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Speechwriting

How to Write an Acceptance Speech

Last Updated: March 21, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham and by wikiHow staff writer, Kyle Hall . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,098,468 times.

When you win an award or honor, it's traditional to share a few words. Writing an acceptance speech can be challenging, so it helps to brainstorm and prepare in advance. You should open your speech with a brief introduction of gratitude, move on to thanking your benefactors, and conclude your speech with some inspiration and optimism. This is your time to shine, but showing humility will leave your audience feeling truly pleased for you and your success.

Brainstorming Ideas

Step 1 Make a list of reasons you're thankful for receiving the award or honor.

After you make an initial list of people you want to thank, walk away and come back to the list later. There might be people you forgot to include that you'll remember at a later time.
If you're worried about leaving someone important out of your speech, ask a close friend or coworker to help with your list. They might think of someone you forgot to include.

Step 3 Read other acceptance speeches for inspiration.

For example, if you're receiving an award for your volunteer work, try searching “volunteer award acceptance speeches” in a search engine. If you're referencing speeches in a physical book, try to find a book that has the speeches organized by award type.

Writing Your Speech

For example, you could write “I am so honored to be standing here today to receive this community leadership award. Serving my community has been a joy and a privilege that I am grateful for every single day. I wouldn't be able to do it if it weren't for all the amazing people in this city."

Step 2 Write the body of your speech, focusing on the people you want to thank.

You don't have to say someone's name to show you're thankful for them. For example, instead of thanking all of your coworkers individually, you could say “I can't express enough how grateful I am for all of my amazing colleagues.”
You can thank the members of the organization giving you the award without listing off their names by saying something like “Thank you so much to the team at the New York Nonprofit Conference for recognizing me with this incredible award.”

Step 4 Be careful using your speech as a platform.

For example, if you're winning an award in recognition of your volunteer work with kids, you could mention how you think more work needs to be done to combat childhood illiteracy.
Don't use your acceptance speech as a time to rant about your political viewpoints or talk heatedly about a controversial topic (unless it's directly connected to the award you're receiving). You'll likely alienate members of the audience and upset the organization that gave you the award.

Step 5 Conclude your speech on a positive note.

Rehearsing Your Speech

If there's someone mentioned in your speech that can't attend the event, invite them to practice with you. That way they get to hear your speech and you have someone to give you pointers.

Step 3 Record yourself reading your speech.

Notice how your voice sounds. Make sure you're speaking loud enough and that what you're saying is clear and understandable.

Step 4 Use a timer to monitor the length of your speech.

Writing Help

Community Q&A

Make eye contact with members of the audience to appear more engaged. [11] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Bring a copy of your speech with you onstage. You might not need to use it, but it's helpful if you forget someone's name. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Avoid reading the copy of speech, but use notes and make sure to look up at the audience more tha you read what you write. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Avoid negative or apologetic statements during your speech. They can make you seem ungrateful. Thanks Helpful 10 Not Helpful 1

↑ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-prepare-an-accepta_b_9290348
↑ Lynn Kirkham. Public Speaking Coach. Expert Interview. 20 November 2019.
↑ https://www.gvsu.edu/ours/oral-presentation-tips-30.htm
↑ https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/10-tips-for-improving-your-public-speaking-skills/
↑ https://www.washington.edu/doit/presentation-tips-0

About This Article

To write an acceptance speech, start with a brief introduction that expresses your gratitude and makes a connection with your audience. Then, in the body of your speech, focus on the people that you want to thank. Try to avoid thanking too many people so your audience doesn't grow impatient by sticking with the people directly involved with the award and your immediate support system. Finally, conclude your acceptance speech on a brief, positive note and thank the audience one last time. To learn how to rehearse an acceptance speech, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Speech Writing

Acceptance Speech

How to Write the Best Acceptance Speech for Your Audience?

What is an Acceptance Speech?

The main goal of writing the speech is to say thanks to those who've recognized your achievements.

An acceptance speech is a special occasion speech that gives a chance for the recipient to express gratitude and acknowledge the people for the honor.

It's a way to share your vision with humility, showing appreciation for those who've honored you.

How to Write an Acceptance Speech?

Your words for an acceptance speech for an award should leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create a memorable acceptance speech:

Immediately Start With a Thank You

Begin your speech by expressing heartfelt thanks to those who have not only supported you but also recognized your achievements. This sets a positive and appreciative tone from the very beginning, showing your gratitude for the honor.

Discuss the Organization

Take a moment to reflect on the significance of the organization that is presenting the award. Explain how this organization contributes to the community or field, and why their recognition is valuable.

Recognize Supportive People

Acknowledge the people who have played essential roles in your journey to success. This includes family members, friends, mentors, and anyone else who has provided guidance, support, or inspiration along the way.

Include Humor in Your Speech

Injecting humor into your speech can be a great way to engage your audience and make your speech more enjoyable. You can pick an entertaining speech topic to include in your speech.

End With Impact

The conclusion of your speech is a crucial part where you can leave a lasting impression on your audience. Conclude with a statement, quote, or message that makes your speech memorable and thought-provoking.

Express Gratitude

Finally, reiterate your appreciation for the organization that presented the award and for the audience that has listened to your speech. Convey your thanks with sincerity and humility.

By considering the above-mentioned elements in your acceptance speech, you can create a memorable address that resonates with your audience and expresses your gratitude.

Acceptance Speech Examples

Here are some excellent speech examples for students and working professionals:

Acceptance Speech Sample

Award Acceptance Speech

Scholarship Acceptance Speech

Jennifer Coolidge Acceptance Speech

Brendan Fraser Acceptance Speech

Austin Butler Acceptance Speech

Ke Huy Quan's Acceptance Speech

Sheryl Lee Ralph's Acceptance Speech

Jamie Lee Curtis Acceptance Speech

Michelle Yeoh Acceptance Speech

Harry Styles's Acceptance Speech

Lizzo Acceptance Speech

Acceptance Speech as President of An Organization

Acceptance Speech for a Leadership Position

It is recommended to look at additional speech examples to have a better understanding of writing a speech.

Mistakes to Avoid When Writing An Acceptance Speech

Here are some things you should avoid when writing your acceptance speech:

Overwhelming Thank-Yous: While expressing gratitude is crucial, don't overdo it by individually thanking every person you've ever met. Keep it concise and focus on key supporters.
Lack of Structure: Avoid a disorganized or lengthy speech. Structure your speech with a clear beginning, middle, and end to maintain your audience's attention.
Being Negative: Stay positive and avoid any negative remarks or criticisms, whether related to the award or other aspects. Maintain a gracious and optimistic tone.
Overusing Jargon: Use language that your audience can easily understand. Avoid excessive use of technical terms or industry-specific jargon.
Inappropriate Humor: Humor is excellent if used appropriately, but steer clear of offensive or overly sarcastic jokes that might alienate your audience.
Not Rehearsing: Practice your speech before the event. Avoid reading it for the first time on stage, which can lead to stumbling or a lack of engagement.

Phrases You Can Use in Acceptance Speech Writing

Here are some useful phrases you can use in your speech:

I am deeply honored to accept this award for...
I share this recognition with...
I stand here today with a profound sense of gratitude for...
I want to express my heartfelt thanks to...
This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of...
I couldn't have achieved this without the unwavering support of...
This honor means the world to me, and it is a reflection of the incredible team I've had the privilege to work with.
I accept this award on behalf of all those who believed in our vision.
This recognition serves as a reminder that dreams can come true with perseverance and the support of loved ones.
As I stand here, I am humbled by the collective effort of our team.
I am excited to see where this award will take us in the future.
This honor encourages us to continue our mission and make an even greater impact.
I would like to acknowledge the outstanding work of my colleagues, who have been instrumental in our success.
It is not just my award; it's a celebration of our shared dedication and hard work.
Whether speaking to a few or many, your words can inspire and connect with those who respect your accomplishments.
I am deeply grateful for the opportunities this award brings, and I pledge to use them to make a positive difference.

You can use these phrases in your acceptance speech.

Tips for Acceptance Speech Writing

Here are some essential tips to keep in mind while crafting your acceptance speech.

Start Early: Begin your speech preparations well in advance to allow time for thoughtful reflection and revisions.
Maintain a Respectful Tone: Use polite and respectful language throughout your speech to show gratitude and appreciation.
Keep It Brief: Acceptance speeches are typically short, so aim to be concise and to the point.
Adapt to the Occasion: Tailor your speech to the formality and theme of the event.
Create an Outline: Develop an outline to help you organize your speech effectively and ensure all key points are included.
Understand Special Requirements: Inquire about any specific requirements or guidelines set by the hosting organization.
Seek Inspiration: Study and learn from exceptional acceptance speeches online to gather ideas and insights.
Edit and Proofread: Carefully review and edit your speech, and consider seeking input from others to refine your content.

So there you have it!

Your acceptance speech is your opportunity to shine and express your gratitude. With these guidelines and tips, you can craft an acceptance speech that resonates with your audience and leaves a lasting impact.

Whether you're addressing a small gathering or a large audience, your words can inspire and connect with those who have chosen to honor your achievements.

Nonetheless, being a good speaker doesn't always translate to being a good writer. That's why many opt for expert assistance from professional writers.

MyPerfectWords.com stands as a reputed essay writing company , offering genuine support for your academic assignments and professional speeches.

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18.2 Special-Occasion Speeches

Learning objectives.

Identify the different types of ceremonial speaking.
Describe the different types of inspirational speaking.

A man giving a birthday speech for his friend

M+MD – Birthday Speech – CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Many entertaining speeches fall under the category of special-occasion speeches. All the speeches in this category are given to mark the significance of particular events. Common events include weddings, bar mitzvahs, awards ceremonies, funerals, and political events. In each of these different occasions, speakers are asked to deliver speeches relating to the event. For purposes of simplicity, we’ve broken special-occasion speeches into two groups: ceremonial speaking and inspirational speaking.

Ceremonial Speaking

Ceremonial speeches are speeches given during a ceremony or a ritual marked by observance of formality or etiquette. These ceremonies tend to be very special for people, so it shouldn’t be surprising that they are opportunities for speech making. Let’s examine each of the eight types of ceremonial speaking: introductions, presentations, acceptances, dedications, toasts, roasts, eulogies, and farewells.

Speeches of Introduction

The first type of speech is called the speech of introduction , which is a minispeech given by the host of a ceremony that introduces another speaker and his or her speech. Few things are worse than when the introducer or a speaker stands up and says, “This is Joe Smith, he’s going to talk about stress.” While we did learn the speaker’s name and the topic, the introduction falls flat. Audiences won’t be the least bit excited about listening to Joe’s speech.

Just like any other speech, a speech of introduction should be a complete speech and have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion—and you should do it all in under two minutes. This brings up another “few things are worse” scenario: an introductory speaker who rambles on for too long or who talks about himself or herself instead of focusing on the person being introduced.

For an introduction, think of a hook that will make your audience interested in the upcoming speaker. Did you read a news article related to the speaker’s topic? Have you been impressed by a presentation you’ve heard the speaker give in the past? You need to find something that can grab the audience’s attention and make them excited about hearing the main speaker.

The body of your introductory speech should be devoted to telling the audience about the speaker’s topic, why the speaker is qualified, and why the audience should listen (notice we now have our three body points). First, tell your audience in general terms about the overarching topic of the speech. Most of the time as an introducer, you’ll only have a speech title and maybe a paragraph of information to help guide this part of your speech. That’s all right. You don’t need to know all the ins and outs of the main speaker’s speech; you just need to know enough to whet the audience’s appetite. Next, you need to tell the audience why the speaker is a credible speaker on the topic. Has the speaker written books or articles on the subject? Has the speaker had special life events that make him or her qualified? Lastly, you need to briefly explain to the audience why they should care about the upcoming speech.

The final part of a good introduction is the conclusion, which is generally designed to welcome the speaker to the lectern. Many introducers will conclude by saying something like, “I am looking forward to hearing how Joe Smith’s advice and wisdom can help all of us today, so please join me in welcoming Mr. Joe Smith.” We’ve known some presenters who will even add a notation to their notes to “start clapping” and “shake speakers hand” or “give speaker a hug” depending on the circumstances of the speech.

Now that we’ve walked through the basic parts of an introductory speech, let’s see one outlined:

Specific Purpose: To entertain the audience while preparing them for Janice Wright’s speech on rituals.

Introduction: Mention some common rituals people in the United States engage in (Christmas, sporting events, legal proceedings).

Main Points:

Explain that the topic was selected because understanding how cultures use ritual is an important part of understanding what it means to be human.
Janice Wright is a cultural anthropologist who studies the impact that everyday rituals have on communities.
All of us engage in rituals, and we often don’t take the time to determine how these rituals were started and how they impact our daily routines.

Conclusion: I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Wright at the regional conference in Springfield last month, and I am excited that I get to share her with all of you tonight. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Wright (start clapping, shake speaker’s hand, exit stage).

Speeches of Presentation

The second type of common ceremonial speech is the speech of presentation . A speech of presentation is a brief speech given to accompany a prize or honor. Speeches of presentation can be as simple as saying, “This year’s recipient of the Schuman Public Speaking prize is Wilhelmina Jeffers,” or could last up to five minutes as the speaker explains why the honoree was chosen for the award.

When preparing a speech of presentation, it’s always important to ask how long the speech should be. Once you know the time limit, then you can set out to create the speech itself. First, you should explain what the award or honor is and why the presentation is important. Second, you can explain what the recipient has accomplished in order for the award to be bestowed. Did the person win a race? Did the person write an important piece of literature? Did the person mediate conflict? Whatever the recipient has done, you need to clearly highlight his or her work. Lastly, if the race or competition was conducted in a public forum and numerous people didn’t win, you may want to recognize those people for their efforts as well. While you don’t want to steal the show away from winner (as Kanye West did to Taylor Swift during the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards, for example http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/435995/taylor-swift-wins-best-female-video.jhtml#id=1620605 ), you may want to highlight the work of the other competitors or nominees.

Speeches of Acceptance

The complement to a speech of presentation is the speech of acceptance . The speech of acceptance is a speech given by the recipient of a prize or honor. For example, in the above video clip from the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards, Taylor Swift starts by expressing her appreciation, gets interrupted by Kanye West, and ends by saying, “I would like to thank the fans and MTV, thank you.” While obviously not a traditional acceptance speech because of the interruption, she did manage to get in the important parts.

There are three typical components of a speech of acceptance: thank the givers of the award or honor, thank those who helped you achieve your goal, and put the award or honor into perspective. First, you want to thank the people who have given you the award or honor and possibly those who voted for you. We see this done every year during the Oscars, “First, I’d like to thank the academy and all the academy voters.” Second, you want to give credit to those who helped you achieve the award or honor. No person accomplishes things in life on his or her own. We all have families and friends and colleagues who support us and help us achieve what we do in life, and a speech of acceptance is a great time to graciously recognize those individuals. Lastly, put the award in perspective. Tell the people listening to your speech why the award is meaningful to you.

Speeches of Dedication

The fourth ceremonial speech is the speech of dedication . A speech of dedication is delivered when a new store opens, a building is named after someone, a plaque is placed on a wall, a new library is completed, and so on. These speeches are designed to highlight the importance of the project and possibly those to whom the project has been dedicated. Maybe your great-uncle has died and left your college tons of money, so the college has decided to rename one of the dorms after your great-uncle. In this case, you may be asked to speak at the dedication.

When preparing the speech of dedication, start by explaining how you are involved in the dedication. If the person to whom the dedication is being made is a relative, tell the audience that the building is being named after your great-uncle who bestowed a gift to his alma mater. Second, you want to explain what is being dedicated. If the dedication is a new building or a preexisting building, you want to explain what is being dedicated and the importance of the structure. You should then explain who was involved in the project. If the project is a new structure, talk about the people who built the structure or designed it. If the project is a preexisting structure, talk about the people who put together and decided on the dedication. Lastly, explain why the structure is important for the community where it’s located. If the dedication is for a new store, talk about how the store will bring in new jobs and new shopping opportunities. If the dedication is for a new wing of a hospital, talk about how patients will be served and the advances in medicine the new wing will provide the community.

At one time or another, almost everyone is going to be asked to deliver a toast . A toast is a speech designed to congratulate, appreciate, or remember. First, toasts can be delivered for the purpose of congratulating someone for an honor, a new job, or getting married. You can also toast someone to show your appreciation for something they’ve done. Lastly, we toast people to remember them and what they have accomplished.

