Purposes

16 Special Occasion Speeches

Speaking to Inspire, Entertain, or Honor

In this chapter . . .

Special occasion speeches are the umbrella term for all speeches that don’t fall into either informative or persuasive. As such there is a lot of diversity within speeches of this style. These speeches are often more personal. Additionally, they are more likely to use elements of storytelling and personal reflection. We cover the four ingredients of special occasion speeches, types of speeches in this category, and tips for delivering a special occasion speech.

Sometimes the speaking opportunities that life brings our way have nothing to do with specifically informing or persuading an audience; instead, we are asked to speak during special occasions in our lives. Whether you are standing up to give a speech at an awards ceremony or a toast at a wedding, knowing how to deliver speeches in a variety of different contexts is the nature of special occasion speaking. In this chapter, we are going to explore what special occasion speeches are as well as several types of special occasion speeches ranging from humorous to somber.

In broad terms, a special occasion speech is designed to honor, celebrate, appreciate, acknowledge, commemorate, or eulogize. Like informative or persuasive speeches, special occasion speeches should communicate a clear message, but the manner of speaking used is typically different. The word “special” in the term “special occasion speeches” is subjective in that while some speaking occasions truly are special occasions (e.g., a toast at a wedding, an acceptance speech at an awards banquet, a eulogy at a funeral for a loved one), they can also be given at more mundane events, such as the hundreds of public relations speeches that big companies give every day. The goal of a special occasion speech is to stir an audience’s emotions and make them feel a certain way in response to the situation or occasion.  The general purpose of a special occasion speech might be “to inspire,” “to celebrate,” “to honor,” or “to entertain.”

To help us think through how to be effective in delivering special occasion speeches, let’s look at four key ingredients: preparation, adaptation to the occasion, adaptation to the audience, and mindfulness about the time.

Four Key Ingredients of Special Occasion Speeches

Be Prepared

First, the biggest mistake you can make when standing to deliver a special occasion speech is to under-prepare or simply not prepare at all. We’ve stressed the need for preparation throughout this text, and special occasion speeches are no exception. You must think through the speech before you stand up and speak out. If the situation is impromptu, like a toast, even jotting down some basic notes on a napkin is better than not having any plan at all for what you are going to say.

Adapt to the Occasion

Not all content is appropriate for all occasions. Wedding toasts are often humorous. If you are asked to deliver a speech commemorating the first anniversary of a school shooting, then obviously telling a joke wouldn’t be appropriate. Commencement speeches at graduation are usually full of energy as they celebrate and inspire the audience. A eulogy, on the other hand, is typically solemn. Being a competent speaker is about being both personally effective and socially appropriate. Different special speaking occasions require different content, but also appropriate levels of formality, seriousness, tone, and demeanor.

Adapt to Your Audience

Once again, we cannot stress the importance of audience adaptation enough in this text. Different audiences will respond differently to speech material, so the more you know about your audience, the more likely you’ll succeed in your speech.

Be Mindful of the Time

The last major consideration for delivering special occasion speeches successfully is to be mindful of your time. Acceptance speeches and toasts should be relatively short (typically under two minutes). A speech of introduction should be brief, too—just long enough to tell the audience what they need to know about the person being introduced in a style that prepares them to appreciate that person’s remarks. In contrast, commencement speeches, eulogies, and speeches to commemorate events can run ten to twenty minutes in length, depending on the context.

Types of Special Occasion Speeches

Speeches of Introduction

A speech of introduction is a short speech given by the host of an event or ceremony that introduces another speaker and their speech. Few things are worse than when the introducer of a speaker stands up and says, “This is Wyatt Ford. He’s going to talk about stress.” While we did learn the speaker’s name and the topic, the introduction falls flat. Just like any other speech, a speech of introduction should be a complete speech and have a clear introduction (beginning), body, and conclusion.

For the introduction element of a speech of introduction, think of a hook that will make your audience interested in the upcoming speaker. Did you read a news article related to the speaker’s topic? Have you been impressed by a presentation that you’ve heard the speaker give in the past? You need to find something that can grab the audience’s attention and make them excited about hearing the main speaker.

The body of your speech should be devoted to three main points.

