What's Your Favorite Commencement Speech?

Summary

All Of It – "What's Your Favorite Commencement Speech?"

Host: Kusha Navadar (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Riley Roberts (Professional speechwriter)
Date: June 25, 2024

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Episode Overview

This episode of "All Of It" explores the culture and craft of commencement speeches. With graduation season in full swing, host Kusha Navadar—who is about to give a commencement address at his own high school alma mater—talks with professional speechwriter Riley Roberts about what makes a memorable speech. The conversation dives into the art of inspiration, storytelling, and authenticity, with plenty of listener interaction reflecting on favorite (and less favorite) commencement moments. The episode offers practical speechwriting advice, insights into the evolution of commencement addresses, and a rich collection of examples from cultural memory.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Universal Experience of Commencement Speeches

• Relatability: Roberts notes commencement speeches are accessible because "we've all experienced one, whether it's good or bad. We've either been inspired or we've been bored to tears." (04:14)
• The Lasting Effect: Both Navadar and Roberts agree the speech's words often fade, but its emotional impact endures:

  "They may remember how you make them feel. And that's, that's really powerful." — Riley Roberts (04:24)

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Essential Building Blocks of a Great Commencement Speech

1. Brevity is Key

   • Roberts advises to "keep it short," referencing the "sitcom rule" that people's attention spans cap out around 22 minutes (05:10).
   • Ideally, speeches should be even shorter, acknowledging the audience’s eagerness for the celebrations to come.

2. Authentic Connection

   • The speech should rely on the speaker's unique relationship with the audience.
   • Roberts:

     "Unpacking what can you and only you say to this crowd... is just a great test to apply." (06:54)

3. Practice and Preparation

   • For first-time speakers, practice is vital.

     "Don't think that you can get up there and improvise... you need to sit down and write your remarks and just let it pour out of you, your authentic self, and then edit from there." — Riley Roberts (07:51)

   • Practice aloud to develop "muscle memory."

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Listener Call-Ins & Texts: Favorite Speeches and Advice

• Notable examples mentioned:

  • Chuck Schumer’s overlong speech (an hour and a half!)
  • Mary Schmich's "Wear Sunscreen" (popularly made into a song by Baz Luhrmann)
  • David Foster Wallace’s "This Is Water" at Kenyon College, 2005 (see [11:22] for an excerpt)
  • Conan O’Brien’s Harvard and Dartmouth commencement addresses
  • Jasmine Ward’s Tulane speech (2018) and Nora Ephron’s Wellesley speech (1996)

• Tips for Reaching Young Audiences:
  Eve from Westchester emphasizes speaking to attention spans:

  "Cut it down to 15 and then have them do something during it. Meet your audience where you are." (09:48)

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Anatomy of a Memorable Speech – David Foster Wallace Example

• Clip played ([11:22]):

  “There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way... The most obvious important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about... in the day to day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance.”

• Roberts’ Analysis:
  Wallace “dispenses with what we call throat clearing... He gets right to the story, right to the didactic little parable.” This subverts expectations and seizes attention. (12:38)

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What to Include in a Commencement Speech

1. Connect & Relate:
   Thank people, acknowledge the institution, highlight connections.

2. Storytelling:
   Progression—“some kind of a progression from A to B to C that shows wisdom unfolding” (14:31)

3. End with 'Altitude':
   Finish on "an inspiring note, give it some altitude... you empower them with whatever insights you've shared to walk out into the world." (15:29)

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On Humor & Anecdotes

• Humor:
  "Tell inclusive inside jokes," but "be very careful about the target... self-deprecating is a great way to go." Don’t punch down. (19:17)

• Personal Anecdotes & Ethics:
  Good anecdotes are "relatable" and "touch the audience’s experience." Show vulnerability—“Show yourself when... you’re struggling and human... That allows them to see themselves in you." (16:25)

• Embellishment? "Relate to the audience, and... be human and authentic." Avoid painting yourself only as the hero.

