by Jared Garrett

Created on: May 14, 2008

I delivered my first public speech at my high-school graduation when I was eighteen years old. With the inside of my robe damp from sweat and the papers I held shaking like a dog eager for a walk, I stood at the podium and had to clear my throat several times before I could say anything coherent. For the first few minutes, I had trouble raising my eyes to look at my audience of hundreds.

But later, I had them rolling in laughter and silently reverent at the right moments. After the first joke came off okay, I was finally able to relax and really talk to my listeners. Since that experience, I have had occasion to do quite a lot of public speaking, usually in settings where the speech is supposed to be inspiring, and the formula is actually similar for nearly any venue.

While delivering a successful graduation speech involves delivery, eye-contact, and body language, writing the speech itself can be a challenge. Ultimately, writing an inspirational graduation speech comes down to using anecdotes, quotes, personal experiences and sincerity.

Anecdotes can be used with great effectiveness in a graduation speech. In fact, it is often useful to begin your speech with an amusing anecdote, usually one that is self-deprecating. By doing this, you engage your audience. Then, use anecdotes that tie in well with your speech's theme throughout the speech, giving the proper emotional weight to the lessons these anecdotes teach. The main two rules for anecdote use are to balance humor and seriousness and to use them at the appropriate times to lend weight and authority to your words.

Quotes are useful because they often come from those with popularly recognized authority and they are usually brief and powerful. To use quotes effectively, you want to space them appropriately amongst your anecdotes and words, as too many quotes basically will make your speech seem too heavily laden and swampy. What is more, you can use quotes from books, speeches and even poems.

Personal experiences lend experiential wisdom to your inspirational speech. These experiences should not be used to illustrate your own perfection or superior qualities, rather they should illuminate trials and acheivement through hard work. Remember that your personal experiences can be useful only if you do not overburden your listeners with long lists of your qualities and accomplishments. Personal experiences are like punctuation: to be used in the right places and at the right times. Also, never make up or embellish a personal experience. You are always better off just telling it like it is.

Sincerity is the final ingredient of inspirational speeches. If you fake bonhomie, righteousness, or wisdom, your audience will quickly lose interest. If you are nervous, tell your audience that you are. If you make a mistake, lead the way in laughing at yourself. As you speak, be sure to imbue your words with your strong belief that what you are saying is true. Let your audience know that you actually care for them and they will reciprocate by listening and catching the spirit of your speech.

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