Speech Writing

Graduation Speech

Barbara P

Crafting the Perfect Graduation Speech: A Guide with Examples

10 min read

Published on: Mar 12, 2020

Last updated on: Nov 7, 2023

Graduation Speech

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Have you ever stood at the threshold of a new journey, feeling a mix of excitement and uncertainty? 

Well, if you're a soon-to-be graduate, that's probably exactly how you're feeling right now.

The big day is coming, and you're wondering, 'How will I write my speech? Can I ask for speech writing help?

Don’t worry!

In this blog, we're going to tell you how to write a graduation speech for students. Get ready to discover the secrets of crafting a graduation speech that not only captures your audience's attention but also leaves a profound impact on your fellow graduates.

Let's transform that uncertainty into inspiration and confidence as we delve into the art of delivering a speech that will make your graduation day truly unforgettable.

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What is a Graduation Speech?

A graduation speech is the heart of your big day, bringing together all your experiences and achievements. 

It's more than just talking – it's a way to inspire and celebrate. It's not just a tradition. This type of speech is a chance to share what you've learned and dream about the future.

Your graduation speech should include everyone – your friends, the tough times you all faced, and the good times you shared. 

Elements of Graduation Speech

Creating a memorable graduation speech involves several key elements that can help you connect with your audience and make a lasting impression. 

Here are the crucial elements you should consider:

All these elements make a strong and memorable speech and help make your graduation successful.

How to Write a Graduation Speech?

Writing an inspirational graduation speech that stands out isn't as daunting as it may seem. 

With a structured approach and a dash of creativity, you can deliver the best special occasion speech that leaves a lasting impact on your audience. 

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to start a graduation speech and create an inspiring address:

Begin with a Memorable Opening 

Start with an attention-grabbing quote, a personal anecdote, or a thought-provoking question. 

This sets the tone for your speech and captures your audience's interest right from the beginning.

Express Gratitude 

Show appreciation to your teachers, parents, and fellow students. 

Express how their support and contributions have been instrumental in your academic journey. This sets a positive and grateful tone for your speech.

Reflect on Meaningful Moments 

Share personal stories and school experiences that have had a significant impact on your life and the lives of your classmates. 

Use these anecdotes to connect with your audience emotionally.

Offer Words of Inspiration 

Provide words of inspiration and motivation. Encourage your fellow graduates to embrace the future with confidence and courage.

Use stories or quotes to illustrate your points.

Share Practical Advice 

Share life lessons and any advice you've learned during your academic journey. 

Offer insights related to pursuing goals, overcoming challenges, and maintaining a positive outlook on life.

Emphasize Unity and Shared Experiences 

Highlight the importance of unity and the bonds formed with your classmates. 

Emphasize the strength of collective experiences and friendships that have been a significant part of your school life.

Discuss Hopes and Dreams 

Talk about your hopes and dreams for the future, both for yourself and your fellow graduates. Paint a vivid picture of the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.

End with an Inspiring Conclusion 

Conclude your speech with a memorable message that resonates with your audience. 

Leave them with a lasting impression or a call to action that inspires them to take on the future with enthusiasm.

Graduation Speeches From Notable Figures 

Notable figures, from celebrities to accomplished professionals, often deliver inspiring graduation speeches, sharing their wisdom, experiences, and advice with the graduates. 

In this section, we explore some remarkable graduation speeches that have left a lasting impact on audiences worldwide.

Taylor Swift Graduation Speech 

Taylor Swift, the renowned singer-songwriter, delivered an inspiring graduation speech that emphasized embracing change and authenticity. 

Her words have motivated graduates worldwide, making her speech a source of valuable life lessons.

“The times I was told no or wasn’t included, wasn’t chosen, didn’t win, didn’t make the cut…looking back, it really feels like those moments were as important, if not more crucial, than the moments I was told ‘yes.’ …” 

Watch complete graduation speech here: 

Rory Gilmore Graduation Speech 

Rory Gilmore, a beloved fictional character from the TV series "Gilmore Girls," delivered a heartwarming graduation speech that celebrated the value of hard work, ambition, and the pursuit of dreams. 

Her speech remains an iconic moment in the series and a testament to the power of perseverance and ambition.

Watch her graduation speech here:

Ree Drummond - Oklahoma State University 

Ree Drummond, known as "The Pioneer Woman," shared her insights and wisdom in a graduation speech delivered in 2022. 

Her address offers a unique perspective on life, success, and the pursuit of dreams, making it a valuable resource for graduates seeking inspiration and guidance as they set out on their own paths.

Listen to the complete speech in this video:

Steve Jobs - 2005 

Steve Jobs' iconic 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University delivered invaluable life lessons and inspiration. 

His words continue to resonate with graduates and individuals worldwide, offering timeless guidance on pursuing one's passions and creating a meaningful life.

Check out his complete speech in this video: 

Graduation Speech Examples for Students 

Looking for inspiration for your own graduation speech? Here is a short graduation speech:

Read some more diverse graduation speech samples to spark your creativity:

Graduation Speech for Kindergarten - Example

Short Graduation Speech

Graduation Speech for Kids

Graduation Speech For Primary 6

8th Grade Graduation Speech

High School Graduation Speech

Explore a collection of inspiring graduation speeches, each offering a unique perspective on this momentous occasion.

Graduation Speech by Students - Example

Graduation Speech for Parents - Example

Graduation Speech by Teacher - Example

Graduation Speech by Principal- Example

Graduation Speech Thanking Teachers

Graduation Speech Ideas - 2023

Here are some interesting and fun graduation speech ideas.

  • Talk about a current school event.
  • Try something new like poetry or metaphors to make your speech interesting.
  • Tell a story about your class, for example, ‘what was the driving force of the class of 2021?’
  • Use quotes from famous and classic books.
  • Use lyrics from the class anthem.
  • Be inspirational and share an inspirational story.
  • Share a humorous experience.
  • Convey a memorable message.
  • If appropriate, add a song with meaning.
  • Appreciate a fellow classmate or a teacher.
  • Connect your speech with your 1st day at school.
  • Significant events that took place in the school.
  • A professor that made you fall in love with a major subject.
  • The long time you spent in the school library and how it impacted your interactions with other students.
  • Tell me about who inspired you the most in your life.

Graduation Speech Writing Tips 

Crafting a memorable graduation speech can be a rewarding yet challenging task. Here are some essential tips to help you write an impactful and engaging speech for your big day:

  • Know Your Audience: Understanding your audience is crucial to tailor your speech effectively.
  • Start Strong: An attention-grabbing beginning sets the tone for your speech.
  • Tell Personal Stories: Personal anecdotes and experiences create a meaningful connection.
  • Inspire and Motivate: Your speech should encourage confidence about the future.
  • Share Practical Advice: Offering practical life advice adds value to your speech.
  • Embrace Humor: Appropriately used humor can engage your audience.
  • Be Concise: Keeping your speech at an appropriate length is essential to maintain interest.
  • Practice and Rehearse: Preparation ensures confidence in your delivery.
  • End on a High Note: A memorable conclusion leaves a lasting impression.

As you take that first step forward, congratulations on your graduation, and we wish you the best of luck in whatever comes next. We hope this graduation speech guide has given you some pointers for what to say in your speech.

If you need further help, you can avail of our assistance and get your speech before the big day.

At MyPerfectWords.com , one of the best " write my essay services ", we help new graduates make their day memorable by delivering quality speeches.

Buy speech from us and get ready to shine.

Barbara P (Literature, Marketing)

Dr. Barbara is a highly experienced writer and author who holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from an Ivy League school. She has worked in the medical field for many years, conducting extensive research on various health topics. Her writing has been featured in several top-tier publications.

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How to Write a Graduation Speech (Graduation Speech Examples)

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Have you been asked to deliver a commencement speech? Or have you worked your butt off to become valedictorian or salutatorian, and now you have to deliver a graduation speech? In this post, we will cover one of the more challenging types of presentation creation: How to Write a Graduation Speech . (By the way, I have also included a few popular graduation speech examples as a guide for you.)

This post is a continuation of our How to Create a Presentation series. We are going to break this post down into three parts, though. We will show you how to create a commencement speech in this post. Next week, I’ll show you how to write a valedictorian speech and how to deliver a salutatorian speech. Each of these graduation speeches has a slightly different purpose, but all of them need to be inspirational and funny.

How to Write a Commencement Speech

The commencement speech is often the keynote speech of the graduation ceremony. This presentation should be uplifting and entertaining, but this graduation speech should also teach a life lesson to the graduating students. If you do a search on YouTube of the best graduation speeches, many of these speakers will be famous comedians. When a comedian delivers a commencement speech, and the speech is posted on YouTube, it will always get a ton of views. The humor alone will make people want to watch the video. Three of the most popular of these speeches are by Conan O’Brien, Will Ferrell, and Ellen DeGeneres. The interesting thing about the speeches from these famous comedians is that, yes, they are funny, but the inspiration comes from what they learned from their failures.

“There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life life trying to push you in another direction.” Oprah Winfrey, Harvard University Commencement Speech

A Good Structure When You Write a Commencement Address

Thank the crowd.

https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/The-first-step-to-writing-a-graduation-speech

Start with Something Funny

How Humor helps your speech

Be Inspirational

The inspirational part of your commencement speech will come from the theme of the graduation speech . (For Sample Graduation Speech Themes , see the section below.) The easiest way to develop a theme is to look for an inspirational famous quote about success. You can do this by just going to Google and type in “success quotes”. Once you come up with a great quote, you can either paraphrase the quote and make it your own or quote the original speaker.

Inspire others with your speech

Tell Stories from Your Own Experience Related to Your Quote (Theme).

This the most important part of how to write a graduation speech. The stories and examples are what the audience will remember. These stories add emotion and inspiration to your graduation speech. They also help you build rapport with the audience. Finally, these stories make your delivery much easier. You don’t have to memorize a lot of material. Instead, just play the video in your head of what happened and describe the incident to the graduates.

For a great example of this, watch the YouTube video on Stanford University’s channel where Steve Jobs gives the commencement speech. I love this speech, because Jobs skips the introduction and the funny stuff and starts his speech with the following. “I’m going to tell you three stories.” It’s simple, and the crowd loves him.

End with an Inspirational Call to Action.

How to end a graduation speech

So as you go on to the next stage in your life and you experience failure… because you will experience failure, use that as a stepping stone to your next success. Persevere. Don’t rest on that success. Use it as a stepping stone to your next success. Persevere, and you will experience a series of successes and failures that will allow you to accomplish something great!”

Use this outline to create a simple 20 to 30 minute speech. (The shorter the better… No one gets a diploma until you finish.)

Sample Graduation Speech Themes

Inspiration comes from failure

If you are having trouble coming up with a theme for your graduation speech, here are a few Sample Commencement Speech Themes. As you read through them, think about which them or quote has been most applicable in your career? Once you choose a graduation speech them, use the outline above to create your speech.

  • Hard Work Leads to Success
“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” — Coleman Cox
  • Create Your Own Path.
“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” — Herman Melville
  • Make Things Happen.
“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” — Henry David Thoreau
  • Don’t Settle for Average. Strive for Greatness.
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” –John D. Rockefeller
  • Don’t Wait for the Perfect Opportunity. Look for a Way to Create Your Own Opportunity.
“Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” — Chris Grosser/blockquote> The Road Ahead is Hard, But It Leads to Success. “Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.” — Jim Rohn
  • Focus on Your Dream.
“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” — Bruce Lee
  • Learn from Every Mistake to Move Toward Success.
“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” — Conrad Hilton
  • When Your Why is Big Enough, Your How Will Appear.
“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” — Jim Rohn
  • Happiness is the Key to Success.
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” — Albert Schweitzer

Use the Speech Creator as a Guide to How to Create a Graduation Speech

Once you have chosen a them, and you have a few stories to inspire your audience, use our Online Speech Writer to help you organize your thoughts. (It’s free.)

by Doug Staneart | Free Public Speaking Tips , Podcasts

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10 Steps For Writing An Unforgettable Graduation Speech

  • Pick A Theme
  • Begin With Gratitude
  • Motivational Quotes
  • Get Personal
  • Add Your Personality
  • Avoid Cliches
  • Create A Call To Action

School is almost out, but for many students, there’s one more major task to complete before summer: graduation. Whether you’re graduating from high school or earning a college degree, a graduation ceremony is a huge milestone. And, if you’ve been asked to speak at graduation, you might be feeling the pressure right now.

Graduation speeches of all kinds date back to at least the 1600s, and though a lot has changed since then, these kinds of speeches still contain similar key elements that help make them effective, inspiring, and something every graduating student and their loved ones look forward to.

Public speaking can be nerve-racking in any setting, particularly when you know the audience is filled with people’s cousins and grandparents who are likely to remember this day forever, but fear not! We’re here to help with these 10 key steps to follow to write and deliver a truly unforgettable graduation speech.

1. Pick a theme.

If you want the audience to feel moved and inspired by your speech (Who doesn’t, right?), then it helps to build your speech around a central theme or message. Think about what’s important to you as the speaker and what you’d like others to take away from your words. Once you have a theme, it will be easier to select the quotes and anecdotes that tie back to that central idea and create a speech that leaves your audience in awe.

🎓 Here are some popular themes to consider:

  • Embracing failure.
  • Overcoming adversity.
  • The importance of having big dreams.
  • Facing change with grace.
  • Taking responsibility for your future.
  • Learning from past mistakes.
  • The importance of friendship.
  • Becoming a lifelong learner.

2. Begin with gratitude.

When you step up to the mic on graduation day, you’ll need to begin with a few formalities. First, thank the previous speakers, as well as everyone in attendance. Then, express your feelings about the privilege of being asked to address the audience on this momentous occasion. Go ahead and write this part down so you don’t forget to do it on the big day. Here are some examples:

Thank you, [name of previous speaker], and thank you, friends, family, faculty, and fellow graduates for being here today. It’s an honor to celebrate this milestone with you as your valedictorian.

Thank you, [name of previous speaker]. Graduates, loved ones, and distinguished faculty members, it is an honor to be here with you today. I’m so grateful to [name of school or university] for the privilege of being your [type of speaker].

3. Use a motivational quote.

The greatest commencement speeches typically include a motivational quote, whether it’s from a famous person, a beloved teacher, or something your grandfather taught you. The right motivational quote will tie into your theme and serve as a thesis statement for the message you hope the audience will take from your words. Consider these celebrity quotes from other powerful commencement speeches:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” — Steve Jobs , Stanford University, 2005

“You must lead. You’re never too young to lead. You’re never too old to lead. We need your leadership now more than ever before.” — John Lewis , Harvard, 2018

“The day you graduate, you do not arrive. This is not the end. This is the beginning for you. To graduate is to change gradually.” — Rita Moreno , Northeastern Illinois University, 2015

“Ultimately, your life is made up of moments. So don’t miss them by being lost in the past or anticipating the future.” — Jessica Lange , Sarah Lawrence College, 2008

“You are full of complexities and wonders that haven’t even begun to surface. Life’s unpredictability will draw these out and what defines you now will be mere shades and hues of a more vibrant you over the next five, 10, 50 years. Honestly, I can’t think of anything more liberating than that, knowing that life will look differently than you think it will.” — Octavia Spencer , Kent State University, 2017

4. Get personal.

When Conan O’Brien delivered the commencement speech at Dartmouth University in 2011, he talked about being fired from his dream job and what that failure taught him. Some lauded it as one of the best graduation speeches of all time.

Sharing personal anecdotes, even ones that mention failures or humiliations, is a powerful way to connect with your audience and drive your message home in a personal way. When writing your speech, draw on your experiences as a student and be clear about how those experiences shaped and prepared you for what lies ahead.

Learn how to a sensational graduation card here.

5. Infuse your personality.

Graduation speeches may follow a formula, but that doesn’t mean they need to be boring! Use your personal sense of humor, unique story, and life experiences to give the speech character and charm. What does this look like in action?

In 2016, author John Green brought levity to his commencement speech when shared with the graduating class at Kenyon College that the best life advice he ever got was, “You’re a good kid, but you need to learn when to stop talking.”

At the University of Virginia in 2016, late night host Stephen Colbert joked that people should leave their cell phones on because “I wouldn’t want you to miss a text or a tweet while I’m giving my speech.”

You may not be a famous comedian or author, but being uniquely yourself can help your speech shine.

6. Reflect, then look ahead.

You and the rest of your graduating class are sharing a major life milestone, and you’ve all worked hard to get to this point. What has life been like during your years in school? What experiences have you shared, and how have those shaped you as people moving forward into the next phase of your life?

In your speech, include real-life examples of the things you’ve faced in your time as students. Put those events in context in your life, and remind your audience that you have all learned so much more than just what was on the course syllabi.

