It sounds like this speech can be very personal, which is
exactly how you should approach it. If you have received an award for academic
excellence, very likely your personal story of success will be
naturally motivating to others.
There is no one way to
accomplish this, but my best advice is this: sit down and make a list of things you
think you might want to say. List everything that you did in order to gain academic
excellence (rather than focusing on the award). List any people who helped you along
the way. It is always appropriate to pay tribute to others in such a speech. Think
about where you started and where you finished, and how you got
there.
Once you've made a long list, figure out a logical
way to organize it. The first step is pruning anything that isn't necessary, or will
simply make the speech longer but not more interesting. If you do, in fact, have a
straightforward story, keep in mind that putting facts and events in chronological order
is actually both easy to do and easy for your audience to
follow.
You might conclude the speech with any specific
tips you have for other students who will one day be walking the path you've walked.
Try not to repeat yourself, but instead, highlight some of the things you did by giving
brief points of personal advice.
The best part of such a
speech is that it is all about you. This means put your personality into it. If you
are a funny person, by all means, be funny. If you are shy or even a little intimidated
by public speaking, go ahead and mention that. Your audience will be exactly as kind as
you ask them to be, and the more personal you make it, the more forgiving they will be.
Also, practice reading your speech out loud. You will know with practice what to keep
and what to throw out. You might even end up adding some things at the last minute that
should be included. Have fun, and good luck.
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