  • First, tell your audience in general terms about the overarching topic of the speech.
  • Next, tell the audience why the speaker is a credible presenter on the topic. Has the speaker written books or articles on the subject? Has the speaker had special life events that made them qualified?
  • Lastly, you need to briefly explain to the audience why they should care about the upcoming speech. This outline can be adjusted; for example, you can give the biographical information first, but these three areas should be covered.

The conclusion for this type of speech welcomes the speaker to the platform. Many introducers will conclude by saying something like, “I am looking forward to hearing how Wyatt Ford’s advice and wisdom can help all of us today, so please join me in welcoming Dr. Wyatt Ford.” At this point, you as the person introducing the speaker are “handing off” the speaking duties to someone else, so it’s common to end your speech of introduction by clapping as the speaker comes on stage or shaking the speaker’s hand.

Speeches of Presentation

A presentation speech is a brief speech given to accompany a prize, award, or honor. Speeches of presentation can be as simple as saying, “This year’s recipient of the Lavache Public Speaking prize is Ryann Curley,” or could last up to five minutes as the speaker explains why the honoree was chosen for the award.
When preparing a speech for a presentation, it’s always important to ask how long the speech should be. Once you know the time limit, then you can set out to create the speech itself.
  • First, explain what the award or honor is and why the award is important, significant, or special.
  • Second, explain what the recipient has accomplished to earn the award. Why is this person the best person for this award? Did the person win a race? Did the person write an important piece of literature? Did the person mediate conflict? Whatever the recipient has done, you need to clearly highlight their work.
  • Lastly, if the race or competition was conducted in a public forum and numerous people didn’t win, you may want to recognize those people for their efforts as well. While you don’t want to steal the show away from the winner, you may want to highlight the work of the other competitors or nominees.

Speeches of Acceptance

The complement to a speech of presentation is the speech of acceptance. This is a speech given by the recipient of a prize or honor. There are three typical components of a speech of acceptance:
  • First, thank the givers of the award or honor, thank those who helped you achieve your goal, and put the award or honor into perspective. You want to thank the people who have given you the award or honor and possibly those who voted for you.
  • Second, you want to give credit to those who helped you achieve the award or honor. No person accomplishes things in life on their own. We all have family members, friends, and colleagues who support us and help us achieve what we do in life, and a speech of acceptance is the time to graciously recognize those individuals.
  • Lastly, put the award in perspective. Tell the people listening to your speech why the award is meaningful to you. If you know you are up for an award, the odds of your winning are high. In order to avoid blubbering through an acceptance speech, have one ready. A good rule to remember is: Be thankful, be gracious, be short.

Toasts

At one time or another, almost everyone is going to be asked to deliver a toast. A toast is a speech designed to congratulate, appreciate, or remember. Toasts can be delivered for the purpose of congratulating someone for an honor, a new job, or getting married. You can also toast someone to show your appreciation for something they have done. Often, we toast people to remember them and what they have accomplished.

When preparing a toast, the first goal is always to keep your remarks brief. Toasts are usually given during the middle of some kind of festive event (e.g., wedding, retirement party, farewell party), and you don’t want your toast to take away from those festivities for too long. Second, the goal of a toast is to focus attention on the person or persons being toasted—not on the speaker.

As such, while you are speaking, you need to focus your attention on the people being toasted, both by physically looking at them and by keeping your message about them. You should also avoid any inside jokes between you and the people being toasted because toasts are public and should be accessible for everyone who hears them. To conclude a toast, simply say something like, “Please join me in recognizing Gina for her achievement” and lift your glass. When you lift your glass, this will signal to others to do the same and then you can all take a drink, which is the end of your speech.

