Student Speaker Guidelines
Winter Commencement
January 27, 2012

Speech Submission Deadline
Monday, November 14, 2011

Return submissions to:
Office of Student Affairs
Boyden Hall, Room106

1. typewritten,
2. double-spaced on 8½ x 11 paper,
3. approximately 5 minutes in delivery length, and
4. include a cover page with their name, address, telephone number, e-mail and date of graduation.
   * Do not include your name or identifying information on the essay pages.

1. Finalists will be invited to present their essays as speeches to the committee.  If your speech is selected for final review, rehearse the speech very thoroughly, giving careful attention to the techniques you will use for effective delivery. Your delivery, as well as content, will be considered in the final selection of a commencement speaker.
2. The essay will be evaluated by members of a committee comprised of the following:

3. The candidate selected will be required to meet with a faculty member in communication studies to further develop the written speech and for coaching and practice in the delivery of the speech.

1. Make sure your speech meets the expectations of the audience; remind people of the event they are commemorating. Commencement is “...one of the punctuation marks” of your life [Gamble & Gamble]. Remember that you are speaking to both your classmates and the faculty, staff, family and friends who have assembled to share this special day. It is a time to “relive shared golden moments” [Osborn & Osborn], not “bemoan the world’s inevitable destruction” [Beebe & Beebe].
    
2. Use personal anecdotes and appropriate humor, but be aware that you are speaking for others as well as yourself. Though the words you use are your own and the feelings you express are sincere, you are speaking as a representative of your class [Gamble & Gamble]. You are speaking to reflect their sentiments. The spotlight may seem to be on you, but your job is to refocus its beam on your classmates and the commencement event.
    
3. Avoid the clichés and words that every other speaker at commencement has used; make appropriate use of metaphor. Choose vivid, colorful language; “the words you select should arouse sensory images and reflect the correct level of seriousness and formality of the occasion” [Ayres & Miller]. Be original, but remember that everything about your speech should be consistent with the tone of the ceremony.

4. Be brief. “Every word and phrase should be the right one, carefully chosen to bring about the desired emotional response” [Ayers & Miller]. Hanna and Gibson suggest that sincere, simple feelings are best.
    
5. According to Whitman and Foster, a commencement speech generally addresses the following three topics:
    
   • It offers congratulations. Parents, grandparents, friends, and relatives all need to be acknowledged. They are proud of you and your classmates and appreciate being associated with your success.
      
   • It reviews accomplishments. As members of the Class of 2012, what obstacles did you overcome? What special characteristics have you exhibited? What are your significant accomplishments? These should be in sweeping terms with specifics that could apply to members of the graduating class not just yourself.
      
   • It issues a challenge. The word commencement denotes a beginning. What does the future look like for the Class of 2012, what are the problems that you will be called upon to address as you take your place in society? What inspirational thoughts can you share which will assure your classmates that they are prepared and ready to take up the challenge?