College Graduation Speech

Does it ever sicken your mind to just think about all the all the stressful sighs you are naturally greeted with on a regular basis just from figuring out the best ways to shorten the year of your degree program without exerting any effort at all? Well, your experiences in college may have been filled with lots of cringe-worthy or dreadful moments. From these moments you have learned all the things you need to know to survive from the relentlessness that the world after college has to generously offer. These are the moments where they are so dreadful and embarrassing that you will just laugh at them in the near future– making sweetness from the bitter experiences. Before you take a step inside the dire gates of the real world, it would be quaint to leave the halls of your college years with grace through the means of composing a college graduation speech.you may also see speech examples.

Although it is not necessary for graduating college students to compose a graduation speech, they are actually done for the purpose of hoarding the memories that they have experiences; thereby, immortalizing moments that have left a significant impact on their lives. Yet, some teachers require graduating students to compose their own graduation speeches. Worry not if you feel so pressured about that for we have examples of college graduation speech in this article. Also, we provide you with our own compositions which you may use at your fullest liberty, though we suggest you apply changes for there are circumstances that are sighted in some of them which may greatly differ from what you had experienced. Just a tip before you make a composition of your own, practice wariness when choosing your words for this sets the tone. The tone, in speeches or in any composition, is very vital for this is what gives justice to the message you want to impart to your audience. The tone you want to set for your college graduation speech should be filled with encouragement, inspirations, gratitude, and sincerity.

To Whom Do You Send or Dedicate College Graduation Speech to

College graduation speeches are not only composed because one of your teachers require you to do so. Rather, these speeches are inspired by all the learning you have gathered from the first days of your college to the nearing end of it. The experiences you mention in your graduation speech may include the pleasant ones, which still grants you a genuine smile or laughter just by thinking them, or the appalling ones, which enabled you to know more about yourself and those around you. In these experiences, people participated in them. Some of them caused it, or some of them were there to help you out. Dedicating and sending your speech to the people who have helped you grow out of your shell would be the best thing to do as a way to pay them with gratitude. So, to whom are you going to dedicate or send your college graduation speech to? The list below can answer that question.

1. Your all-time favorite teacher
2. University president
3. Other faculties or instructors whom you’ve had crossed paths with
4. Friends and Best friend
5. Friends who turned out to be enemies
6. The stranger who made you see your worth when you and others have failed to see it

Other Tips and Techniques in Composing Your Graduation Speech

Composing a speech can be frustrating at some point especially if you don’t know how to make a powerful start. Aside from that, when you are already in the middle of your speech there is a good chance where you are bombarded with the highlights of your college years that you suddenly become overwhelmed with it, which then leaves you some difficulties in ending it. Ease the stress of thinking about it for we have your back. Follow the tips we have listed below and come up with a quality composition.

• Start with an intriguing statement. Some graduation speeches commonly start with cliche graduation quotes that grant the crowd with boredom. That’s one thing you must prevent so that you can impart the message of your speech to the crowd with success. So how do you make a powerful start? You can start your speech with a philosophy that you live by, instead of the cliche quotes for graduations. Or, you may also start with a catchphrase that is not common to all. From these, your audience is going to be intrigued and keep on wondering how such a statement is relevant to your college experiences. But, the use of catchphrase or famous sayings is not actually necessary for there are still ways for your introduction to be powerful. If you are met with difficulties in doing so, you can always resort to the use of catchphrases or famous sayings that are not common to all.
• A lengthy speech’s power can be reduced to nothingness. No matter how powerful the content of your speech is a lengthy one can cause too much boredom that its message fails to be imparted to the audience. Don’t feed all the details of your message to your audience. Spoonfeeding information destroys the sense of intrigue which makes your audience know where you are leading them. Try imagining yourself as one of the audiences who are about to experience an hour or two of listening to any speech? Makes you not want to listen after fifteen minutes of listening from the rambling speech, right? Don’t beat around the bushes and be straightforward. Furthermore, site, at most, only three instances during your college years that are significant to you which others can also relate to it or ponder about the learnings you have obtained.
• Minimize the use of big words. As per Ernest Hemingway, “Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.” The purpose of your speech is to inculcate the learnings you have obtained during your college years and express your gratitude to the people who are so deserving of it, not to brag the vastness of your lexicon. If you use too many words that are not familiar to others, there is a big chance that the purpose of your speech will be nullified.
• You can end your speech with a question instead of an answer to leave a lasting impression or that your audience will have something to ponder on. If you are the lucky one who thinks have found the answer to all your questions, it would be best not to share your answer with the crowd. You have to remember that we live by different philosophies and our perception towards things and circumstances greatly differ. Sharing your answers to the general questions in life breeds to criticism. We discourage composing your speech to impose forcefully what you have learned during your college years to others which might consider your answers ineffective or not helpful at all. By ending your speech with a question that makes them think critically, your speech will become memorable.

How to Deliver Your Graduation Speech

Standing in front of an ocean of crowd can make your knees really weak especially if you become too conscious about the quality of your speech. Well, there are ways for you to conquer your stage freight to and become confident about the quality of your output and the way you are going to deliver it. Want to know how? Read below.

1. Practice

   Now that you have a composition you have to prepare yourself in presenting it. Although it is not necessary to memorize each word in your composition, it would be better to do so that you won’t have to bring a piece of paper containing your inspirational speech when delivering it. Once you have familiarized or memorized your composition, try facing a mirror so that you are going to be aware of your gestures and postures you think are awkward. From this, you will come up with better gestures and deliver the speech with a posture that adds conviction to your speech. You can also try inviting someone to judge you so that you will realize what are the other areas of opportunities that you need to work on. Don’t forget to time yourself when delivering your speech for you to be aware if your speech induces boredom for being too lengthy. If you think that your speech is taking too much of your audience’s time, find some parts in your speech that you can just rid of.

