Copyright Macmillan Learning.
Chapter 13 Celebratory Speaking
Chapter Objectives
Explain the purpose of celebratory speaking.
Recall the two commonalities of all celebratory speeches.
List the four basic categories of celebratory speeches.
Describe the kind of speaking that occurs at weddings and unions.
Explain the parts of a toast.
Lecture Outline
I. Celebrating Your Community
A. Learning objective
1. Explain the purpose of celebratory speaking.
B. Celebratory speeches commemorate the happy and sad events in life.
C. Celebratory speaking is considered the most personal type of speech. Many believe that it
is the most important genre to learn about.
II. Types of Celebratory Speeches
A. Learning objectives
1. Recall the two commonalities of all celebratory speeches.
3. Describe the kind of speaking that occurs at weddings and civil unions.
4. Explain the parts of a toast.
B. History of celebratory speaking
1. Celebratory speaking was originally called “epideictic” (derived from the Greek,
meaning “show” or “display”).
2. Aristotle said that celebratory speeches are (1) designed to bring a community
together and (2) focused on the present.
3. Since Aristotle, the category of celebratory speaking has broadened. However,
his two fundamental qualities are still used in celebratory speeches today.
C. The importance of community in celebratory speaking
1. The community addressed in a speech depends on the context of the event. For
example, the community at a work event would be your coworkers.
2. It is important to focus on and recognize the community in your speech.
Emphasize what you have in common with the audience.
3. Some examples of speeches that emphasize community are speeches of
recognition, speeches of praise or blame, speeches of inspiration or encouragement, and
speeches that mourn loss.
D. Speeches of Recognition: Introducing, Presenting, and Accepting
1. The purpose of a speech of recognition is to honor a person. In these speeches,
always honor and thank the community, organization, and event.
2. The three kinds of speeches of recognition speeches are introduction,
presentation, and acceptance.
3. Introduction Speech. In an introduction speech, your role is to make the audience
feel welcome and to get them excited about the person you are introducing. This is a
4. Presentation Speech. A presentation speech is one in which you present an award
5. Acceptance Speech. An acceptance speech is given when receiving an honor or
award. If you know about the award in advance, or if it is a surprise, remember to (1)
express gratitude for having received the honor or award, (2) express how much the
award means to you or to those for whom you are accepting it, and (3) recognize others
that helped you along the way.
a) Do not take a long time to give your acceptance speech. Find out how
much time you are allotted and plan your speech with that in mind.
b) Most audiences will not be upset if you look at notes for an acceptance
speech.
E. Speeches of Praise or Blame: Weddings, Toasts, and Roasts
1. Once-in-a-lifetime event speeches (weddings and roasts) are usually longer than
toasts (which are typically spoken during these events).
2. Wedding and Civil Union Ceremonies. Today, in most of the United States and
many parts of Canada, anyone can officiate a wedding or civil union, recognized by the
local and federal governments, provided he or she has obtained a credential.
a)
The pattern and structure for the ceremony varies between religions,
faiths, and cultures.
b)
Research similar weddings to see examples of speeches.
c)
It is important to discuss with the couple, the family, and the friends their
ideas and expectations for the ceremony.
3. Toast. A toast is traditionally a short speech of praise. It is the genre that is most
pervasive one in Western culture. This type of speech is typically positive to the person,
Roasts.
Closely related to toasts are roasts, which are humorous, teasing tributes
4.
to an individual. A roast is usually a more formalized event in which the participants and
honoree realize the tribute is meant in good fun. Roasts are longer than a toast and
involve numerous speakers.
a)
The event includes stories, jabs, and playful insults to celebrate the
honoree among his or her community.
b)
If asked to speak, talk with the planner about the event rules,
expectations, and norms. Double-check that your remarks to not cross the line
from humorous to offensive. A roaster must keep in mind that any real meanness
crosses a line and ruins the fun atmosphere.
c)
Everyone involved with the roast (honoree, speakers, and audience)
needs to be aware of the event. If someone is unaware, the roast can be perceived
as mean spirited. This is especially true if the honoree is not in on the joke or is a
sensitive person.
F. Speeches of Inspiration or Encouragement: Sermons, After-Dinner Speeches, and
Commemorations
2
2. This type of speech can be difficult to talk about because many people do not
3. Eulogies from the past and present are very similar in structure and function.
a) Acknowledge the death.
4. Tips for Giving Eulogies. Remember to orient your eulogy on the deceased. If
the audience is open to it, use a little humor to celebrate the deceased’s life.
a)
Write It Down. It is a good idea to plan out what you are going to say.
Take an outline or notes when you speak. A eulogy is the most emotional speech
you can give, and you may need your notes.
well as humorous stories.
f)
Remind the Audience That They Are United as a Community. An
important function of a eulogy is to bring people together and remind the
audience that they are not alone in their grief.
