7 graduation speeches to inspire your communications
As a new crop of fresh graduates enters the workforce, PR pros can take wisdom from these commencement speakers—both in sentiment and in style.
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Great commencement speeches seem to contain the same elements.
The wise and accomplished speaker regales a stadium of youngsters with life wisdom, humor and personal anecdotes.
Or as George Saunders quipped:
What makes a great commencement address? According to veteran speechwriter Nathan Osburn:
A good metaphor for a strong commencement speech is a flashlight. A graduate might have one or two steps planned out, but the rest is hazy. This might sound a little lofty, but with a flashlight—powered by a commencement speaker’s memorable personal story—they might be able to make better personal and professional decisions.
Communicators, speechwriters and executive communicators alike can learn from these speeches:
1. Sheryl Sandberg – UC Berkeley – 2016
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