Consider the audience and the occasion before you write the speech. Determine the audience's age and interests.
If you were to address a group of senior citizens, you would not approach the welcome speech the same as if you were addressing a group of educators or businessmen. Your approach would not be the same when addressing a reunion of college friends or a convention of homemakers. Adjust to the audience's background, mood and interests as you determine what you write for your speech.
You will need to do research on the person you will be introducing as well as on any special guests in the audience. Use the Internet, books, periodicals or interviews to gather your information. Consider calling the guest speaker's place of business. Ask about his background. Find out whether he has written any books on the topic he will be addressing. Write notes on what you discovered. Put these notes in logical sequence in outline form. Condense and transfer the notes onto index cards and take them with you to the speech presentation.
Think of how you can get your audience's attention by starting your speech with an anecdote, statistic, startling statement or rhetorical question. Imagine that it's Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. Start your speech with something like, "Abraham Lincoln is dead!" The audience will be curious and will want to know where you will go from here.
Begin your speech by thanking the host and acknowledging any special guests in the audience. Say one major thing about each of them. Pronounce their names correctly. Thank the audience for attending the presentation.
Give the audience an idea of what the guest speaker will be covering. Suppose you will be introducing Mario Cuomo, a former New York governor, at the celebration of Lincoln's 200th birthday. Relate his experience to Abraham Lincoln. Tell the audience that he is considered an expert on Lincoln and has recently written a book about him. Mention that Cuomo will tell about many unusual aspects of Lincoln's life and his contribution to history. Whet the audience's appetite, but leave the major material to the speaker. Conclude your presentation by introducing the speaker and wait for him to appear on the stage. Shake hands and take your seat.