What is the purpose of the entertaining or special occasion speech?

Entertaining speeches are almost always special occasion speeches, both of which are designed to captivate an audience’s attention and regale or amuse them while delivering a message. Like more traditional informative or persuasive speeches, entertaining speeches communicate a clear message, but the speaking manner used in an entertaining speech is typically different. Entertaining speeches are often delivered on special occasions, such as for a wedding toast, an awards banquet acceptance speech, or a conference motivational speech, which is why they are sometimes referred to as special-occasion speeches. However, they can also be given on more mundane occasions, where their purpose is primarily to amuse audience members or arouse them emotionally in some way. Remember, when we use the word entertain, we are referring not just to humor but also to drama. An entertaining speech’s goal is to stir the audience’s emotions.

Of all the speech types we come in contact with during our lives, the bulk probably fall into the entertainment category. If you spend just one evening watching a major awards show, such as the Grammys, the Tonys, or the Oscars, you’ll see dozens of acceptance speeches. While some acceptance speeches are good and others terrible, they all belong in the speaking-to-entertain category.

Entertaining or special occasion speeches are definitely very common, but that doesn’t mean they don’t require effort and preparation. A frequent speech-making trap is that people often think entertaining speeches are corny. As a result, they don’t prepare seriously but, rather stand up to speak with the idea that they can “wing it” by acting silly and telling a few jokes. Instead of entertaining, the speech falls flat. To help us think through how to effectively deliver entertaining speeches, let’s look at four key ingredients: prepare, adapt to the occasion, adapt to the audience, and mind the time.

Prepare

First and foremost, the biggest mistake you can make when standing to deliver an entertaining speech is to underprepare or simply not prepare at all. We’ve stressed the need to prepare throughout this text, so just because you’re giving a wedding toast or a eulogy doesn’t mean you do not think through the speech before you stand up and speak out. If the situation is impromptu, even jotting some basic notes on a napkin is better than not having any plan for what you are going to say. Remember, when you get anxious, as it inevitably happens in front of an audience, your brain doesn’t function as well as when you are having a relaxed conversation with friends. You often forget information. By writing down some simple notes, you’ll be less likely to deliver a bad speech.

Adapt to the Occasion

Not all content is appropriate for all occasions. If you are asked to deliver a speech commemorating the first anniversary of a school shooting, then obviously using humor and telling jokes wouldn’t be appropriate. But some decisions about adapting to the occasion are less obvious. Consider the following examples:

• You are the maid of honor giving a toast at your younger sister’s wedding.
• You are receiving a Most Valuable Player award in your favorite sport.
• You are a sales representative speaking to your client group after a mistake has been discovered.
• You are a cancer survivor speaking at a high school student assembly.

How might you adapt your message and speaking style to successfully entertain these various audiences?

Remember that being a competent speaker is about being both personally effective and socially appropriate. Different occasions call for different social appropriateness levels. One big mistake that entertaining speakers make is to deliver one generic speech to different groups without adapting the speech to the specific occasion. In fact, professional speakers always make sure that their speeches are tailored for different occasions and get information about the occasion from their hosts in advance.

Adapt to Your Audience

Once again, we cannot stress enough how important it is to adapt to your audience. Different audiences respond differently to speech material, so the more you know about your audience, the more likely your speech succeeds

Mind the Time

The last key ingredient to consider for delivering entertaining speeches successfully is to mind your time. Different entertaining speech situations have their own conventions and rules regarding time. Acceptance speeches and toasts, for example, are relatively short—typically under five minutes. An introduction speech is extremely brief—just long enough to tell the audience what they need to know about the person being introduced in a style that prepares them to appreciate that person’s remarks. In contrast, commencement speeches and speeches to commemorate events run ten to twenty minutes.

It’s also important to recognize that special occasion audiences expect speech lengths to vary. For example, although it’s true that graduation commencement speakers generally speak for ten to twenty minutes, the longer the speech, the more fidgety the audience becomes. To hold the audience’s attention and to be entertaining, a commencement speaker must make the speech’s closing minutes the most engaging and inspiring. If you’re not sure about the speech’s expected time frame, either ask the person who has invited you to speak or do some quick research to see what the average speech times in the given context tend to be.

