Link to the Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaQZFhrW0fU&ab_channel=TheUniversityofTexasatAustin
Credit: Inc. Magazine
Admiral William H. McRaven’s commencement address to the Class of 2014 from the University of Texas is a great example of a speech that connects with multiple different people across America. The way Admiral McRaven structures his speech, portrays an aura of sincerity through his body language, and repeatedly calls his audience to action all contribute to his speech being both exceptional and memorable, inspiring people even 9 years in the future.
Admiral McRaven crafts a well-structured speech to ensure the audience is engaged with his message from the very beginning. He starts by recounting a personal story of his Navy SEAL training – calling cadets who suffered through rough training sessions a “sugar cookie” due to always being covered with sweat and sand. His use of personal anecdote and humorous take to a harsh situation acts as an effective hook to his speech, helping capture his audience’s attention from the very beginning and keeping them engaged with his story. McRaven then transitions smoothly to ten different life lessons he has learned throughout his life, providing a clear roadmap for the rest of his speech to the audience. The way his speech logical progresses from one lesson to the next keeps the speech organized, helping the audience follow along easily and eager to hear more.
Another element Admiral McRaven utilizes is non-verbal communication. With his warm and empathetic facial expression, McRaven conveys authenticity and a genuine desire to connect with his audience. Thus, McRaven is able to engage with the audience without even uttering a word, demonstrating the true importance of body language. He also continuously maintains eye contact with the crowd, only ever so often taking a glimpse at his script. Since eye contact displays a level of respect and confidence, the audience perceive McRaven as sincerely wanting to have a heart-to-heart conversation with all the graduates, almost like he’s looking at every graduate individually while sharing his life advice.
Finally, Admiral McRaven also has compelling, repetitive calls to action: to go make a positive impact on the world. Whether through instilling a sense of responsibility in his audience or inspiring his audience to help others, McRaven leaves the audience with a clear call to action. Through constantly repeating it in different ways, McRaven emphasizes the importance of making a positive impact on the world by starting with small, manageable tasks.