CHAPTER 15
CEREMONIAL SPEAKING SPEECHES FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS
Chapter Summary
This chapter describes six common types of ceremonial speeches given on special occasions – welcomings, introductions, recognition presentations, acceptances, toasts, and tributes and eulogies – as well as speeches for other ceremonial occasions. For each speech type, we describe the normal expectations for the speech and provide some cautionary guidance for you to consider as you prepare.
Transition from the 12th Edition
Chapter 15 in the 13th Edition has been revised to include more sample ceremonial speeches for students to read and examine. Information on presenting a “toast” has been added as yet another type of ceremonial speech to consider. The sections on impromptu and manuscript speeches have been moved to Chapter 11, making chapter 15 a more accurate reflection of true ceremonial speeches.
Chapter Outline
Introduction (p. 294): On ceremonial occasions, your audience has distinct expectations for what they will hear. This chapter will help you learn the expectations and considerations of six different special occasion speeches.
I. Welcomings (p. 294-295).
A. Welcoming speech: a brief ceremonial address that greets and expresses pleasure for the presence of a person or an organization.
You will frequently give a welcoming speech as the representative of a group.
B. Expectations (p. 294).
You must be familiar with the group that you are representing and the occasion for the welcoming.
The beginning, you may want to express appreciation of your group for the presence of the person or organization.
Provide a brief description of the group and setting to which he or she is being welcomed.
The conclusion should briefly express your hope for the outcome of the visit, event, or relationship.
C. Considerations (p. 294-295).
Welcome speeches should be brief and should set the tone for what is to follow.
Humor is inappropriate for serious occasions.
Some occasions call for the speaker to give a combined welcome and introduction speech.
II. Introductions (p. 295-296).
Speech of Introduction: a ceremonial speech that familiarizes the audience with biographical information that establishes the credibility of the person being presented.
Expectations (p. 295).
Establish the credibility of the main speaker by letting the audience know the education, background, and experience of the speaker related to the topic of the speech, and to suggest why the audience should listen.
You should try to contact the speaker and ask what topics in the biography the speaker would like you to emphasize.
In general, the better known the person is, the less you need to say about them.
The beginning, should quickly establish the nature of the occasion.
The body should focus on three or four things about the person being introduced that are critical for the audience to know.
The conclusion should briefly identify the speaker’s topic or the title of the speech.
Considerations (p. 295-296).
Introductions should honestly represent the person being introduced.
a. Do not hype a speaker’s credentials or overpraise the speaker.
b. If you set the audience’s expectations too high, even a good speaker may have trouble living up to them.
Familiarize yourself with the person you are introducing and what you are going to say, so that you present accurate and relevant information and are fluent doing so.
III. Recognition (p. 296-298).
Speech of Recognition: a ceremonial presentation that acknowledges someone and usually presents an award, a prize, or a gift to the individual or a representative of a group.
Expectations (p. 297)
Discuss the nature of the recognition or award, including its history, donor, or source, and the conditions under which it is made.
The recognition may have a long history and tradition that you are responsible that you are responsible for recounting.
The speech begins by describing what the recognition is for, then states the criteria for winning or achieving the recognition, and finally describes how the person being recognized won or achieved the award.
In some instances, you may want to omit the name of the recipient until the end to build suspense.
IV. Acceptances (p. 298-299).
Speech of Acceptance: a ceremonial speech given to acknowledge receipt of an honor award.
Expectations (p. 298)
Speaker should briefly thank the person or group bestowing the honor, express their feelings about receiving the recognition, and acknowledge and help they received that contributed to the honor or award.
Considerations (p. 298-299)
Most acceptance speeches are brief.
Sometimes, when a person receives a prestigious award an audience will expect a longer speech.
You will want to practice it so that you are confident that you can accomplish your purpose quickly.
Focus your remarks on the recognition or the position you are accepting.
It is inappropriate to use an acceptance speech to advocate for an unrelated cause.
V. Toasts (p. 300).
Toast: a ceremonial speech offered at the start of a reception or meal that pays tribute to the occasion or to a person.