When preparing a toast, the first goal is always to keep your remarks brief. Toasts are generally given during the middle of some kind of festivities (e.g., wedding, retirement party, farewell party), and you don’t want your toast to take away from those festivities for too long. Second, the goal of a toast is to focus attention on the person or persons being toasted—not on the speaker. As such, while you are speaking you need to focus your attention to the people being toasted, both by physically looking at them and by keeping your message about them. You should also avoid any inside jokes between you and the people being toasted because toasts are public and should be accessible for everyone who hears them. To conclude a toast, simply say something like, “Please join me in recognizing Joan for her achievement” and lift your glass. When you lift your glass, this will signal to others to do the same and then you can all take a drink, which is the end of your speech.

The roast speech is a very interesting and peculiar speech because it is designed to both praise and good-naturedly insult a person being honored. Generally, roasts are given at the conclusion of a banquet in honor of someone’s life achievements. The television station Comedy Central has been conducting roasts of various celebrities for a few years.

In this clip, watch as Stephen Colbert, television host of The Colbert Report , roasts President George W. Bush.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSE_saVX_2A

Let’s pick this short clip apart. You’ll notice that the humor doesn’t pull any punches. The goal of the roast is to both praise and insult in a good-natured manner. You’ll also see that the roaster, in this case Stephen Colbert, is standing behind a lectern while the roastee, President George W. Bush, is clearly on display for the audience to see, and periodically you’ll see the camera pan to President Bush to take in his reactions. Half the fun of a good roast is watching the roastee’s reactions during the roast, so it’s important to have the roastee clearly visible by the audience.

How does one prepare for a roast? First, you want to really think about the person who is being roasted. Do they have any strange habits or amusing stories in their past that you can discuss? When you think through these things you want to make sure that you cross anything off your list that is truly private information or will really hurt the person. The goal of a roast is to poke at them, not massacre them. Second, when selecting which aspects to poke fun at, you need to make sure that the items you choose are widely known by your audience. Roasts work when the majority of people in the audience can relate to the jokes being made. If you have an inside joke with the roastee, bringing it up during roast may be great fun for the two of you, but it will leave your audience unimpressed. Lastly, end on a positive note. While the jokes are definitely the fun part of a roast, you should leave the roastee knowing that you truly do care about and appreciate the person.

A eulogy is a speech given in honor of someone who has died. (Don’t confuse “eulogy” with “elegy,” a poem or song of mourning.) Unless you are a minister, priest, rabbi, imam, or other form of religious leader, you’ll probably not deliver too many eulogies in your lifetime. However, when the time comes to deliver a eulogy, it’s good to know what you’re doing and to adequately prepare your remarks. Watch the following clip of then-Senator Barack Obama delivering a eulogy at the funeral of civil rights activist Rosa Parks in November of 2005.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRsH92sJCr4

In this eulogy, Senator Obama delivers the eulogy by recalling Rosa Parks importance and her legacy in American history.

When preparing a eulogy, first you need to know as much information about the deceased as possible. The more information you have about the person, the more personal you can make the eulogy. While you can rely on your own information if you were close to the deceased, it is always a good idea to ask friends and relatives of the deceased for their memories, as these may add important facets that may not have occurred to you. Of course, if you were not very close to the deceased, you will need to ask friends and family for information. Second, although eulogies are delivered on the serious and sad occasion of a funeral or memorial service for the deceased, it is very helpful to look for at least one point to be lighter or humorous. In some cultures, in fact, the friends and family attending the funeral will expect the eulogy to be highly entertaining and amusing. While eulogies are not roasts, one goal of the humor or lighter aspects of a eulogy is to relieve the tension that is created by the serious nature of the occasion. Lastly, remember to tell the deceased’s story. Tell the audience about who this person was and what the person stood for in life. The more personal you can make a eulogy, the more touching it will be for the deceased’s friends and families. The eulogy should remind the audience to celebrate the person’s life as well as mourn their death.

Speeches of Farewell

A speech of farewell allows someone to say good-bye to one part of his or her life as he or she is moving on to the next part of life. Maybe you’ve accepted a new job and are leaving your current job, or you’re graduating from college and entering the work force. Whatever the case may be, periods of transition are often marked by speeches of farewell. Watch the following clip of Derek Jeter’s 2008 speech saying farewell to Yankee Stadium, built in 1923, before the New York Yankees moved to the new stadium that opened in 2009.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJrlTpQm0to

In this speech, Derek Jeter is not only saying good-bye to Yankee Stadium but also thanking the fans for their continued support.

When preparing a speech of farewell, the goal should be to thank the people in your current position and let them know how much you appreciate them as you make the move to your next position in life. In Derek Jeter’s speech, he starts by talking about the history of the 1923 Yankee Stadium and then thanks the fans for their support. Second, you want to express to your audience how much the experience has meant to you. A farewell speech is a time to commemorate and think about the good times you’ve had. As such, you should avoid negativity during this speech. Lastly, you want to make sure that you end on a high note. Derek Jeter concludes his speech by saying, “On behalf of this entire organization, we just want to take this moment to salute you, the greatest fans in the world!” at which point Jeter and the other players take off their ball caps and hold them up toward the audience.

Inspirational Speaking

The goal of an inspirational speech is to elicit or arouse an emotional state within an audience. In Section 18.2.1 “Ceremonial Speaking” , we looked at ceremonial speeches. Although some inspirational speeches are sometimes tied to ceremonial occasions, there are also other speaking contexts that call for inspirational speeches. For our purposes, we are going to look at two types of inspirational speeches: goodwill and speeches of commencement.

Speeches to Ensure Goodwill

Goodwill is an intangible asset that is made up of the favor or reputation of an individual or organization. Speeches of goodwill are often given in an attempt to get audience members to view the person or organization more favorably. Although speeches of goodwill are clearly persuasive, they try not to be obvious about the persuasive intent and are often delivered as information-giving speeches that focus on an individual or organization’s positives attributes. There are three basic types of speeches of goodwill: public relations, justification, and apology.

Speeches for Public Relations

In a public relations speech, the speaker is speaking to enhance one’s own image or the image of his or her organization. You can almost think of these speeches as cheerleading speeches because the ultimate goal is to get people to like the speaker and what he or she represents. In the following brief speech, the CEO of British Petroleum is speaking to reporters about what his organization is doing during the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCfa6AxmUHw

Notice that he keeps emphasizing what his company is doing to fix the problem. Every part of this speech is orchestrated to make BP look caring and attempts to get some amount of goodwill from the viewing public.

Speeches of Justification

The second common speech of goodwill is the speech of justification, which is given when someone attempts to defend why certain actions were taken or will be taken. In these speeches, speakers have already enacted (or decided to enact) some kind of behavior, and are now attempting to justify why the behavior is or was appropriate. In the following clip, President Bill Clinton discusses his decision to bomb key Iraqi targets after uncovering a plot to assassinate former President George H. W. Bush.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mpWa7wNr5M

In this speech, President Clinton outlines his reasons for bombing Iraq to the American people and the globe. Again, the goal of this speech is to secure goodwill for President Clinton’s decisions both in the United States and on the world stage.

Speeches of Apology

The final speech of goodwill is the speech of apology. Frankly, these speeches have become more and more commonplace. Every time we turn around, a politician, professional athlete, musician, or actor/actress is doing something reprehensible and getting caught. In fact, the speech of apology has quickly become a fodder for humor as well. Let’s take a look at a real apology speech delivered by professional golfer Tiger Woods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs8nseNP4s0

When you need to make an apology speech, there are three elements that you need to include: be honest and take responsibility, say you’re sorry, and offer restitution. First, a speaker needs to be honest and admit to doing something wrong. The worst apology speeches are those in which the individual tries to sidestep the wrongdoing. Even if you didn’t do anything wrong, it is often best to take responsibility from a public perception perspective. Second, say that you are sorry. People need to know that you are remorseful for what you’ve done. One of the problems many experts saw with Tiger Woods’s speech is that he doesn’t look remorseful at all. While the words coming out of his mouth are appropriate, he looks like a robot forced to read from a manuscript written by his press agent. Lastly, you need to offer restitution. Restitution can come in the form of fixing something broken or a promise not to engage in such behavior in the future. People in society are very willing to forgive and forget when they are asked.

Speeches for Commencements

The second type of inspirational speech is the speech of commencement , which is designed to recognize and celebrate the achievements of a graduating class or other group of people. The most typical form of commencement speech happens when someone graduates from school. Nearly all of us have sat through commencement speeches at some point in our lives. And if you’re like us, you’ve heard good ones and bad ones. Numerous celebrities and politicians have been asked to deliver commencement speeches at colleges and universities. One famous and well-thought-out commencement speech was given by famed Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling at Harvard University in 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkREt4ZB-ck

J. K. Rowling’s speech has the perfect balance of humor and inspiration, which are two of the main ingredients of a great commencement speech.

If you’re ever asked to deliver a commencement speech, there are some key points to think through when deciding on your speech’s content.

If there is a specific theme for the graduation, make sure that your commencement speech addresses that theme. If there is no specific theme, come up with one for your speech. Some common commencement speech themes are commitment, competitiveness, competence, confidence, decision making, discipline, ethics, failure (and overcoming failure), faith, generosity, integrity, involvement, leadership, learning, persistence, personal improvement, professionalism, reality, responsibility, and self-respect.
Talk about your life and how graduates can learn from your experiences to avoid pitfalls or take advantages of life. How can your life inspire the graduates in their future endeavors?
Make the speech humorous. Commencement speeches should be entertaining and make an audience laugh.
Be brief! Nothing is more painful than a commencement speaker who drones on and on. Remember, the graduates are there to get their diplomas; their families are there to watch the graduates walk across the stage.
Remember, while you may be the speaker, you’ve been asked to impart wisdom and advice for the people graduating and moving on with their lives, so keep it focused on them.
Place the commencement speech into the broader context of the graduates’ lives. Show the graduates how the advice and wisdom you are offering can be utilized to make their own lives better.

Overall, it’s important to make sure that you have fun when delivering a commencement speech. Remember, it’s a huge honor and responsibility to be asked to deliver a commencement speech, so take the time to really think through and prepare your speech.

Key Takeaways

There are eight common forms of ceremonial speaking: introduction, presentation, acceptance, dedication, toast, roast, eulogy, and farewell. Speeches of introduction are designed to introduce a speaker. Speeches of presentation are given when an individual is presenting an award of some kind. Speeches of acceptance are delivered by the person receiving an award or honor. Speeches of dedication are given when a new building or other place is being opened for the first time. Toasts are given to acknowledge and honor someone on a special occasion (e.g., wedding, birthday, retirement). Roasts are speeches designed to both praise and good-naturedly insult a person being honored. Eulogies are given during funerals and memorial services. Lastly, speeches of farewell are delivered by an individual who is leaving a job, community, or organization, and wants to acknowledge how much the group has meant.
Inspirational speeches fall into two categories: goodwill (e.g., public relations, justification, and apology) and speeches of commencement. Speeches of goodwill attempt to get audience members to view the person or organization more favorably. On the other hand, speeches of commencement are delivered to recognize the achievements of a group of people.
Imagine you’ve been asked to speak before a local civic organization such as the Kiwanis or Rotary Club. Develop a sample speech of introduction that you would like someone to give to introduce you.
You’ve been asked to roast your favorite celebrity. Develop a two-minute roast.
Develop a speech of commencement for your public speaking class.

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Module 11: Speaking to Entertain and for Special Occasions

Award and acceptance speeches, learning objectives.

Define the characteristics of award speech.

Identify characteristics of an acceptance speech.

Presenting an Award

In an award speech, a speaker or emcee introduces an award and the winner. The introduction is meant to build excitement, and often the winner is not known until just before the award is to be presented.

Introduce yourself and thank the group or organization asking you to speak. Then name the award and explain briefly about the award you are presenting. Be sure to include the scope of the award, be it local, regional, national, or international.

Next explain what the winner accomplished to win this award. Did they write a paper or did they lead for a cause? Did they grow the largest pumpkin, finish first in a marathon, or bring community groups together to fight for justice? Your job is to present the facts and summarize the story behind their story.

Lastly, if there are other people in attendance who were competing with the winner, make sure to acknowledge them in the time you were allotted. Be sure to finish with the actual award presentation to the person or team, raising your voice and starting the applause after inviting them to receive their award.

Accepting an Award

An acceptance speech often follows an award speech and is given by the winner of the award.

An acceptance speech, like any other speech, should be prepared in advance. Thanking the givers of your award is your first order of business. State how much and why you are grateful for this honor, and if possible, name the people in the organization individually.

Then thank and give credit to those who helped you achieve the award including family, friends, mentors, and others who supported you in this endeavor. Include their names, their roles, and how their combined efforts made it possible for you to receive this honor. If you can’t name all the individuals, name the groups as time will allow.

Briefly share what the honor of the award means to you, and be generous with your praise and your gratitude toward your colleagues and the organizations involved. Smile and carefully look for directions on leaving the stage.

To Watch: Berta Cáceres, Goldman Prize acceptance speech

Environmental and indigenous-rights activist Berta Cáceres, co-founder of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), won the Goldman Prize for grassroots environmental activism is 2015 after organizing the Lenca people of Honduras to force the world’s largest dam builder to pull out of the Agua Zarca Dam project on the Río Gualcarque. Tragically, Cáceres was assassinated the following year.

You can view the transcript for “Berta Caceres acceptance speech, 2015 Goldman Prize ceremony” here (opens in new window) .

What to watch for:

In the case of winning an award for a social cause (in this case, environmental activism), it is common to focus on the severity of the problem at hand—that is, to shift the focus from yourself to the problem you are fighting against. Note how Cáceres begins by framing the cause within the belief system and worldview of the Lenca people. She then explains the mission of the organization she helped to found. Next she turns to her call to action: “¡Despertemos¡ ¡Despertemos Humanidad¡ Ya no hay tiempo.” (Let us wake up! Let us wake up, humanity! We’re out of time.) The ending of her speech reminds us that gratitude and humility are the most important elements of an acceptance speech. If thanks aren’t in line with the gravity of the topic, a dedication can serve a similar purpose: “Dedico este premio a todas las rebeldías, a mi madre, al Pueblo Lenca, a Río Blanco y a las y los mártires por la defensa de los bienes naturales.” (I dedicate this award to all the rebels, to my mother, to the Lenca People, to the Río Blanco, and to all the martyrs who gave their lives in the struggle to defend our natural resources.)

Berta Caceres acceptance speech, 2015 Goldman Prize ceremony. Provided by : Goldman Environmental Prize. Located at : https://youtu.be/AR1kwx8b0ms . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License
Award and Acceptance Speeches. Authored by : Patricia Atkinson with Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

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How to Give an Acceptance Speech

Last Updated: May 18, 2021 Approved

This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 291,592 times.

Giving an acceptance speech can be a daunting task when you're naturally humble, especially if you've been working so hard earning the accolades that you haven't brushed up on your public speaking skills! Luckily, with the right planning and execution, an acceptance speech can be an opportunity to shine, rather than something that must be suffered through. By following a few basic rules of thumb during the writing and polishing stages of your preparation process and knowing basic standards of speech-giving etiquette ahead of time, you can make your acceptance speech as painless as possible — fun, even!

Sample Speeches

Writing a Great Speech

As a general rule, the smaller your audience and the more intimately you know its members, the more casual your speech may be.

Step 3 Start your speech by introducing yourself.

"Hello. Thank you for honoring me this evening. As you've just heard, my name is Jane Smith. I joined this company in 2009, and since then, I've worked with the marketing, content, and analytics departments in varying capacities. Earlier this year, I had the honor of collaborating with my boss, John Q. Public, on a new data processing system, which is why we're here today."

Step 4 State a clear, defined goal early in your speech.

"I'm here today to offer my sincerest gratitude to the dozens of people without whom this experience wouldn't have been possible. I'd also like to briefly discuss the role that the idea of "going the extra mile" has played in setting this company apart from the others in the tech field."

Step 5 Explain how the honor you’re receiving has personal meaning.

“As much as I appreciate this award and as grateful as I am for it, the greatest reward I’ve ever been given is the simple opportunity to help generations of kids learn how to think critically about the world around them.”

Step 6 Wrap up with a concise, powerful ending.

"As we leave here today, I'd like to ask the members of the audience to take a moment to think about the importance of educating the children of this generation. Tomorrow's problems demand bright, hard-working individuals to solve them, and the only way we can create these individuals is by acting as a community to support our schools, our teachers, and the countless people that they depend on for their continued strength."

Step 7 Be sure to thank anyone who helped you succeed.

When you're thanking people, it's a wise idea to end with something along the lines of, "and finally, I'd like to thank everyone else who supported me during my work — there are too many people to list, but I want to thank you all personally." This covers your bases in case you forget anyone who played a minor role in your success.

Step 8 Look for inspiration from the greats.

