Do you have to speak at a graduation, a wedding or a farewell and have no idea where to start? Here you will find original examples, the structure that makes them work, and free templates to write your own.
Browse examples by occasion Free templatesChoose the moment you are about to live. Every guide includes a complete sample speech, how to write your own, and the mistakes worth avoiding.
Words to close a chapter: students, commencement speakers, parents and teachers.
👋For a colleague who is leaving, a boss who is retiring or a friend who is moving away.
💍Best men, maids of honor, parents, siblings and the couple themselves: heartfelt texts without the clichés.
👑The words of a father, a mother or a godparent on an unforgettable night.
🎂For 15, 18, 50 or 80 years: short, moving speeches, or ones with a touch of humor.
🙏Saying thank you with words that sound sincere instead of scripted.
🥂Short, memorable toasts for weddings, dinners, achievements and New Year’s Eve.
🌅Bidding farewell to a working life with the recognition it deserves.
For students and teachers of language, communication and the social sciences: what a speech is, how it is analyzed and what types exist, explained with clear examples.
Definition, characteristics, and the difference between speech, text and public speaking.
What it studies, its main approaches, and how to analyze a text step by step.
Political, academic, advertising, religious, direct and reported speech, and more.
Opening, body and closing: the parts every good speech needs.
Some words change the course of a country. We study the most quoted speeches in history, what made them memorable, and what you can learn from them.
Lincoln delivered 272 words that redefined a nation. We take them apart.
Benito Juárez’s immortal phrase, and the address that contains it.
The complete collection with context, analysis and public-speaking lessons.
We are preparing a pack of fill-in templates for every occasion: a ready-made structure, opening and closing lines, and space for your own words. In the meantime, every guide on this site includes the complete structure, ready to copy.
See the templatesA speech is a text designed to be spoken aloud before an audience with a specific purpose: to move, to thank, to persuade, to inform or to say goodbye. Unlike a text written to be read in silence, a speech is built for the ear: clear sentences, rhythm, pauses, and one central message the audience can still remember on their way out.
It depends on the occasion. A toast works best at 1 to 2 minutes; a graduation or wedding speech, between 3 and 5 minutes; and an academic address can run longer. As a rule of thumb, we speak about 130 words per minute out loud, so a 400-word text lasts about 3 minutes.
Yes. The examples are original and meant as a starting point: you can adapt them, changing names, anecdotes and details so they sound like you. A speech copied word for word is easy to spot; one adapted with your own memories sounds authentic.
With preparation and rehearsing out loud. Read your speech three or four times at home, record yourself on your phone to catch filler words, breathe before you start, and look at different people in the audience instead of fixing your gaze on one spot. Nerves drop sharply when you know the text almost by heart.
The classic and most effective structure has three parts: an opening (a line that grabs attention), a body (the central message with one or two stories or ideas) and a closing (a memorable line that sums up the meaning of the moment). Our speech structure guide explains it in detail with examples.