What are the different entertainment types or special-occasion speeches?

Entertaining or special-occasion speeches are given to mark a particular event’s significance. Common events include weddings, bar mitzvahs, awards ceremonies, funerals, and political events. In each different occasion, speakers are asked to deliver speeches relating to the event. For simplicity purposes, we’ve broken special-occasion speeches into three different entertainment types: ceremonial speaking, inspirational speaking, and Keynote speaking.

Ceremonial Speaking

Ceremonial speeches are given during a ceremony or a ritual marked by observing formality or etiquette. These ceremonies tend to be very special for people, so it shouldn’t be surprising that they are opportunities for speech making. Let’s examine the eight ceremonial speaking types: introductions, presentations, acceptances, dedications, toasts, roasts, eulogies, and farewells.

Introductions

An introduction speech is a mini speech given by a ceremony host who introduces another speaker and his or her speech. Few things are worse than when the introduction speaker stands up and says, “This is Joe Smith, he’s going to talk about stress.” While we did learn the speaker’s name and the topic, the introduction falls flat. Audiences won’t be the least bit excited about listening to Smith’s speech.

Just like any other speech, an introduction speech is a complete speech, and it must have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion—all of which you give in under two minutes. This brings up another “few things are worse” scenario: this occurs when an introduction speaker rambles on for too long or talks about himself or herself instead of focusing on the person being introduced.

For an introduction, think of a hook that will make your audience interested in the upcoming speaker. Did you read a news article related to the speaker’s topic? Have you been impressed by a past presentation you’ve heard the speaker give? Find something that grabs the audience’s attention and make them excited about hearing the main speaker.

Devote the introductory speech’s body to telling the audience about the speaker’s topic, the speaker’s qualifications, and why the audience should listen—notice we now have our three body points. First, tell your audience in general terms about the overarching speech topic. Usually, an introducer will only have a speech title and maybe a paragraph to help guide this speech part. That’s all right. You don’t need to know all the main speaker’s speech ins and outs; you just need to know enough to whet the audience’s appetite. Next, tell the audience why the speaker is topic credible. Has the speaker written books or articles on the subject? Has the speaker had special life events that make him or her qualified? Lastly, briefly explain to the audience why they should care about the upcoming speech.

The conclusion is a good introduction’s final part, which is generally designed to welcome the speaker to the lectern. Many introducers will conclude by saying something such as, “I am looking forward to hearing how Joe Smith’s advice and wisdom can help all of us today, so please join me in welcoming Mr. Joe Smith.” We’ve known some presenters who will even add a notation to their notes to “start clapping” and “shake the speaker’s hand” or “give the speaker a hug” depending on the speech circumstances.

Now that we’ve walked through an introductory speech’s basic parts, let’s see one outlined:

Specific Purpose: To entertain the audience while preparing them for Janice Wright’s rituals speech.

Introduction: Mention some common rituals people in the United States engage in, such as Christmas, sporting events, legal proceedings.

Main Points:

1. Explain that the topic was selected because understanding how cultures use ritual is important in understanding what it means to be human.
2. Janice Wright is a cultural anthropologist who studies the impact that everyday rituals have on communities.
3. All of us engage in rituals, and we often don’t take the time to determine how these rituals were started and how they impact our daily routines.

Conclusion: I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Wright at the regional conference in Springfield last month, and I am excited that I get to share her with you all tonight. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Wright (start clapping, shake the speaker’s hand, exit the stage).

Presentations

A presentation speech is a brief speech given to accompany a prize or honor. Presentation speeches can be as simple as saying, “This year’s Schuman Public Speaking prize recipient is Wilhelmina Jeffers,” or it could last up to five minutes as the speaker explains why the honoree was chosen for the award.