As a positive example, consider Jimmy Valvano's phenomenal acceptance speech at the 1993 ESPY awards. Just eight weeks before his premature death from cancer, the famed college basketball coach delivered an immensely moving speech to an ecstatic standing ovation from the crowd. [2] X Research source
As an example of what not to do, consider Hilary Swank's Oscar acceptance speech for "Boys Don't Cry" in 2000. Swank accepted her award gratefully, doling out thanks to all of her supporters, with the major exception of her husband , whom the cameras famously caught crying tears of joy during Swank's speech. [3] X Research source
As an oddball example, consider Joe Pesci’s Oscar acceptance speech. After taking the podium at the 1991 Oscars for his work in "Goodfellas," Pesci said simply, "It's my privilege. Thank you." Pesci was both praised and lampooned for his five word speech.

Polishing Your Speech to Perfection

Knowing the outline of your speech ahead of time is useful for multiple reasons. For instance, not only will this prevent certain technical snafus (for instance, a breeze carrying your speech away) from derailing your speech, but it can also help you deliver your speech more confidently. After all, if you know basically what you need to say ahead of time, what need is there to worry?

Also, don’t forget that there may be people in the audience who were in the running for the honor you ended up receiving. Because of this, you won’t want to demean the organization that’s honoring you or jokingly imply that you were a bad choice. Maintain respect for yourself, the organization honoring you, and the audience as you accept your award.

As you practice, time yourself. You may be surprised how much longer (or shorter) your speech is than you thought it would be. If you have a hard time limit for your speech, use the results of your timed practice to edit your speech as necessary.

Delivering your Speech with Dignity

Step 1 Manage your anxiety with stress-fighting techniques.

Rapid heartbeat: Breathe deeply and slowly. Concentrate on someone in the room you're comfortable around, like a friend or family member. Start delivering the words of your speech — you'll naturally relax once you start talking.
Racing, panicked thoughts: Take deep breaths. Look out into the audience and see the humor in their blank, expressionless faces. Alternatively, imagine that the members of the audience are somehow unimportant or laughable (e.g., that they're all in their underwear, etc.)
Dry mouth: Bring a bottle of water with you onstage to drink as you need it. Consider also chewing gum before (but not during) your speech. Mimicking the process of eating can have a calming effect on the emotions. In addition, it can stimulate saliva production, preventing a dry mouth.
Trembling: Breathe deeply and slowly. If necessary, try slowly tensing and releasing the muscles in the trembling body part to work out the excess energy from your adrenaline high.
Above all, relax . You've prepared, so you have no reason to worry about how the speech will turn out. Worrying will only make it harder to deliver the great speech that you're perfectly capable of giving.

Hurrying or rushing through your speech.
Fidgeting or messing with something in your hands
Swaying from side to side.
Coughing/sniffling excessively

If you can remember to do so, try to gradually move your gaze from side to side as you look at your audience. Sweeping your eyes back and forth gives the members of the audience the impression that you're addressing them all individually. If this "sweeping" motion is tricky for you, try randomly picking individuals in the audience to look at for a few seconds at a time as you talk.

Step 5 Remember that everyone in the room is a human being.

Expert Q&A

Keep any jokes clean and flattering. Don't debase yourself or anyone else. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
When writing your speech, stay mindful of the audience. Your knowledge of the attire and the age group should dictate your vocabulary. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
At all costs, avoid forgetting to mention someone. It is always better to mention groups, or teams, and avoid speaking about individuals, than it is to disregard someone unintentionally. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

↑ Lynn Kirkham. Public Speaking Coach. Expert Interview. 20 November 2019.
↑ http://www.jimmyv.org/about-us/remembering-jim/jimmy-v-espy-awards-speech/
↑ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-acceptance-speech-flubs-422360
↑ http://www.cypressmedia.net/articles/article/19/overcome_your_fears_and_become_a_great_speaker
http://www.sideroad.com/Public_Speaking/acceptance_speech.html
http://www.write-out-loud.com/acceptance-speeches.html

About this article

To give an acceptance speech, start by introducing yourself, then get right to the main theme of your speech. Keep your words simple, speak slowly and clearly, and try to center at least part of your speech around thanking those who helped you get to where you are. Explain what personal meaning the honor holds for you, then wrap up your speech with a concise, powerful ending! For tips on polishing and practicing your speech, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to give an award acceptance speech

James Haynes
September 19, 2022

Introduction.

Congratulations! You’ve won an award. Maybe you’ve been selected for the prestigious National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame . Maybe you’ve been named volunteer of the year for your local service club. Whatever you’ve won, now you may be wondering: how do I give an award acceptance speech? what kind of a speech am I supposed to give? Where can I find award acceptance speech examples ? How do I make sure my speech is memorable in a good way?

Maybe you’ve never given a speech before, and after toiling for years far from the spotlight, being put on stage is a nerve-wracking prospect for you. One of the best ways to minimize those nerves is to do your homework beforehand so you know exactly where you’re going with your talk, and reading this article is a great start! (For more on managing nerves when you speak, check out this episode of The Speaker Lab podcast .)

Even if you’re a seasoned speaker, the structure and format of an award acceptance speech may not be what you are used to. To master the shortened format and time limits you may have, you’ll need to structure your speech in a more specialized way. For more on how to do so, read on.

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Determine the goal of your speech

First of all, what is the goal of your acceptance speech? The starting point for most, if not all, acceptance speeches, should be a humble “thank you” for whatever they have received. It may also be appropriate to highlight particular experiences or individuals who helped you to get where you are. But this can be overdone; fake modesty and a long list of thank-yous to people the audience doesn’t know can cause your audience to tune out just as much as a braggy or even vindictive diatribe. How do you strike the balance?

One way to start could be watching others’ acceptance speeches, and ideally not just speeches from the Academy Awards. Award acceptance speech examples can be found on Youtube, Vimeo, and other video-sharing sites. Learn from others but don’t mimic – You’ve probably watched a lot of speakers before haven’t you? You know the things they do that work. It’s easy to want to just duplicate what you saw them do since you know it works. But don’t do that. Learn from why it worked and how you can incorporate a similar (but not copied) methodology into your own talks.

Structuring your speech

Another tip: figure out from the event organizer what the time restrictions are for your talk. You don’t want to plan a 20-minute overture when the event organizers expect you to speak for just a minute or two! This will also set the tone for your talk.

Remember that your speech is supposed to be shorter than your typical speech. You shouldn’t have that much to write out. Once you’ve determined a few people you’d like to thank, maybe a story you’d like to tell, and determined the overall goal or vibe of your talk, you should start structuring your speech.

Perhaps you could begin by breaking down your speech into a few sections. For example, you could structure the speech as follows: Introduction, thanking a few specific people, telling a story or an anecdote, and conclusion. This should all take no more than 3-5 minutes. And it will fly by .

Consider telling stories

Want to tell a story in your acceptance speech? It’s a good idea. Humans relate to stories. We connect to stories. Funny stories. Sad stories. Inspirational stories. We love stories. So tell them. Lots of them. Stories will keep your audience engaged and are also easier for you to memorize.

There’s nothing wrong with telling a 3rd person story or using some case study or example. But especially for an award you’re receiving, telling a story that you lived and experienced generally makes the story better for you and the audience. For the audience, they can oftentimes find themselves in your story. For you as the speaker, it’s much easier (and more powerful) to tell a story that you lived versus one you read in a book.

What kind of story to tell

In an award acceptance speech, any such story should be short and sweet. One way to keep an eye on the length is to try timing yourself telling the story out loud. As Harriet Turk discusses in our podcast on creating your talk , “If you practice out loud, you learn a whole lot more about what the story hits on and what parts need to be told.” Turk goes on to say that sometimes we find that we try to tell a story the way we wrote it, but authoring a story is much different than presenting a story. A story that reads well in a book may not work as well on stage.

Some examples of stories or anecdotes that you could do well to include would be about a setback you overcame in your role, or how someone helped you in a particularly meaningful way. If that person who helped you is one of those you want to thank, it would serve as an incredibly powerful testament to their character to include such a story. Of course, if something about that story is sensitive, it would be prudent to notify them in advance that you plan to tell that story. Even if not, it could be polite to give them a heads-up, particularly if they will be in the audience for your acceptance speech.

Using humor: advantages and pitfalls

You might wonder whether or not humor is appropriate in an award acceptance speech. Generally, humor is not a bad thing to include if you want to liven up your talk. However, keep in mind that you are being spotlighted as an individual accomplishing something in an award acceptance speech, and harsh joking about other people, in particular, may reflect poorly on your deserving the award. Negative jokes about the organizer, your collaborators, or others in the audience are no-nos.

On that point, as we cover in our 100 speaking tips article, you don’t need to be crude or inappropriate just for a laugh. It’s not worth it. If you deliver a killer keynote and are flawless throughout, but you make one inappropriate remark, nobody will remember anything else you said. There’s nothing wrong with using humor or making a strong point on something, but don’t do it at the expense of crossing the line and turning people off.

On the other hand, a dash of humor, such as light self-deprecation, can be perfectly good at keeping your speech from sounding sanctimonious or stuffy. When you tell a joke or deliver a punchline, give the audience time to laugh. Sometimes speakers like to rush to the next point, but don’t do that. You need to give the audience a chance to respond to what you just said (in this case to laugh), but also if you rush on to the next thought while the room is still laughing, nobody will hear what you’re saying.

Practice makes perfect

You’re not going to have a Powerpoint. You’re probably not going to have any visual aids. So how are you going to stay focused and find cues for your award acceptance speech?

Consider writing your speech out and timing yourself to ensure you don’t go way over any time allotments you might have. And if you don’t have time limits, consider your audience – they will almost certainly tune out after 15+ minutes of seemingly-endless acknowledgments…

Remember: Professional speakers don’t just make stuff up. They don’t write a few thoughts on a notecard and then shoot from the hip for an entire presentation. They take the time to write and carefully craft their material.

As Harriet Turk discusses in our podcast on creating your talk , bullet points can be one way to succinctly outline a talk in a way that you can rely on, even when you’re on stage and nervous. “Bullets are easy because they trigger what it is that you’re really wanting to do,” she said, “Whereas if you write it out and then you memorize it, you could have stage fright, or you’ve practiced it so much that you get to a point that you’re nervous and you forget.”

Although you shouldn’t just be reading from a page the whole time, writing out specific names of people you want to thank can help keep you from forgetting anybody.

When you’re on stage

So you’ve written, practiced, and are headed to your acceptance speech venue to give your killer talk. What should you remember when you’re standing on the stage?

As we outline in our 100 speaking tips piece, remember that on stage, you can be an amplified version of yourself. The bigger the venue, the bigger you need to be on stage. The way you would communicate to a group of 10 people is very different than how you would need to communicate to a room of 10,000. Both should be an authentic version of you, but simply amplified to the setting. The bottom line is don’t try to be something you’re not on stage. Be you.

Keep it slow and steady. When you are talking really fast, it becomes difficult for the audience to follow. It’s hard to keep up and process. Plus the faster you talk, the harder it is to understand what you’re saying. So slow down and enunciate. Give the audience the chance to keep up with where you’re going.

Don’t be afraid of the silence. Silence, to a speaker, can feel deafening but it can be powerful. Silence shows confidence that you’re in control of the talk and the room and you’re continuing to guide them towards a common purpose. When you make a strong point, don’t rush to the next line. Stop and let it hang there. The silence is your friend.

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All in all, giving an award acceptance speech is a great opportunity to practice your speaking skills while simultaneously a big honor! Whether you’re an experienced speaker or haven’t given one for years, these tips and processes can help you conceive of, outline, and deliver an awesome acceptance speech.

If you found this piece helpful, we have a great podcast with Grant Baldwin on how to create your talk. He tells us how he prepares for talks, what makes a talk good versus another talk, and what types of structures you can use to organize your content. You can listen to this podcast on creating a talk here . Want to read more about speaking tips? Take a look at our 100 tips for motivational speaking for any speaking engagement ! Happy speaking!

Last Updated: February 29, 2024

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Speech Writing

Acceptance Speech

Learn How to Write an Acceptance Speech like Experts

Published on: Mar 27, 2022

Last updated on: Mar 25, 2024

Acceptance Speech Definition

An acceptance speech is a type of speech given by someone receiving an award or prize. However, not all awards have speeches.

Some are other forms such as trophies and certificates that can be used to give thanks for achievements in fields like academics, engineering, science, and medicine.

When you're accepting a prestigious award, it's important to give a speech that is both concise and engaging.

However, you need to create a basic outline and a list of people you want to thank for a great speech.

Also, it is better that you take time and write a perfect speech that impresses the audience.

How to Start an Acceptance Speech?

Starting a speech can be hard when there are many different thoughts in your mind. You may not know where to start or what points should go into the introduction of your speech. Don't panic!

Follow these simple steps, and you'll get on stage with confidence:

Think hard about what you are thankful for. Then, write down a few reasons why you are grateful. The people who gave you the award want to know that you appreciate it. They want to hear your thoughts on this honor, so tell them.

Make a list of people you want to thank in your speech. Put their names on the list. You can thank organizations, people who worked on the project with you, and family and friends that supported you.

Read other people's speeches for inspiration. You can find those on the Internet or in your local library. It is important to read speeches from people who received awards similar to those you will be getting.

An outline is a plan for the speech. It will have all the ideas and headings you need. Also, follow the proper format for the outline. Therefore, you can easily write a great speech.

You can also check out this video guide on how to give an acceptance speech!

How to Write an Acceptance Speech?

A public speaking opportunity is a golden moment for any award winner. But you need to plan and work on your writing skills before the big day comes.

Here are some steps that you should follow and write a perfect speech.

1. Write an Introduction

The introduction sets the tone of your entire speech. It is also important to connect with the people in the audience at first.

You could start by telling a light-hearted joke, but do not talk about how great you are or why you deserve this award.

Also, start by thanking people who helped you in achieving your goals. The length of your introduction depends on how much time you have to speak, but try not to keep it too long.

2. Write the Main Body

The body of the speech focuses on those who deserve recognition. The bulk of your speech should be devoted to thanking those people that helped you get this award.

Reference the list you made of people who deserve recognition and thank them by name in a heartfelt way.

However, you don't need to thank everyone in your life, just the people who deserve it. Therefore, make sure you only give thanks to those involved with your award and family/friends close to you.

Also, you can add humor to your speech and make it interesting. However, do not make your speech humorous; it will lose its real expression.

3. Write the Conclusion

Conclude your speech with a positive message that makes a great impact on the audience. Also, keep the speech conclusion short and brief.

Summarize the group of people who have helped you in accomplishing the goal. You can also suggest a call to action to inspire the audience.

Highlight the few organizationâs achievements if you received an award for your work from an organization. Also, thank the audience in your last sentence for their time and efforts.

4. Rehearsing and Proofread

After writing the speech, proofread it and remove all the mistakes. The most important thing to remember when giving a speech is to practice.

Reading your speech is important because it tells you to see what the listener will hear. You should read aloud while noting any sections that sound awkward or confusing.

To make it easier to pronounce, remove words and phrases which are hard.

Ask someone you trust, such as your friend or partner, to help you rehearse and give constructive feedback. Then, keep practicing until both of you feel that it is perfect with no flaws at all.

Acceptance Speech Examples

Examples are always helpful, and they can help give you some ideas for writing an acceptance speech. Therefore, for your help, we gathered some professionally written examples that make your writing phase easy.

Acceptance Speech Sample

Acceptance Speech for Student Council President

Acceptance Speech As President Of An Organization

Acceptance Speech After Election

These are some Nobel Prize acceptance speech examples:

Acceptance Speech For The Nobel Peace Prize

Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech Summary

Martin Luther King Jr. Acceptance Speech

You can check out our descriptive list of acceptance speeches for award examples here:

Jennifer Coolidge Acceptance Speech

Brendan Fraser Acceptance Speech

Will Smith Acceptance Speech Oscars 2022

Austin Butler Acceptance Speech

Ke Huy Quan Acceptance Speech

Troy Kotsur Acceptance Speech

Jamie Lee Curtis Acceptance Speech

Sheryl Lee Ralph Acceptance Speech

Michelle Yeoh Acceptance Speech

Acceptance Speech Writing Tips

The following are the tips that you should follow to create a well-written speech that impresses the audience.

Know your audience: Research the audience and occasion to get a sense of the tone and expectations. Understanding your audience can help you tailor your speech to their interests and needs.
Keep it concise and focused: Avoid going off-topic or rambling. Keep your speech concise and focused on the message you want to convey.
Practice, practice, practice: Practice your speech multiple times to get comfortable with the content and delivery. This will also help you identify areas where you may need to revise or clarify your message.
Be authentic and sincere: Speak from the heart and convey genuine emotion. Authenticity and sincerity can help you connect with your audience and make your message more impactful.
Acknowledge and thank others: Don't forget to acknowledge and thank those who have supported you along the way. This can help you demonstrate humility and gratitude and show that you recognize the contributions of others to your success.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in an Acceptance Speech

When delivering an acceptance speech, it's important to remember that the audience is not only interested in your achievements. But also in your ability to convey gratitude, humility, and inspiration.

