Graduation season is here. So many commencement ceremonies, so many speeches in each ceremony. So many of them repeating the same content over and over.
I attended two graduations this week, each of them including about five speeches apiece. The bad news is all of the speeches had the exact same message. The good news is everybody was clearly instructed to keep their speeches to 10 minutes or less. After all, several hundred diplomas had to be distributed!
Naturally, the subject for all of the speeches was new beginnings, moving forward, don't be sad, etc. etc. But what else are these poor teenagers supposed to talk about? Why do so many of them have to give speeches at graduation anyway? Most were so nervous onstage, I'm sure they would've only felt relief at being relieved of the obligation.
When adults speak, they usually share great stories about their own life and unique challenges they faces and overcame. That's what makes the speeches interesting, what gets the audience involved emotionally. A recent favorite commencement speech was that delivered by Ellen DeGeneres at Tulane University last year. It's short, moving, gut-busting hilarious, and lasted all of 10 minutes.
Then again, does anybody care about these commencement speeches? Aren't they just a tradition, a formality that no one is expected to listen to anyway? What's the real purpose of these ceremonies anyway?
From what I've seen, they're the following: – Distribute the diplomas – Celebrate your son's, daughter's, relatives' and friends' high school graduation and various academic awards – Get pictures and videos of the kids you're there to support.
Here's an idea or two to make graduation speeches. Find someone who's the leader of a local Toastmasters club. Hire them to write and deliver an original graduation speech for a few hundred dollars. Instruct them to interview students and staff to reference stories about the highlights of the seniors year and how it distinguishes them as a class. Don't pay them until after they deliver the speech.
And please, let's only force one reluctant teenager to get up on stage and give a speech about new beginnings in the future!
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