Choosing the Best Commemorative Speech Topics: Examples and Tips

What is a commemorative speech?

Commemorative speeches are uplifting or emotional speeches delivered on special occasions. This can be used to celebrate a person or a group. Commemorative speeches are also used to pay respect and celebrate events, places, situations, ideas, etc.

Ideally, commemorative speech requires you to say words from your heart. However, this is not an ideal world. So, most of the time, you will find people fumbling for words when they are asked to speak their minds out loud. So, having a commemorative speech outline helps them to stay prepared. Going through a few commemorative speech examples helps them speak on various topics without any hassle.

Keep reading to learn everything you will need to deliver a commemorative speech.

Purpose Behind a Commemorative Speech

Features of a good commemorative speech topic

The primary requisite of a good commemorative speech is that it should be able to grab the attention of the audience. To ensure this happens, your speech should be –

• Engaging

No matter what the commemorative speech topic is, it must be engaging by all means. The best way to make things engaging, avoid using clichés, and try to be creative. A sneaky way to spark engagement is by introducing a little controversy while being reasonable.

Check out any popular speech topics, and you will find these elements present. If you want to find engaging content on funny tribute speech topics or good commemorative speech topics.

• Inspiring

It is also equally important to make the speech sound inspiring. The purpose of a commemorative speech is to show your gratitude and the values you revere. So, making the speech sound inspiring helps you express your purpose values and sanctity.

For example, if you want to say a tribute speech to your parents or a speech honoring someone special to you, making the speech sound inspiring is a must.

• Relevant

The whole idea of a commemorative speech is to stay connected with the audience throughout the speech. So, the speech should be relevant to the audience you are speaking to. So, don’t make the speech too personal. It should be about a collective experience to which the audience can relate.

For example, if you are seeking ceremonial speech ideas for your class, you should look for ideas relevant to the entire group, like a class outing or any class events that brought the class together.

• Positive

Commemorative speeches are used to celebrate a person, a group, or an event. So, it only makes sense to make it sound positive. Even if you are commemorating a famous deceased person, the commemorative speeches should always highlight their best traits to portray their legacy in a positive light.

Even if you are delivering a speech for college students, pick a celebratory speech topic that sounds optimistic and empowering.

How to Choose the Best Commemorative Speech Topic?

If you are considering getting some commemorative speech ideas for the class, or an event, follow these steps to choose the best celebration or acceptance speech topics –

• Research

Always research thoroughly for the best potential speech topics. See similar commemorative videos on YouTube or the websites of other Universities. The more you will see these videos, you will get more and better ideas for the speech.

• Brainstorm

Don’t shy away from discussing with the people you trust. It is not always possible to decide which is the most appropriate commemorative speech topic for yourself. You can discuss with your friends and seniors the various types of commemorative speeches you have shortlisted and brainstorm to find out which one will best suit the occasion.

• Know the audience

As already mentioned, the topic you will select has to resonate with your audience. Know what they like, and want to listen to while considering the various group speech topic ideas. Simultaneously, you should also have a clear idea about who is going to be present in the audience.

For example, if you are preparing a commemorative speech on a famous person, you must think of topics that can glorify the achievements of the said person.

• Choose meaningful topics

Once you narrow down the topic you want to speak on, work on the framing. The commemorative speech topic you want to speak about should be meaningful and deliver a message. It can be a tribute or words of praise, but it should remain with the audience.

There are many sample speeches for honouring someone online. Take help from these samples, to make your topic meaningful.

• Make the speech unique

Also, a commemorative speech is supposed to “come from your heart”. So, it cannot be identical to other speakers. Ideally, you should always check with your colleagues and other speakers so that no two speeches sound the same. If you don’t have the option to do that, look for unique sample commemorative speeches to get inspiration for an original speech.

How to Design a Perfect Commemorative Speech Topic?

To design a perfect commemorative speech topic, you need to meet six basic conditions, such as –

• Faking sincerity

While delivering commemorative speeches, you need to speak good things about a person, a group, or an event, even if you are not on the best terms with them. So, knowing how to fake sincerity is crucial while designing commemorative speech outline formats.