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Changing Trends in Commencement Speeches

• More expected now to show "authenticity" and "grit," not heroics:

  "People just respond to authenticity. Especially with AI generated content... If you're going to command that attention for a few minutes, then, man, it had better be original, it had better be authentic." (17:52)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "Brevity being the soul of wit."
• "Keep it short. 22 minutes is way too long even for a commencement speech. The shorter the better." (05:10)
• "Show some grit. Show yourself when... you're struggling and human." (16:25)
• "If you're going to command that attention for a few minutes, then, man, it had better be original, it had better be authentic." (17:52)

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Final Advice to Graduates

When asked how he’d address high school seniors:

"I really hope that you experience hard times so that you know the value of, of the good ones. Life is, is a mess... but there is so much beauty and joy to be had... whatever your path." – Riley Roberts (20:56)

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Notable Timestamps

• 03:12 – Introduction of Riley Roberts
• 05:10 – “Sitcom rule” and importance of brevity
• 06:54 – Building genuine connection with the audience
• 07:51 – Advice for inexperienced public speakers
• 11:22 – Clip: David Foster Wallace "This Is Water"
• 13:26 – Analysis of Wallace’s intro and subverting expectations
• 14:31 – Key points every commencement speech should cover
• 15:29 – The meaning of "altitude" in speechwriting
• 16:25 – Personal anecdotes, relatability, authenticity
• 17:52 – How commencement speeches are changing
• 19:17 – Role of humor in graduation speeches
• 20:56 – Riley’s closing advice for high school seniors

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Conclusion

This episode is a warm, insightful, and highly practical guide to understanding (and writing) great commencement speeches. With real-world listener examples, storytelling wisdom, and a focus on authenticity and brevity, it distills the art form to its essentials—leaving listeners inspired, whether venturing onto a commencement stage or simply seeking to connect through words.

Transcript

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[Kusha Navadar]

This is all of it. I'm Kusha Navadar, in for Alison Stewart. Just a heads up everyone, I'm going to be out tomorrow. I'm heading back to my hometown of Albany, New York. I'm specifically going to Gilderland High School, my alma mater. It's graduation day for the class of 2024 and I have the privilege of being their commencement speaker. So shout out to the class of 24 you we are just at the tail end of speechwriting season for commencements and it's always an exciting time of year, and as a former speechwriter myself, it's interesting to see which speeches in any given season get attention and how commencement speeches have changed over the years. I also appreciate how vexing it can be to write a decent speech. You don't want to come off too tacky or cliched. You want to convey an engaging story that's personal yet universal. How do you impart Nuggets of wisdom to a crowd that frankly probably won't remember what you say, but will remember how you make them feel. In some ways, commencement speeches are the art of inspiration. And it can be revealing to step back and see how that art form has shown up in the big moments of our own lives and how it may look going forward. So to help us look at commencement speeches, we are joined by Riley Roberts. Riley is a professional speechwriter who has written for many notable figures that includes former Attorney General Eric Holder, as well as numerous politicians, pop stars, athletes, Fortune 50 CEOs, and even royalty. He also happens to be my former colleague and a writing partner on my own speech. Hi, Riley, welcome to the show.

[Riley Roberts]

Hey, Kusha, thrilled to be here. Thank you so much for having me.

[Kusha Navadar]

Thank you for joining us and listeners, we want to hear from you. What are your favorite commencement speeches? What do you remember about your commencement speech for high school or college? Or perhaps you gave a commencement speech yourself? What worked? What didn't? Or do you have a question for Riley? Call or text us at 212-433-39692. That's 212433, WNYC. Our lines are open. We actually got our first text right there. It says we did an anti apartheid speak out at my graduation, Cornell 1979. Powerful. Thank you so much for that text. And it actually leads us right into the first question. Riley. Because, you know, for a lot of people, commencement speeches are kind of their first exposure to the concept of speeches generally. So you know what commencement speeches play? Did comm. Commencement speeches play any role in getting you interested in being a full time speechwriter?

[Riley Roberts]

So I would say not directly, but the, the beauty of commencement speeches is that we've all experienced one, whether it's good or bad. You know, we've, we've sat through our own commencement ceremony or one for a loved one or a friend, and we've either been inspired or we've been bored to tears. And so that's a very accessible, relatable experience. And I, I absolutely believe that a wonderful commence commencement speech, you know, done well done, right, can really lift the room, can, can leave a lasting impression. As you said, it's an old cliche and there's often truth to cliches that you're not going to remember what somebody says at your graduation ceremony. But as you said, they may remember how you make them feel. And that's, that's really powerful.

[Kusha Navadar]

What do you think are the essential building blocks of making a good commencement speech as compared to like, you know, any other kind of speech you might give.