Key Terms
Motivational speaking: speeches that are primarily intended to inspire an audience to feel something
about their community.
Sermon: a speech by a religious leader or spiritual person; sermons often include references to religious
or spiritual texts, such as the Hebrew or Christian bibles or the Koran.
Jeremiad: a prophetic speech of woe and moral or spiritual shortcoming. Jeremiads typically admonish
communities to repent or change their ways to avert doom.
Lecture: in the context of celebratory speaking, a speech of blame or admonishment; in the context of
informative speaking, however, a lecture is simply educational speech.
Keynote address: a featured speech at a convention, meeting, or political gathering that is designed to
highlight the tone and purpose of the gathering; sometimes keynote speeches advance a collective goal or
agenda.
Rally speech: an enthusiastic oration designed to inspire and motivate a community, delivered at an event
for a social or political cause.
Commencement speech: an inspirational speech delivered to graduating students at an educational
institution, such as a university.
Chapter Summary
4
Chapter 13: Celebratory Speaking focuses and elaborates on speeches that commemorate life moments of
both joy and loss. Celebratory speeches are the most personal and, quite possibly, the most common type
of speech.
jeremiad, lecture, keynote address, rally speech, and commencement speech.
Discussion Questions
1. What ceremonies, events, or celebrations have you attended where you delivered or observed a
celebratory speech? What were the audience expectations for those speeches? What made the speeches
successes or failures? Explain your answer with ideas from the chapter and illustrate with examples.
A: This is a low-stakes question designed to begin the conversation. The discussion should turn to
1. You have recently befriended a classmate from out of state. Your friend explains that s/he is new to
town, has no local friends, and doesn’t interact with his/her family. S/he is planning on getting married in
two weeks and would like you to serve as a member of the wedding party, which includes giving a toast.
What would you do to prepare for this speech? Use ideas from the chapter and provide examples to
illustrate.
A: As a relative stranger, the student would need to spend time with the friend, learn more about
2. Celebratory speeches emphasize community and commonality. What strategies can a speaker use to
craft a speech for a divided or hostile audience? Use ideas from the chapter, and provide examples to
illustrate.
A: The strategies discussed in Chapter 13 still apply. Following the principle in Chapter 12 of
5
3. Reflecting on audience expectations and constraints for funeral speeches, do you think humor has a
place in eulogies? Use ideas from the chapter and provide examples to illustrate.
A: The purpose of a eulogy is celebration, praise, and bringing an audience together in the
4. When asked for a list of outstanding speeches, scholars usually choose examples from the epideictic or
celebratory genre. Based on your understanding of speech crafting, what makes this genre the most
frequent choice? Explain your answer using ideas from the chapter and provide examples to illustrate.
A: Epideictic means “show” or “display” and these speeches tend to be showy and display a
Activities for in-class work or homework
1. Student sample speech evaluation
In this activity, students evaluate a sample student speech using a course assessment tool to link
assignments and content. Before showing the video, review the assignment with the students to make sure
they understand the criteria. Using the rubric to complete this activity makes the assignment and criteria
concrete. Also, using the rubric can help instructors identify areas that need clarification or revision
This discussion prompt can be modified for different delivery formats and activity structures.
For this activity, select a valedictorian speech from a local high school or a student ceremonial speech
from your campus. This allows students to relate more directly to generic expectations and the speaker’s
ability to adapt. Local event speeches are frequently available on YouTube.
III. If a local speech is unavailable, consider using Shuping Yang’s controversial 2017
commencement speech from the University of Maryland. The speaker compares freedom of speech and
civic engagement in the US and China. Go to YouTube to find the speech, and search “2017 Maryland
graduate Yang Shuping Speech.”
Prompt:
After viewing the video, how well do you think the speaker fulfills the goals of a celebration
speech and specifically a commemorative speech? Support your answer with ideas from the
2. Speech for analysis: Richard Nixon eulogy
6
5. Examples of debriefing questions: A) how did students’ individual values align with the class
as a whole; B) what surprised them about the ranking; C) which rankings were predictable; D)
how can the students use this information in their celebratory speeches (they should providing
concrete examples).
Debriefing:
The discussion should draw out some of the less obvious differences. For example, consider how
a class divide in a small rural community might affect the audience at a graduation ceremony.
Although everyone might value education, the listeners’ specific feelings toward education and
toward the ceremony itself would probably vary. How might a speaker address this?
Teaching Tips
1. Students tend to be most familiar and comfortable with celebratory speeches. As such, this chapter is a
2. If used as a building block, Chapter 13 can reinforce the book’s general approach to public speaking.
3. Chapter 12 emphasizes that novices take risks when they play with the requirements of form and genre.
However, since students generally have greater clarity about commemorative speaking than other genres,
4. Regarding Activity #4, inquiry-based learning is an abbreviated form of problem-based learning. As an
