Compliment or Praise a Speaker • Example Letters, Guides and Samples

Guides

A speaker at a seminar, symposium, conference, meeting, or convention deserves your special compliments and praise if you benefited from his or her efforts. The speaker may wonder how the audience received the speech. A brief, sincere note with positive feedback will always be appreciated.

How to write this compliment letter:

  1. Tell the speaker that you enjoyed his or her speech.
  2. Mention specifically what you liked about the speech or presentation and, if appropriate, explain how you have personally benefited from the speech.
  3. Conclude by thanking the speaker.

Example Letter #1

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I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation yesterday evening. Your delivery was so engaging that I lost all track of time. By any measure you are a very effective speaker and educator. I found your comments regarding future computers especially intriguing. On behalf of the Doe Corporation, thank you for a memorable presentation and hope you will visit us again.

Example Letter #2

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We want to tell you how much we enjoyed your presentation to our study group last Friday. We have been reading a lot about the history of our state, and your illustrated talk made it all come alive for us. Those of us who have ancestors who settled this region were especially grateful for your discussion their contributions. It was thoughtful of you to add those personal observations. Your talk also gave a great boost to our efforts to recruit additional members. Thank you very much for an enlightening and stimulating presentation.

Example Letter #3

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Congratulations on the speech you gave at the annual symposium last Friday. The topic was timely, and you presented the material on the new innovations in a way that everyone could understand. I personally feel much more confident working with the new system now than I did before your presentation. Thank you for a very valuable experience.

Write Your Letter Step-by-Step

1 Tell the speaker that you enjoyed his or her speech.

Sample Sentences for Step 1
  • I enjoyed the lecture you gave at Doe University last Tuesday.
  • I appreciated the speech you gave yesterday.
  • I want to compliment you on your speech. It was very relevant to our current debates on funding local education.
  • I am very grateful you took the time out of your busy schedule to address our small group.
  • You gave a terrific presentation at this year's Doe symposium.
  • We were all pleased with your topic for Saturday's lecture.
  • Your comments the other evening were exactly what I needed to hear.
  • Your discussion-group presentation was the highlight of the conference.
Sample Phrases for Step 1
  • a most valuable addition to
  • am glad that I attended your
  • appreciate the time you gave
  • express my appreciation for
  • feel fortunate to have
  • how much I appreciated
  • the highlight of
  • thoroughly enjoyed the
  • want to compliment you on
  • want you to know
  • was a great success
  • was a pleasure to listen to
  • was most stimulating
  • was one of the finest
  • were enthralled by
  • were so impressed with
  • were very pleased with
  • wish to express my appreciation for
  • your fascinating presentation on
  • your presentation was
  • your insightful presentation

2 Mention specifically what you liked about the speech or presentation and, if appropriate, explain how you have personally benefited from the speech.

Sample Sentences for Step 2
  • It was the best lecture of the year. You were witty and very informative.
  • You maintained remarkable poise in the face of a potentially hostile audience.
  • As usual, your speech brought new insights from current research. Your talks always motivate our staff to stick with their work.
  • Your presentation drew the audience in and held their attention for two full hours. There was never a dull moment.
  • I was glad you reserved a few minutes to field questions. Your answers were very insightful.
  • It was a pleasure to hear your humorous stories.
  • Your remarks triggered new ideas that will benefit our corporation for years to come.
  • You helped kindle a renewed enthusiasm for my profession.
  • I plan to implement some of your ideas with my own clientele.
  • You gave me a new sense of pride in my career.
  • We have already begun to implement some of your suggestions and are confident they will improve our manufacturing process.
  • Since we have just purchased a new home, your remarks about personal money management were especially helpful.
  • After listening to your report on the situation in Third World countries, I knew I had chosen the right course of study.
Sample Phrases for Step 2
  • both the style and the substance of your
  • both witty and informative
  • brought new insights
  • came alive for me
  • clear, factual analysis
  • delightfully entertaining
  • gave rise to ongoing discussion
  • gave me a new sense of
  • have already taken steps to
  • heartily agree with you that
  • hit the nail on the head
  • imaginative presentation of
  • intelligent, well thought-out solutions to
  • particularly appreciated your
  • plan to implement your
  • put some of your ideas into practice
  • rekindled an enthusiasm for
  • triggered new ideas
  • used humor to make your point
  • valuable information you gave
  • were especially helpful
  • will certainly help me in
  • your in-depth knowledge of
  • your original approach to

3 Conclude by thanking the speaker.

Sample Sentences for Step 3
  • Thank you for your helpful comments.
  • Thank you for your enlightening speech.
  • I appreciated your lecture and felt as if you were speaking directly to me.
  • Please accept our thanks for a great presentation
  • Thank you for speaking to us this week.
  • We thank you for your stimulating speech.
Sample Phrases for Step 3
  • accept our thanks for
  • am grateful for
  • best wishes for
  • for an outstanding
  • for all the
  • for your time and effort
  • for adding so much to our
  • for speaking at our
  • giving us such a worthwhile
  • hope you will be able to
  • it was our privilege to
  • look forward to
  • on behalf of
  • particularly appreciated your
  • such an excellent
  • thank you once again for
  • thank you for
  • will be sure to
  • wish you continued success
  • your most helpful