Chapter 18
Special-Occasion
Speaking
Special-Occasion Speaking:
Introduction
• Ever since Aristotle’s time people have used
speeches to celebrate special occasions.
• These epideictic speeches praise, celebrate,
memorialize, or otherwise commemorate special
joyous or sad events.
• At some time in their lives, most people will be
asked to deliver special-occasion remarks about
a happy or sorrowful event.
Special-Occasion Speaking:
An Overview
• This chapter discusses:
– Types of special-occasion speeches
– General guidelines for special occasions
– Strategies for each type of special-occasion
speech
– Sample special-occasion speeches
Types of Special-Occasion
Speeches: Speech of Introduction
• The brief “speech
before the speech”
– Prepares the
audience for the
“main event” by
giving context for the
upcoming speaker,
performer, or event
Types of Special-Occasion Speeches:
Speech of Presentation
• Explains background
and significance of
an award or honor
before it is given
Types of Special-Occasion Speeches:
Speech of Acceptance
• A speech of
thanks and
gratitude for an
award by a
recipient who
acknowledges
the award’s
significance
and the support
of others
Types of Special-Occasion Speeches:
Speech to Memorialize or Eulogize
• Honors the sacrifices and heroism of a group of
people, often on a specific day (memorial)
• Celebrates the life of a deceased person and
reflects on events in that person’s life (eulogy)
Types of Special-Occasion
Speeches: Speech to Celebrate
• Toast or observance that marks an
important event or a ritual such as a:
– Wedding
– Graduation
– Child’s birth
– Retirement
– Birthday
Types of Special-Occasion
Speeches: After-Dinner Speech
• An entertaining, often humorous, speech
that lightens the mood before an event
that follows a formal dinner
Tips for Types of Special-Occasion
Speeches
• Tip: You may hear or deliver more than
one type of special-occasion speech at
one event. For example, at the Academy
Awards there are speeches of
introduction, presentation speeches, and
acceptance speeches.
• Tip: Be sure that your speech is
appropriate to the audience and the
occasion.
General Guidelines for Special
Occasions: Appealing to Your
Audience’s Emotions
• Your audience may be
primed with a specific
emotional reaction to
the special event.
• Your job as a speaker
is to signal when that
specific emotion
should surface.
General Guidelines for Special
Occasions: Matching Your Delivery to
the Mood of the Occasion
• Match your
demeanor and words
to the mood of the
special occasion.
• Ensure that what you
say and how you say
it is appropriate to the
occasion.
General Guidelines for Special
Occasions: Adapting to Your
Audience’s Expectations
• Listeners’ backgrounds, cultural values,
ages, and beliefs affect how they perceive
a special occasion and what they expect
from a special-occasion speech.
• Ensure that you are familiar with your
audience’s characteristics and
expectations.
General Guidelines for Special
Occasions: Evoking Shared Values
• Your speech should appeal to values you
and the audience hold in common.
• Remind listeners that you and they are
connected.
General Guidelines for Special
Occasions: Respecting Time
Constraints
• Find out when you are supposed to speak
and the amount of time you have.
• Adhere to these logistics when delivering
your speech, as most special occasions
are carefully planned events.
General Guidelines for Special
Occasions
Strategies for Each Type of SpecialOccasion Speech: Speeches of
Introduction
• Shift listeners' focus from interacting with
each other to the upcoming event.
• Build anticipation for upcoming speaker,
performance, or event.
• Introduce the upcoming speaker,
performance, or event.
Strategies for Speeches of
Introduction
• Be patient. Audience members need time to shift
focus away from their conversations or meals.
• Use attention-getters (see Chapter 10).
• Modulate your volume by beginning loudly, but
lowering your voice as the room becomes quieter.
• Be focused and brief, ensuring that your comments
highlight the next event.
Strategies for Speeches of
Introduction
Strategies for Speeches of
Presentation
• Adopt the persona of a presenter by speaking
respectfully and knowledgeably about the
subject.
• Explain the significance and background of the
award or honor.
• Connect the recipient’s background to the
award’s criteria.
• Use appropriate presentation aids.
Strategies for Speeches of
Presentation
Strategies for Speeches of Acceptance
• Use appropriate volume and articulation.
– Intense emotions can cause voice to drop or break.
– Take a moment or two to gather yourself before
speaking.
• Show genuine humility.
– Don't act surprised if you knew you would be
receiving the award.
– Express genuine gratitude for the honor and for the
people who helped you achieve it.
• Remember that less is more.
Strategies for Speeches to Memorialize
or Eulogize
• Review and celebrate the deceased person’s life
while consoling listeners and facilitating their
public grieving.
• Your goal is to help the living by showing your
emotions and extolling the virtues of the
departed.
Tips for Delivering Speeches to
Memorialize or Eulogize
– Tip: Focus on celebrating the person’s life.
• Highlight accomplishments, relationships, and
unique qualities.
• Tell stories familiar to the listeners to establish
common ground.
– Tip: Use humor judiciously to relieve the
sorrow.
– Tip: Show your own emotions if they
surface while you are speaking.
Strategies for Speeches to Memorialize
or Eulogize
Strategies for Speeches to
Celebrate
• Explain the significance of the occasion,
acknowledging the joy that everyone is
feeling.
• Inspire the audience to participate in the
celebration.
Tips for Delivering Speeches to
Celebrate
• Tip: Aim for
brevity.
• Tip: Use humor
appropriately,
based on your
audience
analysis.
Strategies for After-Dinner Speeches
• It is better to tell humorous anecdotes or witty
stories that connect to a larger theme than jokes
or one-liners.
• Captivating an audience after they have eaten
and had a few drinks is difficult, so practice your
storytelling and narrative delivery.
• Adapt your delivery to your listeners and the
occasion so that what you say appears fresh
and interesting.
Strategies for After-Dinner Speeches
Tips for Delivering SpecialOccasion Speeches
• Tip: Be aware of the type of speech your
audience will expect and follow the
strategies suggested to tailor your speech
effectively.
• Tip: Be sure to practice your speech so
you are comfortable with it and can deliver
it extemporaneously.
Sample Speech: Her Majesty Queen
Noor of Jordan, “2002 Mount Holyoke
College Commencement Address”
• Read the sample speech on pages 620–
27.
• Notice how Queen Noor uses a problemsolution pattern to advocate that the
college’s empowered female graduates
should take an active role in tackling
world challenges.
Sample Speech: Governor Jennifer
Granholm, “Remarks at the Funeral of
Civil Rights Leader Rosa Parks”
• Read the sample speech on pages 628–
30.
• Notice how Granholm celebrates Parks’
achievements using figurative and vivid
language.
Sample Speech: William Faulkner,
“Speech to Accept the 1949 Nobel
Prize in Literature”
• Read the sample speech on pages 630–
31.
• Notice how Faulkner uses the speech as
an opportunity to speak to a younger
generation of artists that follow in his
footsteps.