Never underestimate your audience, as they can easily figure out if you are a hypocritical speaker. That will create a negative impression among the audience, and the speech will come back to haunt you. So, if you are asked to write tributes about someone you are not very fond of, check for commemorative speech examples for your best friend. Then use those points to inspire yourself to write a sincere speech.

• Give examples

Examples make a commemorative speech more relatable to the audience. For example, if you are speaking about an event, specify dates, and relate it with a significant event from your life. If you are speaking about a person, give examples of a controversial event from their life.

The motive should be to show the audience that you are speaking from your heart and that the person or event you are discussing is important to you.

• Favorable impressions

Another aim of commemorative speeches is to create a favourable impression about the person or a group in the mind of the audience. So, try to balance out enthusiasm in the speech topic. Ensure that your commemorative speech outline doesn’t sound too hyped or bland. It should be honest and just enough to draw a positive image in the mind of the listeners.

• Show emotions

Commemorative speeches tend to get emotional in nature. So, the topic should have the energy to reach the milestone. So, an ideal speech should not be rigid or monotonous. Neither should it be an emotional rollercoaster.

Striking a balance can be a challenge, but good commemorative speech topics can keep the emotions in check while making it entertaining.

• Avoid being monotonous

Never make commemorative speeches a snooze fest. Even if you are delivering an official speech, there are ample opportunities to push some humour and creativity into it. While designing the speech, look for a story angle that can be fun and engaging, yet create long-lasting impacts on the audience.

• Connect with the audience

The best commemorative speech topics should connect deeply with the audience. So, adding occasional jokes, relatable issues, and controversies keeps the audience glued to their seats.

Best Themes for Commemorative Speech Topics – 100+ Topics

Now that you have learnt all about what is commemorative speech and how to write one, here are some of the best themes for commemorative speeches –