Expectations (p. 300).
A toast is expected to be very brief (lasting less than a minute).
Toasts usually focus on a single characteristic of the person or occasion.
Wedding toasts are generally longer, lasting three to four minutes.
Considerations (p. 300).
A toast should be sincere and express a sentiment that is likely to be widely shared by those in attendance.
Generally, the person giving the toast and the attendees all have a drink in hand, which they raise and sip from at the conclusion of the toast.
VI. Tributes and Eulogies (p. 301).
Speech of tribute: a ceremonial speech that praises someone’s life and accomplishments.
Eulogy: a speech of tribute given at the memorial or funeral for a person who has died.
Expectations (p. 301).
A tribute to someone will highlight important aspects of the person’s character, supported by in-depth biographical information, often presented in short narratives.
The keys to an effective tribute are intimate knowledge of the person you are honoring and sincerity.
If you are asked to pay tribute or eulogize someone you don’t know well, you must begin by collecting biographical information and interviewing people with close relationships to the person you are to honor.
Considerations (p. 301).
How detailed you make the speech will depend on how well the audience knows the person.
If the person is little known to the audience, you will need to provide many more biographical details so that the audience has enough background to appreciate the characteristics and the supporting narratives.
If you need to speak about someone’s shortcomings, humor can be an effective means to soften what otherwise might be perceived as inappropriate criticism.
VII. Other ceremonial speeches (p. 302).
Commencement address: a speech that recognizes graduation.
The purpose is to inspire the graduates about their place in the future.
The best commencement speeches are ones that are directed to the specific graduating class.
Keynote address: a speech that begins a conference or convention.
The goal is to inspire – to generate enthusiasm among participants.
Commemorative addresses: speeches presented to celebrate national holidays or anniversaries or important dates or events.
The goals of commemorative addresses often include reminding the audience of the background for the particular holiday, date or event and then, ultimately, drawing some conclusion about its significance that inspires the audience.
Lecture Ideas
Record one or more award shows, such as the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards or the MTV Music Video Awards. Show samples of presentations and acceptance speeches given at these award shows. Discuss in class how these speeches follow the expectations and considerations from the Challenge textbook.
Use in conjunction with the above lecture idea. View a sample special occasion speech in class. Using the speech evaluation checklists developed in Class Activity 15.2, analyze the speech. What did the speaker do to accomplish the goals of the speech? How was this speech different in presentation than a traditional speech?
Visit the website, cities.com/Tel e visionCity/Studio/5447/1-b-Tony-best-mans-speech.htm. This is a humorous excerpt from the British television show East Enders found on the Geocities Television City website. A man is practicing his “Best Man” speech for his best friend’s wedding. Note in your lecture that the speech is well-written, considers the audience, and the transcript includes gesture and emphasis information. This is a great way for students to see how to prepare for a special occasion speech.
Assign the exercises in Chapter 16 of the InfoTrac College Edition Student Activities Workbook for Public Speaking “Speaking at Special Occasions.” Focus your lecture on the need for audience analysis, language choice, organization, and appropriate delivery skills to help students apply what they have learned throughout the entire semester.
Discussion Questions
You may want students to give a special occasion speech as one of the first speech assignments. Students see these types of speeches as practical, fun and entertaining. They are an ideal way to begin a speech class.
Is a speech at a political convention a persuasive, motivational, or special occasion speech? Defend your answer based on what you have learned in the last few chapters of the text.
Make a list of the types of speakers who would be appropriate to invite to your college’s next commencement ceremony. Defend your choices based on the type of audience present and the special occasion.
Can a special occasion speech also be informative or persuasive? How? If this is so, why do these speeches need to be different than traditional informative or persuasive speeches?
Have a discussion with the class about good and bad special occasion speeches they have seen on TV, at weddings, funerals, retirement parties, etc. Also, have them talk about any special occasion speeches they have given.