To ensure that your acceptance speech hits the right notes, it's important to avoid these common mistakes:

1. Focusing solely on oneself and neglecting to thank others:

An acceptance speech is not just about you; it's also about the people who have supported you along the way.

Failing to acknowledge their contributions and express gratitude can make you appear self-centered and ungrateful.

2. Rambling or going off-topic:

While it's important to convey your gratitude and address the occasion, it's equally important to keep your speech concise and focused.

Going off-topic or rambling can make your speech difficult to follow and leave your audience disengaged.

3. Using inappropriate language or humor:

An acceptance speech should be professional and respectful, regardless of the occasion.

Using inappropriate language or humor can offend or alienate your audience. It detracts from the message you are trying to convey.

Now, you get all the information about the acceptance speech. You can start crafting your own with the help of our essay writer !

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long should acceptance speeches be.

Acceptance speeches can vary in length. But typically they're pretty short because everyone wants to turn their attention back to what's really important.

How do you end a speech?

When ending a speech, it's important to summarize the main points of your message. Don't just repeat what was said earlier; paraphrase the key themes and arguments you have just presented.

What do you say in an acceptance speech?

Here are some key points that will help you and give you a better idea of what you need to say in your speech.

Be genuine.
Keep your remarks short.
Don't apologize.
Conclude with an inspirational note.

Caleb S. (Literature, Marketing)

Caleb S. has extensive experience in writing and holds a Masters from Oxford University. He takes great satisfaction in helping students exceed their academic goals. Caleb always puts the needs of his clients first and is dedicated to providing quality service.

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Diane Gottsman | Leading Etiquette Expert | Modern Manners Authority

Leading Etiquette Expert and Modern Manners Authority Diane Gottsman’s official blog, with Business Etiquette, University Etiquette, Social Media Etiquette, Dining Etiquette and more.

6 Tips to Making a Memorable Acceptance Speech

20 Feb 2017 By: Diane Gottsman

In the midst of award season, we are reminded of the importance of what to do and say when our shining moment comes to light.

Receiving recognition from a company or organization is an honor and certainly something to display in your home or office. There’s no need for bells and whistles, just simple rules to follow when receiving any type of accolade. The night may be yours, but your words should be short, sweet and memorable. The following tips will help leave a lasting impression on your audience when giving an acceptance speech.

Be Prepared

It never hurts to put thought into your speech before walking up to the front of the room or onto the stage. Write your speech on a few index cards in legible handwriting for brief glances. Bullet points are there for a quick reference but never read directly from your notes. To prevent distractions, avoid putting anything on the side of the note cards that could detract from your message. Practice, rewrite and practice again.

Ask for Guidance

When you are up for an award, know your time constraints. Don’t hesitate to ask the facilitator what will be expected of you. A formal talk that is too short can make you look nervous, not well thought out and ill prepared. However, too long of a speech can be viewed as arrogant or rambling. When the music comes up, wrap it up!

Say Thank You

A great start is thanking the organization or people who are giving you the award. Follow with mentors and those who have influenced you. An example could be your family, a teacher or a former boss who took a chance on you. Don’t make the list too long- audience members grow weary very quickly.

Honor Fellow Nominees

It’s always polite to mention your fellow nominees during your speech. Talk about how pleased you are to be among such an illustrious group of noteworthy peers. A sincere compliment goes a long way in building future goodwill.

Stay on Topic

Your time at the podium should not be used for personal or political rants, nor criticism of any kind. The reason you are up front is to be acknowledged for your hard work. Keep your speech relevant to the award.

Limit Your Jokes

Cracking one ice breaker is okay but make sure to never make fun of colleagues in the process. The “I want to thank all of the little people who I had to step on to get here” is boorish and impolite. No one will think your sarcasm is in good taste.

Encourage Others

To conclude your speech, add something you did that led to your success and encourage others to never give up or stop reaching their goals. Take note of Marketa Irglova’s 2008 speech for winning Best Original Song for the film Once: “No matter how far your dreams are, it’s possible. Fair play for those who dare to dream and don’t give up. This song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are.” Leaving the audience on an uplifting note can inspire others to work as hard and whole heartedly as you.

Bring in a Professional

Finally, if you are nervous of how you will sound, hire a speech instructor to help put your words together and facilitate a smooth and seamless delivery. Plan on meeting once a week for 3 or 4 weeks for optimum overall training. They can help with your nerves, body language, tone of voice, inflections and filler words.

You may also like How to Prepare an Acceptance Speech . For more of Diane’s etiquette tips read her posts on Inc. , subscribe to her articles on The Huffington Post , “like” The Protocol School of Texas on Facebook , and follow her on Pinterest , Instagram and Twitter . Order Diane’s forthcoming book, Modern Etiquette for a Better Life here .

Diane Gottsman

Diane Gottsman is a national etiquette expert and modern manners professional, sought out industry leader, television personality, accomplished speaker, Huffington Post blogger, author, and the owner of The Protocol School of Texas, a company specializing in executive leadership and etiquette training. Diane is routinely quoted in national and international media including The New York Times, The BBC, CNN, Bloomberg Business Week, Kiplinger, Huffington Post Canada, U.S. News and World Report, and Forbes. She is the resident etiquette expert for two popular morning talk shows, SA Living and Good Day Austin. She has been seen on The TODAY Show, HLN Headline News, WGN Chicago, and CBS Sunday Morning. Her clients range from university students to Fortune 500 companies and her workshops cover topics ranging from tattoos in the workplace to technology at the dinner table and the proper use of social media.

Rice Speechwriting

Mastering presenter speech for award ceremonies, ace your presenter speech for award ceremonies.

Have you ever been to an award ceremony and felt that the presenter’s speech was a bit lackluster? If so, you know how important it is for the presenter to deliver a captivating speech that engages the audience and honors the awardee. An award presentation speech should be well-crafted, informative, and inspiring, leaving the audience with a sense of awe. In this blog post, we will cover all the key elements of an effective award presentation speech, including how to craft a captivating opener, provide background on the award and its significance, highlight the awardee’s accomplishments, and maintain brevity and engagement throughout. We’ll also share some tips on how to write an impressive presentation speech by knowing your audience, gathering relevant information about the awardee, and practicing your delivery. Finally, we’ll share examples of award presentation speeches gone right (and wrong) so that you can learn from others’ experiences.

Understanding the Purpose of an Award Presentation Speech

Honoring the recipient’s achievements is pivotal in an award presentation speech, capturing the audience’s attention from the onset. The speech should emphasize the honor and purpose of the award while expressing gratitude to the recipient, audience, and organizers. Additionally, it should inspire both the audience and the recipient, making it a momentous occasion. Incorporating these elements will make the award speech a memorable highlight of the ceremony.

The Role of a Presenter in an Award Ceremony

The presenter’s speech at an award ceremony plays a pivotal role in setting the tone for the event, demanding a high level of public speaking finesse. It serves as an introduction to the award recipient, encapsulating their name, achievements, and the purpose of the award. The speech also acts as a means of honoring the award recipient, encompassing elements of a speech giving an award to someone, an acceptance speech, and an award acceptance speech , all combined into one. Additionally, it presents an opportunity to underline the award’s purpose, the kinds of achievements it celebrates, and the individual’s significant contributions. The presentation speech template should be designed to captivate the audience, culminating in a high note, similar to giving an award to someone speech, introduction speech for award recipient, and award presentation speech, ending with a bang.

The Importance of a Well-Crafted Presentation Speech

Crafting an award presentation speech demands the emcee’s skill to sustain audience engagement within the time limit, ensuring a captivating speech until the end. The speech sets the stage for the award recipient’s heartfelt acceptance speech, requiring the emcee’s finesse in captivating the audience’s attention. Utilizing a presentation speech pdf, YouTube, or an anecdote can enhance the speech’s impact, expressing gratitude, honor, and the award’s purpose.

Key Elements of an Effective Award Presentation Speech

Crafting an effective award presentation speech involves seamlessly integrating key elements to engage the audience. The speech should include an award presentation, acceptance speech, and introduction of the award recipient in a concise yet impactful manner. It is essential to honor the recipient’s achievements and the purpose of the award while maintaining the audience’s attention. Incorporating gratitude and a thoughtful ending further enriches the overall presentation. Utilizing a well-crafted presentation speech template with NLP terms such as award speech, certificate, and trophies can enhance its effectiveness.

Crafting a Captivating Opener

Crafting the opening of an award presentation speech sets the stage for honoring the recipient’s achievements and the award’s purpose. The emcee’s introduction must capture the audience’s attention and engage them to honor the recipient. It should establish the purpose of the award and the achievements of the recipient. Crafting this opener is crucial for laying the groundwork for the award presentation and acceptance speech, ensuring lasting impact.

Providing Background on the Award and its Significance

Crafting an award presentation speech’s background involves expressing gratitude and outlining the purpose of the award, the recipient’s achievements, and the award’s scope. The emcee’s speech’s background should offer insight into the award’s purpose, the recipient’s achievements, and the award’s scope. It should also honor the recipient and express gratitude. This sets the stage for a memorable presentation that encapsulates the significance of the award and the accomplishments of the recipient.

Highlighting the Awardee’s Accomplishments

Focusing on the recipient’s achievements, name, award purpose, and scope is crucial in the award presentation speech. The emcee’s task is to honor the award recipient by delivering a speech that highlights the individual’s accomplishments. This involves addressing the audience and emphasizing the significance of the award, ensuring engagement and recognition. A well-crafted presentation speech effectively conveys the awardee’s achievements, sparking audience interest and involvement.

Maintaining Brevity and Engagement

In crafting an award presentation speech, it’s essential to maintain brevity while ensuring audience engagement. Focus on expressing gratitude, outlining the award’s purpose, and highlighting the recipient’s achievements. Emphasize the significance of the award and the individual’s contributions. Practicing the speech is crucial for a polished delivery, allowing you to connect with the audience effectively. This ensures that your award speech remains concise yet impactful, leaving a lasting impression.

Steps to Writing an Impressive Award Presentation Speech

Crafting an award speech involves understanding the audience, gathering pertinent details about the recipient, and rehearsing for effective delivery. Knowing the audience helps tailor the speech, while collecting information about the awardee ensures a personalized and meaningful presentation. Practice is key to refining the speech and exuding confidence during delivery. Incorporating these steps will result in a memorable and impactful award presentation speech. Emphasizing the significance of the award and the accomplishments of the recipient will resonate with the audience.

Knowing Your Audience

Understanding the interests and preferences of your audience is crucial for delivering an impactful award speech. Tailoring your content to resonate with the audience enhances engagement and connection. Consider their expectations, knowledge about the awardee, and the tone they would appreciate. Adapting the speech to appeal to the specific audience further elevates the impact of the presenter’s message. Acknowledging the audience’s presence through personalized references and relevant anecdotes fosters a deeper connection.

Gathering Relevant Information about the Awardee

Personalizing the award speech involves gathering pertinent information about the awardee’s achievements, contributions, and impact. Tailoring the speech to the recipient’s professional journey and accolades adds a special touch. Emphasizing the recipient’s unique accomplishments and extra mile efforts creates a memorable experience. Highlighting their first-time achievements and significant contributions to the field captures the audience’s attention. This personalized approach ensures that the award speech resonates with the recipient and the audience.

Practicing the Speech for Better Delivery

Practice makes perfect when delivering an award speech. Rehearsing ensures confidence and fluency, maintaining an engaging pace and incorporating pauses for emphasis. It’s crucial to adjust the speech to the time limit, keeping it impactful. Seeking feedback refines the delivery for a polished presentation, ensuring the speech resonates with the audience. Practicing the speech is the key to delivering an award-winning presentation.

Examples of Award Presentation Speeches

Crafting an introduction that honors the award recipient’s achievements is key to engaging the audience. Express gratitude and enthusiasm in delivering the award presentation speech, structuring the acceptance speech to honor the significance of the award. Engage the audience by sharing a personalized anecdote, and conclude with an uplifting ending to inspire both the recipient and the audience.

What Can Go Wrong in a Presentation Speech and How to Avoid It?

Common pitfalls to avoid in a presentation speech include overshadowing the recipient’s achievements, rushing through the speech, using generic content, employing excessive jargon, and neglecting to plan for technical issues. By being mindful of these challenges, you can deliver a polished and impactful presentation speech.

In conclusion, delivering an award-winning presenter speech requires understanding the purpose of the speech and the role of the presenter in an award ceremony. It is important to craft a well-written speech that includes a captivating opener, provides background on the award and its significance, highlights the awardee’s accomplishments, and maintains brevity and engagement. To write an impressive speech, it is essential to know your audience, gather relevant information about the awardee, and practice the speech for better delivery. By following these steps and avoiding common mistakes, you can deliver a memorable and impactful award presentation speech. Remember, your words have the power to inspire, celebrate achievements, and leave a lasting impression on the audience.

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How to Give an Award Acceptance Speech to Thank, Inspire and Impress

Let’s say you got nominated for an award and now you have to give an acceptance speech. It’s pretty important to give a good speech, no matter what you’re being awarded for. Looking good doesn’t hurt either!

So, how do you give a good acceptance speech for your award? First off, you should ask yourself what message you would like to convey to your audience.

Generally, an acceptance speech provides the speaker with an opportunity to not only thank the individuals who helped you win the award but also highlight ideas and issues that you care about and even inspire people to do something even bigger.

Which is why it’s important that you don’t mess up.

Writing a good speech, any kind of speech, requires a lot of time and preparation, in order to ensure that you are well prepared and have included any important details that you would prefer to not leave out.

Here are a few practical tips on how you can draw up your award acceptance speech.

What is an Award Acceptance Speech?

This is a type of speech given by an individual who’s receiving a prize, honor or an award. It is an unwritten tradition to share gratitude to individuals who you’d like or acknowledge or thank by giving a few words.

Your audience may be made up of your family and friends but also individuals in your industry who you respect and admire, so when giving an acceptance speech, ensure you make the best of it.

As compared to other speeches, an acceptance speech does not include a beginning , body or conclusion and doesn’t need a PowerPoint display. In addition to this, acceptance speeches aren’t allotted a lot of time as you would with a keynote speech, so you will have to make it short.

Acceptance speeches also provide you, the speaker who’s accepting the award, an opportunity to either make a great impression , no impression or a terrible one. So, you have to be careful with how you write up and give your speech.

What are the m ain Goals of an Acceptance Speech?

Your goals with regard to this speech should be to;

Thank the individuals who helped you in whatever you did or in your career
Center on one idea that you want to leave your audience with, whether it’s motivating them to work hard or inspiring them to follow their dreams
Make a great impression

Since you’ll only have a few minutes to give your speech, focusing on one point or one of the most important lessons you’ve learnt in life is a good way to go.

Additionally, your speech should give your audience a favorable impression about you while also letting them know that you’ve thought about what you’ve said and that you’re respectful.

How to Write a Great Acceptance Speech

Most individuals who win an award start by thanking the individuals who helped them when they accept it.

There are many different ways of thanking people, so which one is applied in this context? Being as specific as possible when thanking individuals is the best way to go.

Therefore, you should start by:

Be Specific

Thank people by telling them exactly what they did that assisted you

You should do this in a way that is meaningful. Saying “Thank you for your support” doesn’t really mean anything.

So instead, you should look at the individuals you mention and while addressing them by their names, thank them while telling them what exactly you are thanking them for.

For instance, you can say, “Lisa, you encouraged me after being rejected by 7 different publishing houses, you were there for me.”

This will make your speech much more interesting to your audience while also appearing sincere.

Pro-Tip: Make eye contact when thanking every individual while mentioning their name, as it will not only convey respect but also sincerity.

Tell a story

Great award acceptance speeches usually tell stories. While the time allotted to give your speech may be short, 30 seconds is enough time to give a short story.

You can either;

Recount an actual conversation you had with someone; be it a family member colleague or friend, about a challenge you had, how you conquered it and its relevance to the award you’re accepting.
Talk about an encounter that happened

Keep in mind though that if you’ll be telling a story , ensure that its relevant to the award, it’s brief and that you tell it in a way that captivates your audience.

Now that we’ve discussed how to prepare for and write your acceptance speech, we can now look into how you will deliver that speech.

How to Prepare for an Award Acceptance Speech?

Nothing is worse than having no speech prepared when you win a major award; fumbling on stage in front of an audience is not a good thing for anyone.

It also shows the individuals who nominated you that you do not respect them, so take some time and prepare.

First and foremost,

Make your speech memorable

Many of the speeches given at award shows are short, so if it isn’t memorable, it can easily be forgotten.