[Riley Roberts]

Sure. So, so there are three things and, and the first is, is true of a lot of speeches, but I'd say it's especially true of commencement speeches, and that is keep it short. I always, I always tell people, I always advise clients, use what I call the sitcom rule, which is recognize that there is a reason sitcoms are about 22 minutes long. If you don't count commercials, that's about the limit of our attention span. And, and that's especially true when you're talking about one person standing stationary at a podium and talking at you. You know, you're going to lose people pretty soon. So keep it short. 22 minutes is way too long even for a commencement speech. You know, the shorter the better, you know, because as, as I said, commencement ceremonies are long. There's a lot of formal stuff to get through the reading of the names, which is why you're really there. And so you never want to be the person who's standing between this crowd and the celebration afterwards.

[Kusha Navadar]

Listeners, do you remember your commencement speech being too long or quite short? What was your feeling with it? Give us a call. We're at 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. We're here with Riley Roberts, who's a professional speechwriter, has written many commencement speeches himself. We're talking about what makes a great commencement speeches and what role they kind of play in society. Right now it's 212-433-9692 r. Sure that you've written a lot of commencement speeches in your past when you are writing something for someone else or with someone else, I should say, what kind of conversations do you have with the orator when writing the speech? Like what, what questions do you start from?

[Riley Roberts]

Yeah, so I, I am always most interested in the speaker's connection with the audience. That is the heart of the speech. It's, it's the axis upon which the whole speech turns. And, and so really unpacking what can you and only you uni to this crowd, you know, that's a great way to get away from platitudes. It's a great way to get away from the kind of cliche prescriptive wisdom that these speeches are kind of infamous for and that, frankly, is boring to people. So being your authentic self and focusing on what can you and only you say to this crowd is just a great test to apply.

[Kusha Navadar]

We have a text from David in the Bronx that's asking for some advice, actually, which I think you would be great to offer. Says David says how do you recommend first time or inexperienced public speakers should prepare, practice, calm nerves, etc.

[Riley Roberts]

That is a great question, David from the Bronx. And you said it, practice, write the speech. Don't think that you can get up there and improvise. I've seen even really experienced performers stand up in front of a crowd and just absolutely freeze. And so you need to sit down and write your remarks and just let it pour out of you, your authentic self, and then edit from there. But once you have a speech that you feel good about, sit down and practice it. Look in the mirror, you know, time yourself, get it on its feet. And that's really the best way to get comfortable because you know, you'll be stumbling if you're not sort of in the groove or if you're thinking about the words you're saying. So you've got to get it to the point where it's muscle memory. And that's a great way to get comfortable in front of people.

[Kusha Navadar]

So we've got another text here. It says, Chuck Schumer did my daughter's commencement speech a couple years back. He drowned on for an hour and a half. Can't comment on the quality of the speech here. This is me talking, Kousha talking. But. But we really appreciate you calling that out. Riley, kind of goes to your point about brevity being the soul of wit. Got another text here that says one of my all time favorites was written by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmidt and made into a song in the late 90s by Baz Luhrmann called and I think, oh, everybody's free to wear sunscreen. Very familiar with that speech. Thank you so much for calling that out. Listeners, if you have a speech that you love or if you want to talk about the role that a commencement speech has played in your life, if there's a moment where you thought, oh man, this didn't really land or this made an impact when I heard it years ago, give us a call, send us a text. We're at 212-433-9692. That's 212433, WNYC. We got our first caller that I'd love to bring down. This Eve. Is it Eve from Westchester? Am I saying that right?

[Caller]

Yes.

[Kusha Navadar]

Hi.

[Caller]

Hi.

[Kusha Navadar]

Welcome.

[Caller]

Hi. Thank you for taking my call. The reason that I'm calling is that I have dealt with high school age. So you're going to be talking to Your audience is 17 to 18 years old and what they are accustomed to in our high school. And we know across the board with even state standards, there's talking about in a 43 period, in a 43 minute period, 22 minutes is absolute max. Cut it down to 15 and then have them do something during that 15 period. 15 minutes. And that's what they're accustomed to.

[Kusha Navadar]

So certainly, Eve, thank you so much for that call. We appreciate that idea of get it down to 15 and then have them do something during it. Meet your audience where you are. We've got another text here that says not my college, but David Foster Wallace's this is Water for Kenyon College 2005 is a beautiful speech and read. And you know, I'm so happy that they brought up David Foster Wallace because this also happens to be one of your favorite speeches, Riley. I know, that's right, right, absolutely.

[Riley Roberts]

It's just, you know, phenomenal. It's an iconic speech. He meets his students, you know exactly where they are. Graduates, I should say. And it's just wonderful and eloquent. And I believe it's exactly 22 minutes long, if I'm not mistaken.

