Graduation Speech Topics

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Fantastic topic ideas will give you the flowing speech you need. You can inspire you audience as you deliver a speech you believe in!

Simple Graduation Speech Topics

Perhaps you just need something simple and can very happily use:

• Thank you for parents, teachers, friends, mentors, tutors and the principal.
• Great memories
• Friendship
• Looking ahead to the future
• Success came as the result of hard work and perseverance.

Full Range of Graduation Speech Topics

If you need something with more to it then we can help you.

There are lots of great topic ideas and your mind will come up with the best one if you give it a chance.

We give you lots of topics and also a great way to brainstorm topics and the right one for you. This is your big day so enjoy it with a speech you really believe in.

Speech Topics:

• Goal setting



• Key events



• Popular news or events



• Top movies or music



• What has meant the most to you and your colleagues



• Responsibility



• Learn from mistakes



• Overcome obstacles



• Personal code of conduct



• School values can often be agood source of inspiration



• Power of perseverance



• Inspirational people or influences that really have made a difference over the past few years



• Keep on improving



• Never forget your Roots



• Opportunities in the future



• Thanking people, they will have done a lot



• Best Memories



• Fun times and adventures



• Activities such as sports, traditional school activities and student events



• The knowledge learned and what to do with it



• Reflect on the importance of the time


• Many small actions add up to significant change


• The benefits of lifelong education


• Solving problems in the world today


• Facing up to challenges and embracing opportunities


• Remember the past and embrace the future


• Everyone can succeed


• Dare to dream

You will know that in this list is a great graduation speech topic to use. Hopefully one will stand out for you as being highly relevant for your audience.

To make a truly great speech you will need to feel excited about the topic and own the speech.

The next section gives you help to come up with your own ideas and check over possible graduation speech topics to be sure you love it and can have the right amount of material.

Graduation Speech Topics -Getting The Best Ones

Convincing yourself you have the right graduation speech topics can be hard. However going through a simple process of:

• Brainstorming graduation speech topics using a seed word



• Brainstorm ideas within that topic

(I recommend using mind maps for the excellent way they help your creative search for graduation speech topics.)

Stay as positive as you can if you are struggling to find graduation speech topics, it will come to you.

Brainstorming

To Brainstorm topics:

• First seed the process by having a keyword in front of you to focus the mind. Below there are examples of the keywords from the topics list above with some example thoughts.



• Secondly just write down anything you can think of, don‘t judge what is in your mind



• Next, Return to the brainstormed results and note the ones that give the best feel for you and material



• Lastly decide on the most likely best topic for you and start crafting a speech using your brainstormed ideas for that topic.

A crazy way of getting fresh brainstorming ideas I like is by Edward de Bono. Basically you choose a book, then choose two numbers, one for the page and the other for the word on the page. Using these two references find the word and see if it can give you ideas by brainstorming!

Note you will have thank you parts to your speech, so an overall time limit of say 5 to 10 minutes does mean you will not deliver a lengthy, but rather a clear, fairly short speech. Pick your graduation speech topics to fit in with the time.

Graduation Speech Topics - Some Brainstorming Examples

Some examples of using a seed starter for your brain and then brainstorming graduation speech topics to see if you can get comfortable with the theme and what you might say, simply read the theme a couple of times and start writing.:

• Goal Setting: Attain Degree, dedication, sacrifice, achievement, support, friends, teamwork, fun, A top of class student who was only allowed into university when a benefactor helped out.



• Events: new staff, revitalise, moved home, met partner, unexpected help, remember friend who took ill, winning football team, fancy dress charity day, kids hospital volunteer day.

  Just now there is amazing change coming in USA and enormous challenges to face. Consider this quote from new President Obama: "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

  Credit Crunch: It is realistic to discuss the current recession and credit crunch. How well placed are the graduates to face the future and make a difference.




• Responsibility: for you, for classmates, try hardest, stay positive, help others, work hard, sacrifice, growing up, future responsibility to help others.



• Values: Integrity, teamwork, work hard, be professional, best of the best, dignity, hold self to high standards.



• Motivation: moved to US and need to make a new life, rags to riches, payback to parents for all they have done, support self, make great life.



• Mistakes: failed first year, poor feedback , work harder, great chance to learn, look deep into self and get out of it, apologise.



• Persevere: Work hard, believe it will come out right in the end, trust self, stay positive, sacrifice, never give up on your dream



• Inspiration: Tiger Woods, Denzel, Nelson Mandela, my aunt who had a house which was just filled with love.



• Roots: Scotland, hard workers, loving, straight talking, humor, fun, scenery, golf, Andrew Carnegie, history.



• Opportunity: Strive to be great, unlimited, embrace it, help others, do something fantastic, be a leader.



• Obstacles: New country, new spelling, new values, support, community, adventure, new dreams, opportunity, join in



• Friends: Support, talking, John, new friends, shared values, shared beliefs, tolerance, help, power of the team, same goals., friends forever.



• Events: Global warming, child poverty, Sudan, charity, giving, green planet, save power.

Graduation Speech Topics - Events

Events at the time leading up to Graduation can give some ideas for graduation speech topics.

