It’s late spring and graduation is in the air! Schools and colleges are letting out and Seniors are wearing gowns, grasping diplomas and throwing caps into the air. And with all my recent posts on going back to school, I thought it would be great fun to have you write a commencement speech as a creativity prompt. No, listen! I’m serious! Imagine you’ve been asked to return to your alma mater and give the commencement speech for the graduating class. Now write it. Will you be serious? Will you be funny? Will you be both? What advice do you wish to give to those graduating Seniors? What guidance? Do you have a commencement speech prepared?
If you need some inspiration, then you can look to Steve Jobs, Jim Carrey, J.K.Rowling or Shonda Rhimes? And how about Jimmy Fallon? This past weekend he gave a surprise commencement speech at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School.
I would love to go back to my alma mater and give a speech, unfortunately no one would listen.
They wouldn’t listen to a speech about how to create the big ?? Color me surprised.
Love this! I feel like I would have so much to say and no clue where to begin!!
I’m sure you’ll be able to find a place to begin. Throw all your ideas on paper and then edit later!
Great prompt! Honestly, I’d tell them all that they will fail…and that that’s ok.
It matters not if you fail. What matters is how you handle failure. So yes, tell them all that they will fail. But also tell them that once they get knocked down, they have to get back up.
HA! Those are some of my favorites – but I’m long past commencement speeches.
No one is past it. The more experience you have in life, the better equipped you are to prepare a commencement speech.