Eulogies

A eulogy is a speech given in honor of someone who has died (Don’t confuse “eulogy” with “elegy,” a poem or song of mourning). Not to sound depressing, but since everyone who is alive will someday die, the chance of your being asked to give a eulogy someday for a friend or family member is significant. However, when the time comes to deliver a eulogy, it’s good to know how to prepare your remarks.
When preparing a eulogy, first you need to know as much information about the deceased as possible. While you can rely on your own information, it’s a good idea to ask friends and relatives of the deceased for their memories. Second, although eulogies are delivered on the serious and sad occasion of a funeral or memorial service for the deceased, it’s very helpful to look for at least one point to be lighter or humorous.
If you are asked to give a eulogy, that means you were probably close to the deceased and are experiencing shock, sadness, and disbelief at your loved one’s passing. The last thing that you will want to do (or be in a mental state to do) is figure out how to structure your eulogy. To that end, here are three parts of a eulogy (i.e., main points) you can use to write one without worrying about being original with structure or organizational patterns: praise, lament, and consolation.
  • Praise. Remind the audience what made that person so special. Praise them and their accomplishments. This can include notable achievements, personal qualities or anecdotes and stories.
  • Lament. To lament means to express grief or sorrow, which is what everyone at a funeral has gathered to do. You will want to acknowledge that everyone is sad, and that the deceased’s passing will be difficult to get through.
  • Console. The last step in a eulogy is to console the audience, or to offer comfort in a time of grief. What you must remember (and many people often forget) is that a eulogy isn’t a speech for the person who has died; it’s a speech for the people who are still living to try to help them deal with the loss. You’ll want to end your eulogy on a positive note. Offer some hope that someday, things will get better. If the deceased was a religious person, this is where you might want to incorporate elements of that belief system.

Speeches of Farewell

A farewell speech allows someone to say good-bye to one part of their life as they move on to the next part of life. Perhaps you’ve accepted a new job and are leaving your current job, or you’re graduating from college and entering the work force. When preparing a farewell speech, the goal should be to thank the people in your current position and let them know how much you appreciate them as you make the move to your next position in life. Second, you want to express to your audience how much the experience has meant to you. A farewell speech is a time to commemorate and think about the good times you’ve had. As such, you should avoid negativity during this speech. Lastly, you want to make sure that you end the speech on a high note.

Speeches for Commencements

A commencement speech is designed to recognize and celebrate the achievements of a graduating class or other group of people. If you’re ever asked to deliver a commencement speech, there are some key points to think through when deciding on your speech’s content.
  • If there is a specific theme for the graduation, make sure that your commencement speech addresses that theme. If there is no specific theme, come up with one for your speech. Some common commencement speech themes are commitment, competitiveness, competence, confidence, decision making, discipline, ethics, failure (and overcoming failure), faith, generosity, integrity, involvement, leadership, learning, persistence, personal improvement, professionalism, reality, responsibility, and self-respect.
  • Talk about your life and how graduates can learn from your experiences to avoid pitfalls or take advantages of life. How can your life inspire the graduates in their future endeavors?
  • Make the speech humorous. Commencement speeches should be entertaining and make the audience laugh a bit.
  • Be brief! Nothing is more painful than a commencement speaker who drones on and on. Remember, the graduates are there to get their diplomas; their families are there to watch the graduates walk across the stage.
  • Remember, while you may be the speaker, you’ve been asked to impart wisdom and advice for the people graduating and moving on with their lives, so keep it focused on them.
  • Place the commencement speech into the broader context of the graduates’ lives. Show the graduates how the advice and wisdom you are offering can be utilized to make their own lives better.
Overall, it’s important to make sure that you have fun when delivering a commencement speech. Remember, it’s a huge honor and responsibility to be asked to deliver a commencement speech, so take the time to really think through and prepare your speech.

Special Occasion Delivery

Your delivery for a special occasion speech will skew in favor of manuscript speaking rather than extemporaneous. While it’s still vital to establish eye contact with your audience and to not sound like you are reading, it’s also important to get the words exactly right because the occasion is special.

You will need to practice your special occasion speech as much as or even more than you did for your informative or persuasive speeches. You need to know what you are going to say and feel comfortable knowing what is coming next. Knowing your speech will also allow you to counteract the flow of adrenaline into your system, something particularly important given that special occasion speeches tend to be very emotional, not just for the audience, but for you as well. Basically, knowing your speech well allows you to incorporate the emotion that a special occasion speech is meant to convey, something that is hard to do when you read the entirety of your speech. In this way your audience will sense the pride you feel for a graduating class during a commencement speech, the sorrow you feel for the deceased during a eulogy, or the gratitude you have when accepting an award.

Conclusion

Special occasion speaking is the most varied type of speaking to cover; however, there are some general rules to keep in mind regardless of what type you are engaged in. Remember that using good, evocative language is key, and that it’s important that you deliver your speech in a way that both conveys the proper emotion for the occasion as well as allows you to give the speech exactly as you wrote it.

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Public Speaking as Performance Copyright © 2023 by Mechele Leon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.