Amazingly, I am valedictorian of my law school class. Shocking, I know. Graduation is next Sunday and I’m supposed to give a speech. Being an extreme slacker throughout highschool and college, I have no idea what is supposed to go in a valedictorian speech. It’s supposed to be 5 to 7 minutes and “non-political.” Seeings how I’m studying for the bar 8 to 10 hours a day 6 days a week and still doing a little freelance work on the side, I don’t have gobs of time to work on a speech. Which brings me to the point of this thread.
I need your help fellow dopers! In your humble opinions, what should go in a truly kick-ass valedictorian speech? I am not above quoting verbatim!
How big is your class? Who are the other speakers? How long have they been sitting when you start to speak? Do you have a particular reputation? What do you want to say?
I’ve seen dozens of these speeches (and you probably have too). In my judgment, it is very difficult to say something that doesn’t come off as either hackneyed or irrelevant. Indeed, about half of all speakers seem to not even have made an attempt to avoid these things. Those which succeed have something transcendent to say, but they recognize that no one is inspired by repetition of messages to use your degree for good, put your vision into action, or not to forget your friends. Instead, they remind us of the truth of these things indirectly. Or perhaps aim for a more uncommon moral. All of the best ones tell it through a personal story or stories (or the story of a “friend” where “friend” either still means you, or means you made it up). Humor is absolutely critical–especially self-deprecating humor.
So if I were you, I’d pick or invent a good personal story that relates to what it is you want to say. In 5 minutes you can easily craft a few characters, setting, and climax.
If it were me, my speech would address (without mentioning) the fact that the majority of the class will be working hours in excess of those you’re putting in now for at least the next three years. That is going to be a very trying time. A soul-crushing time for many.
What do you want to say? Do you want to talk about yourself, the legal profession, why you became a lawyer, the value of law, the fate of the pandas, or…?
Also, what area of law is your specialty and what do you plan to do with it?
Do you know your class well? Have you all bonded? That makes a big difference in the sort of speech you give.
I was the faculty speaker at a high school baccalaureate once and while I started with what the class had learned, I then shifted to what the class had to teach–some funny stuff, like “how to sneak off campus for lunch”, but poignant ones as well, like “how to go to school full time and still pay your family’s bills”, “how to get into an Ivy league school”, etc. I didn’t mention names, but it allowed me to highlight how well everyone had done. But it only worked because I knew the class very well and so I knew all those things.
Okay, it’s a 4 year night school. We are all very close. Most of us worked full-time all through school. There have been many marriages, children and divorces in the past 4 years. We’re all studying for the bar right now. I plan to go into criminal defense.
Then talk about how each of you have grown and changed over those 4 years–not person by person, obviously, and not just about the people that are your particular friends, but convey what these last four years has meant not for you but for all of you, what you have learned together and what you have learned from each other. Many of these people you will never see each other again, and even if you do it won’t be the same sort of bond.
Having listened to a very good graduation speech and a very bad graduation speech within the space of twenty minutes, just a week ago, here’s what I have to say:
Make it personal. Especially since it’s a small class. Talk about something funny that happened that most of the graduates will remember. Or something touching. But something personal, for the love of God. The bad speech I heard was nothing more than a collection of cliches from the internet. Gah. The only people listening by the end were her parents.
Be funny, but if if doesn’t come naturally, don’t force it.
Geez! lezlers, my favorite west coast lawyer-babe-knock 'em dead-thriller-killer is The Val! Kudos, you’ve made us all (well, me anyway) proud.
As far as suggestions for your speech, how the hell would I know? I was sent to summer school four years as a kid and couldn’t even get Valedictorian of Summer School.
Congrats–I missed valedictorian when they combined the day school grades (imagine the Luxury of only having to study) with the night school grades (just finished a nine-hour shift, run for the train and brief three cases before hitting first class.) Darn. I was sad for about two minutes.
You are welcome to borrow this idea–when asked to address others on the three most useful things I’ve learned in my career, they are the ability to say:
I was wrong.
I’m sorry.
…those are the easy ones…
I don’t know.
It drives me nuts how many recent grads (of anything) seem unable to start the next phase of their life wihout admitting that they STILL don’t know everything, and in fact, may not actually know a lot yet–law school notwithstanding.
The hardest thing to admit to oneself–especially if there’s a boss or a client asking the question–is that you don’t know the answer. Yet. But BOY does it save a lot of trouble. Plus it keeps you from getting a swelled head!
Riff off of that for a while, unless you come up with your own idea.
