Steve Jobs at Stanford in 2005 J. K. Rowling at Harvard in 2008 David Foster Wallace at Kenyon in 2009
“Find and follow your passion” “You do not need to be perfect” “If you think and believe you can, you can” “Try selflessness and give back”
Your outline should include multiple parts, sections, and subsections.
Note any themes or trends amongst the students. Find the most common and important ones, and stick with those. Don’t forget the smaller memories and lesser-known stories. Mentioning them during your speech will help make those people feel noticed.
If you aren’t sure how your speech will go, think about if you were listening to it. Is this the kind of speech you would like to hear at your graduation?[5] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC’s on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source If you’re not sure you would enjoy it, your fellow students probably won’t either.
Talk to your principal or teachers to get a sense of how much time you have. If they don’t have good guidelines, 5 to 10 minutes should be more than enough. The average speaker reads about 120 words in a minute. That is a little less than 1 page of double-spaced,16-point font, which you’ll want because it is easier to read. [7] X Research source
Keep the message short, brief and to the point. This will make it easier to remember. Your message does not have to be philosophical or mundane. It can be humorous.
One way to make this more accessible to the rest of the class is to finish this section by encouraging or reminding the other graduates to thank someone too.
One style of joke is the funny inspirational quote, like Will Rogers’s “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there,” or Ben Franklin’s “You will find the key to success under the alarm clock. ” These clever lines can be a good start to a speech, introducing your big theme. [10] X Research source Look for funny stories specific to your school. These can help personalize your speech, and reference things that most of the audience will recognize. You can make fun of school construction that was “building the future one closed hallway at a time. ” You only need to include a few jokes. This is a valedictorian speech, not an audition for your stand-up comedy career. Remember to write them down and rehearse them just like the rest of your speech. You don’t stumble over the punchlines or forget how they go on the big day. Keep it clean. Your audience will include teachers, parents, grandparents, and siblings, including your own, so make sure your jokes are appropriate for all.
Make sure you mention specific accomplishments. Look for sports championships, awards, charity events, anything that you or your classmates accomplished during your time in high school. The more examples you can include that don’t involve you, the better. You are celebrating your whole class’ accomplishments, not just your own.
As the valedictorian, you are probably going on to college after graduating. That may not be true for everyone in your class, so don’t forget to mention other possible avenues like getting a job or serving in the military. If you aren’t sure what kinds of things your classmates are doing after graduation, that’s a great thing to ask when you talk to them.
If you don’t have a specific funny story about you or your friends, consider talking about how you’ve changed over your time in high school. Think about how you felt when you started as a freshman, how you got lost in the large school, or couldn’t reach your locker. A personal story is also a good way to add a little self-deprecating humor, as long as you are comfortable telling a story where you don’t look brilliant or cool.
This means quotes too. One or two good quotes from famous people can be useful, as long as they relate directly to your main point. Remember that people want to hear you talk, not recite a list of famous lines.
If you can, recreate the setting as much as possible. Wear your cap and gown so you will be comfortable in them, and practice at the podium or where the graduation is, if possible. The more familiar you are with the setting, the more comfortable you will be in giving your speech.
Letting one or two tears out can be fine. You can always pass it off by blaming allergies, or make a joke about it being dusty in the room.