Good thing is you have a lot of resources at your disposal, the biggest being the internet. Thank heavens for technology! Everyone, including yourself, wants to give a great speech . Looking up great acceptance speeches on YouTube will provide you with amazing examples of great speeches.

Most of these examples are short, as acceptance speeches should be. Besides this, they also seen genuine, contain an emotional moment and are funny.

You may not have a funny bone in your body, which is okay as being funny will entirely be dependent on what you’ll be talking about in your speech. So, no pressure.

Rehearse your speech

It may sound ridiculous to practice your acceptance speech, especially considering that it’s brief. However, this is a great way to modify your speech to your liking.

You can do this by recording yourself giving your speech using your camera or phone.

Looking through the recording will help you pick out what you don’t like and what you like about it. This allows you to repeat your speech as many times as you want while implementing the changes you’d like until you feel happy and comfortable with its final form.

Once you are satisfied with your final take, know you already have it in the bag; you’re going to give a great speech!

Pro-Tip: Practicing helps get rid of the jitters and helps you feel more confident in both yourself and your speech.

How To Deliver Your Acceptance Speech

When delivering your acceptance speech, ensure that it’s at least entertaining . It doesn’t have to make the audience laugh so much that their ribs hurt. However, it also shouldn’t be so boring that people doze off or make conversation while you address them.

So, first off,

Don’t Be Boring

If your speech doesn’t have a few jokes in it or isn’t funny, at least try to include some emotion or a dramatic moment. Boring speeches make people want to gorge their eyes out and seal their ears, so they don’t have to look at you and hear you drone on. Don’t subject your audience to unnecessary torture.

Be entertaining. At the very least, say something entertaining, interesting or amusing, even if you’ll be making fun of yourself.

If you are going to show emotion, don’t go overboard

Blubbering through your speech isn’t interesting, so try to keep it together. This is where practicing your speech comes in, it helps you show just the right amount of emotion while still conveying your message to the audience.

Pro-Tip: A little emotion goes a long way, so don’t overdo it.

Using what we have so far discussed, you should be able to not only write a great speech but also present your speech to your audience in a memorable way.

Now, let’s look at a few things to avoid when giving your acceptance speech.

What to avoid in an Award Acceptance Speech

Do not tell your audience you don’t have a lot of time

This only uses up more time. Instead, use the time you’ve been given to the maximum advantage.

Do not tell your audience that you’re nervous

Even though you might be nervous , other people may not recognize that you are. So, there’s no need to waste valuable time.

By the way, deliberately pausing or speaking slowly helps you overcome any jitters you may have. Thank me later once you try this trick of the trade.

Do not thank too many people

Given that you’ll only have a few minutes to give your speech (at most), try to thank no more than five individuals.

You can send the people you didn’t thank on stage personal notes; that’s why such notes exist.

Do not read your speech from a piece of paper

Not only is this devoid of sincerity, emotion and personality but it also looks scripted . Again, practicing helps you capture your main points in mind.

In conclusion, it all comes down to being genuine when thanking individuals, entertaining and leaving your audience with a good life lesson or something that inspires them. Show your audience that you, indeed, were worthy of getting that award!

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17.3: Types of Special Occasion Speeches

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Lisa Coleman, Thomas King, & William Turner

Lisa Coleman, Thomas King, & William Turner
Southwest Tennessee Community College

Unlike the informative and persuasive speeches you were required to give, special occasion speeches are much broader and allow for a wider range of topics, events, and approaches to be employed. Since you are like to give many special occasion speeches in your life, we want to cover everything you might need to know to give a good one.

Speeches of Introduction

The first type of special occasion speech is the speech of introduction , a mini-speech that introduces another speaker and their speech. Just like any other speech, a speech of introduction should be a complete speech and have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion—and you should try to do it all in under two minutes. This brings up another “few things are worse” scenario: an introductory speaker who rambles on for too long or who talks about themself instead of focusing on the person being introduced.

The body of your speech of introduction should be devoted to telling the audience three things:

about the speaker’s topic,
why the speaker is qualified,
and why the audience should listen,

Notice we now have our three main points. First, tell your audience in general terms about the overarching topic of the speech. Most of the time as an introducer, you’ll only have a speech title and maybe a paragraph of information to help guide this part of your speech. That’s all right. You don’t need to know all the ins and outs of the main speaker’s speech; you just need to know enough to whet the audience’s appetite. Next, you need to tell the audience why the speaker is a credible presenter on the topic. Has the speaker written books or articles on the subject? Has the speaker had special life events that make him or her qualified? Lastly, you give a brief explanation to the audience why they should care about the upcoming speech. The outline can be adjusted; for example, you can give the biographical information first, but these three areas should be covered.

The final part of a good introduction is the conclusion, which is generally designed to welcome the speaker to the platform. Many introducers will conclude by saying something like, “I am looking forward to hearing how [Speaker's Name]'s advice and wisdom can help all of us today, so please join me in welcoming [Speaker Name].” At this point, you as the person introducing the speaker are “handing off” the speaking duties to someone else, so it is not uncommon to end your speech of introduction by clapping as the speaker comes on stage or shaking the speaker’s hand.

Award Speeches

Presentation, Acceptance, and Dedication are all speeches you make when someone or something is getting an award or honor.

Speeches of Presentation

The second type of special occasion speech is the speech of presentation . A speech of presentation is a brief speech given to accompany a prize or honor. Speeches of presentation can be as simple as saying, “This year’s recipient of the Lavache Public Speaking prize is Ryann Curley,” or could last up to five minutes as the speaker explains why the honoree was chosen for the award. An interesting example of a speech presenting an award is this one by Zoe Saldana for J.J. Abrams ( https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=x03cGSszr8Q).

When preparing a speech of presentation, it’s always important to ask how long the speech should be. Once you know the time limit, then you can set out to create the speech itself. First, you should explain what the award or honor is and why the presentation is important. Second, you can explain what the recipient has accomplished in order for the award to be bestowed. Did the person win a race? Did the person write an important piece of literature? Did the person mediate conflict? Whatever the recipient has done, you need to clearly highlight their work. Lastly, if the race or competition was conducted in a public forum and numerous people didn’t win, you may want to recognize those people for their efforts as well. While you don’t want to steal the show away from the winner, you may want to highlight the work of the other competitors or nominees.

Speeches of Acceptance

The complement to a speech of presentation is the speech of acceptance . The speech of acceptance is a speech given by the recipient of a prize or honor. There are three typical components of a speech of acceptance: 1) thank the givers of the award or honor, 2) thank those who helped you achieve your goal, and 3) put the award or honor into perspective. First, you want to thank the people who have given you the award or honor and possibly those who voted for you. We see this done every year during the Oscars, “First, I’d like to thank the Academy and all the Academy voters.”

Second, you want to give credit to those who helped you achieve the award or honor. No person accomplishes things in life on his or her own. We all have family members, friends, and colleagues who support us and help us achieve what we do in life, and a speech of acceptance is a great time to graciously recognize those individuals. Lastly, put the award in perspective. Tell the people listening to your speech why the award is meaningful to you. If you know you are up for an award have one ready. A good rule to remember is: Be thankful, be gracious, be short.

Speeches of Dedication

A third special occasion speech is the speech of dedication . A speech of dedication is delivered when a new store opens, a building is named after someone, a plaque is placed on a wall, a new library is completed, and so on. These speeches are designed to highlight the importance of the project and possibly those to whom the project has been dedicated.

When preparing a speech of dedication, start by explaining how you are involved in the dedication. If the person to whom the dedication is being made is a relative, tell the audience about your relationship and your relative’s accomplishments. Second, you want to explain what is being dedicated. If the dedication is a new building or a pre-existing building, you want to explain the importance of the structure, who was involved in the project and/or who the structure may be named after.

Motivational Speeches

A motivational speech is designed not only to make an audience experience emotional arousal (fear, sadness, joy, excitement) but also to motivate the audience to do something with that emotional arousal. Whereas a traditional persuasive speech may want listeners to purchase product X or agree with idea Y, a motivational speech helps to inspire people in a broader fashion, often without a clearly articulated end result in mind. As such, motivational speaking is a highly specialized form of persuasive speaking commonly delivered in schools, businesses, religious houses of worship, and club or group contexts. The Toastmasters International Guide to Successful Speaking (Slutsky & Aun, 1997) lists four types of motivational speeches: hero, survivor, religious, and success.

The hero speech is a motivational speech given by someone who is considered a hero in society (e.g., military speakers, political figures, and professional athletes). Just type “motivational speech” into YouTube and you’ll find many motivational speeches given by individuals who can be considered heroes or role models.

The survivor speech is a speech given by someone who has survived a personal tragedy or who has faced and overcome serious adversity. In the following clip, cancer survivor Becky M. Olsen discusses being a cancer survivor ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuo1u_C9_3g ). Becky Olsen goes all over the country talking with and motivating cancer survivors to beat the odds.

The religious speech is fairly self-explanatory; it is designed to incorporate religious ideals into a motivational package to inspire an audience into thinking about or changing aspects of their religious lives.

The final type of motivational speech is the success speech , which is given by someone who has succeeded in some aspect of life and is giving back by telling others how they too can be successful.

Screen Shot 2019-09-13 at 12.39.40 AM.png

A toast is a speech designed to congratulate, appreciate, or remember. First, toasts can be delivered for the purpose of congratulating someone for an honor, a new job, or getting married. You can also toast someone to show your appreciation for something he or she has done. Lastly, we toast people to remember them and what they have accomplished.

As such, while you are speaking, you need to focus your attention on the people being toasted, both by physically looking at them and by keeping your message about them. Depending on the situation you should avoid inside jokes between you and the people being toasted because toasts are public and should be accessible for everyone who hears them. To conclude a toast, simply say something like, “Please join me in recognizing Gina for her achievement” and lift your glass. When you lift your glass, this will signal to others to do the same and then you can all take a drink, which is the end of your speech.

A roast is a very interesting and peculiar speech because it is designed to both praise and good-naturedly insult a person being honored. Because of this combination of purposes, it is not hard to argue that the roast is a challenging type of speech to write given the difficult task of simultaneously praising and insulting the person. Generally, roasts are given at the conclusion of a banquet in honor of someone’s life achievements. The television station Comedy Central [Link contains foul language] has been conducting roasts of various celebrities for a few years, and if you’ve ever watched one, you know that the “roasters” say some harsh things about the “roastees” even though they are friends.

During a roast, the roaster will stand behind a lectern while the roastee is seated somewhere where he or she is clearly on display for the audience to see, thus allowing the audience to take in his or her reactions. Since half the fun of a good roast is watching the roastee’s reactions during the roast, it’s important to have the roastee clearly visible to the audience.

How does one prepare for a roast? First, you want to really think about the person who is being roasted. Does he or she have any strange habits or amusing stories in their past that you can discuss? When you think through these questions, you want to make sure that you cross anything off your list that is truly private information or will really hurt the person. The goal of a roast is to poke at him, not massacre him.

Second, when selecting which aspects to poke fun at, you need to make sure that the items you choose are widely known by your audience. Roasts work when the majority of people in the audience can relate to the jokes being made. If you have an inside joke with the roastee, bringing it up during roast may be great fun for the two of you, but it will leave your audience unimpressed. Lastly, end on a positive note. While the jokes are definitely the fun part of a roast, you should leave the roastee and the audience knowing that you truly do care about and appreciate the person.

A eulogy is a speech given in honor of someone who has died (Don’t confuse “eulogy” with “elegy,” a poem or song of mourning). Not to sound depressing, but since everyone who is alive will someday die, the chance of your being asked to give a eulogy someday for a friend or family member is significant. However, when the time comes to deliver a eulogy, it’s good to know what you’re doing and to adequately prepare your remarks.

Take, for example, Tom Arnold’s eulogy of Saturday Night Live actor Chris Farley. During his speech at Farley’s funeral, Arnold noted, “Chris was concerned about his size, and so he made sure that all of us who knew him well saw him naked at least once” (Glionna, 1998). Picturing the heavy-set comedian naked surely brought some humor to the somber proceedings, but Arnold knew Farley (and his audience) well enough to know that the story would be appropriate.

Knowing the deceased and the audience is vital when deciding on the type and amount of humor to use in a eulogy. It’s doubtful statements like Tom Arnold’s would fit many eulogies. But it would be appropriate to tell a funny story about Uncle Joe’s love for his rattletrap car or Aunt Mary’s love of tacky Christmas sweaters. Ultimately, the goal of the humor or lighter aspects of a eulogy is to relieve the tension that is created by the serious nature of the occasion.

If you are ever asked to give a eulogy, that means you were probably close to the deceased and are experiencing shock, sadness, and disbelief at your loved one’s passing. The last thing that you will want to do (or be in a mental state to do) is figuring out how to structure your eulogy. To that end, here are three parts of a eulogy (i.e. main points) you can use to write one without worrying about being original with structure or organizational patterns: praise, lament, and consolation.

The first thing you want to do when remembering someone who has passed away is reminding the audience what made that person so special. So you will want to praise them and their accomplishments. This can include notable achievements (being an award winner; helping with charities), personal qualities (“she was always willing to listen to your problems and help in any way she could”), or anecdotes and stories (being a great mother; how she drove to college to visit you when you were homesick).

The second thing you want to do in a eulogy is to lament the loss. To lament means to express grief or sorrow, which is what everyone at a funeral has gathered to do. You will want to acknowledge that everyone is sad and that the deceased’s passing will be difficult to get through. Here you might mention all the things that will no longer happen as a result of the death. “Now that Grandpa is gone, there won’t be any more Sunday dinners where he cooks chicken on the grill or bakes his famous macaroni and cheese.”

The final step (or main point) in a eulogy is to console the audience or to offer comfort in a time of grief. What you must remember (and many people often forget) is that a eulogy is not a speech for the person who has died; it is a speech for the people who are still living to try to help them deal with the loss. You will want to end your eulogy on a positive note. Offer some hope that someday, things will get better. If the deceased was a religious person, this is where you might want to incorporate elements of that belief system. Some examples would include ideas like:

“Jim has gone home to be with the Lord and is looking down on us fondly today.”

“We may miss Aunt Linda deeply, but our memories of her will live on forever, and her impact on this world will not soon be forgotten.”

Using the Praise-Lament-Console format for eulogies gives you a simple system where you can fill in the sections with 1) why was the person good, 2) why you will miss him or her, and 3) how you and the audience will get through this loss. It sometimes also helps to think of the three points in terms of Past-Present-Future: you will praise the deceased for what he did when he was alive (the past), lament the loss you are feeling now (the present), and console your audience by letting them know that things will be all right (the future).

Speeches of Farewell or Commencement

A speech of commencement (or, as it is more commonly known, a “commencement speech”) is designed to recognize and celebrate the achievements of a graduating class or other groups of people. These typically take place at graduation ceremonies. Nearly every one of us has sat through commencement speeches at some point in our lives. And if you’re like us, you’ve heard good ones and bad ones. Numerous celebrities and politicians have been asked to deliver commencement speeches at colleges and universities. National Public Radio (NPR) has compiled a list of 150 of the most famous commencement speeches dating back to 1774. You can watch a speech by famed professor Angela Davis at Pitzer College in 2012. It has the perfect balance of humor and inspiration, which are two of the main ingredients of a great commencement speech featuring these motivational words of wisdom: "If you live long enough a defeat will turn into a victory."

If you’re ever asked to deliver a commencement speech, there are some key points to think through when deciding on your speech’s content.

If there is a specific theme for the graduation, make sure that your commencement speech addresses that theme. If there is no specific theme, come up with one for your speech. Some common commencement speech themes are commitment, competitiveness, competence, confidence, decision making, discipline, ethics, failure (and overcoming failure), faith, generosity, integrity, involvement, leadership, learning, persistence, personal improvement, professionalism, reality, responsibility, and self-respect.
Talk about your life and how graduates can learn from your experiences to avoid pitfalls or take advantage of life. How can your life inspire the graduates in their future endeavors?
Make the speech humorous. Commencement speeches should be entertaining and make an audience laugh.
Be brief! Nothing is more painful than a commencement speaker who drones on and on. Remember, the graduates are there to get their diplomas; their families are there to watch the graduates walk across the stage.
Remember, while you may be the speaker, you’ve been asked to impart wisdom and advice for the people graduating and moving on with their lives, so keep it focused on them.
Place the commencement speech into the broader context of the graduates’ lives. Show the graduates how the advice and wisdom you are offering can be utilized to make their own lives better.

After-Dinner Speeches

Our final special occasion speech is the After-dinner speech.

