Famous Graduation Speech

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Learn from the messages, values, style and length of each great famous graduation speech. Use them to help make your speech a big success.

Each famous graduation speech is freely available. Notice how personal and heartfelt they are. This grabs the audience.

I hope to give you all the ideas you need to use a famous graduation speech to assist you in making the best possible speech yourself.

Famous Graduation Speech - Key Points

Speaker

• Who is the speaker and what is expected of them


• For example, Will Ferrell is expected to be funny and a politician is expected to be serious

Topic

• Consider how inspirational the topic is


• How did it fit in with the graduating year it was used?


• Would you use this kind of topic?

Audience

• Is the audience similar to yours?


• For example, the same stage of school or area of the country

English

• The English should be flawless


• Check out the words the speaker uses to express themselves


• Are there sentences that start with the same word for effect?


• Are there words starting with the same letter for effect


• Do they use 3 adjectives to illustrate a point


• Do they use simple and effective language

Points

• What are the key points and messages the speaker makes


• For example, in tough economic times they may have a message of hope on the future because the graduates are the best in the country


• How do they back up their points with facts and personal stories?

Beginning and Ending

• How powerful is the beginning, does it grab the audience?


• How do you feel about the ending? Does it leave a powerful message with the graduates?

Structure

• Is the speech structured into a review of the past, a celebration of graduation and a look to the future?


• If not, how is it set up?

Overall

• What reaction do you have to the famous graduation speech?


• Does it grab you or leave you bored.


• Do you see parts that can help you to deliver a great speech?


• Is it a positive speech?

Famous Graduation Speech - Delivery

You would expect a famous speaker to be excellent at delivering their speech. If you can watch the graduation speech on YouTube you will be able to rate their delivery

• Do they keep eye contact?


• Do they speak out clearly and at a measured pace?


• Do they pause for effect at key points?


• Do they change their voice to give effect at key moments


• Overall, do they deliver their speech with real passion


• What is the audience reaction?

Famous Graduation Speech - Examples

Some very famous examples are:

• Oprah Winfrey's Commencement Address Wellesley College May 30, 1997


• Larry Page of Google at University of Michigan


• Tom Hanks addressed the class of 2011 at Yale University.


• Commencement Speech First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton Harvard Medical School June 4, 1998


• Toni Morrison at Wellesley College


• Denzel Washington spoke at the University of Pennsylvania


• Will Ferrell at Harvard 2003


• Winston Churchill at Harrow 1941


• Jon Stewart at William and Mary 2004


• Russell Baker at Connecticut College 1995


• JFK American at University 1963


• Steve Jobs at Stanford 2005


• Sacha Baron Cohen as Ali G at Harvard 2004


• Al Gore at John Hopkins 2005


• Conan O’Brien at Harvard 2000


• Michael Bloomberg at Tufts 2007


• Bono at University of Pennsylvania


• David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College


• Russell Baker at Connecticut College


• George C Marshall at Harvard University


• President John F Kennedy at American University


• Toni Morrison at Wellesley College


• Stephen Colbert at Knox College


• Jon Stewart at William and Mary


• Steve Jobs at Stanford


• President Obama at University of Notre Dame


• Bud Selig at University of Wisconsin


• David A Paterson at Wagner College


• Rahm Emanuel at Sarah Lawrence College


• Steven Chu at Harvard University


• John Patrick Stanley at College of Mount St Vincent


• Kimberly Dozier at Wellesley College


• John F Brock at Georgia Institute of Technology


• Laura Linney at The Juilliard School


• Paul Hawken at University of Portland

I hope you can use a famous graduation speech to help you this graduation, or even just to enjoy a great speaker at work.

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