When preparing a presentation speech, always ask how much time you have to give the speech. Once you know the time limit, create the speech itself. First, explain what the award or honor is and why the presentation is important. Second, explain what the recipient has accomplished to be bestowed the award. Did the person win a race? Did the person write an important literature piece? Did the person mediate conflict? Whatever the recipient has done, clearly highlight his or her work. Lastly, if the race or competition was conducted in a public forum and numerous people didn’t win, recognize those people for their efforts as well. While you don’t want to steal the show from the winner, as Kanye West did to Taylor Swift during the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards, highlight the other competitors or nominee’s work.

Acceptances

An acceptance speech is given by a prize or honor recipient, and is the complement to a presentation speech. For example, at the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards, Taylor Swift starts by expressing her appreciation, gets interrupted by Kanye West, and ends by saying, “I would like to thank the fans and MTV, thank you.” While obviously not a traditional acceptance speech because she was interrupted, she managed to get in the important parts.

An acceptance speech includes three typical components: thank the award or honor givers, thank those who helped you achieve your goal, and put the award or honor into perspective. First, thank the people who have given you the award or honor and possibly those who voted for you. We see this done every year during the Oscars: “First, I’d like to thank the academy and all the academy voters.” Second, give credit to those who helped you achieve the award or honor. No person accomplishes things in life completely by themselves. We all have families, friends, and colleagues who support us and help us achieve what we do in life; an acceptance speech is a great time to graciously recognize those individuals. Lastly, put the award in perspective. Tell the people listening to your speech why the award is meaningful to you.

Dedications

A dedication speech is delivered when a new store opens, a building is named after someone, a plaque is placed on a wall, a new library is completed, and so on. These speeches are designed to highlight the project’s importance and possibly those to whom the project has been dedicated. Maybe your great-uncle died and left your college tons of money, and the college is renaming one dorm after him. In this case, you may be asked to speak at the dedication.

When preparing a dedication speech, start by explaining how you are involved in the dedication. If the person to whom the dedication is being made is a relative, tell the audience that the building is being named after your great-uncle who bestowed a gift to his alma mater. Second, explain what is being dedicated. If the dedication is a new building or a preexisting building, explain what is being dedicated and the structure’s importance. Then, explain who was involved in the project. If the project is a new structure, talk about the people who built or designed it. If the project is a preexisting structure, talk about the people who decided on the dedication. Lastly, explain why the structure is important for the local community. If the dedication is for a new store, talk about how the store will bring in new jobs and new shopping opportunities. If the dedication is for a new hospital wing, talk about the potential patients to be served and the advances in medicine the new wing will provide the community.

Toasts

A toast is a speech designed to congratulate, to appreciate, or to remember someone. And, at one time or another, almost everyone is asked to deliver one. First, toasts can be delivered for congratulating someone for an honor, a new job, or getting married. You can also toast someone to show your appreciation for something they’ve done. Lastly, we toast people to remember them and what they have accomplished.

Toasts are generally given during the festivities’ middle, such as a wedding, retirement party, or farewell party. When preparing a toast, always keep your remarks brief, and don’t let your toast take away from those festivities for too long. Second, a toast’s goal is to focus attention on the person or persons being toasted—not on the speaker. As such, while you are speaking, focus your attention to the people being toasted, both by physically looking at them and by keeping your message about them. Also, avoid any inside jokes between you and the people being toasted because toasts are public and accessible for everyone who hears them. To conclude a toast, simply say something such as, “Please join me in recognizing Joan for her achievement” and lift your glass. When you lift your glass, this will signal to others to do the same, and then you all take a drink, which signals that your speech is over.

Roasts

The roast speech is a very interesting and peculiar speech because it is designed to both praise and good-naturedly insult the person being honored. Generally, roasts are given at a banquet’s conclusion in honor of someone’s life achievements. Television’s Comedy Central conducts various celebrity roasts. Half a good roast’s fun is watching the roastee’s reactions during the roast, so it’s important that the audience can clearly see the roastee.