After-dinner speeches are humorous speeches that make a serious point. These speeches get their name from the fact that they historically follow a meal of some kind. After-dinner speakers are generally asked to speak (or hired to speak) because they have the ability both to speak effectively and to make people laugh. First and foremost, after-dinner speeches are speeches and not stand-up comedy routines. All the basic conventions of public speaking previously discussed in this text apply to after-dinner speeches, but the overarching goal of these speeches is to be entertaining and to create an atmosphere of amusement.

After-dinner speaking is an extremely difficult type of speaking to do well because it is an entertaining speech that depends on the successful delivery of humor. People train for years to develop comic timing, or the verbal and nonverbal delivery used to enhance the comedic value of a message. But after-dinner speaking is difficult, not impossible. What follows is the method we recommend for developing a successful after-dinner speech.

First, use all that you have learned about informative or persuasive speeches to prepare a real informative or persuasive speech roughly two-thirds the length of what the final speech will become. That is, if you’re going to be giving a ten-minute speech, then your “real” informative or persuasive speech should be six or seven minutes in length. This is the “serious message” portion of the speech where you will try to make a point of educating your audience.

Next, go back through the speech and look for opportunities to insert humorous remarks. Once you’ve looked through your speech and examined places for verbal humor, think about any physical humor or props that would enhance your speech. Physical humor is great if you can pull it off without being self-conscious. One of the biggest mistakes any humorist makes is to become too aware of what his or her body is doing because it’s then harder to be free and funny. As for props, after-dinner speakers have been known to use everything from oversized inflatable baseball bats to rubber clown noses. The goal for a funny prop is that it adds to the humor of the speech without distracting from its message.

Last, and probably most important, try the humor out on real, live people. This is important for three reasons. First, the success of humor depends heavily on delivery, and especially timing in delivery. You will need the practice to polish your delivery so that your humor comes across. If you can’t make it through one of your jokes without cracking up, you will need to either incorporate the self-crackup into your delivery or forgo using that joke.

Second, just because you find something unbelievably funny in your head doesn’t mean that it will make anyone else laugh. Often, humor that we have written down on paper just doesn’t translate when orally presented. You may have a humorous story that you love reading on paper, but find that it just seems to drone on once you start telling it out loud. Furthermore, remember there is a difference between written and verbal language, and this also translates to how humor is interpreted. Third, you need to make sure the humor you choose will be appropriate for a specific audience. What one audience finds funny another may find offensive. Humor is the double-edged sword of public speaking. On one side, it is an amazing and powerful speaking tool, but on the other side, few things will alienate an audience more than offensive humor. If you’re ever uncertain about whether a piece of humor will offend your audience, don’t use it.

Award Acceptance Speech

Navigate the art of delivering a heartfelt award acceptance speech with our expert guide, which includes a variety of inspiring speech examples . This comprehensive resource is designed to assist you in articulating your gratitude and joy effectively. Whether you’re acknowledging a professional honor or a personal milestone, our array of speech examples will guide you in creating a memorable and sincere acceptance speech, ensuring your words leave a lasting impression on your audience.

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If you have been nominated for an award and you are confident that your chances of winning is high or even if you are not that confident you’ll win, it is only right to prepare a speech when receiving said award. As English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge has said, “He who is best prepared can best serve his moment of inspiration.” Therefore, you should prepare a speech ahead of time regardless of uncertainty in order to avoid stuttering when accepting an award or plainly embarrassing yourself in such a momentous occasion for saying the wrong words.

Outline of an Award Acceptance Speech

When you when an award especially during prestigious events, it is most likely that you are expected to give an award acceptance speech . As the name suggests, it is a speech you give when you accept an award and mainly for expressing how honored and thankful you are to be given such recognition. In the process of writing the speech , you should also know what information you should include. Although there is no set standard on how to write the speech, here is an explanation on the outline of an award acceptance speech:

This part of your speech is basically your introduction. This will be your formal opening, the ice breaker or the attention-grabber for your speech. The main purpose of this part is to show your excitement, your shock and happiness to be given the award. This will also serve as your formal acknowledgement to the people present during the event. In some award acceptance speeches given by professionals in certain filed, this is where they insert a humorous quip. For speech example , during the Oscars in 2010, Sandra Bullock who won the Best Actress Award opened her speech with “Did I really earn this or did I just wear you all down?”

2. Expression of gratitude

This part of the speech is where you express your gratitude for the organization or institution who has given you the award. Although this can also be used to thank important people in your life, thanking the organization also expresses your respect to the body who has given you the award. Aside from that, this is also your way to talk about how thankful you are just for the nomination and how much happy and honored you are that the deciding body chose you despite of all the talented nominees.

3. Address your competition

It is only right that you acknowledge the people who were nominated alongside you. This is the part of your speech where you speak well of your competition. Although they were your competitors for the award, some of them are your close acquaintances or friends and people you have admired for a long time. This is also your time to acknowledge how brilliant they performed in their own right and how worthy they are of the nomination. In addition, you can also mention how these nominees also served as your inspiration during the process of creating your work. Through this you strengthen your friendship with some of them and creating new meaningful relationships with the others.

4. Sharing the glory

On this part of the speech you share your glory to the people who have continuously supported you. Aside from the people executives like talent scouts, directors, producers, managers, supervisors, etc. who have taken a chance on you, this is also where you thank the most important people in your life like your spouse, parents, siblings, friends, mentors and so on. When the late Robin Williams received the Best Supporting Actor during the 1998 Oscars, he humorously thanked his late father saying “Most of all, I want to thank my father, up there, the man who when I said I wanted to be an actor, he said, ‘Wonderful. Just have a back-up profession like welding.'”

5. Conclusion

The conclusion of your speech can be inspirational, funny, challenging and others. You should definitely end your speech with something you can be remembered by. For example you can pose a challenge to the audience, or your can leave with some inspirational message that the audience can ponder on, or you can end your speech with some witty, funny remarks. To end his award acceptance speech during the Mark Twain Comedy Award in 2011, actor-comedian Will Ferrell funny quipped the theater band “Now, you can play it, now you can play the music.” as they have interrupted him in the beginning of his speech.

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How to Make an Award Acceptance Speech

In order to deliver an outstanding award acceptance speech you should prepared it ahead of time. Although some prepare to deliver it extemporaneously, but in order to save time you can prepare just the basic outline of what you want to say or a list of people you want to thank so as not to forget anyone. However, when you have been given prior knowledge about the award, it is much better to allot time to actually write it. Hence, here is a guide you can refer to when you write an award acceptance speech:

1. Brainstorm ideas

This part of your process will be the foundation or outline as you go along with the actual writing process. This will enable you to generate ideas on how you want your speech to go and what yu want to include in the speech. Aside from that, it will allow you to gather inspiration that you can apply in your own speech.

Make a list of the reasons why you are thankful for receiving the award.
Make a list of all the people you want to thank in your speech. Only name the most important ones, and thank the others in general.
Read or watch other acceptance speeches in order to draw inspiration.

2. Write your speech

Since you already have enough ideas and basically an outline of how your speech should go, you can now proceed to the actual writing process. The writing process should be easy enough since the speech is supposed to be brief and more importantly because you already have a guide. A list of the entire writing process is listed below:

Write a brief introduction that will set the tone of your entire speech. Make sure you try to express gratitude and connect with the audience right away. You can also start your speech with a funny quip, but try to avoid sarcasm or joking about the merits of the award itself. In addition, the length of your introduction will heavily depend on the time allotted to you to deliver the speech.
Proceed to the body of your speech focusing on the people you want to express your gratitude to. This speech should be devoted to expressing your gratitude to the body who gave you the award, the people you enabled you to showcase your talents and all the people who have undoubtedly supported you. You can easily refer to the list of people you want to thank that you have made beforehand.
Avoid thanking too many people. Although this is meant to express your gratitude, the audience will easily get bored if all you do is thank everyone one-by-one. It can also cause disappointments once you forget to mention someone.
Take caution in making you speech a platform. Although this can be used to address certain controversies or social issues, be wary in doing so since saying the wrong things when you only mean well can still be interpreted badly.
Conclude your speech on a positive note. Make sure you end your speech in a lighthearted and positive manner in order to maintain the atmosphere and also to make sure you have used up your opportunity in a good way.

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How to Deliver an Award Acceptance Speech

Aside from having a brilliant speech, you should also be to deliver you speech in a brilliant manner. You have to make sure that your delivery is perfect to that the audience can clearly understand you and so that your message can be heard audibly. Here are some tips on how you can deliver your award acceptance speech:

Show your personality . The delivery of your speech should come from the heart. It is okay to sound a surprised and shocked for it is only human. With that, you should show your personality through the words you say and the actions or gestures you make.
Be gracious . Being gracious means acknowledging the good work done by your competitors and thanking the organization that selected you for the award. You show how good-natured you are by avoiding the tendency of becoming narcissistic; talk about others more thank yourself.
Show excitement . Showing your excitement does not mean you have to do cartwheels towards the stage, but you have to make sure that the audience can recognize that you are really happy to have won the award. You can show this through words or through gestures. Some are show visible signs of excitement like getting jitters, heavy breathing, getting teary-eyed, and so on.
Be modest . It should not be self-congratulatory however heartfelt it may be. Show modesty through avoiding talking more about you than other relevant and important people in your life.
Practice, practice, practice . Your should prepare, rehearse with a timer, memorize key people to thank and allow time for the unexpected.

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Tips in Writing and Delivering Award Acceptance Speech

Now that you have enough ideas and guide on how to write a brilliant award acceptance speech and how to effectively deliver it, your should also know some of the other important yet forgotten details about it. Hence, here is a list of useful tips you should know when writing and delivering an award acceptance speech:

It is best to ask how much time you are allotted for the speech.
Allot time to brainstorm what you want to include in your speech and which to talk about first.
With the time constraint in mind, begin writing the introduction of your speech.
Keep your speech short but sincere.
Wholeheartedly acknowledge those who helped you along the way.
Express honest appreciation.
Include witty, humorous remarks to have an entertaining factor.
Explain how this experience has changed your life for the better.
End the speech with a bang.
Aim to make the speech memorable.
Avoid using notes.
Give a nod to the organizers.
Establish a personal connection.
Be genuine.
Stop apologizing for the past, for being speechless, for getting emotional, and so on.
Mention and acknowledge the organization’s goals.
Keep a lid on the jokes.One or two jokes is already enough.

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Concluding your award acceptance speech, remember to speak from the heart, expressing genuine gratitude. Utilize our guide and examples to eloquently acknowledge those who’ve supported you, making your speech as memorable as the achievement itself. Your words have the power to inspire and resonate, leaving a lasting impact on your audience. Embrace this opportunity to shine and share your journey with grace and appreciation.

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Great GRAMMY Acceptance Speeches

Interactive infographic explores 40 years of GRAMMY acceptances, including Metallica's Jethro Tull quip, Kanye West's powerful sermon, the "Hamilton" rap, and Selena and Whitney Houston's first GRAMMY wins

Taylor Swift performs with Stevie Nicks at the 2010 GRAMMYs

Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

11 Artists Who Influenced Taylor Swift: Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Tim McGraw & More

From Paul McCartney to Paramore, Emily Dickinson and even "Game of Thrones," read on for some of the major influences Taylor Swift has referenced throughout her GRAMMY-winning career.

As expected, much buzz followed the release of Taylor Swift 's 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , on April 19. Fans and critics alike have devoured the sprawling double album’s 31 tracks, unpacking her reflections from "a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time" in search of Easter eggs, their new favorite lyrics and references to famous faces (both within the pop supernova’s closely guarded orbit and the historical record).

Shoutouts abound in The Tortured Poets Department : Charlie Puth gets his much-deserved (and Taylor-approved) flowers on the title track, while 1920s screen siren Clara Bow, the ancient Greek prophetess Cassandra and Peter Pan each get a song titled after them. Post Malone and Florence + the Machine ’s Florence Welch each tap in for memorable duets. Relationships old (Joe Alwyn), new (Travis Kelce) and somewhere in between (1975’s Matty Healy) are alluded to without naming names, as is, possibly, the singer’s reputation -era feud with Kim Kardashian.

Swift casts a wide net on The Tortured Poets Department , encompassing popular music, literature, mythology and beyond, but it's far from the first time the 14-time GRAMMY winner has worn her influences on her sleeve. While you digest TTPD , consider these 10 figures who have influenced the poet of the hour — from Stevie Nicks and Patti Smith to Emily Dickinson, William Wordsworth, Arya Stark and more.

Stevie Nicks

If Taylor Swift is the chairman of The Tortured Poets Department , Stevie Nicks may as well be considered its poet laureate emeritus. The mystical Fleetwood Mac frontwoman earns an important mention on side A closer "Clara Bow," in which Swift ties an invisible string from herself to a pre- Rumours Nicks ("In ‘75, the hair and lips/ Crowd goes wild at her fingertips"), and all the way back to the 1920s It Girl of the song’s title.

For her part, Nicks seems to approve of her place in Swift’s cultural lineage, considering she penned the poem found inside physical copies of The Tortured Poets Department . "He was in love with her/ Or at least she thought so," the Priestess of Rock and Roll wrote in part, before signing off, "For T — and me…"

Swift’s relationship with Nicks dates back to the 2010 GRAMMYs, when the pair performed a medley of "Rhiannon" and "You Belong With Me " before the then-country upstart took home her first Album Of The Year win for 2009’s Fearless . More recently, the "Edge of Seventeen" singer publicly credited Swift’s Midnights cut "You’re On Your Own, Kid" for helping her through the 2022 death of Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie .

Patti Smith

Swift may see herself as more "modern idiot" than modern-day Patti Smith, but that didn’t stop the superstar from name-dropping the icon synonymous with the Hotel Chelsea and punk scene of ‘70s New York on a key track on The Tortured Poets Department . Swift rather self-deprecatingly compares herself to the celebrated Just Kids memoirist (and 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame nominee) on the double album’s synth-drenched title track, and it’s easy to see how Smith’s lifelong fusion of rock and poetry influenced the younger singer’s dactylic approach to her new album.

Smith seemed to appreciate the shout-out on "The Tortured Poets Department" as well. "This is saying I was moved to be mentioned in the company of the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Thank you Taylor," she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of herself reading Thomas’ 1940 poetry collection Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog .

Emily Dickinson

When it comes to iconic poets, Swift has also taken a page or two over her career from Emily Dickinson. While the great 19th century poet hasn’t come up explicitly in Swift’s work, she did reference her poetic forebear (and actual sixth cousin, three times removed !) in her speech while accepting the award for Songwriter-Artist of the Decade at the 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards.

"I’ve never talked about this publicly before, because, well, it’s dorky. But I also have, in my mind, secretly, established genre categories for lyrics I write. Three of them, to be exact. They are affectionately titled Quill Lyrics, Fountain Pen Lyrics and Glitter Gel Pen Lyrics," Swift told the audience before going on to explain, "If my lyrics sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinson’s great-grandmother while sewing a lace curtain, that’s me writing in the Quill genre," she went on to explain.

Even before this glimpse into Swift’s writing process, Easter eggs had been laid pointing to her familial connection to Dickinson. For example, she announced her ninth album evermore on December 10, 2020, which would have been the late poet’s 190th birthday. Another clue that has Swifties convinced? Dickinson’s use of the word "forevermore" in her 1858 poem "One Sister Have I in Our House," which Swift also cleverly breaks apart in Evermore ’s Bon Iver-assisted title track ("And I couldn’t be sure/ I had a feeling so peculiar/ That this pain would be for/ Evermore").

The Lake Poets

Swift first put her growing affinity for poetry on display during her folklore era with "the lakes." On the elegiac bonus track, the singer draws a parallel with the Lake Poets of the 19th century, wishing she could escape to "the lakes where all the poets went to die" with her beloved muse in tow. In between fantasizing about "those Windermere peaks" and pining for "auroras and sad prose," she even manages to land a not-so-subtle jab at nemesis Scooter Braun ("I’ve come too far to watch some name-dropping sleaze/ Tell me what are my words worth") that doubles as clever wordplay on the last name of Lake Poet School members William and Dorothy Wordsworth.

Swift revealed more about why she connected to the Lake Poets in her 2020 Disney+ documentary folklore: the long pond studio sessions . "There was a poet district, these artists that moved there. And they were kind of heckled for it and made fun of for it as being these eccentrics and these kind of odd artists who decided that they just wanted to live there," she explained to her trusted producer Jack Antonoff . "So ‘the lakes,’ it kind of is the overarching theme of the whole album: of trying to escape, having something you wanna protect, trying to protect your own sanity and saying, ‘Look, they did this hundreds of years ago. I’m not the first person who’s felt this way.’"

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney and Swift have publicly praised one another’s work for years, leading to the 2020 Rolling Stone cover they posed for together for the special Musicians on Musicians issue . The younger singer even counts Sir Paul’s daughter Stella McCartney as a close friend and collaborator (Stella designed a capsule collection for Swift’s 2019 studio set Lover and earned a shout-out of her own on album cut "London Boy").