7. Avoid clichés

The tricky part of writing a graduation speech is being inspiring without resorting to clichés. If you use personal anecdotes and weave personality into your speech, it’s unlikely that you’ll fall back on tired, overused statements. But, sometimes they still sneak in. If that’s the case, try to swap them out with a fresher take.

Here are some ideas:

  • Instead of talking about the “real world” as a future destination, talk about how you already live there and you’re ready for whatever life throws at you.
  • Instead of defining a typical graduation word (like courage or future ), talk about the words that come to mind when you think about school and what they mean to you.
  • Instead of talking about what you’re “leaving behind,” talk about what lessons and people you’re taking with you.

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8. Create a call to action.

Graduation speeches serve two important purposes: celebrating everything that came before graduation day and building excitement for everything that will come after it. The easiest way to leave people inspired is to include a call to action. This doesn’t mean providing strict instructions for some task they must complete. Think of it more as broad instructions for how to meet the challenges ahead.

Your call to action should restate the theme of your speech and give the audience a clear takeaway message to carry with them. Need some examples? We have a few:

“Whatever you want to do, do it now. For life is time, and time is all there is.” — Gloria Steinem , Tufts University, 1987

“Let excellence be your brand.” — Oprah Winfrey , Spelman College, 2012

“Fight for the job you want, fight for the people who mean the most to you and fight for the kind of world you want to live in.” — Elizabeth Warren , Suffolk University, 2016

9. Keep it brief.

While you surely have a lot of great things to say, no one wants to sit through a 12-page speech. Graduation ceremonies are already long, and the audience is usually asked to listen to multiple speeches. Keep this in mind, and say what you’d like to say in the briefest way possible. Aim for a speech that falls between 500 and 750 words, and time yourself to make sure you don’t exceed 10 minutes during delivery.

10. Practice, practice, practice.

The only way to ensure your speech flows, makes sense, and holds people’s attention is to practice reading it out loud. Practice by yourself in front of a mirror, being careful to notice and edit any places where you trip over words or have awkward pauses. Once you’ve perfected the solo read-aloud, ask a parent or friend to serve as an audience. This will help you test out your jokes and polish your anecdotes based on their reactions. By graduation day, you’ll be ready to take to the stage like a pro.

Need more inspiration? These graduation quotes should do the trick.

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Inspirational Graduation Speeches

Inspirational Graduation Speeches

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Do you have a graduating son or daughter? A high school or college graduation is a major milestone in life that should not be ignored. The graduation ceremony celebrates hard work and encourages students to move into the world to achieve great things. This hopeful message is further cemented through an inspirational graduation speech.

As you celebrate graduation day and wish your student good luck, consider the following commencement advice you can share as well as inspirational quotes for a happy graduation.

Here are the best graduation speeches and inspirational message graduation quotes to inspire you and change your life.

Page Contents

1. Barack Obama – Howard University, 2016

YouTube video

You have to go through life with more than just passion for change; you need a strategy. I’ll repeat that. I want you to have passion, but you have to have a strategy. Not just awareness but action. Not just hashtags, but votes. Barack Obama

During his graduation message, Barack Obama spoke with hope. He urged the graduating students to be hardworking yet pragmatic as they sought justice, equality, and freedom. Howard University is one of the nation’s most distinguished and historically Black universities.

In 2020, Barack Obama also shared a graduation message to the Class of 2020 as part of Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020 . These students had to learn to overcome obstacles and challenges that classes before them had not had to deal with due to the pandemic.

The disappointments of missing a live graduation, those will pass pretty quick…What remains true is that your graduation marks your passage into adulthood—the time when you begin to take charge of your own life. It’s when you get to decide what’s important to you: the kind of career you want to pursue. Who you want to build a family with. The values you want to live by. And given the current state of the world, that may be kind of scary. Barack Obama

Obama goes on to offer hope and support as graduating students set out to navigate a very new landscape and shape a new world.

2. David Foster Wallace – Kenyon Graduation Speech, 2005

There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually, one of them looks over at the other and goes, “What the hell is water? David Foster Wallace

In this commencement address, Wallace reminds us that we often forget, or take for granted, the most obvious things around us. He acknowledges it’s difficult to stay aware of what’s happening in the world, especially when you’re too busy dealing with the monologue inside your head.

That’s what a college education is about, according to him. It’s learning how to think and exercising some degree of control over your thoughts so you can choose what to pay attention to.

Our thoughts affect our realities, and the ability to choose how you “construct meaning from experience” will determine the lenses from which you see the world and how you react in return.

3. Natalie Portman – Harvard Graduation Speech 2015

YouTube video

Sometimes your insecurities and your inexperience may lead you, too, to embrace other people’s expectations, standards, or values. But you can harness that inexperience to carve out your own path, one that is free of the burden of knowing how things are supposed to be, a path that is defined by its own particular set of reasons . Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman majored in psychology at Harvard University because she believed it would help her acting. She graduated in 2003. In her commencement speech at the 2015 graduation ceremony, she spoke of her own self-doubt and gave an inspiring, funny , and wisdom-filled speech for the graduating class.

Portman said even though she was a successful student and went on to find success as an actress, she still struggled with her own worth but eventually learned to set her own goals.

4. Ellen DeGeneres – Tulane University, 2009

YouTube video

Never follow anyone else’s path, unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path and by all means you should follow that. Don’t give advice, it will come back and bite you in the ass. Don’t take anyone’s advice. So my advice to you is to be true to yourself and everything will be fine. Ellen Degeneres

This is one of the funniest graduation speeches ever! All humor aside, this speech shows why  it’s better to be true to yourself instead of trying desperately to be a second-rate version of someone else.

For years, Ellen thought being bisexual might prevent her from being a successful stand-up comedian, but it’s just not the case. Ellen proved that you could be successful, whoever you are, if you worked hard and learned from your past experiences— even one as sad as the death of a loved one.

5. Charlie Munger – University of California Law School, 2007

YouTube video

*Skip to 4:08 for the actual speech

You’re not going to get very far in life based on what you already know. You’re going to advance in life by what you’re going to learn after you leave here. Charlie Munger

Education doesn’t stop after you graduate from college. It doesn’t stop after you finish your MBA or PhD either. Munger says, “Wisdom acquisition is a moral duty. It’s not just something you do to advance in life.”

It’s a moral duty because it’s only through continuous learning that we can add to the vast knowledge of man kind. If we stopped learning, progress in all industries—computers, finance, engineering, biology, stops as well.

6. Michelle Obama – Eastern Kentucky University, 2013

YouTube video

If you’re a Democrat, spend some time talking to a Republican. And if you’re a Republican, have a chat with a Democrat. Maybe you’ll find some common ground, maybe you won’t. But if you honestly engage with an open mind and an open heart, I guarantee you’ll learn something. And goodness knows we need more of that, because we know what happens when we only talk to people who think like we do — we just get more stuck in our ways, more divided, and it gets harder to come together for a common purpose. Michelle Obama

As far as inspirational speeches go, Michelle Obama’s speech is very actionable. Her advice is simple (not easy), talk to each other with an open mind.

Different religion, race, political stand, it doesn’t matter. We can all learn from one another.

7. Jim Carrey – Maharashi University of Management, 2014

YouTube video

This is one of my favorite motivational speeches because Jim Carrey is such a good example of his message.

So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that that was possible for him, and so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an account. Jim Carrey

Carrey’s father lost his accounting job when he was 12, and it was then he realized that failure is inevitable , whether you’re doing what you want or not. If that’s the case, you might as well take a stab at doing something you love.

8. J.K Rowling – Harvard Commencement Address, 2008

YouTube video

I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. J.K. Rowling

This is probably one of the most inspirational videos for writers and creatives everywhere.

Rowling was suffering from depression when he wrote the Harry Potter books. But through grit and patience with herself, she was able to complete the first Harry Potter Manuscript and, stay motivated to continue even when feeling down. Thanks to her drive and imagination, the world has Harry Potter !

9. Bono – University of Pennsylvania, 2004

YouTube video

In case you don’t know him, Bono is the lead singer of the famous band U2. Of course, being the rock star he is, he leads his speech by saying, “My name is Bono, and I am a rock star.”

In his speech, he urges graduates to carefully consider their big idea, in saying:

What are you willing to spend your moral capital, your intellectual capital, your cash, (and) your sweat equity in pursuing outside of the walls of the University of Pennsylvania? The world is more malleable than you think, and it’s waiting for you to hammer it into shape. Bono

Being a rock star, I thought Bono would talk about the perils of fame, the road to stardom or something to that effect. But instead, he talked about big ideas and changing the world.

10. Amy Poehler – Harvard University, 2011

YouTube video

Life is like a heist that requires good drivers, an explosives expert, a hot girl who doubles as a master of disguise, and this is a hard and fast rule. If the Rock shows up, they’re on to you . Amy Poehler

During her commencement speech at Harvard University in 2011, Amy Poehler expressed her surprise at the invitation to do so. She delivered a speech with jokes, advice, and insight as she looked out at the graduates.

She told them to head out into the world with love, light, joy, and laughter. Finishing off her speech in true Amy Poehler fashion, she also says, “please don’t forget to tip your waitresses.”

11. Meryl Streep – Barnard College, 2010

YouTube video

This is your time, and it feels normal to you, but really there is no normal. There’s only change, and resistance to it and then more change . Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep is an actress most famous for Sophie’s Choice , The Devil Wears Prada , and Mamma Mia . She was asked to deliver the commencement speech to Barnard College in 2010. Her speech was dripping with extreme personality, honesty, and bluntness.

Streep shared her own personal stories and emphasized the importance of empathy. The audience was all women, so the speech was directed at them, but she shared many graduation messages that applied to everyone.

12. Kerry Washington – George Washington University, 2013

YouTube video

You and you alone are the only person who can live the life that writes the story you were meant to tell . Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington is an actress, producer, and director. In 2018, she was named the eighth highest-paid television actress and has won several awards, including the President’s Award.

In her commencement speech at George Washington University in 2013, she urged graduates to go beyond their comfort zones and live their own stories.

How to Create Your Own Inspirational Graduation Speech

Do you need to write your own inspirational speech or curate the perfect graduation message? Here are a few tips on how to do just that, so you can inspire others like the commencement speeches above.

Start With a Quote

Start with a relevant quote. This sets the overall tone of your speech and grabs your audience’s attention. A good example of this is a quote by David Brinkley, “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.”

Provide Scenarios

Now that you have drawn in the audience, present a what-if scenario to encourage the audience to continue following your thought process.

You can also provide a scenario encouraging the audience to put themselves directly into it. Suggest that they imagine doing something and ask what they would do if it doesn’t go as planned.

If you are giving a graduation message, ask where they see themselves years down the road or what they picture success as. You can then offer advice and insight based on your own experience.

Ask Questions

You should also ask questions, whether they are literal or rhetorical. When you present a question to someone, the person intuitively answers it, keeping them engaged with what you have to say.

Pause for Silence

When giving an inspirational speech, it also helps to pause for a few seconds after important points. This pause allows the audience to react to what you have to say and settle down before you continue with your next statement. The pause is also a good way to draw attention to what you want to say.

What Makes an Inspirational Graduation Speech?

The best graduation speech should have a very uplifting message that leads with education and wisdom. The graduation speech should focus on the graduates’ achievements and accomplishments. It should highlight the sacrifices that may have been made.

When writing a graduation or inspirational speech, ensure a strong theme or message is conveyed to keep your audience’s focus and attention.

Do you remember the speaker on your graduation day? What pearls of wisdom did he or she share?

Related Reading : Don’t forget what you worked so hard on in school! Check out our 150 Education Quotes for Teachers and Students , too. These gems are good for any graduation card when offering congratulations.

Photo of author

Natalie Seale

Graduate students listening to a graduation speech

6 tips to write a great graduation speech (with examples) 

by Laura Jones

Published on November 24, 2022 / Updated on January 3, 2024

Being chosen to write a speech for a graduation ceremony is exciting, but also utterly terrifying, for many people. It’s not just your classmates in the audience, it’s parents and faculty too. And with some incredible student graduation speech examples out there (not to mention the perfection that was Steve Jobs’ speech ), there’s a lot to live up to. With that in mind, here are some tips and graduation speech examples to help you create the perfect commencement speech.

  • Pick a theme
  • Write an outline
  • Pen a catchy introduction
  • Write a thank-you paragraph
  • Look back and look ahead
  • End your graduation speech

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1. pick a theme.

The overall goal of graduation speeches is to inspire and move your audience. But there are lots of ways to do this, and picking the right theme is a big part of it. Popular themes are the importance of friendship; perseverance and overcoming adversity; having big dreams and imagination; making a difference. Once you have your theme, it will be easier to choose anecdotes, quotations , and examples to put into your speech.

2. Write an outline

The next step for any commencement speech is to write an outline. Breaking it up into manageable parts not only makes it feel less overwhelming, but it helps to give your speech structure, making it easier for the audience to follow. A good speech will have the following: 

  • A catchy introduction
  • A look back
  • A look ahead
  • A pithy ending

3. Pen a catchy introduction

Begin by thanking everyone for attending and for choosing you to be their speaker. Then, grab your audience’s attention from the very start with a hook. Lots of people choose to begin with a quotation that captures the theme of the whole speech. 

Example: I want to begin with a quotation from Nora Ephron: “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” 

Other ways to hook your audience are by telling a short, personal story that your classmates can relate to, or by giving a statistic or question that fits with your theme. And never shy away from humor. A speech by James Glaser at Tufts University contained only questions , one being: “Would you believe that my 5’1” sister met her 5’4” husband in a short story class?” This would be a very funny way to begin a speech about meeting special people. 

4. Write a thank-you paragraph

Now your audience is paying attention, it’s time for gratitude. Thank your teachers and other staff at the school who have made a difference and tell an anecdote about someone to personalize this. 

Example: “I know I speak on behalf of all of my classmates when I thank the catering staff, who have made sure we fuel our brains with more than just fries and soda during exam times.”

Now’s the time to thank the families in the audience too. You can do a personal shout-out to your mom and dad, but be inclusive and remember that your classmates will have received support from a range of people. 

5. Look back and look ahead

The bulk of your speech will be spent talking about your time at the school and about how you see the future unfolding. Now is the time to focus on the theme that you chose, and to include stories about your shared experiences. 

If you chose to focus on overcoming adversity , recall a challenge you faced that you know a lot of other people did too. Share how a lesson you learned at school will help you after you leave, and remind everyone that you have learned much more than what was on the syllabus. 

Example: As Rita Moreno said, “The day you graduate, you do not arrive. This is not the end. This is the beginning for you. To graduate is to change gradually.” I know we’ve all changed so much already and we will continue to do so.

6. End your graduation speech

End with some advice and a call to action. Lots of people end with a quotation, and this can be from someone famous or from you. 

Example: 

  • George Saunders said, “Do all the other things, the ambitious things—travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes…but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness.”
  • C.S. Lewis told us that “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” So let’s go find them.

Writing a great graduation speech

Beginning with a theme and an outline helps focus your speech, which should make it easier for you to write with clarity and to find the right stories and quotations to use. Telling personal stories that everyone can relate to, sprinkled with humor, is a wonderful way to keep people engaged throughout your speech. And, ending with a bang in the form of an amazing quotation will help inspire your audience and leave them feeling upbeat. 

write a graduation speech for me

Laura Jones

Laura is a freelance writer and was an ESL teacher for eight years. She was born in the UK and has lived in Australia and Poland, where she writes blogs for Lingoda about everything from grammar to dating English speakers. She’s definitely better at the first one. She loves travelling and that’s the other major topic that she writes on. Laura likes pilates and cycling, but when she’s feeling lazy she can be found curled up watching Netflix. She’s currently learning Polish, and her battle with that mystifying language has given her huge empathy for anyone struggling to learn English. Find out more about her work in her portfolio .

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write a graduation speech for me

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write a graduation speech for me

How to write a great graduation speech

write a graduation speech for me

Sorry About That: The Language of Public Apology

  • By Edwin Battistella
  • May 10 th 2015

It’s graduation time at many of the nation’s schools and colleges. The commencement ceremony is a great exhalation for all involved and an annual rite of passage celebrating academic achievements. Commencement ceremonies typically feature a visiting dignitary who offers a few thousand inspirational words.

Over the years, I’ve heard more of these speeches than I care to admit and have made my own checklist of suggestions for speakers. For those of you giving commencement speeches or listening to them, here’s my advice:

1. Be just funny enough

The best speakers are knowingly wry and a bit self-deprecating. Here’s Michael Bloomberg, opening his 2014 Harvard Commencement address, with a typical opening:

I’m excited to be here, not only to address the distinguished graduates and alumni at Harvard University’s 363rd commencement but to stand in the exact spot where Oprah stood last year. OMG.

Compare that with President Kennedy, speaking at Yale in 1962, who invoked the Cambridge-New Haven rivalry to tease his hosts a bit:

Let me begin by expressing my appreciation for the very deep honor that you have conferred upon me. As General de Gaulle occasionally acknowledges America to be the daughter of Europe, so I am pleased to come to Yale, the daughter of Harvard. It might be said now that I have the best of both worlds, a Harvard education and a Yale degree.

