A very good morning to the honourable judges, teachers and my fellow friends.

My name is
________________ and I am standing here today to deliver a speech about ‘The Qualities
of True Friends’.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Throughout our life, we encounter many people and make friends. But among these
hundreds or perhaps thousands of people we meet, only a handful of them are our true
friends. So, you might ask, what are the qualities that true friends should possess?

First of all, true friends will help us when we are in trouble. As the saying goes, ‘a friend in
need is a friend indeed’. How true it is. Despite the fact that they might grumble, they will still
help us until the end. True friends stand by you when you are sad or are teased by the
others. In their opinion, they are the only ones who can tease or ‘bully’ you. True friends try
their best to make you smile when you are upset.

True friends do not flatter you. Instead, they keep on teasing and criticising you. Although
their teases and criticism might sound sarcastic at times, they are actually for your own
good. We should beware of those who keep flattering us as they might have ulterior motives.
True friends always correct us and give us good advice, or at least try their best to do so.
They want you to improve and do not try to harm you. Hurting your feelings is the last thing
they will ever do.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

True friends are someone whom you consider trustworthy. You can confide your secrets to
them and they will not reveal your confidential matters to anyone. Sometimes, it is difficult to
trust human beings as we tend to have the urge to spread news or secrets. But true friends
try their best to keep your secrets.

True friends can also be your very own motivators. They motivate you to do better. They
stand by you when you are fighting. They will give you encouragement and strength to
continue fighting.

To put it in a nutshell, true friends never betray you or stab you in the back in any situation.
They are also trustworthy. Even though they can be irritating and annoying sometimes, they
actually help to shape your personality positively. Consequently, you become a better
person in the future. Since true friends are not easy to find, we should always treasure and
value them.
Thank you.