Techniques of Ceremonial Speaking

Ceremonial speaking includes speeches of introduction, inspiration, celebration, and giving and receiving awards.

The techniques of identification and magnification are applicable to all types of ceremonial speaking.

Identification techniques draw the audience closer together by focusing on what they have in common.

They identify with each other.

On the other hand, magnification focuses the attitudes or values which made the subject of the speech special and which are shared by the audience.

Identification

Identification is the creation of close feelings among the members of the audience, and between the audience and the speaker.

It means that the audience feels more cohesive and they experience a sense of community.

Since the function of ritual and ceremony is to draw people closer together, the technique of identification is the very heart of ceremonial speaking.

Without it, you cannot achieve your goals in ceremonial speaking.

Speakers may further identification through the use of narratives for celebration, through recognizing heroes, and through a renewal of group commitment.

Narrative

Ceremonial speaking is the time for reliving shared golden moments.

Narrative means telling stories -- stories draw us together.

I really enjoy both listening to and telling stories and find they build a strong sense of shared identity.

For example, if you were preparing a speech for a fund-raising celebration, you could recall things that happened during those long evenings when student volunteers were making their calls.

You might remember moments of discouragement, followed by other moments of triumph, when the contributions were especially large or meaningful.

Your story would reflect the meaning of the celebration and would be a tribute both to donors and to the student volunteers who endured occasional frustration and discouragement on the way to final victory.

President Obama uses narrative in almost all his speeches.

Here are 3 stories from his speech at the Memorial Service in Arizona after a gunman opened fire on people at a political rally.

Judge John Roll served our legal system for nearly years. A graduate of this university and its law school, Judge Roll was recommended for the federal bench by John McCain twenty years ago, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, and rose to become Arizona's chief federal judge. His colleagues described him as the hardest-working judge within the Ninth Circuit. He was on his way back from attending Mass, as he did every day, when he decided to stop by and say hi to his Representative. John is survived by his loving wife, Maureen, his three sons, and his five grandchildren.

George and Dorothy Morris – "Dot" to her friends – were high school sweethearts who got married and had two daughters. They did everything together, traveling the open road in their RV, enjoying what their friends called a 50-year honeymoon. Saturday morning, they went by the Safeway to hear what their Congresswoman had to say. When gunfire rang out, George, a former Marine, instinctively tried to shield his wife. Both were shot. Dot passed away.

A New Jersey native, Phyllis Schneck retired to Tucson to beat the snow. But in the summer, she would return East, where her world revolved around her 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 2 year-old great-granddaughter. A gifted quilter, she'd often work under her favorite tree, or sometimes sew aprons with the logos of the Jets and the Giants to give out at the church where she volunteered. A Republican, she took a liking to Gabby, and wanted to get to know her better.

View the entire speech below.

Therefore, recognize specific individuals only when they have made truly unusual contributions or when they are representative of the contributions of many.

From the same memorial in Arizona speech President Obama highlighted the contributions of individuals and also of the group. His words were:

Our hearts are full of gratitude for those who saved others. We are grateful to Daniel Hernandez, a volunteer in Gabby's office who ran through the chaos to minister to his boss, tending to her wounds to keep her alive. And, Daniel, I'm sorry, you may deny it, but we decided you are a hero because you ran through the chaos to minister to your boss and tend to her wounds and keep her alive. We are grateful for the men who tackled the gunman as he stopped to reload.

Right over there [pointing out people in the audience] We are grateful for petite Patricia Maisch, who wrestled away the killer's ammunition and undoubtedly saved some lives. And we are grateful for the doctors and nurses and first responders who worked wonders to heal those who'd been hurt. These men and women remind us that heroism is found not only on the fields of battle. They remind us that heroism does not require special training or physical strength. Heroism is here, all around us, in the hearts of so many of our fellow citizens, just waiting to be summoned, as it was on Saturday.

Renewal of group commitment

Ceremonial speaking is a time both for celebrating accomplishments and for renewing commitment.

Again, remember you want the audience to feel a sense of community and having a shared purpose will go a long way towards accomplishing that goal.

At a fundraising banquet, for example, you can share with your listeners a vision of what the future can be like for your college if their commitment continues.

Plead with them not to be satisfied with present accomplishments, great as they are. Renew their sense of identification as an action group moving toward even greater goals.

Now is not the time to present new programs and challenges -- after all, there is a time for relaxation and celebration as well as a time for action.

But you should at least leave listeners thinking about the brighter future they are shaping.

In his first Inaugural address President Obama called for the nation to come together when he began by saying "Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents."

The following speech by John McCain is one of the most inspiring speeches I have ever watched. In this speech Senator McCain called for renewal and healing and united the nation.

Magnification

Ceremonial Speeches should build in effect until they conclude

Speakers should save their most stunning or dramatic or amusing stories, the most telling points, until the end of the speech.

Ceremonial speeches must never dwindle to a conclusion.

The purpose of the ceremonial speech is to build the sense of community for the audience and so building the speech towards a dramatic conclusion allows the audience to share common feelings and responses.

Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic Convention in 2012 built to a strong dramatic close.

If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire…if immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores…if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote…if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time…if a young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream…and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love…then surely, surely we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great American Dream. Because in the end, more than anything else, that is the story of this country – the story of unwavering hope grounded in unyielding struggle. That is what has made my story, and Barack's story, and so many other American stories possible. And I say all of this tonight not just as First Lady…and not just as a wife. You see, at the end of the day, my most important title is still "mom-in-chief." My daughters are still the heart of my heart and the center of my world. But today, I have none of those worries from four years ago about whether Barack and I were doing what's best for our girls. Because today, I know from experience that if I truly want to leave a better world for my daughters, and all our sons and daughters…if we want to give all our children a foundation for their dreams and opportunities worthy of their promise…if we want to give them that sense of limitless possibility – that belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you're willing to work for it…then we must work like never before…and we must once again come together and stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward…my husband, our President, President Barack Obama.