What is a Graduation Speech?
The graduation speech is an opportunity to say a few words of thanks to those who have helped you in your college life. This speech is also called commencement speech. If you get to give a commencement speech at graduation, use the opportunity to leave an impression on your audience.
When you are about to give a speech, make sure that you are prepared and know what you want to say.
It would be best if your speech is not too long, but long enough to cover all the important points and ideas.
Graduation is a time to celebrate your success in college, and cherish all the moments you’ve spent there.
As you prepare to speak, think about sharing your ideas with the audience. And remember that a good speech is a mixture of humor and seriousness.
Here are the main things a graduation speech should cover:
- Short memorable events
- What you have accomplished
- A bit of reflection about the past
- And hopes for the future
The best graduation speeches combine all of these things for a lasting and memorable effect.
Graduation Speech Outline and Structure
To create your graduation speech outline, you can follow these steps:
- Express Your Gratitude - We should always be grateful for the opportunities we have and express this gratitude to those who have provided us. We should thank our teachers and principals for their hard work towards making our college a better place.
2. Introduce Yourself - Introduce yourself to the audience and tell them a little bit about yourself. This includes your full name as well as the class you were enrolled in.
3. Initiate Your Speech with a Quote - To get the interest of your listeners, initiate your speech with an arresting quote or saying. This will help the audience to relax and enjoy your speech.
4. Give Some Good Advice - Give some advice to the new student at the end of your talk. You might say something about what you have learned from being in college, or about how to stay motivated.
5. Mention Good Times - Remember to mention the good times you had during your college years. You are sure to communicate a better impression of yourself by focusing on the positive.
6. Reiterate the Quote - Reiterate the quote with which you began your speech and come back to it. Describe how it relates to your speech and ideas.
7. Include a Call to Action - End your speech with a general invitation to hold open forum discussion sessions. This will help the students stay engaged and interested.
8. Thank Your Audience - When your speech is finished, thank your audience.
By following this outline you will help to create a better structure for your speech.
How to Write a Graduation Speech - 8 Tips
Here are eight tips for delivering a well-written and memorable graduation speech:
1. Start By Thanking Who Helped You - Start by thanking your parents, teacher, friend, or anyone who helped you. When thanking someone, focus on their role in your development and show appreciation.
For example,you might say: “I’m grateful to my parents for always making me feel safe.” “Without my teacher who taught me persistence and determination, I wouldn’t have made it through college.”
2. Avoid Excessively Talking About Yourself - It is natural to feel excited to talk about your experiences, but don’t forget to mention your peers. They have been with you through thick and thin and deserve recognition as well.
3. Look for Other Famous Speeches - If you want to know what other people have said, Google some famous speeches. You can also visit the library and check out the speeches of previous graduates.
4. Keep it Brief and Useful - Make your speech brief and useful. Your audience has a limited time, so try to say more in less words.
5. Carefully Choose Your Words - Think before you speak! Avoid gossiping, insulting your classmates or teachers, and saying anything that might get you into trouble. Be thoughtful in what you mention, and consider how your words will affect other people.
6. Share Your Inspirations & Goals - Try to inspire your audience by sharing your aspirations and goals. This will help them develop a vision for their own futures.
7. Use Quotes Wisely - A quote can be a good ice-breaker or an effective way to illustrate a point. But use them wisely and only those that are 100 percent relevant to your topic.
8. Conclude With Important Note - Conclude with something intriguing or inspirational. Acknowledge the audience's presence and offer some final thoughts to carry away. Also, be sure that you are leaving behind some positive value for your listeners.
Take a look at this sample of graduation speech:
Creative Graduation Speech Themes for 2022
Here are some helpful graduation speech themes for your speech.
- Tell how you dealt with the change
Think of how you progressed from freshman to senior year. How did you deal with problems, disappointments or setbacks? - Show how positivity transformed you
Talk about how positive thinking has transformed your life. Also, mention what things in your childhood sowed the seeds of optimism in you. - Talk about major failures you've encountered
Share some of your major failures and how you overcame them. Nothing is more inspiring than learning from other’s mistakes. Listening to how someone overcame their fears and learned from their mistakes can be very motivating. - Discuss how you believed in yourself
Discuss how you were a late bloomer and how you finally came to believe in your abilities. Also, explain how much you have changed since you began to believe in yourself. - Mention what or who motivated you to dream big
You can also talk about what motivated you to dream big. It can be your teacher, a book you read, a movie you watched or a turning point in your life.
Writing a graduation speech is an important part of the graduation ceremony. By following the steps given here, you will be able to create great work in no time.
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