Going back to college is not easy. Mature students have all sorts of commitments that younger students do not have. They may have demanding jobs. They quite possibly have families which means that there are already demands on their time and energy. So when they graduate they deserve to be congratulated for their achievements. They deserve to have their extra efforts noted. Those addressing a graduation ceremony should be aware of this fact and take it into consideration when addressing their audience. They should speak too of the fact that such mature students have much to offer to employers because of their experience in life. So when you are addressing such mature students speak of their maturity and what it can mean in an employment situation. Note too that such students will recognise references to incidents that younger students wouldn’t recognise. So if you want to refer a special song for instance it may be more relevant to this mature audience. When you are speaking remember too that instead of parents these graduates are more likely to have spouses as their guests. Despite these differences your speech should, as in any other graduation speech, refer to the challenges and opportunities ahead.

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Make your graduation speech topical. If there has been an earthquake, an assassination, a controversial election or a war that’s in the news speak about it. Use it to explain to graduates the real world they are entering where such things can or will affect their lives. College is, after all, a place of privilege. Students may have to study hard but the outside world does not really impact on them. When they are leaving that topical event may, if nothing else, affect their possibility of getting a job. It is a fallacy to think that only those studying politics need to know about suchhappenings. Obviously your speech will be congratulatory in tone. Naturally you will speak about the challenges ahead. You will too speak of the debt of gratitude they owe their parents and tutors. You will speak too of the opportunities they will have. Modern technology means our world is getting smaller all the time. What happens in China can affect what is happening in Connecticut. Many of those graduates will travel extensively. They need to be aware of what is happening outside the campus. They may go to help earthquake victims. Their political views maybe shaped by that assassination or election. That war might kill them or someone in their family or affect trade between their country and the one at war. So tell them about the real world. Tell them like it is!

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Nurses are very special people and nurse’s graduation speeches should express that fact. In a materialistic world the work they choose to do shows that that there are still those who put the needs of others first. Let’s face it they won’t get rich working as nurses but the term job satisfaction could have been coined just for them. Certainly being a nurse gives you the opportunity to travel because nurses are needed worldwide. Then too there are so many nursing fields from which to choose a speciality. Those who adore babies might choose to train as a midwife. Those who love children may find their happiness working in a children’s ward. There are nurses who fancy using the latest technology who will usually choose to work in intensive care wards. So your graduation speech should stress the opportunities available in the field of nursing whether it’s in the compassionate field of hospice work or with the army caring for injured soldiers. Your speech should not neglect to mention that nurses are people too and should care for themselves as well by having their own interests and differing lifestyles. Finish your speech with a challenge to them to make their work help to make a difference.

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Paint a picture of the future and its opportunities. That’s the challenge to a speaker on Graduation Day. It is up to that speaker to inspire, to inform and to show those graduates exactly what they can do to make a difference. It is up to him or her to speak not only of their careers but of their personal lives too. Many speakers have their own story to tell and they will usually be successful in some field. That means that the graduates can actually hear someone else’s life story and hear what they have done or achieved and, of course, they may hope to emulate that speaker. Yet such speakers must stress the fact that each graduate is unique and has something special of his or her own to offer. They must explain to those graduates that they live in a fast changing world and that they must be adaptable to take advantage of those changes. The most successful speaker will leave those graduates saying, “I never thought of that.”

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Graduation speeches are about the past and the future.They speak of hard work done and opportunities ahead. They mention friendships made and help and support received… A good graduation speech is inspiring, sometimes entertaining and always relevant. Always remember that there will be people in your audience who do not, for instance, understand Latin sayings or speak French. So your speech should be in good, plain English. Good graduation speeches challenge the graduates to make the most of their lives both in their careers and outside them. If you are speaking to a particular group of students, for instance high school students or medical graduates, your speech should be relevant to their particular graduation. The focus of your speech should be on giving students self-confidence and self-belief. Naturally it is good to be topical in your speech. If you can mention a current event and link it with the graduation of the students your speech should get an A Plus from an appreciative audience.

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Leaders do more than just lead. They also have to speak a lot. So motivational speeches are their stock in trade. They may be coaches speaking to their teams. It could be that they are spiritual leaders addressing a congregation. They might be officers in the army giving deployment speeches. In fact it is possible that they are C.E.O’s inspiring their sales staff or teachers speaking at a graduation. Whatever the occasion and whatever type of leader is in question their job is to motivate their particular audience to do something or be someone. So there speeches have to capture attention and challenge behaviour. They have to communicate their message clearly. They have to convince those listening that it IS possible, whatever it happens to be.

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Graduation speeches don’t have to be given by Deans or important guest speakers. What is said does not have to be suitable for a whole group of graduates either. A parent, a friend or a relative can give a graduation speech if the family has a graduation party to celebrate the important occasion. Celebrate is the right word t use in this context. When a student has worked hard for a number of years and has done well in their examinations then it is surely a cause for celebration. In fact it may be the last such family occasion until his or her wedding day. So if John has become a doctor or Mary a nurse everyone in their circle is happy for them and will welcome the opportunity to celebrate with them. It can be a barbeque in the yard or a sit down meal in the Ritz it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that someone who loves that graduate says a few words wishing them well in their future lives and careers. So go on tell them how proud you are and give them a memory to cherish for the rest of their days.

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We don’t think much about electricians until our lights fail. Plumbers don’t spring to mind until our toilets block or our house is flooded. In fact we don’t really think of trades people other than as useful members of society. We don’t think of them as graduates. Certainly we don’t imagine them wearing caps and gowns. Yet their work is critical to our society and they study hard to master their trades. It is fitting, therefore, that they too should be congratulated when they finish their apprenticeships and complete their studies. Journeymen of old were highly regarded and the same should apply today. So whether you are a tutor or an employer or a guest speaker when they are celebrating the fact that they have qualified congratulate them and assure them of their importance in life. Speak of the opportunities and challenges ahead. Speak of having pride in their occupation and in the satisfaction of work well done. Speak of changing times and changing demands in their trades. Above all tell them that without them society just wouldn’t function.

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It doesn’t matter whether they have studied law, business or women’s studies. It doesn’t matter whether they have graduated as dentists, architects or in sports science. In fact it doesn’t matter whether the ceremony is a nursing pinning ceremony or the qualifying of a plumber or electrician. What is important is what you say on the day. Your speech should address the future and the opportunities that are available to those who have completed their courses. It should praise them for their hard work and congratulate them on qualifying or graduating. Your speech should be light-hearted yet thought-provoking. You should speak of adaptability and travel. You should speak of friendships made and how to keep them. Your speech should address who they are now and what they can become. Put simply a good speech will inspire them to greater things.

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Nurses are often described as angels. When one attends a pinning ceremony though you know that there calling is an earthly one. They are total professionals in their approach to caring and curing and they have proven it by qualifying as fully trained nurses. When speakers are addressing a pinning ceremony they should take this professionalism into account. They should speak of the fact that not one of us can ever be sure when we will need the services of such professionals. They should speak of the challenges and the rewards of nursing as a career. It is good too to mention the opportunities that are available worldwide for nurses either in the developed world or, indeed, the third world. The speeches might speak too of how, despite brilliant technical advances, nursing will always remain a people focused career. So congratulate those who have studied so hard and who care so much for others. They may not actually be angels but for those sick and in sorrow they may appear to be so.

Check out our sample speeches

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