However, Swift took her relationship with the Beatles founder and his family a step further when it was rumored she based Midnights deep cut "Sweet Nothing" on McCartney’s decades-long romance with late wife Linda. While the speculation has never been outright confirmed, it appears Swift’s lyrics in the lilting love song ("On the way home, I wrote a poem/ You say, ‘What a mind’/ This happens all the time") were partially inspired by a strikingly similar quote McCartney once gave about his relationship with Linda, who passed away in 1998. To add to the mystique, the Midnights singer even reportedly liked a tweet from 2022 espousing the theory.

The admiration between the duo seems to go both ways as well, with the former Beatle admitting in a 2018 BBC profile that the track "Who Cares" from his album Egypt Station was inspired by Swift’s close relationship with her fans.

From her days as a country music ingénue to her ascendance as the reigning mastermind of pop, Swift has credited the Chicks as a seminal influence in her songwriting and career trajectory. (Need examples? Look anywhere from early singles like "Picture to Burn" and "Should’ve Said No" to Evermore ’s Haim-assisted murder ballad "no body, no crime" and her own Lover -era collab with the band, "Soon You’ll Get Better.")

In a 2020 Billboard cover story tied to the Chicks’ eighth album Gaslighter , Swift acknowledged just how much impact the trio made on her growing up. "Early in my life, these three women showed me that female artists can play their own instruments while also putting on a flamboyant spectacle of a live show," she said at the time. "They taught me that creativity, eccentricity, unapologetic boldness and kitsch can all go together authentically. Most importantly, they showed an entire generation of girls that female rage can be a bonding experience between us all the very second we first heard Natalie Maines bellow ‘that Earl had to DIE.’"

"Game of Thrones"

When reputation dropped in 2017, Swift was on a self-imposed media blackout, which meant no cover stories or dishy sit-down interviews on late-night TV during the album’s roll-out. Instead, the singer let reputation speak for itself, and fans were largely left to draw their own conclusions about their queen’s wildly anticipated comeback album. Two years later, though, Swift revealed the dark, vengeful, romantic body of work was largely inspired by "Game of Thrones."

"These songs were half based on what I was going through, but seeing them through a 'Game of Thrones' filter," she told Entertainment Weekly in 2019. "My entire outlook on storytelling has been shaped by ["GoT"] — the ability to foreshadow stories, to meticulously craft cryptic story lines. So, I found ways to get more cryptic with information and still be able to share messages with the fans. I aspire to be one one-millionth of the kind of hint dropper the makers of 'Game of Thrones' have been."

Joni Mitchell

Swift has long made her admiration of Joni Mitchell known, dating back to her 2012 album Red , which took a cue from the folk pioneer’s landmark 1971 LP Blue for its chromatic title. In an interview around the time of Red ’s release, the country-pop titan gushed over Blue ’s impact on her, telling Rhapsody, "[Mitchell] wrote it about her deepest pains and most haunting demons. Songs like ‘River,’ which is just about her regrets and doubts of herself — I think this album is my favorite because it explores somebody’s soul so deeply."

Back in 2015, TIME declared the "Blank Space" singer a "disciple of Mitchell in ways both obvious and subtle" — from her reflective songwriting to the complete ownership over her creative process, and nearly 10 years later, Swift was still showing her appreciation for Mitchell after the latter’s triumphant and emotional appearance on the GRAMMY stage to perform "Both Sides Now" on the very same night Taylor took home her historic fourth GRAMMY for Album Of The Year for Midnights .

Fall Out Boy & Paramore

When releasing the re-recording of her third album Speak Now in 2023, Swift cited two unexpectedly emo acts as inspirations to her early songwriting: Fall Out Boy and Paramore .

"Since Speak Now was all about my songwriting, I decided to go to the artists who I feel influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist at that time and ask them to sing on the album," she wrote in an Instagram post revealing the back cover and complete tracklist for Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) , which included Fall Out Boy collaboration "Electric Touch" and "Castles Crumbling" featuring Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams .

For one of Swift’s original career inspirations, we have to go all the way back to the very first single she ever released. "Tim McGraw" was not only as the lead single off the 16-year-old self-titled 2006 debut album, but it also paid reverent homage to one of the greatest living legends in the history of country music.

In retrospect, it was an incredibly gutsy risk for a then-unknown Swift to come raring out of the gate with a song named after a country superstar. But the gamble clearly paid off in spades, considering that now, when an entire generation of music fans hear "Tim McGraw," they think of Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Is A Post-Mortem Autopsy In Song: 5 Takeaways From Her New Album

Photos (L-R): Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management, Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Clear Channel

Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift's Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon

Upon the arrival of Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department,' take a deep dive into her discography and see how each album helped her become the genre-shifting superstar she is today.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 19 to reflect the release of The Tortured Poets Department.

The world now knows Taylor Swift as a global pop superstar, but back in 2006, she was just a doe-eyed country prodigy. Since then, she's released 11 studio albums, re-recorded four as "Taylor's Version," and cultivated one of the most feverish fan bases in music. Oh, and she's also won 14 GRAMMY Awards, including four for Album Of The Year — the most ever won by an artist.

Swift has become one of music's most notable shapeshifters by refusing to limit herself to one genre, moving between country, pop, folk and beyond. A once-in-a-lifetime generational storyteller, one could argue that she is music's modern-day maverick, constantly evolving both her music and the culture around her.

Every album era has seen Swift reinvent herself over and over, which has helped pave the way for artists to explore other musical avenues. In turn, Swift hasn't just become one of the biggest artists of all time — she's changed pop music altogether.

To celebrate Taylor Swift's newest era with The Tortured Poets Department , GRAMMY.com looks back on all of her albums (Taylor's Versions not included) and how each era shaped her remarkable career.

Taylor Swift : Finding Her Place In Music

In a genre dominated by men, the odds were already stacked against Swift when she first broke into country music as a teenage female artist. The thing that differentiated her from other writers — and still does to this day — is her songwriting. She didn't want to be just "another girl singer" and knew writing her own songs would be what set her apart.

Written throughout her adolescence, Taylor Swift was recorded at the end of 2005 and finalized by the time Swift finished her freshman year of high school. Serving as a snapshot of Swift's life and teenhood, she avoided songwriting stereotypes typically found in country music. Instead, she wanted to capture the years of her life while they still represented what she was going through, writing about what she was observing and experiencing, from love and friendship to feeling like an outsider.

As a songwriter, Taylor Swift set the tone for what would be expected of her future recordings — all songs were written by her, some solely and others with one or two co-writers. One writer in particular, Liz Rose , applauded Swift's songwriting capabilities, stating that she was more of an "editor" for the songs because Swift already had such a distinct vision.

The album's lead single, "Tim McGraw," an acoustic country ballad inspired by Swift knowing her relationship was going to end, represents an intricate part of Swift's songwriting process; meticulously picking apart her emotions to better understand them. With its follow-up, "Our Song" — which spent six consecutive weeks on the top of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart — she became the youngest person to solely write and sing a No. 1 country single; she also became the first female solo artist in country music to write or co-write every song on an album.

Although Swift's eponymous debut is underappreciated now — even lacking its own set on Swift's Eras Tour — Taylor Swift 's forthcoming rerecording is arguably the most anticipated by fans, who are eager to hear the songs with the singer's current and more refined vocals. Still, for fans who haven't properly explored Taylor Swift , it's easy to tie together Swift's earlier work to her current discography.

On the track "A Place In This World," a song she wrote when she was just 13, Swift sings about not fitting in and trying to find her path. While her songwriting has developed and matured, feeling like an outsider and carving her own path is a theme she still writes about now, as seen on Midnights ' "You're On Your Own, Kid."

Even as a new country artist, critics claimed that she "mastered" the genre while subsequently ushering it to a new era — one that would soon see Swift dabble in country-pop.

Fearless : Creating A Different Kind Of Fairytale

If Taylor Swift was the soundtrack to navigating the early stages of teenhood, Fearless is Swift's coming-of-age record. More than its predecessor, Fearless blurs the line between country and pop thanks to crossover hits like "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me," yet still keeps the confessional attributes known in country songwriting.

Most of Fearless is Swift coming to terms with what she believed love to be. On the album's liner notes, Swift says Fearless is about "living in spite" of the things that scare you, like falling in love again despite being hurt before or walking away and letting go. The 2008 version of Taylor wanted to "believe in love stories and prince charmings and happily ever after," whereas in Swift's Fearless (Taylor's Version) liner notes, she looks back on the album as a diary where she was learning "tiny lessons" every time there was a "new crack in the facade of the fairytale ending she'd been shown in the movies."

Much of Fearless also sees Swift being reflective and nostalgic about adolescence, like in "Never Grow Up" and "Fifteen." Still wistful and romantic, the album explores Swift's hopes for love, as heard in the album's lead single "Love Story," which was one instance where she was "dramatizing" observations instead of actually experiencing them herself.

Unlike the slow-burn of Taylor Swift , Fearless went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks. It won Swift's first Album Of The Year GRAMMY in 2010, at the time making her the youngest person to win the accolade at age 20. To date, it has sold 7.2 million copies in America alone. It might not be the romantic tale Swift dreamed of growing up, but her sophomore album signalled that bigger things were to come.

Speak Now : Proving Her Songwriting Prowess

Everything that happened after the success of Fearless pushed Swift from country music's best-kept secret to a mainstream star. But this meant that she faced more publicity and criticism, from naysayers who nitpicked her songwriting and vocals to the infamous Kanye West incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

For the first time since becoming an artist, she was forced to reckon with the concept of celebrity and how turning into one — whether she wanted it or not — informed her own writing and perception of herself. No longer was she the girl writing songs like "Fifteen" in her bedroom — now she was working through becoming a highly publicized figure. Speak Now is the answer to those growing pains.

Along with having more eyes on her, Swift also felt pressured to maintain her persona as a perfect young female role model amid a time when her peers like Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato were attempting to rebrand to be more mature and sexier. During her NYU commencement speech in 2022, she reflected on this era of her life as one of intense fear that she could make a mistake and face lasting consequences, so the songs were masked in metaphors rather than directly addressing adult themes in her music. But that also resulted in some of her most poignant lyrics to date.

Read More: For The Record: How Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now' Changed Her Career — And Proved She'll Always Get The Last Word

Writing the entire album herself, Swift used Speak Now to prove her songwriting prowess to those who questioned her capabilities. Much like her previous two albums, Swift included songs that were both inspired by her own life and being a fly on the wall. The album's title track pulled from the saying, "Speak now or forever hold your peace," inspired by a friend's ex-boyfriend getting engaged; meanwhile, "Mean" was everything Swift wanted to say to a critic who was continuously harsh about her vocals.

Retrospective and reflective, Speak Now is an album about the speeches she could've, would've and should've said. From addressing the aforementioned VMA incident in the forgiving "Innocent" to a toxic relationship in "Dear John," Speak Now also hinted that her rose-colored glasses were cracked, but Swift (and her songwriting) was only becoming stronger because of it.

Red : Coming Into Her Own

Highly regarded as Swift's magnum opus, Red sees the singer shed the fairytale dresses and the girl-next-door persona to craft a body of work that has now been deemed as her first "adult" record. On Red, Swift focused on emotions evoked from a hot-and-cold relationship, one that forced her to experience " intense love, intense frustration, jealousy and confusion " — all feelings that she'd describe as "red."

Unlike most of her previous writing that had been inspired by happy endings and fairytales, Red explores the lingering pain and loss that can embed itself within despite trying your hardest to let go. In her liner notes, she references Pablo Neruda's poem "Tonight I Can Write," stating that "Love is so short, forgetting is so long" is the overarching theme for the album. She plays with time — speeding it up in "Starlight," dabbling in the past in "All Too Well," and reframing it in "State of Grace" — to better understand her experiences.

After releasing country-pop records, Red toed the line between genres more than ever before. Swift leaned further into the full pop territory by working with esteemed producers Max Martin and Shellback for the dubstep-leaning track "I Knew You Were Trouble," the punchy lead single "We Are Never Getting Back Together," and the bouncy anthem "22." But even when the pop power players weren't involved, her country stylings still leaned more pop across the album, as further evidenced with the racing deep cut "Holy Ground" and the echoing title track.

The slight change of direction became polarizing for critics and fans alike. Following the more country-influenced Speak Now , some critics and fans found the pop songs on Red were too pop and the lyrics were too repetitive, possibly indicating that she might be selling out. If that wasn't enough, Red became an era where Swift's personal life went from speculation to tabloid fodder, with misogynistic headlines and diluting her work to just "writing about her exes." It's an era that would eventually inspire many tracks on Red 's successor, 1989 , like "Blank Space" and "Shake It Off."

Commercially, Red debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 1.2 million copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling country album and making Swift the first female artist to have three consecutive albums spend six or more weeks at the top of the chart. The impact of Red extended beyond its own success, too. Often mentioned as a record that inspired a generation of artists from Troye Sivan to Conan Gray , Swift's confessional, soul-bearing authenticity set a new standard for straightforward pop music.

1989 : Reinventing Into A Pop Genius

The night Red lost the GRAMMY for Album Of The Year in 2014, Swift decided that her next album would be a full-on pop record. After years of identifying as a country artist and flirting with pop, Swift departed her roots to reinvent herself, no matter what her then-label or critics had to say. And in true Swiftian fashion, turning into a pop artist didn't just prove her genre-shapeshifting capabilities — it further solidified her as an artist who is at her best when she freely creates to her desires and refuses to adhere to anyone.

1989 was lauded by critics for its infectious synth-pop that was reminiscent of the 1980s, yet still had a contemporary sound. Swift opted to lean more into radio-friendly hits, which resulted in songs like "Style," "Wildest Dreams," "Blank Space," and "Shake It Off," all of which became singles. And where some might trade a hit or two at the expense of their artistic integrity, Swift didn't falter — instead, her lyrics were just as heartfelt and intimate as they were on prior albums.

After exploring pop-leaning sonics she first found with Red , Swift worked with Martin and Shellback again on most of 1989 . This reinvention brought new (and very important) collaborators as well. Swift's now-frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff credits her as the first person to take a chance on him as a producer with "I Wish You Would" and "Out Of The Woods"; both tracks exemplified how future Antonoff-produced songs would sound on albums like reputation, Lover and Midnights .

At the time, 1989 became Swift's best-selling album to date. It sold nearly 1.3 million copies within release week in the U.S., debuting atop the Billboard 200 and reigning for 11 non-consecutive weeks. The album also earned Swift several awards — including her second Album Of The Year GRAMMY, which made her the first female artist to ever win the award twice.

Following the release of 1989 , Swift became a cultural juggernaut, and the album has had an omnipresence in music since. Swift didn't just normalize blending genres, but proved that you can create a sound that is uniquely yours by doing so. In turn, Billie Eilish , Dua Lipa and more pop stars have refused to conform or stick to what they've done prior.

reputation : Killing The Old Taylor

For years, Swift was on a strict two-year cycle — she'd release an album one year, tour the next, and then release a new album the following year. But following the heightened scrutiny and highly publicized tabloid drama that followed the end of the 1989 era, Swift completely disappeared for a year. She stayed away from public appearances, didn't do any press, and missed the album schedule fans became accustomed to. It wasn't until summer 2017 when she returned from her media (and social media) blackout to unveil the fitting title for her new album: reputation .

Born as a response to the naysayers and name-callers, reputation follows Swift shedding her public image — which includes the pressure to be perfect, the drama, and the criticism — by declaring, "There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation." Leaning on the same tongue-in-cheek songwriting techniques she used while penning "Blank Space," Swift wrote from the mindset of how the public perceived her.

When Swift released the lead single "Look What You Made Me Do," a song she initially wrote as a poem about not trusting specific people, many assumed the album would center on vengeance and drama. Although Swift said that the album has its vindictive moments — even declaring that the "old Taylor" is dead on the bridge of "Look What You Made Me Do" — it's a vulnerable record for her. Swift described reputation as a bait-and-switch; at their core, the songs are about finding love in the darkest moments.

Swift still remained in the pop lane with reputation , largely leaning on Antonoff and the Martin/Shellback team. The sound almost mirrored the scrutiny Swift faced in the years prior — booming electropop beats, maximalist production and pulsing synthesizers dominate, particularly on "End Game," "I Did Something Bad," and "Ready For It…?" But the "old Taylor" isn't entirely gone on songs like "Call It What You Want," "So It Goes…" and "New Year's Day," where she lets her guard down to write earnest love odes.

Even after Swift spent some time away from the spotlight, the public didn't immediately gravitate toward her return. And even despite matching the 1.2 million first-week sales of her previous releases, some concluded that the album was her first commercial failure when compared to 1989 . With time, though, it became clear that the response to reputation became muddled with the public's overall perception of her at the time — some even claimed that Swift was ahead of her time with the album's overall sound.

