Ceremonial Speech

Ceremonial Speech

Name:

Institution:

Ceremonial Speech

Introduction

• The introduction needs to be forthright about the speaker’s topic.
• It is important that the audience is familiarized about the speaker’s personality especially his/her accomplishments that are relevant to the said topic (Petersons, 2010).
• A sense of anticipation about the topic as well as the speaker needs to be built.

General Principles

• The speech needs to be brief, although that is dependent on the level of interaction that the audience has had with the speaker.
• It is imperative that focus is laid on some of the speaker’s accolades but not all in order to save time.
• A positive vibe needs to be maintained rather than the use of condescending or derogatory remarks.
• Finessing the obvious assumptions would be great and this is achievable using common expressions such as “as we all know”.

Strategies for beginning Introductions

• The use of a quote would appropriately set the tone for the speech by acting as a springboard to the presentation.
• A deliberate attempt of beginning from general issues such as his/her organization/cause and gradual build up towards specific items is recommended.
• Highlight the theme of the meeting as well while identifying the meeting’s impact.
• Business connections to complementary activities can be raised at this point and the speaker’s opinions/philosophies reinforced by the provision of examples and their fruition.

Body

Biography and Personality

Life/Career

• The speaker’s life needs to be retold in order to draw parallels between the beginnings and the current success
• Emphasis has also to be laid on the personality as a means of highlighting inspirational anecdotes for the audience
• The above needs to be done using a clear transition, which illustrates the evolution of the speaker over different phases of life (Zeoli, 2008)
• Importance needs to be given to his/her personal story because that is bound to provide the context of the event hence act as a memorable part of the speech.

Summary

• The strengths and virtues of the speaker need to be mentioned in a colorful language.
• There needs to be a buildup of expectations among the audience in conformity with the rising accolades over time.
• In some instances, insertion of quotes can be done to link the achievements to some philosophical goal.

Development to a Climax

• Interpretation of the event by linking it to the speaker’s life-long work should be included in this phase.
• Repetition of some excerpts of his/her life can also be included to act as reminders about the contribution of the individual to the common good.
• Intervals of silence can be employed too for maximum effect.

Conclusion

• The commemorative expressions need to be interlinked with his/her morality, beliefs, and tastes.
• Some of the sentences can be stretched out to include challenges to the audience for them to emulate the behavior espoused by the speaker (Collins, 2012).
• Insight into the reason for holding the meeting at that location should also be given.
• Celebration of the individual’s special manner is imperative too.
• Testimony of a previous but short experience with the speaker can be offered or illustrated with a similar story involving someone else including famous figures.
• Remind the audience of the main message of the speech.
• Conclude by uttering the full names and titles where applicable of the speaker and indulge the audience to join in welcoming/congratulating him/her. As such, that would mark the end of the presentation.

References

Collins, P. (2012). The Art of Speeches and Presentations: The Secrets of Making People remember what you say. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley.

Petersons, F. (2010). Official Guide to Mastering DSST exams. Lawrenceville, NJ: Petersons.

Zeoli, R. (2008). The 7 Principles of Public Speaking: Proven methods from a PR Professional. New York, NY: Skyhorse Pub.