Then again, presidents can get away with that sort of thing, but most speakers can’t.

2. Be like Shakespeare

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Keep the diversity of your audience in mind. You are speaking to students, but the students are not all the same.  There are honor students—summa, magna, and cum laude–as well as those who are still sweating out a few grades. You are also speaking to families and to the university faculty.  Shakespeare had that same problem—needing to address those in the Lord’s room, the galleries, and the ground pit. He solved it by repeating himself, expressing ideas in both the Latinate phrases and in plain Anglo-Saxon, as when he combined unfamiliar words like incarnadine with familiar ones like red .

Here is Ellen DeGeneres, giving the commencement speech at Tulane in 2009. Talking about the honorary degree she is receiving, she plays with the languages of her audience:

I thought that you had to be a famous alumnus – alumini – aluminum – alumis – you had to graduate from this school.

She speaks to both the people who are not quite sure of the singular of alumni , and to those who are.

3. Think about bite-sized ideas

Your speech is likely to come up as a topic of discussion later in the day at lunch or dinner, if only to deflect attention from other topics like job interviews and loan repayment. What will the different audiences take away from your speech? What will students say when Grandma asks, “So what did you think of the speaker?”

As you develop your theme, try to have a memorable, quotable line for each segment of your audience—the grads, the families, and the faculty. And remember that your audience can’t rewind your speech or mark it with a yellow highlighter, so be sure to illustrate your easily-recognizable theme with smaller, easily-digestable examples.

Neil de Grasse Tyson did this in his 2012 speech at Western New England University.  His theme was the prevalence of fuzzy thinking and the desire for choices rather than fresh thought. He touched on the theme repeatedly, with examples ranging from a lunch date with his sister, to a spelling bee, to a job interview, throwing in an allusion to Plato (for the faculty) and ending up with the point that thinking is painful hard work. Journalist Sharyn Alfonsi also did it in her commencement address to the journalism school at Ole Miss in 2013, as she talked about work and perseverance, and illustrated those values through her own career’s challenges, including job applications, tough days, and bad bosses. Choose examples that everyone can relate to and can talk about over lunch.

4. Avoid the “Real World” and other clichés

Be careful when using clichés in your speech. Tempting as it may be to tell the graduates that they are about to enter the “Real World” (where you have thrived), you should avoid that. Savvy students will see you as out of touch, since many of them have been working all along and are often managing any number of real life issues.

You may want to avoid talking about the value of their education as well. They know the value. That’s why they went to college. (It’s the cost they are worried about.)

And don’t tell them they are going to die. What if someone had just died on campus? Steve Jobs could get away with talking about death at Stanford in 2005 (“And yet death is the destination we all share”), but he had cheated death at the time.

On a rare occasion, though, you can subvert the clichés. Jon Stewart, speaking at William and Mary in 2004, presents the so-called “Real World” this way:

Let’s talk about the “Real World” for a moment… I don’t really know to put this, so I’ll be blunt: we broke it… But here’s the good news: you fix this thing, you’re the next greatest generation, people.

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David Foster Wallace took the liberal arts cliché by the horns in his 2005 speech at Kenyon College, telling the audience:

So let’s talk about the single most pervasive cliché in the commencement speech genre, which is that a liberal arts education is not so much about filling you up with knowledge as it is about “teaching you how to think.”

Wallace then used that to suggest a new perspective—that education is about choosing what to think about.

And screenwriter Joss Whedon, of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, tricked up the death theme at Wesleyan in 2013, opening with a reference to the horror genre and the live-life-to-the-fullest cliché:

What I’d like to say to all of you is that you are all going to die.

5. Keep it short

Unless you are a national leader using the speech to announce a major policy, you won’t need more than 20 minutes, tops. Twelve minutes would be even better. The average speaker reads about 120 words a minute, so that’s about 1,400-2,400 words or 9-15 pages (double spaced, 16 point font). Sitting in the sun, the students, families, and faculty will all appreciate brevity.

Here is Poet Laureate Billy Collins speaking at Colorado College in 2008:

I am going to speak for 13 minutes. I think you deserve to know that this will be a finite experience. It is well-known in the world of public speaking that there is no pleasure you can give an audience that compares to the pleasure they get when it is over, so you can look forward to experiencing that pleasure 13 minutes from now.

One of the most memorable commencement addresses at my institution was given by a retired speech professor, Leon Mulling. It was just one-minute long, consisted entirely of verbs (Go. Do. Create. Laugh. Love. Live . ) and received thunderous applause.

6. Above all: relax and enjoy yourself

To do well as a commencement speaker, you need gentle humor, Shakespearean universal accessibility, something memorable for each audience, both a theme and relatable examples, an awareness of clichés, and brevity. And if it makes you nervous to think that college graduates, families, faculty, and even YouTube will be scoring your speech, remember—there’ll be another commencement speaker up on the stage next year.

Image Credit: “Graduation Day” by Md saad andalib. CC BY 2.0 via Flickr .

Edwin L. Battistella teaches linguistics and writing at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, where he has served as a dean and as interim provost. He is the author of Sorry About That: The Language of Public Apology  (OUP, 2014),  Do You Make These Mistakes in English? (OUP, 2009), Bad Language (OUP, 2005), and The Logic of Markedness (OUP, 1996).

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Recent Comments

Very good advice and a fun article to read. My graduation speaker 45 years ago was the president of an African country and he spoke about something relating to Africa. It was memorable. The “it” was the weather that afternoon. It was hot and humid and the gowns were an extra layer on top of regular clothes. Oh, the campus political environment was also memorable. I wore an “equal” sign stenciled on a white cloth armband, urging equal admissions of men and women; the university was concerned that admitting more women would reduce long term importance of the college (useless nonworking women) plus eventual lower alumni donations. Oh, yes, and there was Carling Black Label beer at the reception afterward, chosen because it was donated by an alumnus. My father attended. My girlfriend’s parents were there, watching her graduate, and they had some suspicions about us, but thought we were being really careful. Yeah, that was pretty much it.

I loved it thanks

Really good

I will be a commencement speaker this spring at a Pennsylvania university and I thought your article was a great start for me as I prepare. Thanks!

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How To Write a Graduation Speech With Example

Table of Contents

How to write a graduation speech .

Writing a graduation speech can be daunting. It’s natural to want to give the best speech possible to commemorate such an important milestone in your life. But How to write a graduation speech that is worthy of the day?

This page will be a comprehensive step-by-step guide for how to write a graduation speech that inspires and motivates. It will walk you through everything you need to know, how to write a graduation speech that leaves your audience teary-eyed. 

At the end of this page, I have written a sample graduation speech using this guide. 

I have spent days asking how to write the perfect graduation speech. I remember the banging of my head on my desk in frustration when I was preparing for my graduation speech. The reason for this paranoia was that I too, just like everyone else, wanted to give the best speech possible to commemorate such an important milestone of my life. 

The amount of time and energy I had spent in preparation for my graduation speech prompted me to put up this page. 

So here it is:

LET’S UNPACK with the No. 1 problem in How to write a graduation speech? 

The number 1 problem which everyone faces when setting out to write a graduation speech is where to start?

Well naturally before you start preparing your speech you will need to know what you want to talk about. You can call this a theme, a topic, an idea, or the subject of your speech. At this stage, it can be a one-liner or even a word that describes what you want to talk about. 

Again I know it is easier said than done. That’s why I have listed some approaches to help you figure out the topic of your graduation speech.

There are different approaches you can go by, but I will write a few which helped me.

How to find the subject of your graduation speech?

How to write a graduation speech around your core beliefs..

The first place I will recommend you to look for inspiration is your core beliefs. If you very strongly believe in something then talk about it. This could be what you stand for. Or what you will always stand for? Or what do you advocate? Maybe these beliefs are human rights protection, prevention of female objectification, and child labor, or maybe you believe in socialism or the importance of family structure.

The idea behind talking about your core beliefs is that you are genuinely passionate about them, and you will most likely have enough to talk about them. 

How to write a graduation speech based on Timeline.

I like to call this a timeline-based approach in deciding what to talk about during your graduation speech. Evident by the name you will pick up a moment or time and will talk about that time and how great or challenging that period was in your life. 

You can pick a period from your past to describe a challenge or a beauty of it and how it impacted your life and what lesson it has for others as well. 

You can pick a goal in the future which you want to accomplish and what motivates you in selecting this goal and how it will impact your life or people at large. 

To help you better understand, I have listed some examples. These examples sound generic but the actual events which happened to you will be unique for your audience. 

For the past based graduation speech, some ideas are: 

• A problem you faced to get to this position

• You had a certain difficulty, but you didn’t give up

• You faced trauma but still, you graduated or accomplished a goal.  

• What drove you, who motivated you, who built your passion, who never lost hope in you, who built your character and gave you confidence?

• What was your journey to get to this point?

• What took you to get here? 

• What were your expectations?

Remember: The purpose is not to tell your biography or how great you are. The purpose is to inspire with the underlying qualities which kept you going.

If you don’t want your speech to be sentimental you can always talk about:

• How fun your experience was

• How you will miss partying 

• How greatly have you lived your life here

• How amazing your friends, teachers, and institute were.

• How helpful everyone’s contribution was in your graduation. 

• You can go with funny events or can make very light fun at the expense of the audience. (Never insult.) 

• How has this time here changed you into a better person?

• How do you overcome your shortfalls

These are some past-based graduation theme approaches. Similarly, you can decide to talk about the future:

• Your goals

• Your optimism and how you plan to change the world.

• You always dream to follow your passion, and now you are one step closer

• You have an ideal personality who inspired you; now you can follow the lead.

• How you will miss this time, place, and people. 

• How you have learned to dream big and now explore

• No one is perfect, how you make mistakes, you will keep making mistakes, but this place taught you how to learn lessons from mistakes. 

• You look forward to stepping into the world.

• How guest of honor is your ideal and why do you appreciate them and want to follow the lead?

These are some of the examples I call a time-based approach in deciding how to write your graduation speech. 

Note: you don’t have to pick only one. You can relate a past event to achieve a future goal. 

How to write a graduation speech based on characteristics of value.

This one is simple really. When I was deciding how to write my graduation speech I came across this approach. In this approach of deciding your graduation speech theme, you can pick a characteristic and talk about it. In this case, you pick a characteristic value, and you start building your thoughts around it. 

• Value of Truth

• Importance of love

• Need of Courage

• Humbleness in sacrifice

• Lessons in failures

• Struggle for passion 

• Never giving up

How to write a graduation speech on the beauty of your passion. 

Here you find anything you are good at. It doesn’t have to be some sophisticated idea or any well-praised concept. It can be anything you are good at. 

It could be: 

• Any creative idea

• Participation in social causes

• Spirituality

• Gardening

Maybe you are passionate about gaming, or you have an interest in building stuff, or you like to experiment, or you have a sense of empathy and want to participate in social causes, or you have a knack for health and well-being. 

The point is it could be anything you like to do, which gives you happiness or a sense of fulfillment. You have to find out the good sides of this passion and talk about it. Link your source of happiness to real-world scenarios.

I mean there is a legendary speech about making a bed every day and how this one task is so great. 

How to write a graduation speech on delivering a point or argument.

The last approach I would recommend is delivering a point approach. Here you decide an end goal of your speech first then you build your argument around that goal. You have seen something wrong, or you would like some practice to change. Or in your view, a certain thing is not value-added but time-consuming or a method is not creative but laborious, and you would like it to change. 

You get the idea of what I am talking about. You may want to talk about human rights, and freedom of speech, you want to sound an alarm and talk about the environment, or you want to talk about any other modern-day problem. 

Here you have a point which you want to make. You will build your speech around that point. For example, you believe that home assignments are a waste of time. 

These are some approaches you can use to decide what you want to talk about. You can be creative and mix them or stick to one area. 

Now that you have your main idea, let’s start planning your graduation speech.

The planning stage of how to write a graduation speech.

Before you start writing your graduation speech there are some factors you need to know and understand when you are planning to write your graduation speech. We will figure those out during the planning process of the graduation speech together. 

Time and place

What time is your speech.

The first thing you need to know is which day, and where you will be delivering your speech. Usually the place of your graduation ceremony. It may be on campus grounds or in any other venue. 

But you need to know the time in a different context as well. 

Here you formally need to know at least three times for your graduation speech. Write that down for your reference. 

• First: Obviously what time is the speech?

• Second: how much time is allotted to your speech?

• Third: how much time do you have until your speech? 

How much time is allotted to you? 

You need to know how much time is allotted to your speech. You need to know that to prepare your speech. You need to know to create enough material to cover that time slot. Not too short, not too long.

My rule of thumb is at the planning stage when you are writing a rough draft for your speech your draft should have enough material to cover at least double the allotted time. You will need to consult with the organizers or graduation committee about how much time is allocated to you?  

How long should a graduation speech be?

Ideally, a graduation speech should be between 5 and 7 minutes long. That’s just enough time to deliver some inspiring words without dragging on (or putting your audience to sleep!).

Of course, each situation is different. If you’re the valedictorian or salutatorian, you may have a little more time to speak. And if you’re speaking at a smaller graduation ceremony, your speech may be shorter.

No matter how long your speech is, make sure you spend some time thinking about what you want to say. A well-written and well-delivered speech can be a memorable way to end your time as a student and start your new chapter as a graduate!

How much time do you have to prepare for your graduation speech?

The third and most important one is to know how much time you have for planning. You know this by allocating your time to your daily most important tasks. 

Know the Audience

This is tricky and an important factor to know before you write your graduation speech. Audiences come in all shapes and sizes. Know your audience before you start talking so that they feel welcome at the ceremony. You need to know who you will be addressing during your graduation speech. 

The common attendees are:

• Graduates

• Top students

• Faculty 

• And special guests

But keep in mind that among the audience all these people can also be 

• Media Personalities

• Influencers

• Potential employers

• Govt. officials

• Ethnic or minority groups

Beware of those who are attending, You don’t want to sound insensitive or hurt someone or a group of people’s feelings. For example, with a religious audience, you don’t want to talk against religion. Or might want to omit any jokes about physical features, or people with disability conditions if you have the same people in your audience. 

The second important thing to know about your audience is that you do not want to be specific to a small group of people. People of all ages and beliefs can be there, so avoid making specific cultural references to target only a small group of people. Instead, talk in broad general terms. 

There could be potential employers among the audience. You don’t want to sound cocky or to be remembered as arrogant. I mean it is entirely possible that a month later you are attending an interview and find out that the interviewer knows you already from your graduation speech with a bad impression. 

Tone when delivering your graduation speech.

This is important to know and decide. What will be your tone of speech? Do you want to sound formal or informal? Passive or assertive? Passionate or optimistic? Humorous or serious or do you want to keep it conservative or motivating? 

This might sound overwhelming but it is not. A lot of this has to do with the theme of the speech.  What I suggest is to choose according to your personality. Do you like to convey your message through humor or are you an optimistic person? But whatever you choose please keep it consistent. 

Having said that When practicing your graduation speech, it is a good suggestion to keep the tone upbeat. This is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduates, so the speech should be motivating and inspirational. 

However, it is also important to be respectful and sincere. The graduation speech is an opportunity to thank the teachers, staff, and administrators who have helped the graduates along the way. It is also a chance to offer some advice and words of wisdom to the graduating class or future graduates. Whatever tone is used, it should be genuine and reflect the speaker’s excitement for the future of the graduates.

Avoid Cliches during your graduation speech

The Next thing in your planning stage is to avoid cliche. Everything has a place and time. Not everything should be said at all sittings. You might want to go political, or you might want to go activist. Even Though nothing is wrong with it, you don’t want your whole speech blaming others. 

In my opinion, if you can avoid it please do avoid it. The reason is not to discourage you from speaking up regarding social issues, but the reason is you just “graduated”. You have a diverse, more senior audience in front of you. Do, if you have to, refer to a certain issue or show your commitment towards it. But please do not give a lecture to your audience and make them feel responsible. You just freshly graduated and most likely you have not done anything substantial to change the problem you are talking about. 

Some other cliches are:

1. “This is the best day of my life!”

While it’s certainly an exciting time, your graduation isn’t necessarily the best day of your life. There are many other great days ahead, so try to avoid this clichéd line.

2. “Follow your dreams!”

This is another well-meaning but overused piece of advice. While it’s important to have dreams and goals, be realistic about what you can achieve.

3. “You’re the future!”

This may be true, but it’s also a bit daunting. Instead of putting pressure on yourself, try to focus on enjoying the present moment.

4. “It’s not goodbye, see you later!”

This may be the case for some people, but others are moving on to new chapters in their lives. Don’t try to force a sentimental moment if it doesn’t feel genuine.

