How to give a graduation speech

Congratulations! You have the opportunity to speak at your graduation. Maybe you're the valedictorian or salutatorian. Maybe you're the class president. But getting here is only half the battle. Now you actually have to prepare and give your speech.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cap/Gown
• Paper
• Audience
• Good GPA

1. Become valedictorian/salutatorian/class president/anyone else who makes graduation speeches. But you already did that. Moving on...

2. Avoid clichés. Don't say anything like "This is your day," or "Commencement means a new beginning." You're not the only speaker, and chances are someone else will already have said that. Remember, your audience members will probably be very bored sitting around for several hours, and the last thing they need is a boring speech that sounds exactly like everyone else's.

3. A good way to write a graduation speech is to structure it around one or more stories or anecdotes. Telling an interesting, funny, unusual, or otherwise compelling story can make the speech very memorable. It could be something from literature, a real-life event, or a personal story.

4. KISS, or Keep It Short, Stupid. Remember, graduation ceremonies are really long and usually boring, so don't make it longer and more boring. 5 minutes is plenty, although if you're especially entertaining you could go a little longer.

5. Keep your audience in mind, and try to say things that everyone would enjoy. Don't make fun of students or groups of students, and don't tell inside jokes that most people won't get. If many of your classmates aren't going to college, don't talk a lot about college. Some people will feel excluded.

6. Once you've written your speech, practice your delivery. Ask for feedback from a parent, teacher, or helpful friend. It also helps to videotape it and watch yourself afterward. Does your voice sound good? Do you project it well? Are you making eye contact, or are you staring at the script? Does the content make sense?

7. Give the speech. If you're a nervous public speaker, repeated rehearsal helps.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid putting yourself above the audience. Obviously, you're giving the speech because of your academic performance or your popularity, but you're still just another person graduating.
• Don't use unnecessarily complicated/esoteric words. Your goal is to entertain them, not show off your superior vocabulary.
• Print your script in relatively large font, so that you don't have to stare closely at it.