[Kusha Navadar]

And I believe we have a clip from it ready to go. So thank you so much for that texter, for pulling the punch early there. Here is that text or sorry, here's that clip.

[David Foster Wallace (clip)]

Greetings, thanks and congratulations to Kenyon's graduating class of 2005. There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way who nods at them and says, morning boys, how's the water? And the two young fish swim on for a bit and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, what the hell is water? This is a standard requirement of US commencement speeches, the deployment of didactic little parableish stories. The story thing turns out to be one of the better less bull conventions of the genre. But if you're worried that I plan to present myself here as the wise older fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please don't be. I am not the wise old fish. The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about. Stated as an English sentence, of course, this is just a banal platitude. But the fact is that in the day to day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance. Or so I wish to suggest to you on this dry and lovely morning.

[Kusha Navadar]

Riley, what do you like about this intro, what effect does it have on the audience?

[Riley Roberts]

So I love that he gets rid of. He totally dispenses with what we in the business call throat clearing, which is all the stuff at the top of any speech where you're thanking the audience and the faculty and everything. Not that that's bad. And there's a place for that in most speeches. But here he uses a technique to grab your attention by getting rid of that you're expecting a few minutes of. It's so wonderful to be here. And he gets right to the story, right to the didactic little parable, as he call calls it. And again there he's. He's already subverting the conventions of the speech. He does it formally by getting rid of throat clearing. He does it, you know, informally and sort of in. In the course of the text by, you know, tearing down his anecdote almost while he's telling it and, you know, unpacking it. And it's just brilliant.

[Kusha Navadar]

Let's go to Laurie in Great Neck. Hey, Laurie, welcome to the show.

[Caller]

Hi. Thanks. It's great to hear you. So I wanted to talk about someone. Unfortunately, I forget her name, but she was a commencement speaker at Ithaca College at my nephew's graduation. She was a graduate, so that was wonderful. But she also happened. We were told that it was going to be a corporate person from Macy's, and we were all like yawning beforehand. But it turned out she's the woman who was in charge of the Macy's Day parade and the fireworks. And it was really inspiring because she talked about how she worked nonstop for both events, how satisfying it was. And she was also self. Effacing. She said things like, I'm sure you're not interested in hearing what I have to say. Only my mother is. She's in the audience and she was just really delightful and I'm just sorry I don't know her name.

[Kusha Navadar]

Oh, well, Laurie, thanks so much for sharing that it made a difference in your life and that you remember some of the things that she said. It sounds like that self effacing line stuck with you for years. So thanks so much. We've got a text here, Riley, this is for you. It asks what are the points to hit in a commencement speech.

[Riley Roberts]

So first and foremost, you have to connect with your audience, relate to them in some way. That's where throat clearing actually can do you some favors. If you're thanking people and you're kind of praising the institution, highlighting your connection to it, that's a really good way to start off a speech on the right foot, and then from there, it's really all about storytelling. And it doesn't have to be a story with a beginning, middle, and end, but some kind of a progression from A to B to C that shows wisdom unfolding. It can be a story, you know, with characters at a beginning, middle, and end. That's ideal, and that's what'll make it stick, and that's what'll make it feel to your audience in the end as though they've gone on a journey with you. So stick to stories. And then, you know, at the end, remember, especially for a commencement speech, and on an inspiring note, give it some altitude. This is a happy, celebratory occasion.

[Kusha Navadar]

When you say altitude, what do you mean?

[Riley Roberts]

I mean you really want to be gathering momentum toward the end of the speech. You don't get out of the stories, and you're elevating. You're getting to the lesson that you're trying to impart, and you're getting to what you want the audience to take away. And in the end, you leave it in their hands, and you empower them with whatever insights you've shared to walk out into the world and. And do X, Y, and Z.

[Kusha Navadar]

We've got a lot of texts in here about Conan o' Brien's speeches. There's one at Harvard and one at Dartmouth. A lot of folks are saying, by the way, Conan o' Brien killed it. So, Conan, if you're listening to this, a lot of love out there for you. Right now. We've got another text that's got a question for you, Riley. It says, former valedictorian here who did everything wrong and wishes this segment had aired 40 years ago. Specific question for Riley. What makes a good or bad personal anecdote, and what are the ethical considerations for embellishing or tailoring those stories?