5. “You’re going to change the world!”

This is a lot of pressure to put on someone. Instead, encourage your fellow graduates to focus on making a positive impact in their communities.

By avoiding these clichés, you can make your graduation speech more unique and personal. Instead of giving empty platitudes, focus on sharing your own experiences and lessons learned. This will make your speech more meaningful and memorable for both you and your audience. 

Distribution of your graduation speech

One thing which you need to consider is that your speech will be part of the record. It might be printed in a college journal, yearbook, or newspaper and will most definitely be recorded. It will be part of the internet or your collection. It is such a prestigious opportunity that you would want these words to be simple but memorable. You don’t want to waste this opportunity just for being funny or by roasting your friends or school. 

Be very careful if you are using facts and quotes in your graduation speech.

Make sure that you know your facts and stats if you are using them in your speech. Make sure you know the authenticity and origin of quotes if you are using them. Make sure you attribute the quotes and facts to the right person or institute.  

Start your graduation speech With a hook statement.

You only have a few minutes to make an impression, so you’ll want to start strong! Grab your audience’s attention with a compelling story, quote, or statistic related to the topic of your speech. Idea is to use bait to hook your audience with you throughout your speech. They would want to know how your story will relate to what you are saying. 

P.S – Hook statements are super fun, super engaging and can really turn the mood of the audience. This is a quality everyone should know regardless of this particular context of graduation speech. This article of American express explains it beautifully with examples.

A video example of using a hook statement.

An excellent example of this is this speech. 2015 World Champion: ‘The Power of Words’ Mohammed Qahtani, Toastmasters International

Note how the speaker’s first words and actions hooked the audience before he said a single word.

Write your graduation speech as You Talk

One of the biggest mistakes people make when writing speeches is trying to sound overly formal or ‘preachy’. Remember, this is YOUR graduation speech—it should reflect YOUR unique voice and perspective. It should bring out your persona.

Use Personal anecdotes in your graduation speech.

A great way to connect with your audience is by sharing personal stories or anecdotes that illustrate the main point of your speech. For example, if you’re giving a speech about resilience, you could share a story about a time when you faced adversity and how you ultimately overcame it. Just be sure not to make your stories too long—remember, you want to keep things concise! 

A video example of using personal anecdotes.

Watch this video for a brilliant speech and notice how the speaker used little personal experiences to draw conclusions and delivered his speech brilliantly.

End your graduation speech on a High Note 

Just like you want to start strong, you’ll also want to end strong! Leave your audience with something memorable—a call-to-action, inspirational quote, or final thought that sums up the main point of your speech perfectly. 

Edit, Edit, Edit!  

Once you have a draft of your speech written out, take some time to edit it for grammar errors and clarity issues. Then, ask a friend or family member to read it aloud, so you can get feedback on how it flows and sounds before delivering it on graduation day! 

Alternate the source of information

The fact is you are not the first person to give the graduation speech and most likely will not be the last person ever. Hundreds before you have been to the place where you are now. They had to prepare for their graduation speech and where did they go for inspiration or to get the idea? 

The same place where you are, The Internet. 

The point is most of the things which are on the internet have been said and done. Most of the stories have been told, and most of the quotes have been said. So what should you do? 

Change the source. 

Get your inspiration from another source. From a real event, an incident, a book you like, a poem you used to sing, or a song stuck in your head. Anything which no one has thought about. 

One of the great sources of inspiration for me is my older relatives, Grandparents, or uncle. Take a break, sit with them, and listen to their stories. They have lived years of more life than you. You can simply let them talk about their golden days or ask them specifically about an idea.  

The good news is that there are plenty of places to look for inspiration when it comes to writing a graduation speech. Here are just a few of them:

Your life up to this point: 

One of the best places to start when it comes to writing a graduation speech is by looking back at your life up to this point. What have been some of the biggest highlights? What lessons have you learned along the way?

Your future goals: 

Another great source of inspiration for your graduation speech is to look ahead at your future goals. What do you hope to accomplish in the next phase of your life? How can you inspire others to pursue their dreams?

Your favorite quotes: 

Another great way to get inspiration for your graduation speech is to look at some of your favorite quotes. Whether it’s a motivational saying or something more lighthearted, a great quote can often capture the essence of what you want to say in your speech.

Your favorite books: 

If you’re a reader, then one of the best places to look for inspiration for your graduation speech is in your favorite books. What messages do they convey that you feel are significant for your fellow graduates to hear?

Your favorite movies: 

Like books, movies can also be a great source of inspiration for your graduation speech. What scenes or dialogue from your favorite films can you use, to illustrate the points you want to make in your speech?

These are just a few of the many places you can turn to when you’re looking for inspiration. 

So here we are. We have our main theme. We have the necessary attributes for our speech. It is time to brainstorm and put words on paper. 

The way I recommend is that I divide the speech into a set formatted structure. 

Structure of Graduation speech

Just like any speech, I divide the speech into three main parts. 

1. Introduction

·         Acknowledgement

·         Hook statement

·         Transition

·         Main Point/ Passion statement/ Struggle/ achievement/ Goal/ Issues of Society etc. (depending on your topic)

·         Supportive argument/ Outcome/ process of achievement/ Benefits/ suggestions etc. 

·         Supportive argument/ your future goal based on main point/ plea for change etc. 

3. Conclusion

·         Reaffirmation/ wrap up your speech around the main point. 

·         Thanks and best wishes

Let’s write an actual graduation speech using this guide

As I mentioned at the start of this page when writing a graduation speech our number 1 problem will be what to talk about. What will be our central idea or theme of speech? 

To find a suitable theme for the speech let’s brainstorm for some inspiration. We will have to introspect : 

Let’s see, some of the Ideas I believe in are as follows. 

These are just some ideas. You can add as many boxes at the bottom and list all the brainstormed ideas. Now we have a list of ideas that we can go through with our friends, family, and peers. A Great way for some thoughts on your ideas is to discuss them with your parents. Remember this is not just your big day, it is a very proud day for your parents as well. 

The key is to choose the topic in which you are comfortable speaking, and you have enough to speak about it. 

As I’m a big fan of the Harry Potter books, let’s see if we can find some inspiration from the story of Harry Potter. The tale of Harry Potter is an instant classic. There can be so many points to talk about. This is a story of friendship, sacrifice, courage, redemption, hope, and good vs evil. I always believe in the one quote from the books. That is “love is the greatest magic”. 

This is a good topic. It is not controversial, it’s not political and love truly is one of the key attributes to living a happy life. 

Ok, Now we have a quote from our favorite book. Let’s turn that into a moving speech for our audience. My introduction will be something like this: 

“Good evening/morning, Distinguished guests, faculty members, staff, families, friends, and fellow graduates. Today we stand here in our fancy gowns and caps to celebrate one of the precious chapters of our lives. It is barely over, and it is already becoming nostalgic but that’s the talk of later times.

Today I am here to tell you a very peculiar thing I have come to learn in recent years. I know you won’t believe it when I tell you, that in the past few years, I have met some magicians and have seen some real magic. I am saying this in every non-fictional sense.  As for the past few years, We all have walked through the halls of this institute growing together, making memories but always under the protection of magic, rarely knowing about it. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about “love”. As another headmaster Albus Dumbledore, somewhere else in another universe puts it, that love is the greatest magic of all. As we are one foot into the next chapter of our lives, I want to talk about the most powerful magic and how it shaped us.

Alright, this is our introduction paragraph. As you can see it has three distinct parts colored differently. There is a clear acknowledgment/ introduction, followed by a very important Hook statement, and then followed by a transition line into the body of the speech. 

Let’s work on the body of the graduation speech. 

Ladies and gentlemen, As I look back, I cannot help but agree that often taken for granted and almost always overlooked, this simple yet most magical emotion was always there. It was there when our families supported us, our friends encouraged us, or even when our mentors disciplined us. All of these great magicians capable of loving us in our lows, have provided us with a strong foundation to build on. 

And that is just not it, Love was also there in us for our passion, love shaped our activities and the subjects we chose which in turn sparked our curiosity and allows us to grow our talents. 

To be truthful I have been thinking a lot in recent weeks, and I concluded that love is not just a feeling, I mean it has to be a forceful action. The willingness I have seen in my parents to sacrifice their comforts for me was not just a feeling, they did act on it. The steadfast support of my friends in every hour of need was more than just a boastful announcement, they actually stood with me. The promise of my mentors to go above and beyond to help me was not just a promise, they actually put extra effort to share their wisdom with me. How can it be just a feeling when all these wonderful people went beyond and actually acted and actually helped me to be here where I am? 

As we look ahead to the future, we can be confident that love will continue to guide us and will always help us to go through new opportunities and challenges. And I am 100% sure that we not only need the support of love to succeed in real life, but we also need love to get to the best version of ourselves. 

In all of our life up until now, we have been at the receiving end of this magical spell. Having said that it is also paramount that we learn to cast this spell now. Let’s be there for our family and friends as they were. Let’s just not sit back and hope that things will work out. Let’s take action to make sure that things do work out. Let’s promise to go out of our way to support and care for them, even when it’s difficult or inconvenient. Let’s listen to them when they need to be heard and offer a shoulder when they need it. 

Let’s cultivate a sense of love for ourselves as we strive to navigate through life and let’s extend the love to the precious people around us as we attempt to build a world that is more just, compassionate and beautiful. This is my resolution in life.  

In conclusion, today is a day to celebrate the power of love, and a day to express our gratitude to the beautiful magicians around us. We have accomplished a great deal, but we could not have done it alone. It is the love of those around us that have supported and sustained us through this journey. We are truly indebted to our teachers, this prestigious institute, our parents and family, and our friends. Thank you for your unconditional Love. As we move forward, let us hold onto the truth that love is the greatest magic of all. Let us be guided by the power of love, as we seek to make a positive impact on the world and to live lives that are full of purpose and meaning. 

Congratulations to every one of you on this incredible accomplishment, and may the magic of love continue to light our way into the future. Thank you

It is finally finished. 

P. S: I cannot show the whole work which I did to write this speech. Just so you know, a lot of editing and back-and-forth re-writing went into it just in case you are struggling to write it and want to give up. Don’t worry this is part of the process. 

Conclusion:  

Writing a graduation speech may seem daunting at first, but following these simple steps will help ensure that yours is one that will be remembered long after the tassels have been turned! And remember: this is YOUR story—so don’t be afraid to let YOUR unique voice shine through!

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Some of the most impactful and inspiring sentiments are shared during graduation speeches delivered by the leaders we look up to. Graduation speeches from celebrities , entrepreneurs, authors and other influential thinkers are motivational, inspiring, thought-provoking and just might make you reach for the nearest tissue. After four years of hard work, stress, and exhausting self-discovery, lucky graduates are privy to a life-changing speech to top it all off.

Here, we rounded up up 16 of the best graduation speeches of all time, including words of wisdom from Natalie Portman, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and more.

1. Steve Jobs: Stanford, 2005

"You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

2. Michelle Obama: Tuskegee University, 2015

"I've found that this journey has been incredibly freeing. Because no matter what happened, I had the piece of mind knowing that all of the chatter, the name-calling, the doubting...all of it was just noise. It did not define me, it didn't change who I was, and most importantly, it couldn't hold me back."

3. Natalie Portman: Harvard, 2015

"I just directed my first film. I was completely unprepared, but my own ignorance to my own limitations looked like confidence and got me into the director's chair. Once there, I had to figure it all out, and my belief that I could handle these things, contrary to all evidence of my ability to do so was half the battle. The other half was very hard work. The experience was the deepest and most meaningful one of my career."

4. Amy Poehler: Harvard University, 2011

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"What I have discovered is this: You can't do it alone … Listen. Say 'yes.' Live in the moment. Make sure you play with people who have your back. Make big choices early and often."

5. Meryl Streep: Barnard College, 2010

"This is your time and it feels normal to you but really there is no normal. There's only change, and resistance to it and then more change."

6. David Foster Wallace: Kenyon College, 2005

"Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about quote the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master."

7. Barack Obama: Howard University, 2016

"You have to go through life with more than just passion for change; you need a strategy. I’ll repeat that. I want you to have passion, but you have to have a strategy. Not just awareness, but action. Not just hashtags, but votes."

8. Kerry Washington: George Washington University, 2013

"You and you alone are the only person who can live the life that can write the story that you were meant to tell."

9. Conan O'Brien: Dartmouth College, 2011

"There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized. Today I tell you that whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality … Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen."

10. J.K. Rowling: Harvard, 2008

"I stopped pretending to be anything than what I was. My greatest fear had been realized. I had an old typewriter and a big idea. Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

11. Oprah Winfrey: Harvard University, 2013

"Learn from every mistake because every experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are. And then figure out what is the next right move. And the key to life is to develop an internal moral, emotional G.P.S. that can tell you which way to go."

12. Joss Whedon: Wesleyan University, 2013

"You have, which is a rare thing, that ability and the responsibility to listen to the dissent in yourself, to at least give it the floor, because it is the key—not only to consciousness–but to real growth. To accept duality is to earn identity. And identity is something that you are constantly earning. It is not just who you are. It is a process that you must be active in. It's not just parroting your parents or the thoughts of your learned teachers. It is now more than ever about understanding yourself so you can become yourself."

13. George Saunders: Syracuse University, 2013

"Do all the other things, the ambitious things … Travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes, swim naked in wild jungle rivers (after first having it tested for monkey poop)—but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness."

14. Nora Ephron: Wellesley College, 1996

"Be the heroine of your life, not the victim."

15. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Wellesley College, 2015

"As you graduate, as you deal with your excitement and your doubts today, I urge you to try and create the world you want to live in. Minister to the world in a way that can change it. Minister radically in a real, active, practical, get your hands dirty way."

16. Admiral William H. McRaven: University of Texas at Austin, 2014

"If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right."

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How to Write a Graduation Speech

Last Updated: July 24, 2021 References

This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz . Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 40,611 times.

If you are giving a graduation speech you should take your time to write a speech with your specific audience in mind that conveys a message you care about and that shows your personality! Making a worthwhile speech takes time researching, writing, editing and rehearsing, but if you put in the right effort your work will pay off and make your graduation all the more memorable. Above all, care about what you say. For example, David Foster Wallace deeply believed that school should not teach you what to think. He thought that school should teach you the freedom to decide how to think, and he gave an inspirational speech to Kenyon College in 2007 that is still being written about and talk about today. [1] X Research source

Considering the Practical Things

Step 1 Ask about the details of the program.

  • It is often important that you thank certain individuals in your speech. This may mean the dean and special faculty, for example, so ask about how to address these individuals, including how to say their names.

Step 2 Write a speech that appeals to everyone in your audience.

  • For example, David Foster Wallace's speech he chose to talk about not getting involved in the rat race but deciding to ignore the pressure of the world that tells you you must make lots of money and buy lots of things. Even though this speech is for the students, anyone can relate to the rat race and high expectations from the world to succeed to make lots of money just to spend it all.
  • Write down a list of the different groups of students you might want to consider: honors students, athletes, students who know what they are doing after graduation, students who do not know what they are doing, etc. Make sure in your speech that you aren't assuming that all the students in attendance are attending college, if that is note the case.
  • You don’t have to make your speech generic or overly general because you are writing for to a wide audience. Pick a universal theme, and you can consider adding parts to your speech that will speak to the different groups, if you like. If your theme is broad enough, like overcoming adversity through perseverance, you don't need to worry about making it appeal to different audiences. Everyone can relate to overcoming hard times.
  • Make sure that your vocabulary is varied and diverse. Try not to alienate anyone in your audience. For example, if you use the word ¨benevolent" to describe your teacher, as in ¨Mr. Garcia was such a benevolent teacher¨, you can follow it up with a description that will show the meaning of the word, ¨he was always so good to us, he let us play card games in his classroom at lunch¨. [2] X Research source

Step 3 Ask about how long your speech should be.

  • If your speech is for a smaller audience or for a less formal affair, you may want to ask about how long the past graduation speeches have gone. Perhaps the speech should be shorter, around five minutes or less.
  • Remember, too, that your speech may feel a lot longer or shorter than it actually is. If you want communicate effectively, try slowing down your speech. This might mean you will have less time to say what you want to say.

Step 4 Find out if there are other rules for graduation speeches.

  • Some schools may ask you to send your graduation speech to someone who will read it first to make sure it is well developed and/or appropriate for the graduation ceremony. Additionally, you may have to practice your speech with one of the staff before the ceremony.

Step 5 Ask about the speeches that went over well in the past.

  • For example, perhaps they dedicated a lot of time and effort as a class when they decorated a float that won a prize in a parade. You could consider incorporating that piece of information into your speech, like ¨It took me a lot of persistence and grit to get through that final term paper. However, it wasn't nearly as much work, or as much fun, as decorating that float with this class the night before the parade.¨
  • Do not feel compelled to replicate that speech. You can, however, use that information to help you decide what you should write about based on your own life, values and experiences.