2. Don’t Make it seem Like You Are Reading Your Speech to Your Audience

   Give justice to the power of your content by not sounding monotonous like a robot in front of your audience. Deliver it like you are conversing with them. That being said, you have to look at your audience’s eyes to increase the conviction that is weaved in your speech. Usually, others would advise you to just look at your audience’s head to reduce being anxious– which is apparently wrong. By locking eyes with your audience (at most three seconds), you are able to set your pacing and tone naturally as humans converse with each other. For the audience to cling to the highlights of your speech, increase the volume of your voice a little bit and take some time to pause then proceed afterward. Through this, your audience will cling to every word you have to say. Bottom line: sound natural to connect with your audience.

3. Use Gesticulations to Point Out Important Parts of Your Speech

   Being too stiff in front of the crowd is going to be an unpleasant sight. We also don’t mean you keep your hands moving throughout the speech. Body language is important when delivering your speech and you should know exactly when to use your hand. For example, raising a fist to your audience when pointing out a significant part of your speech can strengthen your it.

4. Take a Deep Breathe Before Facing Your Audience

   Delivering a speech with a troubled mind does not do you any good at all. Don’t allow your shaking nerves to get the best out of you and make yourself a laughingstock in front of your audience. Imagine yourself being worn by anxiety, nervousness, or stress. Is it someone you don’t want to listen to right? When your nervousness manifests physically, your hands and voice will shake which greatly enfeebles the messages of your speech; thereby,  nullifying the purpose of your hard work. There are many ways you can relieve your stress or calm your nerves down. One of its ways is by taking a deep breath. Take a deep breath and imagine all the negativities ebb away as you exhale and have fun.

Examples of College Graduation Speech

We are too familiar with all the difficulties in composing a college graduation speech and we don’t want you to experience the most difficult parts of it. So, we provide you some college graduation speeches in this section to help you get started. Check our own compositions below.

• “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” John A. Shedd. I had always been the type of student who never ventured to places that only promises risk and failures. Mediocrity is what I have always settled for, but I knew right then that I was never granted the contentment I desire. So I tried my hardest to sail to the stormy oceans. I encountered a lot of devastating moments; moments where learnings in life were realized. At first, I regretted my ambitious decisions but eventually, I learned to realize that I have grown well personally. I sailed through different oceans and I have learned to dance with the harsh waves gracefully. The things I fear so much in the past turned into the things that I admire most. These waves have helped me fortify every fiber of my existence. To my classmates and teachers who were present on my college moments I cherish most, I am indebted with gratitude for you have helped me turn my ambitions to flesh.
• I have a clear recollection of the early phases of my college life. I knew I got myself into a big trouble when I took my steps in this University. Nevertheless, the dreams of my parents for me compelled me to enroll in a degree program which I tried my hardest to convince myself that I was passionate at. How could anyone is so driven to all the courses the students will take when the air of the school is filled with overt signs of distress? My second year in this school did not go as pleasant as my first year was and I was forced to change my degree program. I came to a realization that the first degree I chose was just the dreams of my parents they forced on me ever since I was young. I was easily convinced since they promise me the pay is good and that I will be able to get all the things I want. But, what is it in being rich when you have denied the desires of your soul? It took me some time to think about this until I met the most wonderful people in my life. I was able to make friends. We usually talk about stupid stuff over liquors until we feel tipsy and, thus, talk about profound stuff. Their pieces of advice made me feel like a puzzle which they willingly helped me find the parts I was missing. The moment I told my parents about my decision of changing my degree program, they were devastated. But, I proved them that the fortune I will get from pursuing their dreams for me would never fill the emptiness I will feel. This is the highlight of my college days and I am truly grateful that I was met with such discouraging moments for I have finally found my ground as a  human, and no one will ever rob this from me.
• The moment I wore this sacred gown, I remembered how rough the tides have been that I was close to giving up not only on my dreams but also on myself. Fortunately, I made acquaintances with the best classmates. They have been a huge help to me for I was able to learn significant life lessons through them. My life had been a roller coaster ride and enjoyed all the ups than the down. But with them, I have learned to appreciate the downs for I now scream with excitement rather than despair each time the ride goes there. There are profound realizations that can be learned during these moments and, surely, I am excited to know what they are. To all my friends who have molded me to become the best version of me, I pay you my sincerest gratitude.
• My life of being a student has finally come to an end and all there’s left of it are memories that has forever changed me. Truth be told, I felt a slight pang in my heart when I discovered that I am going to graduate. I don’t mean to say that I am unhappy of graduating, it is just that I am sad for I fully know that I will miss all the persons I have crossed paths with who changed me into a better one. And, too, I fear what’s there to come now that something has ended. Well, I have always lived my life like this and of all the things that I have gotten rid of, this is one thing that I failed to do. I actually developed this characteristic during my college years, and I am grateful for it happened for it drives me to be prepared for the battles of my future though I fear them. Thanks to all the people and circumstances that happened to me for I know better now the ways to combat some battles. Although there are still battles I don’t know yet how to combat, the experiences in my college life will help me endure all of them. I will carry all the things I have learned in my college years as I tread the paths of the uncertain future. Through this, no adversity will ever be too strong to dishearten and dispirit me in searching for the happiness I still am seeking in the career path I have chosen.