• Paying tribute to eminent personalities
• Ernest Hemmingway – An author I admire
• Neil Armstrong’s emphatic race to the moon
• Martin Luther King – A black man achieving his dreams
• Meryl Streep – The most evergreen actor
• The Hero of World War II – Winston Churchill
• The most genius theoretical physicist ever born – Stephen Hawkins
• The dynamic young baseball star – Jose Fernandez
• A death that shocked billions across the globe – The life of Michael Jackson
• Remembering the Hollywood actors who died this year
• "Cheers", the sitcom, paid a great tribute to the actor Nicholas Colassanto
• Applauding achievers around you
• Paying a fitting tribute to my mom for making me the person I am today
• A huge round of applause to my dad, who pushed me to be creative in life
• Respecting the lawmakers and policemen for whom we can feel safe in the society
• A big shout out to all the Covid warriors
• Tribute to the entrepreneur who gave extraordinary efforts in growing his business
• The audience stood up and applauded the young singer
• The common people applaud the decision to lower taxes
• Paying respect to my professor, who mentored me in my PhD journey
• I applaud the local councillor for cleaning up the area
• She should be applauded for her honesty and not criticised
• Celebrating historical moments
• The discovery of Facebook paved the way for social networking as we see today
• The discovery of penicillin saved millions of lives
• Paying respect to the active workers of the Industrial revolution
• Lauding the freedom fighters of Independence day
• Paying respect to the constitution
• A tribute to Vladimir Lenin, one of the most iconic leaders of the world
• Evidence that the world will come together in the fight against global warming – The Paris Agreement
• Tribute to the National Army for their heroics in the war
• Paying respect to fallen national armed forces
• Tribute to the martyrs in the Independence War
• Celebrating personal accomplishments
• Publishing my first book
• The day I became a professor and stepped into the path of guiding students to their goals
• How a fatal accident changed the course of my life for the better?
• Winning the best athlete award in the college
• My personal development plan and the path to taste success
• The day I completed my residency and became a surgeon
• My first day at the university
• A story about a career-defining moment in my life
• My biggest achievement till date
• My achievements as an entrepreneur
• Funny topics in a commemorative speech
• Significance of Charlie Chaplin in the world of comedy
• My first experience in the kitchen
• Embarrassing myself during my first interview
• William Hannah and Joseph Barbara – two persons who made us laugh in our childhood
• How Mr Bean makes the world a happier place?
• Cartoon Network – celebrating the creative minds who made us laugh
• Jerry Seinfeld – an artist who tickled our funny bones when no one could
• Brooklyn 99 writers – Geniuses who addressed social issues with humour
• Lauding the best standup comedians for helping us cope with stress
• Respecting the jokers – professionals who made us laugh
• Paying tributes to human attributes
• Paying tribute to all the pandemic warriors in the world
• Significance of analytical thinking skills
• Contribution of Nelson Mandel to the development of Africa
• Respecting loyalty – an important trait of mankind
• Remembering the doctors who gave their life serving patients during the Covid
• A fitting tribute to the nurses who risked their lives during the war
• Hard work benefits people in the long run, and we should be proud of that
• A tribute to Greta Eleonora Thunberg, the dynamic global environment activist
• Paying tribute to the brave freedom fighters
• Respecting the engineers, the backbone of the modern world
• Influential commemorative speech topics
• Respecting the iconic heroes of the war
• Paying tribute to the popular leaders of the country
• Paying respect to the founders of the civil rights movement
• Remembering the prime minister’s contribution to the economy of the country
• Tribute to those who died in the terrorist attack
• Felicitating the library president
• Paying tribute to the young environmental activists
• Remembering the fallen in the Civil War
• Paying respect to the honorary president of the club
• Paying tribute to the freedom fighters of the country
• Popular commemorative speech topics
• The latest mission on Mars by NASA
• Tribute to the activists who worked on gay rights
• Television shows that shaped our ideologies and values
• Paying respect to a popular blogger who battled for the society
• Tribute to a social worker who fought for equality
• Tribute to a journalist who spoke on women's rights
• The latest satellite launch by ISRO
• Appreciating a teacher who taught children the meaning of discipline in the kindergarten
• The successful landing of the moon
• Successful launch of a new car in the hybrid segment
• Latest commemorative speech topics
• Power of a visionary leader
• Is humanity struggling for a war-free world?
• How can a person make his own destiny?
• Scientific genius versus artistic genius
• Compromises that mould a person into a stronger human being
• Stay hungry, stay foolish
• Importance of staying humble in an egoistic world
• Significance of a teacher in your life
• How can I thank my parents for the person I have become?
• Should examinations be banned from schools around the world?
• Lucrative commemorative speech topics
• Travelling with friends versus travelling with a spouse
• Remembering all the sacrifices made by the parents
• Paying tribute to victims of an earthquake
• Impact of terrorist attacks that leads to a massive economic disaster
• Inspiring shows on national television
• The day I recovered from an illness after it threatened to end my career
• Remembering all the kind souls who made my solo travel experience a memorable one
• Respecting the officials on duty who vowed to protect the nation
• Reporting the great philanthropic work done by the visionary entrepreneurs of the nation
• Important contributions by the president to the relief fund
• Commemorative speech topics on people
• Contributions of Barrack Obama in the American history
• Life and Work of Abraham Lincoln
• Charles Babbage and his works on inventing the computer
• What impact did Isaac Newton make on Physics?
• The journeys of Magellan – Admiring one of the best explorers in the history
• How did Christopher Columbus invent the United States?
• Paying tribute to Leonardo da Vinci – one of the best artists and genius the world has seen
• Paying tribute to Michelangelo – the misunderstood genius
• Analysing how presidents play a role in managing disasters in the nations
• How overrated or underrated is loyalty in modern-day sports
• Simple commemorative speech topics
• Collaboration agreement that mutually benefited two nations
• Few acts of romance that went beyond geographical boundaries
• Respecting the pioneering philosophers who shaped our ideologies
• Throwing light on the life of the significant prophets
• Remembering the time when I first collaborated with an influencer
• How cricket unites a nation
• Remembering the first time I broke my heart
• Football and teamwork, a case study on the superstars of the FIFA world cup
• Improvements implemented by the World Health Organisation
• The contributions made by the first printing press to the literary world
• High-rated commemorative speech topics
• Remembering my favourite neighbour when I stayed in my village
• A generous shopkeeper that always lends money without any expectation of getting it back
• The first female doctor in the USA – The life stories of Elizabeth Blackwell
• Random actions that touched a million lives
• The first female politician in the USA
• Muslim values that actually make sense in the world
• Studying Christian values in Europe
• Role of the United Nations in propagating peace in the world
• Hindu values are more scientific than you can imagine
• Importance of siblings in our life
• College student commemorative speech topics
• Tribute to the women professors in the college
• The history of inventions
• Gratitude to the single parent who raised you
• Words of praise for the eminent faculties
• Celebrating the diversity in religion
• Praising the birth of democracy in a nation
• How to make the best use of your college days
• Tribute to the best professors in the university
• Acknowledging the value of healthcare during Covid-19
• Acknowledging the importance of a good campus in a student's life

