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Graduation speeches are about much more than the graduate

Author: Ryan Justin
by Ryan Justin
Posted: Mar 28, 2016

When you are giving a graduation speech you should think of the audience. After all most graduates graduate because of the love and support of their family and friends. So your speech should make them feel included in the happy occasion.

Of course a lot depends on who is speaking. A Dean or College Head may be speaking to students of his college. A guest speaker could be speaking because he or she has made a success of his or her life. A valedictorian may be speaking on behalf of his classmates. A parent may be congratulating a son or daughter at a family party to mark the occasion. A friend could possibly be roasting a graduate in company with a group of his or her peers. Each speech then will have a different slant but they will also have a lot in common.

They will all mention the hard work and long hours of studying that had to be done to graduate. They will speak of friendships made during the years at college. They should mention the future and the opportunities it holds for graduates.

A lot depends too on the subjects the graduates have studied. If they have qualified in law for instance they may intend working for big law firms or working or behalf of the poorer people in society. If they have studied languages their challenge may be to decide which countries they will visit and whether they will work in them or not. Whatever their chosen subjects though this is a time when graduates relax and, of course, celebrate. Obviously the speaker should mention this.

A graduation speeches should challenge the graduate or graduates to do something worthwhile with their lives. They may have only considered working in their chosen profession but never thought of helping the underprivileged in the third world. They may never have considered that they could do something worthwhile about the planet. It is no co-incidence that young volunteers usually come from families where adults volunteer. Some may never have considered teaching someone to read and write or sharing their musical ability with others. Every graduate has a talent of some sort. It could be that they are such good listeners that they could do excellent work in a group such as the Samaritans or learn to be counselors. Unless someone actually points out the possibilities to them they may never even consider sharing their talents for the good of society.

Of course the speaker may give a speech about his or her own activities. It could be an entrepreneur who started with one person working in a company which now employs thousands. It could be someone who campaigned for justice for a prisoner who was innocent. It might be someone who started a system to provide homes for the homeless.

So each and every graduation speech is different depending on who is giving it. Yet each speech should include some humor and perhaps mention something topical such as an election or the Olympic Games or something that will resonate with both graduates and the audience. Above all a graduation speech should be about the future and how each graduate has the chance to make the world a better place.

Giving a graduation speech is an opportunity to influence and direct future generations.

About the Author

Ryan justin is a challenging position as a Online Digital Marketing within a large exciting company. I want to use my technical background and expertise in Online Marketing by using valuable resources within a growing organization.

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Author: Ryan Justin

Ryan Justin

Member since: Jan 13, 2014
Published articles: 153

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