Guidelines for Special Occasion Speech--Speech of Tribute
Time limit is 3-5 minutes
1. In your speech you will pay tribute to someone—living or dead—whom you admire and
whom you consider to have made a significant contribution to us and our world. You may
imagine yourself delivering a eulogy at their funeral or a speech in celebration of a particular
accomplishment or accomplishments at a retirement celebration or awards ceremony for them.
Be sure that we can tell from the context where we are supposed to be and what the occasion is.
2. Your speech will be in tribute to a public figure, someone you admire, a person who has
made important contributions. You will be celebrating that person's accomplishment and/or
contributions. This is not a biography, not a listing of events in your subject's life, although you
should certainly give us enough basic information so we can get a sense of who the person is or
was(or is). Your subject may be living or dead, famous or obscure. It should not be anyone
you know or are related to.
3. Please do not choose Elvis, John Wayne, Oprah, or Dale Earnhart--I've just heard them too
many times. I have heard excellent speeches on world leaders, athletes, scientists, foresters,
innovators, writers, and even cartoon characters (your speech doesn't necessarily have to be
serious).
4. Any special occasion speech should
appeal to emotions
suit the mood of the occasion
adapt to audience expectations and evoke shared values
respect time constraints
5. You must consult a minimum of two sources, and, as always, you will not copy other writers'
work. Your manuscript will be your original work. You will probably not be citing sources
orally unless you have a direct quotation. You will, however, list all sources at the end of the
manuscript you will submit.
7. We would expect to see a picture of your subject: a photograph, painting, illustration,
etc. Finding one or more appropriate images should not be difficult.
8. You are required to turn in to me a manuscript--not outline--of your speech on the day you
present your speech, as well as submitting it to Turnintin. Be sure to include a bibliography at
the end.