The document provides guidance on writing an effective graduation speech, including understanding the audience and key messages, following a three-part structure of introduction, body, and conclusion, and offering inspirational advice and a call to action to motivate graduates. It also gives examples of impactful graduation speeches from notable figures and references for further research on crafting a memorable address.

1. COMPLETE GUIDE ON
WRITING A SPEECH FOR
GRADUATION

2. BASIC RULES FOR WRITING A WINNING SPEECH
Before you start, make sure you know: your target audience; the topic of your
speech; the key points ranked in order of importance with supporting facts;
how much time you need (or have) to deliver the speech.
The speech format is like a sandwich: it consists of two bread slices (an intro and
the conclusion) and the filling (the body where all details are given).
Write down as if you were directly talking to your target audience. Say
everything out loud or use a recorder. There’s no need to write everything
down – just provide the ideas sequence to ensure they’re clear and logical.
Provide a pathway between your key ideas. Thus, you’ll link them for your
audience. If your speech has more than 3 key ideas and each is based on the
last, use a summary to support transitions.
The ideal ending is a never-to-be-forgotten one. Provide a call to action to stay
in the minds of your audience long after your speech is finished. Combine it with
the summarization of the key points.
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3. 4 MUST-FOLLOW RULES FOR WRITING
A TOP-CLASS SPEECH FOR GRADUATION
Organize your ideas according to the following outline:
● begin by thanking the previous speaker who introduced you;
● introduce yourself;
● (optional) share a motivational quote and explain how it is connected with
your class experiences;
● share a relevant story that brought the class together and makes them
excited about their future.
Provide some good advice to your classmates to inspire them for years to
come. Encourage them to remember the good times they’ve spent at school.
Recall the motivational quote/story you began with and then add a call-to-
action that encourages students to go out and make a difference. Conclude with
a "thank you" and best wishes.
Write the speech systematically. Give your audience something to talk about
days after the graduation ceremony using relatable examples and quotes. Do not
overwhelm them with information.
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4. 1. Finding Your Purpose: Understanding What You Were Created to Do and
Begin Doing It
2. The Role of Graduates in Making the World A Better Place
3. Be Yourself: The Need to Stay Faithful to the Only Person Who Can Help
You Achieve Your Goals
4. Goals: The Importance of Establishing Them and How to Achieve Them
5. Determination as the Key to Success in Both Life and Career
6. The Best Options for When Life Gives You Lemons
7. Fall Forward: The Reality of Failure and How to Keep Going Ahead
Despite Setbacks
7+ TOPICS FOR A SUPREME QUALITY SPEECH FOR
GRADUATION
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5. 5 IDEAS FOR YOUR GRADUATION SPEECH
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Steve Jobs gave a commencement address at Stanford University graduation
ceremony in 2005. The innovator had dropped out of college because it was too
expensive. However, he stuck around the college for 18 months and snuck into
classes he thought were interesting, including calligraphy class.
Ellen DeGeneres was the keynote speaker at the 2009 graduation ceremony of
Tulane University. She especially focused on the tumble her career took when
she told the truth about her sexuality in order to be true to herself. However, she
told the students that despite the hardships she had faced, she managed to
succeed and achieve more fame than she imagined.
Think about your future. What does it look like? Are you happy with it? No? You
have an opportunity to change it. At the end of this speech, you can get up and
change your world! No, I’m not Harry Potter with a magic want. I'm a mere
mortal, just like you. But I’ve got a plan to share!
Your time is limited, so ensure you don’t live someone else's life. Don’t get
trapped living in accordance with other people's thinking. The opinions of the
world should never drown your inner voice.
Take actions! Every accomplishment in your life is the result of taking action. You
always have a choice. Be your own hero or a passive victim of circumstance.
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6. 5+ INTERESTING FACTS FOR A GRADUATION SPEECH
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David Foster Wallace, the author of “Infinite Jest”, one of Time Magazine’s 100
best English-language novels published since 1923, gave the commencement
address at the graduation ceremony of Kenyon College in 2005. His speech
became so famous that in 2009 he published its concept in a book called “This
is Water”.
Oprah Winfrey gave a speech at the 2007 Howard University graduation
ceremony. She addressed the students, telling them not to be scared since
nobody knows for sure where they will go in life.
J.K. Rowling gave a powerful speech titled "The Fringe Benefits of Failure,
and the Importance of Imagination" at the 2008 graduation ceremony of
Harvard University. She told about her fair share of disappointments, which
began when she was not accepted to Oxford University in 1981.
When the USSR launched the first man into space, President John F.
Kennedy confidently declared in his speech to put the first man on the moon,
on May 25, 1961,
Will Ferrell gave an extremely humorous speech at the graduation ceremony
of Harvard University in 2003. While some may think the speech was entirely
comic and had no substance to it, it was actually the opposite. The comedian
told the students about the real world through his eyes and experiences
without sugarcoating it.
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7. 1. IU Bloomington Newsroom. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2016.
2. Text of Steve Jobs’ Commencement address (2005). (2005). Retrieved
April 19, 2016.
3. Text of J.K. Rowling’s speech. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2016.
4. Adm. McRaven Urges Graduates to Find Courage to Change the World.
(2014). Retrieved April 19, 2016.
5. This is Water – Alumni Bulletin – Kenyon College. (n.d.). Retrieved April
19, 2016.
6. Class Day speech June 4, 2003: Will Ferrell. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19,
2016.
7. Bark, S. (2005). Take this advice: The most nakedly honest graduation
speeches ever given. New York: Simon Spotlight Entertainment.
REFERENCES:

8. THE ART OF RELIEVING
STUDENTS’ PAIN
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