by Dawn Hawkins

Created on: June 05, 2009

Graduation is one of the most important days of your life. It is the beginning of a new life for you and all of your classmates. If you are chosen as the Valedictorian, you want to give a speech that will inspire your fellow graduates to move on into the world and be the best that they can be. It is difficult to write a speech that is as important as this one. You will want it to be remembered for a long time. As your words echo through the stadium, they should also echo in the hearts of those who listen to them.

Here are some tips for writing a graduation speech that will be inspiring:

Reference Past, Present and Future

Making references to where you all have been, where you are now and where you want to be always offers an inspiring tone. You had to be where you were to get where you are which leads to where you will go later. This will give your listeners the feeling that you are talking to each individual person.

For instance: "We have gone from kindergarten to this graduation day with our hopes and dreams of what we will become when we walk out of these doors for the last time. After you receive your diploma today, I challenge each and everyone of you to reach for that dream every day of your life."

Recognize Failure

Failure is a part of life. Everyone has them, there is no way around it. Bringing that into your speech will help remind the other students that even though there are failures in life, it is what we do without our failures that counts.

For instance: "We will all have failures along the way. When you falter, get back up, brush yourself off and reach for dreams again. It is not failure that keeps us down but unwillingness." In stating this to the students, you let them know that it is normal to falter at times, but you can still move towards your dreams.

Reference Specific Careers

If you want to really inspire your audience, use references to specific career fields. By using several different references, you will put a challenge out to the students in a different way. The students will be ready to go out and get those careers that will provide well for them and be satisfying at the same time.

For instance: "The world lies at our feet today. Among us, there may be future doctors, lawyers, politicians and astronauts. There are no limits except the ones we place before ourselves."

Pride

Encourage your listeners to take pride in what they do. It shouldn't matter who they are or where they come from, taking pride in what we do is one of the most important things you can inspire in them. For instance: "We have faced struggles in the past and will surely face them again as we move through our lives. What we all have in common is pride. We are proud of who we are and what we have accomplished by getting here today. Carry pride with your through the years. Take pride in who you are and what you do for the rest of your lives."

These tips should help you in writing an inspiring speech for your graduation day. This day only comes once in a lifetime. It is a day to celebrate accomplishments that you and your classmates have achieved. It is a day for looking to the past for comfort, to the present with hope and to the future with success. Be sure to practice your speech many times before actually giving it. This will alone the tone to come across the way you wish it to. Congratulations to you and all of your classmates on this special day!

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