Step 6 Give yourself plenty of time to write, edit and rehearse your speech.

  • Start working at least two to three weeks before you have to give your speech.
  • Rehearse your speech in the place where you plan on giving it, if possible. Being familiar with the surroundings should dampen any unease or nerves.

Deciding What to Talk About

Step 1 Brainstorm before you get started writing your speech.

  • Once you have ideas from talking to your friends or family or thinking about what you want to say start writing down experiences that match those ideas.
  • For example, if you were driving toward the theme that David Foster Wallace used of learning how to think instead of what to think. You might have brainstorm about a time that you decided to learn how to knit to make all of your friends and family gifts for Christmas instead of buying them gifts. Talk about how much your grandmother loved the scarf you made her and how that ended up bonding you two together. When you think back to why you care so much about making gifts instead of buying them you realize that you want to question the pressure that is put on you to spend a lot of money to buy everyone Christmas presents. That is your theme.

Step 2 Decide on a message for your speech.

  • For example, you may want to talk about how giving your time to volunteer work will end up making you a happier and healthier person.
  • Write out your most important life experiences and lessons learned, and decide what a main take away from those stories/lessons could be. For example, after working at the soup kitchen every weekend during my senior year, I learned life lessons from people I never expected to learn from. Homeless people who I saw freely give others some of their prized possessions ended up teaching me how to give freely.
  • Some examples of common themes in graduation speeches are: believing in/liking yourself, taking risks/putting yourself out there, failing is necessary for success, giving back helps you as an individual, being persistent pays off, being okay with not being perfect, overcoming adversity, good friendships save, and there are different paths to take through life/there is no one right answer. [7] X Research source
  • Giving thanks and congratulations is another style of graduation speech you can choose to write. In these graduation speeches individuals talk about all that they have come through as a class to get to graduation. They also might take more time to talk about and thank the individuals who helped them along the way.
  • These speeches tend to be less focused on giving advice and the individual giving the speech and more focused on the group as a whole. Listed here is a wikiHow article on writing a graduation thank you speech. [8] X Research source

Step 3 Read and watch really good graduation speeches to get ideas for your graduation speech.

  • See if you can pick out a few main themes in the graduation speech, usually it will not be very difficult to find because it will be repeated several times. Writing those down will help you see how they craft their speech around those ideas.
  • For example, you could take note that David Foster Wallace uses a simple metaphor to get across his main idea. He uses the metaphor of a fish being aware that he is in water as compared to a person who realizes that he is in a society that influences us to think and act. This metaphor shows us how important it is to be aware of the obvious realities of being in society that others might miss. It also how shows us how isolating it can be to be aware.
  • Likewise, think about using a similar convention, for example, a short joke or a metaphor that illustrates your main point.

Step 4 Choose a speech structure that will help you communicate your message.

  • In the first speech structure, you highlight a few, typically one to four, main take-aways, or themes. You show address those ideas through personal anecdotes or nonfiction stories to impart some wisdom to the graduating class. The people who choose this structure generally feel that they have simple, yet important wisdom that might help the graduates succeed in life. For example, Steve Jobs used this structure and told just three stories about his life. The first story he told was about how he “connected the dots” in his life. [10] X Research source
  • In the second structure, make a list of five to ten tips that you have acquired that you give as advice to the graduating class. If you had trouble honing in on one to three themes or take-aways, this might be a good option for you. You can highlight important things that are both big and small in this kind of speech. For example, an admiral gave a speech about the ten essential life tips he learned from the Navy that including tips to both make your bed, and never, ever give up. [11] X Research source
  • In the third, you tell a condensed version of your life story. Go for this option if you feel like you have a very powerful personal story that illustrates some important ideas about how to be successful or how to overcome adversity. You don’t have to start with the beginning of your life, instead talk about the important things that have made you who you are. For example, music producer Jimmy Iovine used this structure and started his speech by talking about a rebuke John Landau gave him. Jon said, ¨this is not about you¨, and that advise gave Jimmy the courage to keep working when his ego was fed up. [12] X Research source
  • In the last speech structure, you develop one main idea as an argument and use observations from life, your personal history, etc., to support this main idea. This option is good if you are really passionate about conveying one central idea to your audience that you are entirely convinced needs to be heard by everyone. This is perhaps the most difficult speech to write because it is much like writing an argument; your ideas need to be logical and well organized. For example, David Foster Wallace follows this structure. He makes a claim that the real value of education isn’t learning what to think but gaining the freedom to choose how to think. He stays with this theme and develops his ideas like an argument. [13] X Research source

Step 5 Show your personality in your speech.

  • You can use humor to convey your personality. For example, Sumner Redstone, giving a speech to DeVry University, starts his speech with some self-deprecating humor that points out that people won't enjoy sitting through his speech. Redstone says that he is glad to go first in the program, and he quotes Mark Twain who recommends swallowing a frog at the start of the day to get the worst thing out of the way. Here Redstone makes himself the toad to make his audience laugh.

Step 6 Don’t give a speech about something unless you really believe in it.

  • Being passionate about what you are talking about will show in your delivery, as long as you practice. Speeches involve much more than the words you say, and oftentimes much more can be said through the emotions you convey when you deliver your speech. Think about all of the ways you can put emotion into a simple phrase like ¨I would die for you." A lot of meaning balances on the way you say those words.
  • Practice putting emotion into your speech to give it meaning. Rehearse what you will say in front of a mirror several times to see how you look, and don't be afraid to use gestures.

Step 7 Consider the enthusiastic mood of the occasion.

  • Because everyone has gone through a lot to get to this point, you may want to take a minute to genuinely congratulate them on their accomplishments.

Step 8 Avoid cliches.

  • You should avoid these cliches because they have been overused, and the people in your audience will most likely not be inspired by these topics. [15] X Research source
  • Do not confuse universal themes for cliches. Some of the best, most powerful speeches have very simple messages. For example, giving back helps you grow as an individual. Even though this theme that has been explored before and will be explored again, the theme still rings true and bears repeating.

Going Through the Steps in the Speech Making Process

Step 1 Organize and develop your writing into an introduction, body and conclusion.

  • After your speech you want people to be able to easily remember what you talked about so they can discuss what you said.

Step 3 Have someone else edit your speech and give you feedback.

  • Send the same person your revisions each time you make a major edit.

Step 4 Practice your speech out loud in front of others.

  • Make sure to practice your pacing, and slow down if you have a tendency to read quickly through your speech. Use a timer when you practice giving your speech in front a mirror or your family/friends.
  • Practice enough times so that you have the things you want to say internalized. This means that when you go into autopilot mode in front of an audience you will be more likely to remember because of your muscle memory. [20] X Research source
  • If you get stuck, look at someone you trust in the audience and breath deeply for a couple of seconds to calm yourself down while you try to collect your thoughts.

Expert Q&A

Patrick Muñoz

  • Practice out loud until you have internalized the essential parts of your speech. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
  • Remember to write a speech that will speak to everyone in your audience. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
  • Find someone who knows about writing or speech making to help you edit your speech. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0

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  • ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-mcguinness/david-foster-wallaces-bri_b_3239411.html
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  • ↑ http://www.graduationwisdom.com/speeches/how-to-write-a-graduation-speech.htm
  • ↑ Patrick Muñoz. Voice & Speech Coach. Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.
  • ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/brainstorming/
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About this article

Patrick Muñoz

To write a graduation speech, choose a structure that will help to communicate your message. For example, you could highlight a few main themes through personal anecdotes or nonfiction stories. Alternatively, you could make a list of 5 to 10 tips that you want to advise the graduating class about. If you have an interesting or powerful personal story, you can use it to illustrate important ideas, such as overcoming adversity or becoming successful. To learn how to show your personality in your speech, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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The Write Practice

How to Write a Memorable Graduation Speech

by Sue Weems | 0 comments

If you're lucky enough to be asked to speak at a commencement ceremony, at any level, you know the pressure of writing a memorable speech with broad appeal that fits within the time constraints. But how to write a graduation speech that doesn't bore, drag, or flop? Here's a secret: use your storytelling skills to write a great graduation speech.

write a graduation speech for me

As a teacher, I have probably heard close to a hundred commencement speeches—those five to twenty minute addresses full of life lessons, inspirational quotes and if we're lucky, funny stories. But more often than not, they fall pieced together clichés and motivational quotes. Forgettable.

The secret to writing a memorable graduation speech? Storytelling. Today let's look at how to use storytelling to write a memorable graduation speech.

A Speech to Remember

Out of all those school graduation speeches I've heard, I can honestly say I only remember one or two. One in particular always leaps to my mind.

A few years ago, a high school senior who had been selected by his peers as a graduation speaker told a story about playing a game with a childhood friend—a game where they pretended to be construction workers. A game they called “builders.”

He recounted their exploits in the sand box: moving dirt, building small stick structures, and working together to make something new. We laughed at his vivid imagery, each remembering our own toy trucks and shovels and play. 

He shifted from that childhood game to the class memories they had built together as students through the years, continuing to develop the theme of building a life.

And then he revealed that his childhood friend—his fellow builder—should have been sitting with their graduating class that day. He'd died in an accident a year before. The speaker closed with a challenge to his fellow students to remember their peer and to be builders—people who create things that outlast them.

The entire stadium went wild as the student graduation speech ended. I couldn't stop the tears flowing down my cheeks. When I saw the student speaker later, I thanked him for his speech, for sharing his love for his friend, for his story that struck such a hopeful note. 

It reminded me that human experience is best related not in quippy inspirational quotes strung together, but in stories. If you're asked to be a commencement speaker, here are a few storytelling principles that will help you write a great graduation speech. 

5 Steps to Write a Memorable Graduation Speech

1. consider the occasion and audience.

A speech for an elementary promotion ceremony has a much different focus and audience than one for a post-graduate ceremony. Just like when you write a story, take time to think about the target audience. 

Who are they? What are they celebrating? How can you meet their expectations for the day and commemorate them in a special way?

When my student gave his speech about his builder friend, he knew he was speaking to his peers, but he had an awareness that their families and teachers were also present. 

2. Choose a story

Here's where most speeches go wrong: they don't ground the remarks in a story. Sure, a lot of speeches rely on favorite quotes, but those are easily forgettable. Stories are how the human brain makes sense of the world; we're hardwired to remember stories.

Dig into your personal experiences, school memories, or other life experience. Usually, you want a true story, a personal story for this kind of speech.  

How do you choose?

When I help students with speeches or any kind of personal narrative writing, I always ask them to make a list of moments where they made a choice that changed their lives for better or worse. 

If you can't think of one, consider a time you watched first-hand as someone else made a significant choice and what it taught you. 

A story depends on a goal and a tough choice (remember dilemma ?)—that's what creates the significance. But you'll also want to choose a story that will emotionally connect with the audience. 

What story can you tell using vivid images that left you changed or taught you something valuable that would resonate with this audience? That's the story to choose.

3. Build a structure and tell the story

Once you know the story you want to tell, use what you know about premise to structure and tell the story first and then build out the rest of the speech around it. 

A premise outlines a character with a goal who meets conflict and has to act until they reach a crisis point and must make a tough decision creating a resolution. 

The length of the story will depend on the time constraints, but you won't be able to delve deeply into backstory or give a prologue. You're going to have to set the scene quickly and get the story in motion. 

An example: I once gave a speech to a group of students (and their families) who were being honored for their resilience and hard work. Most had found themselves  with failing grades and low confidence at one point in the year, but with their hard work and the help of their families and teachers, they had turned it around.  I told the story of a time my daughter was in middle school taking a challenging math class. We would sit at the kitchen table while she insisted she couldn't do the work, it was too hard, etc. It went on for a couple weeks, and we were both so frustrated. I realized I had a choice: I needed to remind her that this was her challenge and that SHE had a couple of different routes (or choices) to solve it.  She could drop the class. She could spend all year crying at the table, slogging through the work and pass it somehow. Or, she could remember that anytime something is new, it's hard, and she could do her best, knowing it would get easier with time—just like riding her bike.

Once I had told the story, I connected it to their experience. I congratulated them on learning so early that they could do far more than they first believed and that hard work and practice makes new tasks easier.

At the end, I told them I hoped they would remember this moment of recognition the next time they thought something was hard. 

Once you know the story you want to tell your audience, build a simple intro to connect it to their experience. After the story, draw out the insight and connect to the event (in this case, their graduation). 

4. Lean into theme

The student who gave the memorable builder speech I shared above leaned into a key theme : building something that lasts. It was the point of his story and he used it as an illustration across different ages to show how the childhood lessons they learned had staying power.

You can choose a common theme , but know that your story will make the application unique. Also, don't feel like you have to state the theme over and over. If the story and insight are strong, stating the theme once might be enough. 

5. Revise to get clear and concise

To revise a speech, I look at two things: the time it takes to deliver and the clarity of the story. I always try to err on the side of speaking for LESS time than I am allotted. This gives space in the speech for audience reaction. 

I typically write speeches out in short chunks of text, and I go through and group them:

  • connection or insight
  • call to action and close

Then, look at every sentence and get brutal with the cuts. Where have I spent too much time describing something? Where have I fallen into unnecessary details? Which sentences are not needed? 

I look at verbs and sentence length too, making sure that the sentences read aloud in a natural and even musical way. Try to vary sentence length and choose the most precise, coherent language. 

Run through the speech a few times aloud, noting where you have to stop and reread to revise. 

A speech doesn't have to be perfect to meet the audience where they are and show both respect for the moment and joy in the celebration. 

Writing a graduation speech that inspires and remains with the audience long after the event doesn't have to be a daunting task. Use these storytelling tips to write and deliver a great speech on that special day. 

Have you ever heard a graduation speech that stayed with you? What did the speaker say that was especially memorable? Share your best tips in the comments. 

For today's practice, write a graduation speech. It might be for a real graduation, or you could also use it as a way to develop a character for a work in progress, since their voice and backstory will be different from your own. 

Set the timer for fifteen minutes . Write the speech and then share a draft in the Pro Practice Workshop , offering feedback to a few others writers. 

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Sue Weems is a writer, teacher, and traveler with an advanced degree in (mostly fictional) revenge. When she’s not rationalizing her love for parentheses (and dramatic asides), she follows a sailor around the globe with their four children, two dogs, and an impossibly tall stack of books to read. You can read more of her writing tips on her website .

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write a graduation speech for me

Back to Graduation

10 Tips for Writing the Best Graduation Speech

Good afternoon everybody….

We won’t sugar coat it. Writing a speech is tough. It’s why people get paid big bucks to do this as ghostwriters for others. It’s why great lines from great speeches get passed down from one generation to the next.

But relax. You’re not the President of the United States addressing the nation trying to keep things calm after alien spacecraft have just landed on the White House front lawn.

Odds are, instead, you’re one of two things. You’re either the valedictorian (congrats by the way) or you’re the person who submitted their name and speech idea to the graduation committee and was selected to speak at graduation as well (so congrats to you, too.)

Now, about the speech. While it’s certainly up to you what you can say, we just thought that we’d pass on a few tips on how to not make your speech the kind that doesn’t have lines getting passed from one generation to the next – because of how awful it was.

So, with that said here are our top 10 tips for writing a graduation speech. And, some bonus tips for giving a virtual graduation speech.

1: Start out by thanking someone. The fact is you probably didn’t make it through high school all by yourself.  Very few people, if any, do anything without a lot of help from someone else. So, show a little humility.

It’s always good to recognize parents, teachers and friends. But what might be nice to do instead is to publicly thank a specific person. One person who helped you, who made a difference and believed in you. Maybe it’s a coach, a counselor, a teacher or your dad. Whoever. Thank them in front of everybody. And then encourage everyone else to find someone who was instrumental in helping them make it to graduation and tell them to thank them as well.

2: Don’t make it all about you. If you’re the valedictorian, then once again, congratulations. You did well.  But nobody really just wants to hear about why you made it to the podium and they didn’t. That’s not to say you can’t infuse personal observations in your speech, just don’t turn this into a “My life in high school” speech.

Matter a fact, instead of just crafting your speech in the cold confines of your bedroom, why not instead go out and talk to your classmates. Find out what they’re interested in. What has inspired them and what they’ll remember most. Your class’ graduation should be about all of the students, not just you. It’d be nice if your speech recognized all their collective memories.

3: Google it. That’s what it’s there for.  Looking up famous speeches online is a great way to get inspiration. Whether it’s a YouTube video of comedian Seth MacFarlane’s commencement speech at Harvard (hilarious!) Or reading Winston Churchill’s famous “We shall never surrender” speech (goosebumps!) Seeing how other people have done things well in the past is a good point of reference for how you should be doing it today.

4: Keep it short and sweet. Yes, your speech is important, or you wouldn’t have been asked to give it. But don’t go overboard. People aren’t there to see you drone on and on. They’re there to either celebrate their own accomplishments or the accomplishments of family and close friends. You don’t want people to be checking their watches during your speech or hoping you’ll hurry things up.

