Delivering graduation speeches can be one of the better moments in your life. With a lot of hard work and preparation you can give the audience a memorable speech in any style that you wish. You may wish to give a great speech that makes the audience laugh, feel great about the school, feel sad about saying goodbye to everyone, feel very proud of the graduate and leave with a lot of hope about the future. No matter which particular purpose you have in mind you will have to choose a great topic, work hard to create a great script and work just as hard to deliver the speech in the manner you want. There is no point in spending time writing and writing again a great speech only to waste the effort by delivering the speech in a very poor way.
Firstly you need to get that speech topic that lets you weave in all the points and style that you want. Before that you need to decide on your purpose. The school may already have a purpose in mind but if not then you can make a choice that suits you. You may be very keen to deliver a humorous speech, you may wish to say goodbye and thanks or you may want to use more serious topics like the need to continue working hard towards achieving your goals. Indeed when looking ahead you may wish to urge the graduates to continue educating themselves and keep on seeking new challenges. The future will be amazing if the graduates grab it with both hands. Once you have your purpose in mind then you can settle on the topic. Hopefully you can come up with a topic that you are really passionate about. The topic should also give you a chance to weave in all the things you want to say.
When writing the speech you are likely to go through a few drafts. The first thing could be to write out the key points you wish to make. They may simply be thanks, goodbye and good luck for a great future. Then find the material which will bring life to these points. For example if you are commenting on just how hard the graduates have worked to get to that point then you could benefit from some real examples of just how hard. Have a look at the material you have and check if there is anything you wish to say within the timescales allowed.
The beginning of a speech does need to get the audience’s attention. The middle of the speech needs some key highlights and it should keep the audience going, and entertained. The end of the speech should be a powerful round up of your points and key messages. The English should be flawless, the words flowing and the points well signposted to give the speaker the chance of a smooth delivery. Run through the speech a few times to be clear it is easy to say and clear to some friends. Write in the top half of the page to enable some eye contact with the audience. If you are meant to pause mark the script clearly at that point.
To deliver you need to speak slowly and clearly. The back row must be able to hear you. Practice, practice and practice some more till you have graduation speeches just right. Practice at the actual speaking area if you can.
I hope you enjoy making your graduation speeches.
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