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Commencement is the day when degrees and diplomas are conferred. That means that speakers at such ceremonies are speaking to people who are at a crossroads in their lives. They have those important bits of paper but most of them have not yet commenced life in the working world. Alternatively, they have studied so that they can change their world. What the speaker says at the ceremony can affect them for years to come.

So commencement speeches should encourage and stimulate the graduates. They should be delivered with passion and verve. This is not a day for a bland, boring speech and an audience that has fallen asleep. It is a day when the speaker has to open up the world of opportunities for the graduates.

So their opening lines have to grab the attention of a young audience and their more mature parents. The speaker may choose to tell a story, use a saying or even tell a joke. If he chooses the joke he should be very careful that it is a suitable one and that he can deliver it well. Once launched into his commencement speech the speaker should ensure that what he is saying is relevant to the future of the students.

That means speaking about their whole future, their whole lives. Obviously his emphasis must be on the subject they have chosen to study but he should always remember that they will be citizens as well as engineers or doctors. His speech should refer to the life outside work as well as inside it.

He should also refer to the special ethos of the college in question. He should encourage pride in their alma mater and, of course, he should also encourage gratitude to parents and staff. Commencement ceremonies are unique events particular to each group of student and the speech should be unique and relevant too.

If a speaker is speaking to High School graduates his speech will obviously have to be more general because he will not know why each student has chosen to do at third level. So he will speak of availing of educational opportunities and the possibilities of life outside university. He will challenge the students to avail of the chances life has to offer.

Commencement speeches should paint a picture of things to do and places to see. They should whet the appetite of the graduates for leading richer, fuller lives. They should say “” Go out there and grab all your own particular life has to offer”