Therefore, don’t ramble on forever. Your speech should be no more than 10 minutes unless you’ve been given instructions otherwise. Think about how long do you usually sit still for a YouTube video? There’s a reason the more popular ones aren’t very long. Learn from that.

5: Don’t say anything you’ll regret in 20 years. Matter of fact, let’s amend this to, “Don’t say anything you’ll regret 10 minutes after saying it.” Most kids who are selected to be graduation speakers are the kind who have always set a good example. That said, every year, there’s always a few who want to take a controversial stand, call out a teacher or administrator, or make an inappropriate joke. Hint: Don’t be that kid . Instead, write a speech you can show to your own son or daughter 20 years from now and say, “See, that’s how it’s done.”

6: Inspire your fellow students. Commencement isn’t just about celebrating the fact that you finally earned your diploma. It’s also about looking forward to all the places life will take you after graduation. You want your fellow students to leave your speech feeling as though they’ve got the world by the tail and can do anything now that they’re graduates .

7: Don’t use famous quotes. Famous quotes are great for yearbook entries, not graduation speeches. So, put the famous quotes book away. You  are the graduation speaker. People want to know what  you  have to say.  The crowd doesn’t want to hear what Nietzsche or President Kennedy or King Ferdinand has to say.

8: Don’t write “what’s expected.” If you write a speech that’s expected, then what’s the point in anyone showing up? If it’s something we’re all expecting to hear, then the odds are we’ve already heard it and there’s no need to hear it again. Be original.

9: Be specific. Details make things interesting. There’s nothing particularly original or interesting when you say something like, “You know during our freshman year, we were somewhat unsure of ourselves, lost in this big school, and apprehensive about the future.”

But the details that can make it far more personal and relatable.

Example: “You know, it’s amazing how much we’ve all changed in the last four years. On my first day here at school, I could barely reach my locker. I remember thinking most of the senior football players probably were at least 28-years-old. And sadly, I got lost trying to find Freshman English and had to ask for directions – twice. Today, I’m proud to report that I can reach my locker, the football players don’t look older than I do, and I can find any class on this campus. And if all that’s true, just imagine how different will we all be two, four, or ten years from now.”

10: Make your final point your most important point. There’s a reason we’ve saved this for last. Obviously. But the contents of your speech should all along be leading up to the final point of the speech – which will be the most important part. This should be the line that people remember, and that people take away from your speech. You can end it with a quote (not someone else’s famous quote – we already discussed that), a memory, or words of wisdom to impart on your class, just as long as you end it with a punch. The punch can be a funny story. It can be a snappy re-cap, or a call to action. Such as Kennedy’s inauguration speech where he said, “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”

BONUS TIPS! The Virtual Graduation Speech

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools have either cancelled their graduation plans, or postponed them. Others, however, have chosen to do them virtually . If that’s the case with your school, here are a few tips to help your virtual speech go as smoothly as possible.

First of all, you’ll probably want to change your speech to state the obvious. That it’s being given virtually. Whether or not that changes the rest of your speech will be up to you.

You’ll also want to make sure you look your best. Be sure your light source is in front of you or to your side. If the light is behind you it will make you look too dark. Keep the background clear of distractions. Look at your web cam when you speak, not the screen, and finally use the same gestures and mannerisms you would when normally speaking.

From a technical standpoint, be sure your microphone is turned on and, if it is at all possible, do a rehearsal to make sure your equipment is working properly. Also, place your camera (computer) on a level surface that’s not going to shake or wobble.

Whether you stand or sit down is up to you. However, this is one instance where YOU get to determine the atmosphere when giving a speech, so simply do what makes you feel the most comfortable.

In the end, your speech shouldn’t be overwhelming or daunting. Instead, just think of it as connecting with your graduating class one last time before you all go your separate ways. And, as a plus, if you’re planning a career which will involve public speaking, you can think of this as a great way to practice.

SHOP GRADUATION

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How to Write a Graduation Speech: Quotations, Outline and Tips

How to Write a Graduation Speech: Quotations, Outline and Tips

It is a great honor and responsibility to deliver an end of the year speech at a graduation ceremony. That is why you are most likely to go deep into searching for inspiring speech ideas. Naturally, a person who is chosen to speak in front of their peers, parents, and teachers would experience a mixture of feelings – excitement, thrill, agitation, doubt, anxiety, pride – you name it, it’s all there in a young graduate.

Any student hopes to create a powerful and lasting graduation speech wow effect on the audience. For this reason, you will browse through multiple how to speech ideas to simplify the writing process. No matter what you find online, you will still have to make it personal.

Since you will discover many sample motivational speeches and funny graduation speech ideas in your pursuit of perfection, you should make sure to keep the balance between jokes and serious stuff. Sad speeches are also not very popular on graduation day, so try not overwhelming your audience with heavy thoughts.

To brighten up your speech, it is always a good idea to use various sayings such as the end of school quotes, highschool quotes, and graduation quotes from parents. You will find some nice examples further in the article.

Despite the vast number of recipes for a perfect speech, many graduates keep making the same mistakes. To avoid stepping in the same shoes, read on and learn how to write a good motivational graduation speech.

Graduation Speech Outline

A clear and comprehensive outline is a guarantee of success. Having created an efficient point-by-point plan, you will be able to structure your graduation speech clearly and include all necessary ideas. As Heinrich Heine once said: “True eloquence consists in saying all that is necessary, and nothing but what is necessary.”

Like any other piece of writing, a speech should be well thought-out and neatly organized. Since only a thorough preparation brings fruitful results, you will have to create a list of things you want to discuss. The more detailed your outline is, the easier it will be to craft an eloquently impassioned speech.

To ensure you have enough time to proofread your draft and make necessary corrections, it is better not to extend the process of creating an outline. How long before your speech performance should you finish drafting your speech outline? The sooner the better, but not less than two days before the event.

How to Start a Graduation Speech

So how to start off a speech? A good speech should begin with an enticing opening. A catchy introduction captures the attention of the audience and puts everybody in the right mood.

A brilliant speaker should be familiar with the following good ways to start a speech:

  • Hook: A sentence or question that immediately connects your listener to you on the emotional level.
  • Thesis: One to three sentences stating your intention. It can either be sharing your life story or someone else’s experience that offers a valuable lesson.
  • Role model: Introduce the person you look up to and briefly explain why he or she inspires you.
  • Theme: Announce the topic of your speech and mention how you connect to it personally. If you choose to talk about a few topics (like confidence, failure, and endurance), name all of them at the beginning.

Whichever option you choose, it is crucial to make your introduction brief and to the point. It will show the listeners your intention to keep the speech short and informative. The audience will appreciate it and lend an attentive ear to your message more willingly.

How to End a Speech

The way your speech ends defines how the audience will remember it. Since we tend to cherish most memorable and important things, the conclusive statement should be strong and impressive. To compose such conclusion, you can try the following methods:

  • Leave an inspirational message for student audience
  • Make an encouraging call to keep the spirits high
  • Use an appealing slogan or catch phrase to end on a positive note
  • Include one or two funny graduation messages to lighten the mood after serious conclusions

How to Make a Speech Longer

If a question “how long is my speech?” popped into your head, it means the moment has come to time yourself. In case your speech came out shorter than expected, you can make it longer while keeping it relevant in one of these ways:

  • Check whether the speech has an introduction and conclusion. A traditional speech formatting requires a speaker to structure their speech so that it consists of an introduction, body, and conclusion. So you can add a few sentences to either an opening or closing part of your message to strengthen your argument.
  • Add an anecdote or story from personal experience to relate to the subject. Even if you have already included a personal example, don’t be shy sharing a few to make a point. The crucial thing here is to ensure the stories you choose to tell are relevant to your main argument.
  • Use motivational quotes. You can cite one quote and then repeat it at the end of your speech highlighting its relevance and topicality. Before you settle down on a quote to use, make sure to check its origin in multiple sources.
  • Remind your classmates of the good times you had at school. Warm memories evoke pleasant feelings, and this is what graduates need to have on their graduation day – tons of positive emotions. Remember not to embarrass teachers and parents present
  • Use graduation slogans. Dream it, believe it, become it. To infinity and beyond. Party hard, Rock and Roll, we’re the class you can’t control!

You can search the web for more examples of popular catch phrases, mottos, slogans, etc., but you can also come up with your own!

8th Grade Graduation Speech

Middle school graduation speeches signify one’s transition to the top level – high school. It is a significant and thrilling moment for a student. To write a fine speech, you don’t have to drag yourself through multiple sample graduation speeches. Just take a moment and think of those three years spent in middle school.

Here is a brief outline for an 8th grade graduation speech to get you going:

  • Introduce yourself.
  • Share your first memories and impressions at the school.
  • Reflect on your experience and tell what you enjoyed about it.
  • Talk about your teachers and other students.
  • Discuss your prospects for the future.
  • Thank your parents, teachers, classmates, administration, and staff for making your middle-school years worthwhile.
  • Conclude with one of the best middle school graduation quotes you can find or coin one yourself.

Check out an amazing Jack Aiello’s graduation speech to find some inspiration.

High School Graduation Speech

The second important speech you will either listen to or deliver is usually scheduled for high school graduation. Finishing high school is one of the first greatest achievements of a young person. That is why high school graduation speech ideas revolve around personal accomplishments, funny stories, bright memories, and hopes for successful future.

Even though the end of studying is a happy event, some speakers chose to give rather sad high school graduation speeches. Surely, there are many things to miss about school, but the graduation ceremony should give more positive and aspiring feelings.

In their senior night speeches, high school graduates need to focus on reminding their peers about:

  • their achievements at school to boost students’ self-esteem and create a positive image of themselves
  • future possibilities to encourage taking a suitable career path and continue grow both personally and professionally

Here are the quotes you can use in your graduation speech:

End of School Quotes

  • “If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life.” – Plato
  • “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
  • “Change is the end result of all true learning.” – Leo Buscaglia
  • “Your life is your story, and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential.” —Kerry Washington
  • “A great accomplishment shouldn’t be the end of the road, just the starting point for the next leap forward.” – Harvey Mackay

Highschool Quotes

  • “In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.” – Tom Bodett
  • “It doesn’t matter that your dream came true if you spent your whole life sleeping.” – Jerry Zucker
  • “True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.” Kurt Vonnegut
  • “High school is about finding who you are, because that’s more important than trying to be someone else.” – Nick Jonas
  • “What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning.” – Chuck Grassley

Graduation Quotes from Parents

  • Congratulations on your graduation, son! We are proud to see you paving your own way to adult life. We wish you every success in all your future endeavors. Your loving and supportive parents.
  • I am sure today is one of your many accomplishments to come. It warms my heart to look back at all the work you have done at school and see your bright future. No matter which path you choose, you can always rely on my complete support and understanding.
  • Today is the day to praise your hard work and reflect on the amount of effort put into becoming a graduate. I am a very proud parent of a responsible and smart kid who is now ready to choose his/her own path. I will always be there for you whenever you need me.
  • I am both happy and sad to see my little girl graduating. You have become an intelligent young woman so quickly. I am thankful for everything your teachers did to help you grow and become a wonderful person you are.
  • You have made this day a very special occasion to all our family. We are all proud to see you graduating and planning your life as a smart and independent adult. We love you and will always support your choices and decisions.

When looking for high school graduation speech examples, you are most likely to find texts that have already been used numerous times. Such speeches are no longer unique or topical. You can use parts of them, but it won’t be enough to construct a speech to remember.

A good high school valedictorian speech example can only offer a few wise thoughts or quotes. However, it will not make your speech as personal as it should be. For a first-time speaker, the best you can take from a sample high school graduation speech is a structure and possible themes. However, you are also at risk of copying clichés and truisms from a sample that will diminish the importance of your message.

Since writing a good speech by yourself can be a time-consuming and exhausting challenge, it is safer to seek professional help. Having found a reliable writing service, you can have a qualified writer compose a speech to remember. While your writer will be working on your message, you carry on with choosing your graduation outfit.

College Graduation Speech

Most college graduation messages tend to look alike and repeat themselves. Naturally, it is not easy to find new words of encouragement for college students every year. Since finishing school is an annual event, college graduation speeches by students are rarely as exciting and memorable as you would expect.

If you consider turning a college graduation speech sample found online into a worthy message, you should realize the risk of getting a second-quality piece of writing. As a rule, sample speeches include numerous sayings and quotes such as cheesy quotes on colleges, pompous college motivation quotes, over-enthusiastic quotes about college life, and tons of overwhelmingly positive quotations on college experiences.

It is utterly up to you what kind of quotes to incorporate into your speech, but here is one of the best how to speech ideas for college students you can find – DO NOT try to stuff your message with as many wise phrases as possible. It is unnatural and rather pretentious, and no one likes it. Using one motivational quote for college students will be enough. You can make it two if they are not too lengthy and add value to your narration.

Here are a few motivational speech topics for college students you can consider to mention in your message to make it worthy and special:

  • Personal Growth
  • Valuable Contributions
  • Humanity and Compassion
  • Professional vs. Personal Priorities
  • Love and Respect

Graduation Speech Quotes

Here are some quotes from famous people you can use in your speech:

Short Graduation Quotes

  • “Take pride in how far you’ve come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey.” —Michael Josephson
  • “Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” – Napoleon Hill
  • “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein
  • “Keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final.” – Roger Babson
  • “Hitch your wagon to a star.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Funny Quotes about Graduation

  • “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers
  • “It is clear the future holds great opportunities. It also holds pitfalls. The trick will be to avoid the pitfalls, seize the opportunities, and get back home by six o’clock.” – Woody Allen
  • “If you feel that you have both feet planted on level ground, then the university has failed you.” – Robert Goheen
  • “Thankfully dreams can change. If we’d all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses. So whatever your dream is right now, if you don’t achieve it, you haven’t failed, and you’re not some loser. But just as importantly—and this is the part I may not get right, and you may not listen to—if you do get your dream, you are not a winner.” – Stephen Colbert
  • “Graduates: you will never have more energy or enthusiasm, hair, or brain cells than you have today.” – Tom and Ray, The Car Talk Guys

Quotes about Endings (Finishing)

  • “It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.” ― Paulo Coelho
  • “Life is not so much about beginnings and endings as it is about going on and on and on. It is about muddling through the middle.” – Anna Quindlen
  • “In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
  • “There’s a trick to the ‘graceful exit.’ It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, or a relationship is over – and let it go. It means leaving what’s over without denying its validity or its past importance to our lives. It involves a sense of future, a belief that every exit line is an entry, that we are moving up, rather than out.” – Ellen Goodman
  • “I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.” – Gilda Radner

“Oh the Places You’ll Go” Quotes for Graduation

  • “Oh the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all.”
  • “Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
  • “Kid, you’ll move mountains.”
  • “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!”
  • “You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.”

Spiritual Graduation Quotes

  • “What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.” – Eleanor Powell
  • “You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn’t. You get to decide what to worship.” – David Foster Wallace
  • “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
  • “God wants us to know that life is a series of beginnings, not endings. Just as graduations are not terminations, but commencements. Creation is an ongoing process, and when we create a perfect world where love and compassion are shared by all, suffering will cease.” – Bernie Siegel
  • “You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you’re doing, but what you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself.” – Alan Alda

By now, you should realize that writing senior class president graduation speeches or simple thank you speech for graduation is not that simple at all. To save your time and ensure your farewell message to peers, teachers, and parents is both valuable and entertaining, consider getting a part of speech help from reputable speech writing services . So don’t hold off the joy of getting a speech to remember and order one from a professional writer.

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Frantically Speaking

A-Z Guide on Writing a Breathtaking Graduation Speech

Hrideep barot.

  • Public Speaking , Speech Topics , Speech Writing

write a graduation speech for me

A graduation speech is delivered with the intent to honour past successes and failures, as well as future hopes. The style of this type of speech should be brief and entertaining. 

A graduation speech or a graduation address is delivered by a graduating student from high school, college or university. A student speaker may talk in place of or in cooperation with a prominent outside figure. Student commencement speakers are frequently valedictorians or are otherwise elected to represent the student body by their peers.

It is quite a difficult job to speak confidently in front of a large crowd, especially on such an important event, like graduation day. However, if you want to become an effective speaker in from of your peers, you have selected the right article. So, READ ON. 

Major constituents of a graduation speech

The primary components of crafting an effective graduation speech are to express gratitude for the opportunities and successes received, as well as future expectations. 

Make sure that the speech stays on schedule. It should not exceed the set time duration which could cause boredom and exasperation amongst the audience.

“Be truthful, be brief, be seated” Franklin D. Roosevelt

time in a graduation speech

2. Short and sweet

Avoid boring your audience by giving a lengthy and monotonous speech. It should be to the point and contain relevant incidents. 