[Riley Roberts]

Oh, great question. I would say a good anecdote is relatable. It's something that touches the audience's experience. For instance, I was talking with a client recently who was going to include a brief point about either his wife or a story about friends. And, you know, because this is a commencement speech, my advice was for a general audience, I think the wife story might be more impactful and more concise and sharper writing. But, you know, bear in mind their frame of reference. These are not folks who are married, and so speaking to the power of friendship is going to be really important. So, you know, relate to the audience. And the last caller had a really great insight about being self Deprecating. Don't show yourself as kind of a shining hero on the horse. Show some grit. Show yourself when, you know, tell a story that shows you struggling and human and that's A, how you get your audience to root for you and B, that allows them to see themselves in you, even though presumably you're speaking to them because you've been successful in one.

[Kusha Navadar]

Way or another over the years, more than a decade at this point that you've been doing this. Have you seen commencement speeches evolve in any way? You had just mentioned show some grit. Show that you are not the hero on the horse, so to speak. Is that a new thing or do you think that's always been the case and it's just more embraced now?

[Riley Roberts]

So I think it, it maybe is more embraced now, more prized. You know, people just respond to authenticity. I think especially with AI generated content and just the flood of everything out there, people have a pretty high bar for their attention. And so if, if you're going to command that attention for a few minutes, then, man, it had better be original, it had better be authentic. I think people are so sick of platitudes and prescriptive wisdom. So, so I do think maybe, you know, the world is, is, is turning and the season for that kind of speech is, is over. But I think that's a really good thing. I think, you know, authentic speeches that, that show the struggle are, are so much better, especially in, in the world we live in.

[Kusha Navadar]

We got some more text that I want to go through. We've got Jasmine Ward's two lane graduation speech from 2018 was incredible and turned into a beautifully illustrated book. Another one says, nor gave the commencement address when I graduated from Wellesley in 1996. It's gone down in history as one of the greats, and I reread it from time to time. I remember not loving it in the moment, but it has aged very well. Riley, with comedy and humor always being on the front of people's minds, how do you think about the way that humor should or shouldn't be employed in a speech?

[Riley Roberts]

So I think it has a really important place, especially on an occasion like a commencement. It's a great opportunity to tell inclusive inside jokes. And if you're not sure where to start, you can ask a student. That's what I often do. I'll, I'll sit down with somebody and say, you know, what brings this class together? What are you guys going to look back on fondly or not so much? And you get some really interesting stuff that you can Use, I would say be very careful about the target of your humor. You know, again, being self deprecating is, is a great way to go when in doubt. And I wouldn't really punch at anybody but yourself and, and the institution. You can, you know, you can lovingly make fun of the institution, but, you know, otherwise I would, I would use humor cautiously.

[Kusha Navadar]

Was there ever a speech that you wrote and you thought, hey, this is going to be great, and it just didn't deliver?

[Riley Roberts]

Oh, man. Where, where do I begin? Where do I begin?

[Kusha Navadar]

I say this is somebody who has definitely done that myself. Yes. I just want to put that out there.

[Riley Roberts]

Yes. Yeah. No, absolutely. Yeah. No, sometimes it's, it's always, whenever it doesn't work, it's because you've misjudged that ingredient I talked about a minute ago, which is how the speaker relates to the audience. If you get that right, then you can get some of the details wrong as far as not necessarily putting every foot exactly correctly, and it'll still be a successful speech. Yeah.

[Kusha Navadar]

And as we look to wrap here, if you were going to give a high school commencement speech to a group of high school seniors, what are some things you would share? Maybe 30 seconds or less.

[Riley Roberts]

Yeah, I, I would say that I really hope that you, you experience hard times so that you know the value of, of the good ones. I think, you know, life is, is a mess and it's, you know, it's always, always more difficult than you think it's going to be. But there is so much beauty and joy to be had out there, whatever your path. So I don't know. That's not very eloquent, but I'm a writer, not an improviser. Kuja, you should know that about me.

[Kusha Navadar]

That's why we work well together. Riley Roberts is a professional speechwriter and my former colleague. Riley, thanks so much for hanging out.

[Riley Roberts]

Thanks so much for having me.

[Kusha Navadar]

That's it for our show today. Wednesday marks the last day of class at New York City public schools. It also means that students who started high school during the pandemic are graduating. So tomorrow on Morning Edition, you're gonna hear from some commencement speakers reflecting on the unique education challenges they've overcome. That's right here on wnyc. Thanks so much for hanging out with us today. We'll see you here tomorrow. Have a good one.

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