How to Deliver a Commencement Speech

For some people, public speaking is terrifying. If you're not prepared, it could be even scarier. The good news is, with a little work, you can deliver a great commencement or graduation speech. All you have to do is follow these steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Practice your speech before the commencement ceremony. You don't need to memorize it, but you need to be comfortable with it. This means you should know the order of topics you're going to talk about, just in case your note cards get out of order.

2. Calm yourself down before giving your speech. Breathing slowly and deeply can help you to calm your nerves as you approach the podium.

3. Talk slowly and conversationally. Imagine that you're telling a story to your best friend. You want your speech to sound to the audience the same way you would talk to your friend. Don't rush through sentences. As you continue, take your time and keep breathing.

4. Keep looking upward. You don't have to look directly at the audience. Just be sure that you don't stare at your hands or read your entire speech from your note cards. Many people in the audience will not be able to see your eyes, but they will be able to tell if your head is buried in the podium.

Tips & Warnings

• When you're writing your commencement speech, remember that graduation ceremonies can be very long. If you are nervous about speaking, no one will be upset with you if you keep it short.
• As you write your graduation speech, try to stick to a theme. Your speech will be best understood if you revisit a theme, phrase or idea.

Resources

• Find examples of commencement speeches here.