How does one prepare for a roast? First, really think about the person being roasted. Do they have any strange habits or amusing stories in their past that you can discuss? When you think through these things, make sure that you cross anything off your list that is truly private information or that will really hurt the person. Your goal is to poke fun at them, not massacre them. Second, when selecting which aspects to poke fun at, make sure that the items you choose are widely known by your audience. Roasts work when the audience’s majority relate to the jokes being made. If you have an inside joke with the roastee, bringing it up during the roast may be great fun for the two of you, but it will leave your audience unimpressed. Lastly, end on a positive note. While the jokes are definitely a roast’s fun part, leave the roastee knowing that you truly do care about and appreciate the person.

Eulogies

A eulogy is a speech given in honor of someone who has died. Don’t confuse eulogy with elegy, which is a poem or song of mourning. Unless you are a minister, priest, rabbi, imam, or other religious leader, you’ll probably not deliver too many eulogies in your lifetime. However, when the time comes to deliver a eulogy, it’s good to know what you’re doing and to adequately prepare your remarks. When preparing a eulogy, know as much information about the deceased as possible. The more information you have about the person, the more personal you can make the eulogy. While you can rely on your own information, if you were close to the deceased, ask friends and relatives for their memories as well, as these add important facets. Of course, if you were not very close to the deceased, ask friends and family for information. Second, although eulogies are delivered on a funeral or memorial service’s serious and sad occasion, look for at least one point to be lighter or humorous. In some cultures, in fact, friends and family attending a funeral expect the eulogy to be highly entertaining and amusing. While eulogies are not roasts, humor or lighter aspects relieve the tension that is created by the occasion’s serious nature. Lastly, remember to tell the deceased’s story. Tell the audience about who this person was and what the person stood for in life. The more personal you can make a eulogy, the more touching it will be for the deceased’s friends and families. The eulogy reminds the audience to celebrate the person’s life as well as mourn their death.

Farewells

A farewell speech allows someone to say good-bye to one part of their life as they move on to the next life adventure. Maybe you’ve accepted a new job and are leaving your current job, or you’re graduating from college and entering the work force. Whatever the case, transition periods are often marked by farewell speeches. Watch Derek Jeter’s 2008 speech clip in which he says farewell to Yankee Stadium, built in 1923, before the New York Yankees moved to the new stadium that opened in 2009.

Derek Jeter’s Farewell Speech, by PeteThaSkeet, Standard YouTube License. https://youtu.be/SXwYlJuZvXo

In this speech, Jeter is not only saying goodbye to Yankee Stadium but also thanking the fans for their continued support.

When preparing a farewell speech, the goal is to thank the people in your current position and let them know how much you appreciate them as you make the move to your next life position. In Jeter’s speech, he talks about the 1923 Yankee Stadium’s history and then thanks the fans for their support. Second, express to your audience how much the experience has meant to you. A farewell speech is a time to commemorate and think about the good times you’ve had. As such, avoid negativity during this speech. Lastly, make sure that you end on a high note. Jeter concludes his speech by saying, “On behalf of this entire organization, we just want to take this moment to salute you, the greatest fans in the world!” At this point, Jeter and the other players take off their ball caps and hold them up toward the audience.

Inspirational Speaking

An inspirational speech’s goal is to elicit or arouse an emotional state within an audience. Although some inspirational speeches are sometimes tied to ceremonial occasions, there are also other speaking contexts that call for inspirational speeches. For our purposes, we’ll discuss two inspirational speech types: goodwill and commencement speeches.

Goodwill Speeches

Goodwill speeches are given in an attempt to get audience members to view a person or organization and their reputation more favorably. Although goodwill speeches are clearly persuasive, they try not to be obvious about the persuasive intent and are often delivered as information-giving speeches that focus on an individual or organization’s positive attributes. There are three basic goodwill speech types: public relations, justification, and apology.

1. Public Relations Speeches

A public relations speech is crafted to enhance one’s own image or the image of his or her organization. Think of them as cheerleading speeches because the ultimate goal is to get people to like the speaker and what he or she represents. For example, when British Petroleum’s CEO spoke to reporters about what his organization did during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, he emphasized what his company was doing to fix the problem. Every speech part was orchestrated to make BP look caring and to illicit goodwill from the viewing public.