“Always be shorter than anyone dared to hope!” Lord Reading

3. Memories

A graduation speech should be a blend of laughter, tears and triumphs. 

4. Achievements

Highlight your achievements while also jokingly mentioning your failures. 

Include achievements in a graduation speech

5. Reflection

Consider current events which provide an opportunity to express your serious viewpoints to an adult. 

6. The Aftermath

Acquired abilities and skills that will help you succeed in the future. 

What to say in a graduation speech?

A graduation speech has a standard outline that a speaker must follow to become an effective orator in front of their peers and teachers. It is not necessary to adhere to all the steps, however, the speaker could modify the outline as per his or her style. 

1. Start by expressing gratitude

When you are invited to the podium for delivering your speech, always remember to commence it by giving a note of gratitude to the previous speaker who introduced you, for the introduction as well as for the work they perform at the school or university. 

2. Make an introduction 

Do not take it for granted that everyone in the audience knows you. Hence, it is significant to introduce yourself briefly to the audience and inform them of the purpose of you giving the speech. However, usually, the host or the anchor introduces you before inviting you to speak. In this case, you can ignore introducing yourself again.

make an introduction

3. Remember the beautiful memories

The whole purpose of a graduation speech is to recall and reminisce the memories which you have created in your school or university days. Hence, you should create an atmosphere that forces your peers to remember the good times they have spent with each other and they cherish them forever.

For example,

  • Memorable event in which you all participated together
  • Your discussions about the teachers who supported you
  • The mischievous actions and punishments during your time in the institution
  • Your actions to fulfil your ambitions
  • The joyful and sorrowful moments with your friends

4. Encourage your peers to action

Inspire your classmates to take action as well as encourage them by sharing your experiences to step up and go change the world. Demonstrate how, as a result, it relates to your class’s educational experiences. This will make a chance of creating a strong bond between you and your peers and make them enthusiastic about the future. You should also tell your peers that they have the skills and abilities that are required to be successful in the future with an optimistic tone. 

Reminiscing memories

5. End the speech

The last important aspect of a graduation speech is to thank the audience for their valuable time. On the other hand, in the end, you should also thank your classmates or peers for the wonderful memories you had created with them. 

Go through this article for more useful insights: Your guide to writing the perfect valedictorian speech with sample speech

How to start a graduating speech?

The opening statement of your graduation speech offers the audience a decent indication of the whole content of your speech. Consequently, it is significant to choose a memorable opening for your speech which could be useful in conveying your message. Some beneficial and effective ways to start your graduating speech are:

1. Ask rhetorical questions

A rhetorical question is a figure of speech or literary device which is posed to create an emphasis or potency without anticipating a response or answer. Though, it is sometimes possible for the questioner to state the answer immediately. Moreover, t is used to convince the audience and determine the way they perceive a particular subject.

For example, 

  • What if I didn’t like high school or college?
  • Where would life take me?
  • What kind of person would I be in 5, 10, or 15 years?

2. Begin with a story

As I have stated, any speech should include stories and experiences. Furthermore, it is a better way to incorporate them into your speech right at the start. Stories will hook your audience from the start, increasing the likelihood that they will stay with you until the finish.

For instance, in Grade 12, one of my classmates pranked me by connecting my computer to the projector…

Several other examples include:

  • Describe a strong relationship
  • Narrate a lousy experience
  • Talk about the notorious activities

3. Make Use Of Objects

Another excellent technique to begin your speech is by using certain objects or props. They are alluring, and when used appropriately, they can tell your audience a whole tale. However, one thing to bear in mind when employing props is that they must be related to the issue at hand. Do not merely use a prop because it is present but not required.

Several examples of props are:

  • A yearbook from school or college
  • Photographs
  • An account of a well-known school incident
  • A meal to remember

Read this article for more useful insights: 10 of the best things to say in opening remarks

How to end a graduating speech?

As your closing words have a lasting impact, hence, you must leave an impression on the audience. The conclusion of your speech is your last chance to restate the main point, excite the audience, encourage a group to act, shift someone’s perspective, or leave a lasting impression.

The audience tends to remember what a speaker just said due to the “Recency effect” in learning. As a result, the ending of your speech makes the audience aware that it is approaching the end, aiding them in recalling the main elements of the entire issue. 

1. Restate the central idea

To begin with, it is important to restate the major point of your speech at the starting of your conclusion. You should make it unique and interesting for the listeners. Moreover, you do not give them the impression that you’re just doing it again.

2. Encapsulate the points

In the conclusion, it is always a good idea to summarise the main points. Instead of simply repeating the points, you should explain to the audience how those points strengthened your assertion or statement. In addition, draw them all into an exceptional force to support your main idea.

significance of ideas

3. End by creating an impact

Your conclusion should be such that it makes the audience happy and contented as well as inquisitive to hear more. Consider ending on a captivating note when writing your conclusion. You might end your speech with a rhetorical question, a quotation or a noteworthy statement or phrase. Connecting your main point to a more detailed situation is another way to give your audience a good ending. Also, keep in mind that the last sentence of your speech requires extra effort.

Go through this article for more information: 10 of the best things to say in closing remarks

Themes for a graduation speech

Sometimes, it becomes an arduous job to select or choose a topic for the speech. Nevertheless, the following are a few ideas for a graduation speech which would help in attracting the audience and impressing them. 

1. Events of school/college

Investing several years in an institution creates a strong relationship between the student and the organisation. You can take this time to reflect on earlier events at school, such as a win over a competitor, a minor accident in one of the scientific laboratories, or a prank on a senior or junior. It will undoubtedly be a hit with the students.

2. Step up from unconventional methods

Break out from the standard format of a graduation speech. Attempt employing distinctive methods and metaphors in your speech, or experiment with spoken word poetry. Some other unconventional methods could also include singing a few lines, narrating a story, doing mimicry etc.

theme for a graduation speech

3. Storytelling

We are always open to hearing new and fascinating stories. What distinguishes your experience from others? What have you learned from it? You can convey it to the audience for their constant attention. 

4. Showing gratitude

Use the opportunity to give the graduation address to express your gratitude to your peers, friends, parents and teachers in the audience who helped and supported you and made your graduation possible.

5. Setting high goals

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough” Anonymous

Choosing this topic for your graduation speech is a good idea to keep reminding yourself of your goals and dreams as you prepare to enter a crucial new period of your life. Moreover, you can also discuss your inspiration for dreaming big, such as a teacher, a book you read, a movie you saw, or a life turning point.

Examples of graduation speeches

Some speeches are good however some are excellent. Let’s take a look at some of the excellent graduation speeches by students and also by some famous personalities at the graduation ceremonies.

1. Chase Dahl

Chase Dahl was the student speaker at the Weber High School graduation for the class of 2015. 

Takeaway – This speech is a perfect example of blending confidence, humour, and motivation in a graduation speech. Furthermore, the way of its delivery should be noted.

2. Henry Goddard

Henry Goddard delivered his valedictorian speech at the Prince Edward Collegiate Institute in 2010.

Takeaway – This speech summed up the speaker’s high school experiences in a great way using humour , wherever required, as well as ending it on an inspiring note.

3. Kyle Martin

Kyle Martin delivered his valedictorian speech at The King’s Academy in 2019.

Takeaway – This speech is an excellent example of organising your graduation speech around a key theme which makes it more enticing and eye-catching. In addition, it allows you to choose and organise your own speech.

How long should be the graduation speech?

A graduation speech ought to be concise so that they do not become monotonous and boring for the audience. Furthermore, it should cover only the relevant points related to the theme or subject matter with brief examples. 

A graduation speech delivered by a student, like a valedictorian, should not last more than 5 – 12 minutes . Consequently, the speech should contain 600 – 1450 words .

On the other hand, a graduation speech delivered by the principal or a guest, such as a famous personality, should not be of more than 15 – 20 minutes. Consequently, it should contain 1800 – 2400 words . 

length of a graduation speech

Sample Graduation Speech

​​My fellow graduates and friends, it is an honor to speak to all of you today. We’ve just been here for (number) years and it’s already time to depart. How did everything happen so quickly? Many individuals believe that today is the first day of our journey. I don’t agree. It all started a long time ago. Today happens to be the day when the road we’ve been on breaks into (number of students) different roads. Until now, we’ve been a team that has walked as one. We’ve done everything, and we’ve done everything together. Many of us have been members of our school system since kindergarten, thirteen years ago, and I’d want to take us all back to (date). This was our first day of school and the start of our adventure. Parents and grandparents escorted us to the bus stop, where we took over a thousand photographs. We are now at the point where four highways are merging into one, and four schools are merging into one. Middle School -­-­ I believe I can speak for all of us when I say that these were the most awkward three years of our lives. I’m sure every student had the same idea when we stepped into freshman orientation “Oh my goodness! Those lockers are monstrous!” In the end, we didn’t use them at all. And now, we have arrived. Everyone should be proud of their accomplishments. These past few years have been nothing short of a triumph. However, it was not a simple task. Take a peek at the previous year. Because of a record-breaking snowstorm that made February break last forever, and not to mention Covid 19, I honestly didn’t believe we’d graduate this year. We’ve arrived. It was a success! Our guidance through high school was the tradition of adulthood. As a result of our journey, we have arrived at today, (date). This is the point in our journey where we take a break to rest and reflect on everything we’ve accomplished. What we’ve accomplished together over the last few years is simply amazing. We stayed together and matured together, and I couldn’t have asked for a better class to be in. I believe in each and every one of you, that no matter which path you pick, you will make it your own and achieve your goals. As I look out at all of you, I know I’ll be measuring my time here in a different way. I’ll gauge it by the friendships I’ve developed over the last four years. Some were casual, while others were more intimate, but I’ll remember them all warmly, as I’m sure you will. And as many of our high school memories fade, that’ll be how we’ll remember our time here, not in terms of periods, semesters, or years, but in terms of the friendships we formed and the moments we spent together. Congratulations to my classmates from the class of (year). May we always be friends when we meet again, no matter where we go or what we do.

Final words

A graduation speech delivered by a student is only a one time opportunity. Hence, it is important to take this chance worthwhile and become an effective public speaker. Consequently, it is significant to deliver the graduation speech in such a way that it does not look monotonous and boring to the audience. Moreover, it should grab the audience’s attention and should be thought-provoking and inspirational. 

In addition, the selection of the speech topic should be done meticulously. It is the theme that either makes or breaks the impression of the speaker. Furthermore, a graduation speech should be a blend of humour and intellectuality in which past experiences and future hopes are discussed.

Hrideep Barot

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How to Write a Graduation Speech

Published by Boni on August 26, 2023 August 26, 2023

What is a Graduation Speech?

A graduation speech is delivered at the graduation event to congratulate the graduates and provide them with advice and motivation . The speaker could be a student or professor. Your chance to shine in front of the entire school will be during your graduation speech. This day has been long overdue, and it has now happened! The address should be brief, short and contain a blend of humor and heartfelt good wishes.

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It keeps the atmosphere at the graduation ceremony cheerful and helps the commencement speakers relax. A graduation speech is an occasion to rejoice, reflect on the previous year, and look forward. For the rest of your life, you will recall this moment. The speech needs to be brief, engaging, and peppered with humor.

Elements of Graduation Speech

Here are some key elements of the graduation speech that will make the graduation memorable and cheerful:

  • Brief: Be truthful while keeping the audience interested.
  • Timing: This should be shortened to fit the time provided.
  • Memorable: Keep in mind to include unique events.
  • Accomplishments: Celebrate accomplishments.
  • Reflection: Consider important occasions and reflect on them.
  • The future: knowledge and skills gained for an improved future.

Graduation is the last significant task many students must complete before summer break, even when school is practically over. Graduation ceremonies are important life events, whether finishing high school or receiving a college degree. The pressure may also mount if you have been requested to speak at the graduation.

It takes extraordinary thought and creativity to create a graduation speech since it combines art and inspiration. It is a chance to make a deep impression on the audience and the graduates. Use the stages below as a guide to help you write an engaging and memorable speech or you could alternatively use a free speech writer generator .

  • Choose a topic

 Building the talk around a main subject or message will help if your goal is for the audience to leave your graduation feeling moved and motivated (Who does not, right?). As you speak, consider what matters most and what you want listeners to learn from you. Whenever you have a theme in mind, choosing quotes and stories that relate to it will be simpler, allowing you to give a speech that will amaze your audience. Discover a segment suggesting engaging informative speech topics for college students.

  • Begin with brainstorming ideas

Prepare your speech by considering what you want to say. What have been your trip’s high points so far? What have you gained from this experience? Think about how you may share your experiences, obstacles, and wins with your audience in a way that will be relevant and motivating to them. Any thoughts you have should be put on paper. Try to reduce them to the most crucial or essential concepts.

  • Start with gratitude

On graduation day, you must start with a few formalities before taking the stage. It would be best to begin by expressing gratitude to the audience and the previous speakers. Then, describe how it made you feel to be allowed to address the crowd at such an important event. Remember to take this step on the big day and write it down before.

For example, Thank you for coming today, [prior speaker’s name], and to friends, family, the professors, and the other graduates. It is an honor to commemorate this occasion with you.

  • Personalize your speech

Sharing personal anecdotes with your audience—even ones that involve failures or humiliations—is a potent approach to establishing an audience connection and making your point. Build on your experiences as a student when you write your speech, and be specific about how those experiences have shaped and prepared you for the future.

  • Infuse your personality

While graduation speeches may have a set format, that does not mean they must be monotonous. Draw on your sense of humor, original stories, and life experiences to give the speech personality and appeal. What does this look like in use? Being wholly yourself might make your speech stand out even if you are not an author or comedian. For example, you could tell the lecturer why you have ever been thrown out of the class.

  • Write an outline

Once you have a general framework, write a more thorough outline that contains the precise themes and illustrations you intend to use in your speech. This will keep you on task and guarantee that your address is flowing. With primary themes and examples supporting each part, your outline should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. Make sure to think about how you want to switch between points and how you want to organize your speech as a whole. Your address will be easier to write and have a clearer, logical framework if you have a well-organized plan.

  • Reflect, then look ahead

Start drafting your speech while using your outline as a reference. At this point, do not worry about making it flawless; get your ideas down on paper. Use examples and personal experiences from your own life to explain your arguments and make your writing more engaging. You can also use quotations or material from other sources to strengthen and add credibility to your opinion. Keep in mind to write with sincerity and in your voice.

  • Avoid clichés

Being motivational without using clichés is challenging to accomplish while writing a graduation speech. It is doubtful you will resort to cliched, overused words if you incorporate personal tales and personality into your address. But occasionally, they still manage to get in. If that is the case, consider replacing them with a different perspective.

  • Edit and revise

Once you have a draft of your speech, proceed back and revise it to ensure it flows smoothly and is error-free; pay attention to your grammar and punctuation; check for any awkward or repetitive phrasing; consider your speech’s tone and style; and make sure it is appropriate. For more extensive editing and revision, you might want to consider seeking the assistance of a tutor or writing center.

  • Practice, practice, practice

Practice your speech multiple times to ensure you feel at ease addressing a crowd. Ask a friend or family member to listen to you and provide criticism while you practice in front of a mirror. Be mindful of your body language, loudness, and pacing while speaking to ensure it is clear and confident. By practicing your speech, you will grow more comfortable with the content and be better able to give it on graduation day.

  • Finish with a firm conclusion

Summarize your main points and impart a memorable and motivating message to your audience. This could be a quote, a call to action, or a heartfelt thank you to your friends and family. Your speech’s conclusion should be robust and memorable to wrap things up that would make a lasting impact on your audience. Consider the message you want your fellow students to gain from your vocabulary before you write your conclusion. If you are unable to accomplish all these, you could get assistance from a reputable speech writing service .

Sample Graduation Speech Outline

Here is an outline of how to write a speech for a graduation:

1. Introduction

  • Appreciate the previous speaker

Gratitude and grace should come first. Do not just thank the person who brought you to the platform; thank them for their efforts at the school. 

  • Introduce yourself

Never assume that everyone in the room will be familiar with you. Please introduce yourself and state your name.

2. Main Points

  • Share an inspiration message

Prepare to share a personal story or inspirational phrase with your peers. Explain how it relates to the school experiences of your class. This will be a great chance to gather and invigorate your classmates’ interest in the future.

  • Share some valuable advice

This may be the most crucial section of your speech. Give some wise counsel for the future. Highlight a few of the things you might expect in the future. You might also impart wisdom on the individuals and experiences yet to come. Maintain an optimistic attitude. Remind everybody that they are capable. 

3. Conclusion

  • Reaffirm your inspirational phrase

Give more context to the inspirational quotation you started with by repeating it at the end. Even though you just briefly reminisced about one of those “good times,” the future is what everyone is most excited about.

  • Create a call to action

Encourage your fellow classmates to take action. Inspire them with a motivational statement that exhorts them to change the world.

