No doubt you are looking forward to special events in your life and the lives of those close to you. Be it a wedding, an awards banquet, a funeral, or another occasion, a few carefully chosen words can help to heighten the significance and emotions of the event. While speeches for special occasions are designed to be different from those for school or work, the basic tenets of public speaking still apply. What is very important to keep in mind is that the event is about sharing and celebrating with others. A special occasion speech is meant to lift others up, even in the solemn case of a funeral eulogy. Even if you are the emcee of an event or the winner of an award who is asked to give an acceptance speech, remember the focus should not be on you, but rather on the event itself or the person or people being celebrated.
In Module 2, you will deliver your first speech which will address a special occasion where you will be expected to speak for 2-3 minutes.
Step 1: You will select one of the following prompts to deliver the speech:
You are the maid of honor or best man, or a best friend giving a toast at a wedding to someone close to you.
You are receiving an award or delivering a speech to thank someone for something, for example, receiving the Most Valuable Player award in your favorite sport.
You are giving an after-dinner speech to the members of an organization, club, or employer you are affiliated with.
You are roasting your best friend at their birthday dinner party (this would require them to be in the audience for your recorded speech).
You are saying farewell to your friends at a dinner party before leaving the country to study abroad or to accept a job in another state.
You are honoring someone else at a special event and are presenting them with a motivational speech.
Step 2: Answer the following, to the best of your ability or using an educated guess, about the occasion selected:
Who—is this speech about, who else is speaking, and who invited me to speak?
What—is the reason for the occasion and what is the goal of my speech?
Where—will I be speaking during the program and where is the location of the function?
When—is the occasion, and can I practice in the venue before the event?
Why—have they chosen me to speak and what can I bring to this speech that is uniquely mine?
How— long will I have to speak and how do I want my speech to be remembered?
How—much do I want my message to resonate? How will I match the event’s style/tone?
Step 3: Write the first paragraph of the introduction for the special occasion speech selected in Step 1.
For example: As Henry David Thoreau said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.” After four years of working through our studies and learning about ourselves and one another, I am honored to deliver this valedictorian speech today. As we peer into our future, we cannot imagine what lies ahead, but we can go confidently and trust the process. Today, I will speak to you about the going, the gifting, and the getting of our futures.
Note that for demonstration purposes, this example follows a different prompt.
Submit your plans for your speech in a .doc or .docx file.
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