30 Other Unique Commemorative Speech Topics

• Successful international collaborations to tackle the ozone depletion issue globally
• Acknowledging the challenges of an invention
• Respecting the perseverance of the underdog team to win the tournament
• Celebrating the values of Buddhism
• Acknowledging the value of freedom and the sacrifices that were made
• Value of hope in today’s world
• The selfless dedication of teachers in your childhood
• Remembering the strength of character of your favourite historical person
• Remembering the scientific genius of Nikola Tesla
• Charles Darwin’s fight for truth despite fears of blasphemy
• Remembering the horrors of Pearl Harbour
• Human Genome Project – An example of inspiring human collaborations
• The beauty of Van Gogh’s art
• Astronauts on International Space Station – a prime example of human adaptability
• Role of independent thinkers like Charles Bukowski and Noam Chomsky
• The importance of a significant intellectual milestone like Poincare conjecture
• Eradication of poliomyelitis
• The historic contributions to improve AIDS treatment
• Global human milestone – The battle to eradicate illiteracy
• Values and lifestyles of extinct civilisations like Indians and Mayas
• Remembering James Watson and Francis Creek – Their contributions to inventing DNA structure
• First road trip with friends
• Eulogy for a professor who mentored you
• Acknowledging the support of the university for your success in the sports event
• Remembering the colleagues who have become friends
• Remembering all the white police officers who backed the Black Lives Matter movement
• Toasting to the worst date, you have ever been
• Becoming a better salesperson
• An award acceptance speech
• Toasting the longtime coach during his retirement

Latest Blog For Students

Most Popular Questions Searched By Students:

Q.1. What are some examples of commemorative speeches?

Ans. Some of the best examples of commemorative speeches are eulogies, speech of goodwill, speech of nomination, wedding toasts and award acceptance speech.

Q.2. What is a good hook for a commemorative speech?

Ans. The best hook while delivering a commemorative speech is sharing an anecdote, or starting with a fascinating true story. If your speech sounds like a story, and is relatable with your audience, then will love to hear it till the end.

Q.3. What do you say in a commemorative speech?

Ans. Commemorative speeches are usually epideictic or ceremonial in nature. So, fundamentally, you need to praise a person, or pay tribute to someone through commemorative speeches. You can also speak about a group, an institution, event, or place through a commemorative speech.

Q.4. What is an attention getter for a commemorative speech?

Ans. There are many elements that you can include in the commemorative speech to generate more attention –

• Jokes
• Quotes
• Funny true stories
• Statistics
• Questions
• Bold statements
• Visualisations
• Analogies

Q.5. How do you start a commemorative speech example?

Ans. The ideal way to start a perfect commemorative speech is –

• Telling the audience, a fascinating true story, or an anecdote
• Using a metaphor, or a compelling quote
• Asking them relevant questions
• Stating interesting or controversial facts
• Giving the audience something to laugh about
• Visualising a scenario
• Making a bold statement
• Adding some personal touch

Q.6. What are the goals of a commemorative speech?

Ans. The primary goals of a commemorative speech are to inspire the audience, and to make them see a person, an institution, or an idea in a positive light. It is also used to show respect or pay tribute to someone who is admirable, or have achieved something significant.

Q.7. What should I write my commemorative speech about?

Ans. In a commemorative speech, you can write good things about –

• A human
• A group of persons
• An event
• An institution
• An idea
• A place

Q.8. What is an example of ceremonial speech?

Ans. An example of a ceremonial speech is - “To the bride and groom, I wish you two health, and all the happiness and everything else you two wish for.”

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