  • Gratitude to all

Thank everyone for their time, please. Thank them for listening to your speech and their time during the past few years’ memories.

Tips to Help you Write Graduation Speech

It takes careful planning, honesty, and practice to create a graduation speech that captures the soul of your journey and motivates the audience. You may construct a discourse recognizing your achievements and providing insightful advice for the future by reflecting on your experiences, selecting key topics, and sharing personal stories. Remember that your words can inspire, motivate, and leave a lasting impression on your fellow graduates and everyone in attendance. Below are tips on how to write a good graduation speech:

  • Draft your speech

Create an outline for your speech. This would make it simpler for you to put your ideas into writing.

  • Create An Introduction

You should only use a few sentences for your introduction. You should thank the previous speaker and introduce yourself in this section.

  • Your speech should be memorable

Incorporate a motivational saying or remark into your speech. While maintaining focus on your speech’s initial objective.

  • Match the wording to your audience

Keep your vocabulary simple enough for your readers to understand. Use terms that are more widely used or recognized. Your audience includes both adults and children. Look for phrases that appeal to the broader people.

  • Edit and revise rour speech

Before giving your speech:

Make revisions. If you still have room for correction, always go back and do it.

Verify your work for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Make sure your tone is appropriate for the audience by reviewing it.

Honesty and connection are vital mechanisms for writing a memorable graduation speech. Your speech will have more meaning if you reflect on shared experiences, incorporate personal anecdotes, and embrace essential ideas. Your speech serves as an inspiration for the graduating class by addressing both previous accomplishments and anticipated difficulties. Explore the best demonstration speech ideas and topics.

Remember that keeping your speech brief and sincere helps sustain involvement. Thank everyone who helped, and after some practice, speak confidently when you deliver your message. Summarizing the key points and offering a concluding statement that sticks in the mind can help you make a lasting impact. Your commencement speech turns into a guiding light that shows the way forward.

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How to Write a High School Graduation Speech (+ Examples)

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Amanda Green was born in a small town in the west of Scotland, where everyone knows everyone. I joined the Toastmasters 15 years ago, and I served in nearly every office in the club since then. I love helping others gain confidence and skills they can apply in every day life.

I was in several clubs in high school, I was the valedictorian, and I happened to be the youngest in our graduating class. Needless to say, I had to write and give more than one speech at our graduation.

Being asked to give a graduation speech in high school is a tremendous honor and responsibility. It takes a lot of preparation, from planning to writing and editing your speech.

My guide should show you how to write a graduation speech for high school, especially with the examples I’ve included. Follow the template and tips, and you’re sure to receive a standing ovation from your audience.

How Long Is a High School Graduation Speech?

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The best high school graduation speeches aren’t long and boring since the ceremonies already take hours. Aim for an address that doesn’t exceed 10 minutes. Keep your audience’s attention and save some for other people’s speeches.

Your graduation speech should only be around 500 to 600 words. You have to read it slowly and articulate the words clearly. One way to keep it shorter is by removing cliches and other unnecessary content.

High School Graduation Speech Template

Essays and speeches usually have three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. Here is a structure you can follow for a memorable high school graduation speech.

Introduction

  • Thank people for attending. Acknowledge the presence of your teachers, parents, and fellow graduates.
  • Introduce yourself. Not everyone in the room knows you, even if you’re the class valedictorian.
  • Catch the audience’s attention by sharing a motivational quote or saying. Your personal narratives and advice will later be based on this saying.
  • Recall memorable high school experiences. Anything is worth sharing, whether it’s a simple day in class or your debate competition.
  • Encourage classmates not to forget these beautiful memories.
  • Share helpful advice for this new chapter of their lives.
  • Restate the quote or saying you mentioned in the introduction.
  • End with a call to action that will encourage the graduates to make a difference.
  • Thank the audience for hearing you out.

How to Write a Graduation Speech for High School

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Public speaking takes a lot of preparation. Here are some tips you should follow when writing and delivering a graduation speech for high school.

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Pick a Theme

Inspirational high school graduation speeches leave a mark on people. If you want to create one, try building it around a central message.

Think about everything you experienced in high school and look for patterns. Was high school about learning from mistakes? Or was it about achieving big dreams with small steps? Consider not only what is essential to you but also what is important for your fellow graduates.

Once you have picked a theme, selecting a quote, including advice, and recalling high school memories will be much easier. Here are some popular themes you can consider using for yours, but make sure to choose ones that are relevant to you and/or your class.

  • Embracing failure
  • Big things take time
  • Achieving big dreams with small steps
  • Facing change with grace
  • Overcoming adversity
  • Becoming a lifelong learner
  • Being more intentional and responsible for your future

Begin With Gratitude and a Self-Introduction

Once you step on stage, you must start with a few formalities. Know the name of the previous speakers and acknowledge their excellent speeches. Then, thank everyone in attendance, including the teachers, parents, and fellow students.

Say it’s a privilege to speak before the audience on this special day. This is also the best time to introduce yourself.

Don’t assume that everyone in the room knows who you are. State your name and why you were tasked to create the speech. Below is an example.

“Thank you, Mr. Jones, for the wonderful speech. And thank you to the parents, teachers, staff, and fellow graduates in this room who have made the past four years unforgettable. It’s a pleasure to stand in front of everyone and represent the class of 2022 at this address. I am [name], your class valedictorian.”

Make It About Everybody But You

Your graduation speech is not a mini-biography of your accomplishments. Only sprinkle a few personal anecdotes, then include what the four years of high school have been like for the other students. Below is an example.

“Four years ago, we were freshmen walking through the doors of [school name]. While some of us want to be doctors, artists, engineers, and singers in the future, we all had one goal in mind during that time: to leave a mark on the school in the next four years.”

Recall High School Memories

Tap the ceremony’s nostalgia by recalling important events from the past four years. You can include prom, school fairs, and even mundane scenarios. Include hardships, such as the sudden shift to online classes during the pandemic.

If you are a valedictorian , you should know which memories everyone treasures. Try interviewing some of your peers about their best high school memories. Below is an example.

“Every batch of graduates from [school] has a common core memory. For us, it was probably prom 2022. Instead of getting our beauty sleep the night before the dance, everyone stayed in school until 8 PM because of the last-minute changes. While that experience was full of pressure and chaos, we look back on that memory remembering teamwork and dedication.”

Share Advice

Your advice is the most crucial part of the speech. It serves as a call to action the students will follow in the future.

Make sure to keep it positive and remind everyone that anything is possible. You can also advise them to advocate for others and treat everyone equally.

Here’s an example showing what I mean.

“The future is uncertain, and the only thing we can do is be optimistic about it. We learned to stay determined in the past four years, so we can do it again throughout college or our careers.”

Incorporate Your Personality

Just because you’re speaking for the rest of the class and following an outline doesn’t mean your speech should be boring. You can still infuse your personality through humor, anecdotes , and life experiences.

You can also open your address with something funny, as long as it’s appropriate and timely. If you’re a valedictorian, self-deprecating humor will be a hit. Try adding quirky memories from classes that will immerse your audience.

Leave Your Audience Inspired

You are not at the graduation to merely receive your diploma. As a speaker, you need to leave your audience inspired on the next chapter of their lives. Encourage them to find their purpose and make a difference in the world.

Some speakers end their speeches with another quote. Here is the one I used in my high school speech, but there are tons to be found on the internet you can use that might better suit your needs.

  • “All our dreams can come true… if we have the courage to pursue them.” — Walt Disney

Finally, thank everyone for taking the time to listen to your speech. Express gratitude toward your classmates for the memories over the last four years.

Proofread Your Work

Read your writing out loud and fix parts that don’t sound pleasing. Doing so will make your writing more powerful and precise. Look out for flowery language, excessive adjectives, and lengthy sentences.

When editing, make sure to remove cliches from your writing. These are words and phrases that have been overused in speech and writing. These include phrases like “all walks of life,” “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and “two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Try sharing more personal anecdotes and collective memories than tired pieces of advice. This will make the speech more interesting and customized for the audience. Find out what your fellow high school graduates and the rest of the audience want to hear and know, then write it concisely and effectively.

Once you’re done fixing clarity issues, it’s time to fix structural errors. Perform several edits on your speech to remove all spelling and grammar mistakes.

Practice Your High School Graduation Speech

There’s no exact formula for the perfect valedictorian or commencement speech. But if you follow my tips and examples and speak from the heart, your fellow graduates will live by your words as they go about their futures.

Remember to keep your engaging speech positive and inspiring. Recall memories from high school, then make them look forward to creating new ones in their careers or college.

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How to write a graduation speech, with help from Obama's former speechwriter

Everyone & Graduation

This is an excerpt from the latest episode of Everyone & Their Mom, a new show from Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! Follow us on Apple Podcasts , Spotify or listen on NPR One , and you can find us on Instagram .

Pomp and (less than ideal) circumstances

Host Emma Choi shares the latest in graduation news with Wait Wait panelist Hari Kondabolu (and no, it's not that another one of your high school bullies is going to nursing school): The U.S. has a major cap and gown shortage. Shipments are being held up at every stage of the process, and high schools and universities all over America are being affected. On the plus side, fewer people will have to wear this unflattering outfit.

Hari and Emma also realize that giving a speech at a graduation isn't so different from delivering a tight 5. While he may not be donning a cap and gown anytime soon, Hari drafts up what his next commencement speech might sound like.

My fellow Americans...

Who better to edit Hari's speech than Sarada Peri, one of President Obama's former speechwriters? While she didn't do a full-on Obama impression, her job required her to reorient her brain to think like the President. So in a way, she's a method actor.

Peri has written TONS of graduation speeches, so Emma asks for her advice on being the most inspirational commencement speaker of all time.

The king's speech

Turns out, Hari isn't new to giving graduation speeches; in 2012, he gave a commencement speech to the graduating class of his alma mater, Townsend Harris High School in Queens, NY. Emma talks to Jonathan Apana who was in the audience for Hari's impactful commencement address.

Listen to the full episode to hear more about secret messages and play along with our quizzes. Follow us on Apple Podcasts , Spotify or listen on NPR One , and you can find us on Instagram .

IMAGES

  1. 50 Top Graduation Speech Ideas (& Examples) ᐅ TemplateLab

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  2. 50 Top Graduation Speech Ideas (& Examples) ᐅ TemplateLab

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  3. FREE 10+ Graduation Speech Templates in PDF

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  4. 50 Top Graduation Speech Ideas (& Examples) ᐅ TemplateLab

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  5. 50 Top Graduation Speech Ideas (& Examples) ᐅ TemplateLab

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  6. 50 Top Graduation Speech Ideas (& Examples) ᐅ TemplateLab

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COMMENTS

  1. 50 Top Graduation Speech Ideas (& Examples)

    What should you write about in your graduation speech? Most people wonder what to write for their graduation speech examples. Whether you need to compose a high school graduation speech example or a college graduation speech example, you must put a lot of careful thought and consideration into the contents of your speech.

  2. Crafting Memorable Graduation Speech: Examples & Tips

    How to Write a Graduation Speech? 3. Graduation Speeches From Notable Figures 4. Graduation Speech Examples for Students 5. Graduation Speech Ideas - 2023 6. Graduation Speech Writing Tips What is a Graduation Speech? A graduation speech is the heart of your big day, bringing together all your experiences and achievements.

  3. Graduation Speech Examples That Impart Life Lessons

    1 Oprah Winfrey (Stanford, 2008) "In order to be truly happy, you must live along with and you have to stand for something larger than yourself. Because life is a reciprocal exchange. To move forward you have to give back. And to me, that is the greatest lesson of life. To be happy, you have to give something back."

  4. Writing a Graduation Speech is Easier Than You Think

    How to Write a Graduation Speech (Graduation Speech Examples) Have you been asked to deliver a commencement speech? Or have you worked your butt off to become valedictorian or salutatorian, and now you have to deliver a graduation speech?

  5. 10 Steps To Writing A Graduation Speech

    1. Pick a theme. If you want the audience to feel moved and inspired by your speech (Who doesn't, right?), then it helps to build your speech around a central theme or message. Think about what's important to you as the speaker and what you'd like others to take away from your words.

  6. 12 Most Inspirational Graduation Speeches

    The audience was all women, so the speech was directed at them, but she shared many graduation messages that applied to everyone. 12. Kerry Washington - George Washington University, 2013. You and you alone are the only person who can live the life that writes the story you were meant to tell. Kerry Washington.

  7. How To Write a Graduation Speech

    Congratulations After you have written a draft, ask a teacher, friend or family member to give you feedback about what to keep and what to cut. Remember to be sensitive that there are many different paths after graduation. Some graduates may attend college. Others may not.

  8. Graduation Speech [20 Examples + Template]

    1. Funny Valedictorian Speech This valedictorian entertains the audience of his high school graduation speech with subtle, kind-hearted jokes that reflect the graduating class and the school faculty. The graduation speaker has a sentimental theme to his speech, but his light humor ensures that the presentation is both meaningful and memorable.

  9. How To Write A Graduation Speech: 12 Practical Tips

    "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." - Mark Twain "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." - Albert Einstein "If you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else." - Toni Morrison

  10. 6 tips to write a great graduation speech (with examples)

    English Learn how to write a great graduation speech with our six tips and tons of examples.

  11. This writer analyzed 100 graduation speeches

    1. Dream big "I think it is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. I know that sounds completely nuts. But, since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition. There are so few people this crazy that I feel like I know them all by first name.

  12. How to write a great graduation speech

    5. Keep it short. Unless you are a national leader using the speech to announce a major policy, you won't need more than 20 minutes, tops. Twelve minutes would be even better. The average speaker reads about 120 words a minute, so that's about 1,400-2,400 words or 9-15 pages (double spaced, 16 point font).

  13. From Start to Finish: A Comprehensive Guide On How To Write a

    1. "This is the best day of my life!" 2. "Follow your dreams!" 3. "You're the future!" 4. "It's not goodbye, see you later!" 5. "You're going to change the world!" Distribution of your graduation speech Be very careful if you are using facts and quotes in your graduation speech. Start your graduation speech With a hook statement.

  14. 16 Best Graduation Speeches That Leave a Lasting Impression

    1. Steve Jobs: Stanford, 2005 "You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way...

  15. 3 Ways to Write a Graduation Speech

    Method 1 Considering the Practical Things 1 Ask about the details of the program. You should know the layout of the program, including who will be speaking before and after you. You may want to find out more about what those individuals will be talking about in their speeches.

  16. How to Write a Memorable Graduation Speech

    3. Build a structure and tell the story. Once you know the story you want to tell, use what you know about premise to structure and tell the story first and then build out the rest of the speech around it. A premise outlines a character with a goal who meets conflict and has to act until they reach a crisis point and must make a tough decision ...

  17. Tips on Writing an Amazing Graduation Speech

    1: Start out by thanking someone. The fact is you probably didn't make it through high school all by yourself. Very few people, if any, do anything without a lot of help from someone else. So, show a little humility. It's always good to recognize parents, teachers and friends.

  18. How to Write a Graduation Speech

    Theme: Announce the topic of your speech and mention how you connect to it personally. If you choose to talk about a few topics (like confidence, failure, and endurance), name all of them at the beginning.

  19. A-Z Guide on Writing a Breathtaking Graduation Speech

    1. Start by expressing gratitude. When you are invited to the podium for delivering your speech, always remember to commence it by giving a note of gratitude to the previous speaker who introduced you, for the introduction as well as for the work they perform at the school or university. 2.

  20. How to Write a Graduation Speech

    Here are some key elements of the graduation speech that will make the graduation memorable and cheerful: Brief: Be truthful while keeping the audience interested. Timing: This should be shortened to fit the time provided. Memorable: Keep in mind to include unique events. Accomplishments: Celebrate accomplishments.

  21. 13 Inspiring Graduation Speeches and How to Write One

    13 Inspiring Graduation Speeches. 1. Steve Jobs at Stanford University, 2005. In 2005, Steve Jobs spoke before Stanford University's graduating class. In his speech, he shared three life stories, talking about the time he dropped out of university, when he started Apple and how he got fired from Apple. He also divulged the details of his ...

  22. How to Write a High School Graduation Speech (+ Examples)

    The best high school graduation speeches aren't long and boring since the ceremonies already take hours. Aim for an address that doesn't exceed 10 minutes. Keep your audience's attention and save some for other people's speeches. Your graduation speech should only be around 500 to 600 words. You have to read it slowly and articulate the ...

  23. How to write a graduation speech, with help from Obama's former ...

    Pomp and (less than ideal) circumstances Host Emma Choi shares the latest in graduation news with Wait Wait panelist Hari Kondabolu (and no, it's not that another one of your high school bullies...

  24. Travis Kelce said these three words to Taylor Swift after winning the

    Just like haters gonna hate, Swifties are gonna swoon over Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's winning romance. The Kansas City Chiefs football player gave supporters of the couple plenty to warm ...