interest to the audience and make reference to them in the vote of thanks, with positive responses. The proposer should not repeat those parts of the speech; he should not give his personal opinion on the subject. Instead, he should simply highlight the subjects covered and relay the speaker's position. Selecting the most useful and illuminating points from the speech and learning how to properly incorporate references to them in the vote of thanks becomes easier with time and practice. The vote of thanks, when perfected, will become like a dessert to the audience, with the speech as the main course. http://www.bdv-skills.co.uk/A_Vote_Of_Thanks.html or http://www.speech-topics-help.com/vote-of-thanks-examples.html
