414 18 Speaking for Special occaSionS and purpoSeS
Learning Objectives
18.1 Identify and explain the requirements for two types of speaking
situations likely to arise in the workplace.
18.2 List and describe nine types of ceremonial speeches.
18.3 List and explain strategies for creating humor in speech.There is money in public speaking. Many of the politicians, athletes, and celebri-
ties who speak professionally earn six- or even seven-figure fees for a single talk.
• Former president George W. Bush has charged about $150,000 per speech
since leaving the presidency.^1
• Former vice president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore has made as
much as $156,000 for a speech on global climate change.^2
• Former British prime minister Tony Blair has made as much as $616,000—
more than $10,000 a minute—for two 30-minute speeches.^3
• Business, real estate, and entertainment mogul Donald Trump was paid
$1.5 million per lecture for 17 seminar appearances.^4
• And former president Bill Clinton made nearly $40 million in speaking fees
in the first years after he left the White House.^5
But the record speaking fee might still be the $2 million for two 20-minute
speeches given by former president Ronald Reagan to a Japanese company in 1989.^6
Although most of us will never be rewarded so lavishly for our public-
speaking efforts, it is likely that we will at some time be asked to make a
business or professional presentation or to speak on some occasion that calls for
celebration, commemoration, inspiration, or entertainment. Special occasions
are important enough and frequent enough to merit study, regardless of the like-
lihood of their resulting in wealth or fame for the speaker.
In this chapter, we discuss the various types of speeches that may be called
for on special occasions, and we examine the specific and unique audience
expectations for each one. First, we will discuss two speaking situations that are
likely to occur in the workplace. Then we will turn our attention to several types
of ceremonial speeches and the humorous after-dinner speech.Commencement Addresses
Commemorative Addresses
Eulogies18.3 After-Dinner Speaking: Using Humor
Effectively
Humorous Topics
Humorous Stories
Humorous Verbal Strategies
Humorous Nonverbal Strategies