Dear Presentation Doctor;

I need to deliver an energizing two (2) minute address to Graduates at our University welcoming them into the Alumni. I have researched and found several quotes which can be used. I want to appeal to their higher calling by asking them to make themselves service providers to the community and industry that they belong to, in a manner which is driven by excellence always.

Can you help?

Some ideas

Often a good start is a warm up line like "Mark Twain said that it takes three weeks to give an off the cuff speech - well I was given three minutes" or a similar witty line.

A rhetorical question that you then answer should get them interested. E.g. You may ask how..... Well the answer is.............. It is a simple oratory technique but it works well.

Another technique is a line like "If there was only one thing that I would like you to remember from your college days it would be to use what you have learnt to be service providers to your community...."

Great idea to use a couple of quotes.

End on a high and then sit down.

What most people miss is that you should spend more time rehearsing than preparing.

I hope this helps.

If you want me to cast my eyes over your script I'd be happy to do that.

[The speech was actually very good – a few tweaks were offered on how it could be fine tuned – there was a nice quote about easy sailing]

Dear Doctor;

Thank you for your very kind sentiments. I have made the suggested changes and the paragraph flows much smoother.

Yes you can use the "Plain sailing" quote. Thanks once more for your invaluable support. I will stay in touch.

Plain Sailing

There is no thrill in easy sailing, when the sky is clear and blue; there is no joy in merely doing things, which anyone can do.

But there is some satisfaction that is mighty sweet to take when you’ve reached a destination that you thought you could not make

--
Many thanks