2. Justification Speeches

Justification speeches are given when someone attempts to defend why certain actions were taken or will be taken. In these speeches, speakers have already enacted or decided to enact a certain behavior and are now justifying why the behavior is or was appropriate. See the clip in which President Bill Clinton discusses his decision to bomb key Iraqi targets after uncovering a plot to assassinate former President George H. W. Bush.

Clinton Orders Missile Attack (1993), by pitythefool, Standard YouTube License. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mpWa7wNr5M

In this speech, President Clinton outlines to the American people and the globe his reasons for bombing Iraq. Again, this speech’s goal is to secure US and world goodwill for President Clinton’s decisions.

3. Apology Speeches

Frankly, apology speeches have become more and more commonplace. Every time we turn around, a politician, professional athlete, musician, or thespian is doing something reprehensible and getting caught. In fact, the apology speech has quickly become fodder for humor as well. Let’s take a look at golf professional Tiger Woods’s real apology speech.

CNN: Tiger Woods’ full apology speech, by CNN, Standard YouTube License. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs8nseNP4s0

When you make an apology speech, there are three elements to include: be honest and responsible, say you’re sorry, and offer restitution. First, be honest and admit to your wrongdoing. The worst apology speeches are those in which the individual tries to sidestep the wrongdoing. Even if you didn’t do anything wrong, it is often best to take responsibility from a public perception perspective. Second, say that you are sorry. People want to know that you are remorseful for what you’ve done. Tiger Woods’s apology speech is problematic—he doesn’t look remorseful at all. While the words coming out of his mouth are appropriate, he looks like a robot forced to read from a manuscript written by his press agent. Lastly, offer restitution. Restitution can come in the form of fixing something broken or of promising not to engage in such future behavior. People in society are very willing to forgive and forget when they are asked.

Commencement Speeches

A commencement speech is designed to recognize and to celebrate a graduating class or other group’s achievements. The most typical commencement speech occurs when someone graduates from school. Nearly all of us have attended commencement speeches at some point in our lives. And if you’re like us, you’ve heard good ones and bad ones. Numerous celebrities and politicians have been asked to deliver commencement speeches at colleges and universities. One famous and well-conceived commencement speech was given by famed Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling at Harvard University in 2008.

JK Rowling Harvard Commencement Speech Part 1 – June 5 2008, by TheDailySnitcher, Standard YouTube License. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkREt4ZB-ck

Rowling’s speech is a perfect balance between humor and inspiration, which are a great commencement speech’s two main ingredients.

If you’re ever asked to deliver a commencement speech, carefully think through the following bullet points when crafting your speech’s content.

• If there is a specific graduation theme, make sure that your commencement speech addresses that theme. If there is no specific theme, create one for your speech. Some common commencement speech themes are commitment, competitiveness, competence, confidence, decision making, discipline, ethics, failure, overcoming failure, faith, generosity, integrity, involvement, leadership, learning, persistence, personal improvement, professionalism, reality, responsibility, and self-respect.
• Talk about your life and how graduates can learn from your experiences to avoid pitfalls or to embrace life’s advantages. Think about how your life may inspire graduates in their future endeavors.
• Make the speech humorous. Great commencement speeches are entertaining—make your audience laugh.
• Be brief! Nothing is more painful than a commencement speaker who drones on and on. Remember, the graduates are there to get their diplomas, and families are there to watch their graduates walk across the stage.
• Remember, while you may be the speaker, you’ve been asked to impart wisdom and advice for the graduates who are moving on with their lives, so focus on them.
• Place the commencement speech into the graduates’ lives broader context. Show them how to use the advice and wisdom you offer to make their own lives better.

Overall, make sure that you have fun when delivering a commencement speech. Remember, it’s a huge honor and responsibility to be asked to deliver one, so take the time to really think through and prepare your speech.

