A Commencement speech

 

It is that time of the year when a new generation graduates. High schoolers like my own daughter are about to begin their undergraduate degree. College graduates starting to enter the working force. As they stand on the precipice of the future, bid adieu to their current lives, and venture into a new world and a bit of inspiration helps. There are several great commencement speeches. My two all-time favorites are 

  • 2005 Stanford University commencement speech by Steve Jobs and 
  • 2014 University of Texas Austin Commencement address by Naval Adm. William H. McRaven 
Reviewing these two speeches and some of the other great commencement speeches I found there are a few patterns:

  • Humor: A graduation is a once-in-a-lifetime event for the graduates and students as much as they are excited are also nervous. Introducing humor into the speech breaks that seriousness and lightens the mood, grabbing attention, and making the audience receptive to the next part of the speech.
  • Self-Deprecation: Making fun of yourself makes you more accessible and breaks down the barrier between the speaker and the audience. A commencement speaker is normally a high achiever but making fun of yourself, humanizes and will allow students to see them at the same level.
  • An inspiring message: Central component of a commencement speech is its ability to inspire the students to achieve greater things. Steve Jobs told graduates at Stanford to believe in their gut, destiny, life, etc. He goes on to say that "Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path".
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