The credit crunch may be affecting students and their families. Perhaps the students have taken a keen interest in the aftermath of the financial difficulties.That could lead to a speech which emphasises the need for each graduate to make themself the best they can be, leaders in their field and highly attractive to employers. You could think of making the speech about being very positive while grasping the opportunities that difficult times present.

President Obama is now mid term in his time as President. He has influenced many affairs affecting America such as the global recession, healthcare and the war on terror. Take a look at his freely available statements and see if you can see any graduation speech topics for you.

Our sporting heroes often have inspirational stories to tell. Their personal circumstances, how they committed to training, the scarifices they made and the obstacles they overcame are published freely now. Again perhaps the story of the amazing Michael Phelps can give some speech topics.

The Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate may well capture the headlines for a time. A Royal wedding may bring a spirit of romance and optimism for the future.

The miners trapped in Chile immediately grabbed the attention of the whole world. They showed resilience and courage as they worked together to survive for so long trapped in a part of the mine. The emotion was running high as they were brought to freedom one by one.

These news stories are meant as examples of what you may look out for. You may have other news stories which provide you with graduation speech topics. Other ideas can be:

• Environmental issues can give great topics. The Gulf of Mexico massive oil spill and the Iceland volcanic ash issues have raised important points for the world to take action on.


• Economic issues can give great topics. Right now there are austerity riots in Greece and topics that come to mind can be helping to grow our economy and making sure you are at the top of your profession as some jobs are scarce.


• Charity work can be good too. If the school is close to a particular charity and the class have been very active in raising funds and awareness then the benefits of their teamwork, committed efforts and giving back can be good graduation speech topics.


• Perhaps there have been things going on in your local community which have been difficult or ven uplifting. There may be great graduation speech topics in there.


• The position you are in at the school may give graduation speech topics. For example if you are captain of the winning sports team you will know what it takes in terms of teamwork, determination and preparation to win.


• Change: Use change as your topic. Why is change necessary, why is it hard to do, what change issues are their for the graduates to cope with, be a leader, start within yourself.


• Green Future: Incorporate green issues into your life. Carpool, recycle, save energy, use recycled things, reuse as much as possible and reduce the amount you use.


• Economy: Lead the way and find new business opportunities and find export markets too.


• Foundations: Build strong foundations in all areas of your life. You will need them as you go forward. For example, strong finances, love and education.

Graduation Speech Topics - Celebrities

There have been many great graduation speech topics. The topics used by some notable speakers recognisable graduation ones but with a modern twist. Some examples are:

• Meryl Streep speaking at Barnard tells graduates "Things are changing" and "Men are adapting" (2010)


• Michelle Obama Speaking at George Washington University said “So for every ill of this interconnected world, you’ve tried to find a way to make good. Where there’s hate, you’ve tried to heal it. Where there’s need, you’ve tried to fill it. Where there’s devastation, you’ve tried to rebuild it.” (2010)


• President Obama speaking at the University of Michigan said “ iPod And XBox ‘Distraction’ Hard On Democracy” (2010)


• Katie Couric, the anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and correspondent for 60 Minutes, speaking at Case Western Reserve University said You can learn a lot from disappointment and heartache but it's how you deal with those disappointments and heartache that ultimately defines who you are. (2010)


• Larry Page of Google fame speaking at University of Michigan encouraged graduates to think big. “I think it is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams.” (2009)



• Dennis Lehane speaking at Emmanuel College on Optimism, telling graduates that the future of USA is brighter now than 4 years ago.(2009)



• Hilary Clinton speaking at New York University commencement on Entrepreneurialism, encouraged graduates to use emerging technology to improve the world. (2009)



• President Obama spoke, after receiving an Honorary Degree from Arizona State University, on Persistence.(2009)



• Marc Brown speaking at Lesley University, talked about the importance of Persistence.(2009)



• Michael Capuano speaking at Boston University, told graduates there have been bad times before and they should focus on the longer term.(2009)



• Don Rodman spoke at Bay State College on the importance of Self Reliance.(2009)



• Earl Stafford speaking at University of Massachusetts-Amerhurst on Resilience, said “difficult times separate those who are strong from those who are weak.”(2009)



• Smokey Robinson speaking at Berklee College of Music on Humility, said “never, ever get full of yourself.”(2009)

Great graduation speech topics with a great message for the audience.

Graduation Speech Topics - Different

Sometimes it is useful to consider some different graduation speech topics. You may not use the graduation speech topics however it could be they can inspire you to come up with something different. The graduation speech topics could be:

• Coke or Pepsi, which is best


• Who is your favorite President


• Savory snack or candy


• Who is the best teacher


• Who is the best graduate


• Entrepreneur or Employee


• Funniest moment at school or college


• How to beat the recession

Graduation Speech Topics - Lastly

Once you have brainstormed graduation speech topics you will know if it gives you not just enough material but also the graduation speech topics give:

• Great ideas



• A flow of material which excites you



• A great feeling



• A positive speech



• Something you really believe in.

The right graduation speech topics make the speech a lot more fun for you too!

Once you have completed your speech you can proudly display the results of all your hard work here. Share it with others who are about to go through this great experience!. Just complete the simple form. This year we are having a prize fund of $300. There is a prize for the best overall original graduation speech with runners up prizes too. Simply send in your speech and give yourself a chance of winning a prize.

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