USA TODAY had an article in yesterday's paper about what makes good commencement speeches.
Here are the eight criteria they listed for a memorable speech.
1. Inspire us...but lose the cliches.
2. Talk about yourself...but make it meaningful to us.
3. Make us laugh...but leave stand-up routines to the pros.
4. Practice...but don't sound practiced.
5. Make us think...but don't make us seethe.
6. Do your homework...because details matter.
7. Hope for a sunny day...but even then, have pity.
8. Finally, keep it short. Period.
So, summarizing all of these points, it sounds like the number one and overall rule should be: think of your audience first.
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1 comment:
Sounds like good advice, but from the graduations I've been to, I think few follow these guidelines. Most that I can remember were way too long and mostly just cliches strung together.
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