Keynote Speaking

A keynote speech sets the underlying tone and summarize an event’s core message. Keynote speeches are often given at an event’s end, and several people may deliver keynote speeches throughout a longer event that lasts for several days. People who deliver keynote speeches are typically subject, topic, or field experts who are invited to speak at a conference, convention, banquet, meeting, or other event and who set a specific tone for the occasion. Some keynote speakers will actually work for a speaker’s bureau, which is an agency that represents celebrity and professional speakers. The National Speaker’s Association (NSA) is one very important organization for all aspiring keynote speakers. NSA also publishes a widely respected professional speakers’ magazine called Speaker Magazine, which is accessed for free from their website.

In the professional public speaking world, there are two common keynote speech types: after-dinner speeches and motivational speeches.

After-Dinner Speeches

After-dinner speeches get their name because, historically, these speeches follow a meal. After-dinner speakers are generally asked or hired to speak because they have the ability both to speak effectively and to make people laugh. First and foremost, after-dinner speeches are speeches—not stand-up comedy routines. All basic public speaking conventions previously discussed in this text apply to after-dinner speeches, but these speeches’ overarching goal is to entertain and to create an amusing atmosphere.

After-dinner speaking is probably the hardest speaking type to do well because it is an entertaining speech that depends on successfully delivering humor. People train for years to develop comic timing, which is to verbally and nonverbally deliver and enhance a message’s comedic value.

Motivational Speaking

Motivational speeches are designed not only to make an audience experience emotional arousal, such as fear, sadness, joy, excitement, etc. but also to motivate the audience to do something with that emotional arousal. Whereas a traditional persuasive speech encourages listeners to purchase product X or to agree with ideology Y, a motivational speech helps to inspire people in a broader fashion, often without a clearly articulated end result in mind. As such, motivational speaking is a highly specialized form of persuasive speaking commonly delivered in schools, businesses, religious settings, and club or group contexts. The Toastmasters International Guide to Successful Speaking lists four motivational speech types: hero, survivor, religious, and success (Slutsky & Aun, 1997).

1. Hero Speech

The hero speech is a motivational speech given by someone who is considered a hero in society, for example, military speakers, political figures, and professional athletes. Just type “motivational speech” into YouTube and you’ll find many motivational speeches given by individuals who are considered heroes or role models.

2. Survivor Speech

The survivor speech is a motivational speech given by someone who has survived a personal tragedy or who has faced and overcome serious adversity. In the following clip, cancer survivor Becky M. Olsen discusses her life as a cancer survivor.

Becky M. Olson Speech, by beckymolson, Standard YouTube License. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuo1u_C9_3g

Olsen travels the country talking with and motivating cancer survivors to beat the odds.

3. Religious Speech

The religious speech is a fairly self-explanatory motivational speech: it is designed to incorporate religious ideals into a motivational package to inspire an audience into thinking about or changing aspects of their religious lives. One highly sought-after US religious speaker is Joel Osteen, head minister at Houston, Texas’ Lakewood Church. In one speech, Osteen discusses finding and retaining joy in life; the crux of which is learning how to take responsibility for one’s own life and letting others take responsibility for their lives.

4. Success Speech

The success speech is a motivational speech that is given by someone who has succeeded in some life aspect and is giving back by telling others how they too can be successful. For example, Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy spoke before a Dartmouth College student group discussing the entrepreneurship spirit. In her speech, Mulcahy shares the leadership lessons she learned as Xerox’s CEO.

References

University of Minnesota. (2011). Stand up, Speak out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Media References

Beckymolson. (2008, January 21). Becky M. Olson Speech [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuo1u_C9_3g

CNN. (2010, February 19). CNN: Tiger Woods’ full apology speech [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs8nseNP4s0

Hill, C. (2009, June 30). Chris Hoy – Acceptance speech [Image]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/chdot/3676072601/

M+MD. (2010, May 30). Birthday Speech [Image]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/martindo/4709626409/

PeteThaSkeet. (2008, September 22). Derek Jeter’s farewell speech [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/SXwYlJuZvXo

Pitythefool. (2008, January 18). Clinton Orders Missile Attack (1993) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mpWa7wNr5M

TheDailySnitcher. (2008, June 14). JK Rowling Harvard Commencement Speech Part 1 – June 5 2008 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkREt4ZB-ck