Collect video of special occasion speeches from films, TV or awards shows. Show examples in class and discuss the effectiveness, appropriateness of each. You can also have the students critique speeches from awards shows for basic speech skills and organization. Have the class give suggestions for how to improve the speech.
Class Activities
Activity #15.1: Special Occasion Speeches on the Internet
As a homework assignment, have students search for an assigned type of special occasion speech using INFOTRAC. You may want to assign the class one type, such as Commencement speeches, assign groups of students to different types of ceremonial speeches or allow students to choose a type. Students should read and print the speech they found. In class, either in groups of three or four or as a class discuss the expectations for the different types of speeches and how the examples meet or do not meet those criteria and expectations. You may even want to have students go to the front of the room and read a few short examples of the downloaded speeches.
Activity #15.2: Evaluation of Special Occasion Speeches
Provide students or groups of students with any of the speech evaluation checklists presented in Challenge. The informative speech checklist usually works well. Have students or groups analyze the checklist and make any changes they think are necessary in order to more effectively analyze a special occasion speech. Then discuss their modifications and reasons for them in class. Variations on this activity may include giving each group of students a different type of special occasion speech to consider or having groups come up with sample speech goals and thesis statements for the speech type they have been assigned.
Activity #15.3: Commencement Addresses
Using INFOTRAC, have students locate the review of the book Graduation Day: The Best of America’s Commencement Speeches in Booklist , May, 1998. Have students select and locate one of the speeches listed and conduct a written analysis of that speech using the guidelines of expectations and considerations discussed in Chapter 15.
An alternative to this assignment, is something similar to activity #15.1. Have students search the INFOTRAC database for a commencement address and then write an analysis of that speech. Discuss the examples found and their corresponding written analysis in class.
Activity #15.4: Celebrity Awards Speech
Divide students into groups of 3-4. Have each group choose a celebrity to give an award to and the award to be given. You may want to provide a list of celebrities for them to choose from or allow them to choose one on their own. (A short is list is provided below.) The groups should consider the expectations and considerations that the textbook discusses. Give students 15-20 minutes for preparation and then have each group present their speech to the class. This activity is fun and students generally really enjoy doing it.
List of possible celebrities:
Donald Trump Martha Stewart Michael Jordan Brad Pitt
Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson Orlando Bloom Derek Jeter
Anna Nicole Smith Jennifer Gardner Lindsay Lohan Paris Hilton
Jamie Foxx John Wayne The Rock Bill Gates
Elvis Presley Marilyn Monroe The Osbornes 50 Cent
Activity #15.5: The Public Speaking Awards Show Extraordinaire
This activity showcases the characteristics of each type of Special Occasion Speech (Introduction, Presentation, Acceptance, Welcome, Tribute).
Divide the class into groups and give them one of the 5 special occasion speeches. Depending on the time of year (Grammy Season or Oscar Season), the class will have an award show. Allot 20 minutes for brainstorming and creativity. Each group must stand in front of the class and present their portion of the show:
1st Group: Welcoming Group
Expresses pleasure for the person/organization
Brief intro to what is going on (“Welcome to…”
2nd Group: Introduction Group (kind of the emcee)
Paves the way for the main speaker (for the activities puposes, the presentation group).
Tells who the speaker/group is
Includes biographical info
Builds speaker’s credibility
3rd group: Presentation
This group decides the award that will be presented (they need to decide this quickly and inform the acceptance group so they can get their speech going).
Great examples have been: “Biggest has-beens in the music industry, worst portrayal of acting in a movie… the students come up with some good ideas)
Discuss nature of the award and the recipients accomplishments
4th group: Acceptance
Responds to the presentation
Thanks the group and others who share in the honor
5th group: Tribute
The group can pick anyone related to the awards show to tribute (Chewy from Star Wars and Michael Jackson were particularly entertaining).
Groups praises the individuals’ accomplishments by creating an allusion of “no one’s perfect,” focus on the his/her accomplishments, and providing biographical info.
Clearly, the acceptance group and presentation group will have to work together to decide on an award. Also, the welcoming and introduction groups need to work together initially as well.