For her 2023 TIME Person of the Year profile , Swift described reputation as a "goth-punk moment of female rage at being gaslit by an entire social structure." For years, she felt the pressure to be "America's Sweetheart" and to never step out of line. Writing reputation became a lifeline following the events that catalyzed it — a way to shed the so-called snakeskin and make peace with however the public wanted to view her.

Lover : Stepping Into The Daylight

After finding love amongst chaos with reput ation, Swift was learning to deal with the anxiety and fear of losing her partner — became a major theme of another aptly titled album, Lover . Both sonically and visually, Lover was a complete change from reputation . After touring reputation , Swift found that her fans saw her as "a flesh-and-blood human being," inspiring her to be "brave enough to be vulnerable" because her fans were along with her. Stepping away from the dark and antagonistic themes around reputation encouraged Swift to step into the light and be playful with her work on Lover .

Swift also found a new sense of creativity within this new mindset, one where she aimed to still embed playful themes in her songwriting but with less snark than that of "Blank Space" and "Look What You Made Me Do." Leaning into Lover being a "love letter to love," Swift explored every aspect of it. Tracks like "Paper Rings" and "London Boy" exude a whimsical energy, even if they center on more serious themes like marriage and commitment. Other songs, including "Death By A Thousand Cuts" and "Cornelia Street," are Swift at her most vulnerable, reflecting on a love lost and grappling with the extreme worry that comes when you could potentially lose someone.

Looking at Lover retrospectively, it's an album that almost symbolizes a bookend in her discography. She was playful yet poignant, picking apart her past lyrics and feelings and looking at them with the perspective of someone who was once on top of the world, hit rock bottom, and survived in spite of it. This evolution is mentioned throughout Lover, particularly in a direct callback to 2012's Red , "Daylight," which sees her describe her love as "golden" rather than "burning red."

Lover also marked the first time Swift divulged into politics and societal issues, like campaigning against Donald Trump, releasing the Pride-infused "You Need To Calm Down," and feeling disillusioned by the political climate with "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince." Swift's documentary Miss Americana explores this change further, discussing how she regrets not being vocal about politics and issues prior, in addition to opening up about her body image issues and mental health struggles.

Lover became Swift's sixth No. 1 album in America, making her the first female artist to achieve the feat. But Lover was more than any accolades could reflect — it was Swift's transitional album in many ways, notably marking the first album that she owned entirely herself following leaving Big Machine Records for Republic Records in 2018.

folklore : Looking Beyond Her Personal Stories

After the pandemic started and Swift cancelled her Lover Fest, she spent the early stages of quarantine reading and watching a myriad of films. Without exactly setting out to create an album, she began dreaming of fictional stories and characters with various narrative arcs, allowing her imagination to run free. The result became folklore , 2020's surprise archetypal quarantine album.

Crafting a world with characters like the folklore love triangle between those in "betty" and "august," as well as Rebekah Harkness from "the last great american dynasty" (who once lived in Swift's Rhode Island mansion), was Swift's way of venturing outside her typical autobiographical style of writing. She'd see visceral images in her mind — from battleships to tree swings to mirrored disco balls — and turned them into stories, sometimes weaving in her own personal narrative throughout, or taking on a narrator role and speaking from the perspective of someone she had never met.

She worked remotely with two producers — again working with her right-hand man Jack Antonoff, and first-time collaborator Aaron Dessner from The National . Some songs, like "peace," were recorded in just one take, capturing the essence and fragility in the song's story, whereas the lyrics for the sun-drenched "august" were penned on the spot as Swift was in her makeshift home studio in Los Angeles.

Another aspect that separated folklore from her previous work was the obvious decision not to create hits made for radio play, so much so that Dessner claimed that she made an anti-pop record at a time when radio wanted clear "bops." Sonically, it ventured into genres Swift hadn't explored much outside of a few folkier tracks on Lover . Rather than relying on mostly electronic elements, Swift, Antonoff and Dessner weaved in soft pianos, ethereal strings, and plucky guitars.

folklore 's impact on the zeitgeist at a time where everyone was stuck at home helped shape people's quarantine experience. Fans rejoiced at having songs to comfort them during difficult times, and artists like Maya Hawke , Gracie Abrams , and Sabrina Carpenter credit folklore for inspiring them to create and be even more emotionally honest in their songwriting. After its release, folklore became the best-selling album of 2020 after selling 1.2 million records. At the 2021 GRAMMYs, folklore took home Album Of The Year , making her the fourth artist in history to win three times in the Category.

evermore : Embracing Experimentation

It was exciting enough for Swifties to experience one surprise album drop from Swift, an artist who typically has an entire album campaign calculated. So when evermore was released just six months after folklore , fans were in shock.

Like its (literally) folklorian sister, evermore was a surprise release at the end of 2020, marking the first time Swift didn't have distinct "eras" between albums. She felt like there was something "different" with folklore , stating in a social media post that making it was less like she was "departing" and more like she was "returning" to the next stage of her discography. In turn, the album served as a similar escape for Swift as folklore did.

Bridging together the same wistful and nostalgic themes as heard on its predecessor, evermore sees Swift venture even further into escapism. She explores more stories and characters, some based in fiction like "dorothea," and some real, like "marjorie," written in dedication to Swift's grandmother.

Evermore follows folklore 's inclusion of natural imagery and motifs, like landscapes, skies, ivy, and celestial elements. In contrast to the fairytale motifs and happy endings of Fearless , evermore saw Swift become fixated on "unhappy" endings — stories of failed marriages ("happiness"), lifeless relationships ("tolerate it"), and one-time flings ("'tis the damn season").

Sonically, evermore is a slight departure from its sister record; where folklore relies on more alt-leaning and indie-tinged sounds, evermore takes the sonics from all of Swift's past records — from pop to country to indie rock — and features all of them on one album. Country songs like "cowboy like me" and "no body, no crime" reaches back to Swift's earlier work in narrative building, seamlessly crafting a three-party story with ease. "Closure" is a "skittering" track that has the same energy as tracks like Lover 's "I Forgot That You Existed," whereas the ballad "champagne problems" is thematically reminiscent of Swift's Speak Now track "Back To December" where she takes responsibility for her lover's heartache.

Working mostly with Dessner on evermore , Swift was emboldened to continue creating and opted to embrace whatever came naturally to them rather than limiting themselves to a sound. Swift felt a "quiet conclusion" after finishing up evermore , describing that it was more about grappling with endings of all "sizes and shapes," and the record represented a chapter closing. Even so, its poetic lyricism and mystical storytelling cleverly foreshadowed what was to come with subsequent albums, particularly The Tortured Poets Department .

Midnights : Encapsulating Her Artistic Magic

After coming out of the folklorian woods following folklore and evermore , fans and critics alike were intrigued to see what direction Swift would take on her next studio album. On Midnights , Swift leaves behind indie folk sounds and returns to the pop production of 1989 and Lover .

Her most conceptual album to date, Midnights charts 13 sleepless nights and explores five themes, from self-hatred and revenge to "what if" fantasies, falling in love, and falling apart. They are the things that keep her up at night, like the self-critiquing in "Anti-Hero," her rise to fame in "You're on Your Own, Kid," and the anxiety of falling in love again in "Labyrinth." Similarly to Swift's cheeky songwriting style that sees her create caricatures of herself in songs like "Blank Space" and "Look What You Made Me Do," she doubles down on claims she's "calculated" on "Mastermind," a song about devising a plan for her and her lover.

Although the album is a departure from the two pandemic sister albums, the overall creation process didn't differ too much. In addition to working alongside Antonoff (and bringing Dessner in for the bonus-track-filled 3am Edition), Swift's worldbuilding is still the throughline that connects Midnights and Swift's recent albums, whether she's dreaming of a Parisian escape in "Paris" or using war imagery as a metaphor for the struggle of love in "The Great War."

Read More: 5 Takeaways From Taylor Swift's New Album 'Midnights'

Following the success with folklore and evermore , Swift's intrigue was at a then-all-time high upon the release of Midnights . Along with breaking several streaming records — including becoming the first album to exceed 700 million global streams in a week — it was Swift's 11th No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200, and was the highest-selling album of 2022 (and, remarkably, the second best-selling of 2023).

To say that Swift's celebrity has become otherworldly since the release of Midnights would be an understatement. Celebrating her genre-defying and varied discography through The Eras Tour has resulted in old songs having a resurgence, new inside jokes and Easter eggs within the fandom, and a plethora of new listeners being exposed to Swift's work.

As a result, there has arguably never been more excitement for a Taylor Swift album than for The Tortured Poets Department — especially because the announcement came on the heels of her lucky 13th GRAMMY win in February. Midnights helped further solidify Swift's larger-than-life status at the finale of the 2024 GRAMMYs, too, as she became the only artist in history to win Album Of The Year four times.

The Tortured Poets Department : A Grief-Stricken Poetic Odyssey

It’s been a while since Swift has penned a full-fledged breakup album. On The Tortured Poets Department , she navigates the five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance — after her long-term relationship ended. Taking a page from the release of folklore and evermore , she dropped a double album and announced The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology at 2 a.m. on release day. Throughout a total of 31 tracks, the prolific songwriter shelved the glittery pop radio-friendly tunes in favor of more subdued, synthy and heart-wrenching songs.

On Instagram, Swift described the album as a collection of poetic songs that reflect the "events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time," Swift pulled out the fountain and quill pens to craft songs about the "tortured poets" in her life — sometimes musing about lovers, sometimes taking aim at villains, and sometimes pointing the finger at herself.

TTPD is also her most confessional album thus far. It pokes fun at so-called fans who overstep with her personal life ("But Daddy I Love Him"), says goodbye to a city that gave her a home ("So Long London"), and muses on how her own celebrity has stunted her growth ("Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?"). To help explain this chapter of her life, Swift brings together a myriad of collaborators — from Stevie Nicks as fellow poetess, to duets with Florence Welch and Post Malone — and leans on real and fictional characters, like Clara Bow, Peter Pan ("Peter"), and Patti Smith .

In the same post, Swift declared that once she’s confessed all of her saddest stories, she’s able to find freedom. Yet The Tortured Poets Department (and its accompanying 15-track anthology) spends much time reflecting: she toys with her own lore, self-referencing past songs from albums like 1989 and poems from her reputation era.

Fourteen years ago, Swift declared that she would never change, but she’ll never stay the same either. The Tortured Poets Department proves that in the throughline of Taylor Swift's many artistic eras is a commitment to exploration and a love of autobiographical lyricism.

All Things Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift performing during her Eras Tour with a guitar

Photo: Don Arnold/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Is A Post-Mortem Autopsy In Song: 5 Takeaways From Her New Album

"There is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed," Taylor Swift wrote of her new album. From grapplings with fame to ultra-personal reflections on love lost, her latest set of fountain and quill pen songs marks the end of an era.

"All’s fair in love and poetry," Taylor Swift declared when she announced her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , at the 66th GRAMMY Awards .

Taken from the proverb "All’s fair in love and war," the pop phenom gave us a fair warning: there’s no limit to what she’ll go through to achieve her ends.

On the freshly released The Tortured Poets Department , Taylor Swift has a few things to get off her chest — so much that it required a surprise second record, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology , adding an additional 15 songs . The sprawling album is a masterclass in songwriting and so personal that it's analogous to performing a post mortem autopsy; The musical shapeshifter is here to exhume the tortured poets of her past and make peace with them.

In an Instagram post , Swift called the record an anthology that reflects " events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time - one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure." With the release of Tortured Poets , "t here is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed…our tears become holy in the form of ink on a page."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

Describing Swift’s work as a collection of tracks about boys and break-ups has always felt underbaked and disingenuous, but much of The Tortured Poets Department is just that. In true Swiftian fashion, she plays on preconceived theories, opting to toy with the five stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance — after a break-up, bringing listeners along on a peregrination exploring the depths of her relationships and personal growth.

Analyzing her feelings to craft songs is muscle memory at this point, but with every release Taylor Swift somehow does so with a refreshed and reimagined perspective. The stories she shares with her fans in TTPD might’ve made her feel like she died, but she’s a revenant no longer tortured by the whims and words of other poets.

With The Tortured Poets Department open for business, read on for five key points to consider when listening to Taylor Swift’s new album .

It's Much More Than A Break-Up Record

Although the record orbits around a break-up, The Tortured Poets Department demonstrates Swift's ability to shapeshift as a songwriter. A song about a break-up is layered, typically forcing Swift to unveil her own flaws while wearing her broken heart on her sleeve.

The fifth track on a Taylor Swift album is typically the most emotionally cutting, and "So Long London" is no exception. On the standout track, Swift views the loss of her lover and the breakdown of her relationship to Joe Alwyn through the lens of the city they once shared together. It’s a cathartic release for Swift who point-blank notes the pain they inflicted upon her and how, in turn, they ended up just as heartbroken as she is.

The high-spirited "Down Bad" and subdued "The Smallest Man in The World" are two sides of the same coin. The former is hopeful that a love could be reignited, whereas the latter sees Swift at her grittiest, pointing the finger at her former lover. "Smallest" poses a series of questions, accusing her ex of being a spy who only wanted to get intel on her.

On piano ode "loml," Swift looks back at the "get-love-quick" schemes she first wrote about in "Why She Disappeared," a poem for reputation . The poem originally considered the death of her reputation and how its aftermath made her stronger while she was simultaneously nursing a new relationship.

The track has a similar energy to fan favorite "All Too Well," but is even more accusatory — seemingly unlocking another level of her songwriting prowess as she teeters between seething rage and mourning with lines about picking through a "braid of lies" spewed by a partner who "claimed he was a lion" but is really a coward. While Swift is honest about never feeling a loss so deeply, she maturely accepts that the effort she put into keeping the relationship afloat was all she could do. It’s distinctly different from the battles she bravely fought in "The Great War," "Daylight" and "long story short."

She's Grappling With Fame & Owning Her Choices

That Taylor Swift struggles with her own celebrity and the public's perception is nothing new. On reputation ’s album prologue, she stated, "We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them they have chosen to show us."

On The Tortured Poets Department, Swift has never been more honest about her feelings towards those who claim to know better than she does. On "But Daddy I Love Him," she doubles down on these frustrations, taking aim at self-righteous "vipers" and "judgmental creeps" who condemn her choice of a lover. Swift holds nothing back, declaring "I'll tell you something about my good name/It's mine alone to disgrace."

Swift stated that her life sometimes feels like a public autopsy with people psychoanalyzing her every thought and feeling. Following the release of Midnights and her larger-than-life Eras Tour , Swift’s been in her "glittering prime" despite experiencing her long-term relationship ending and the media hysteria around it would make anyone feel the opposite. "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart" confirms fans' theories that the GRAMMY winner was indeed putting on a brave face.

On "Clara Bow" — a song named for the silent film actress whose public life was so scrutinized that she admitted herself into a sanatorium — Swift sings "Beauty is a beast that roars/Down on all fours/Demanding, 'More.'" Again, Swift plays with the double-edged sword of fame, comparing herself to a performing circus animal — something she sings about in "Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?"

Taylor Swift Gets By With A Little Help From Her Friends

Swift has always looked up to and honored the greats in her music and art, and Tortured Poets is no exception. She recruits rock icon and songwriter Stevie Nicks to help build TTPD ’s world, and Nicks penned a poem featured in Swift’s physical album. Written in Texas, the poem is "For T and me..." and tells the tale of two ill-fated lovers. (Swift also namedrops Nicks in "Clara Bow," touching on the comparisons made between Clara, Nicks and herself.)

There are two additional guest appearances on TTPD : Post Malone appears on "Fortnight" and Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine is featured on "Florida!!!" (a surprisingly toned-down lead single). Swift particularly shines when paired with Welch, and the soaring "Florida!!!" sees their intertwined vocals creating a sound as infectious as the "drug" they sing about.

J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan inspired Swift on "cardigan" ("Tried to change the ending/Peter losing Wendy") but now the Lost Boy gets his own track on The Anthology ’s "Peter." The ever-inquisitive Swift pleads, "You said you were gonna grow up/Then you were gonna come find me" and confronts this man who wouldn’t grow up. She even puts herself in the shoes of Wendy who waited for Peter Pan to return but has grown tired of waiting.

TTPS Is All Quill And Fountain Pen Songs

A few years ago, Taylor Swift categorized her songwriting according to three writing devices: glitter gel pens for fun tracks, fountain pens for songs using modern imagery and lyrics, and quill pens for tracks with flowery, figurative language. Although devoid of the glittery gel pen songs that comprise many of Swift's hits, TTPD and its accompanying anthology are steeped in fountain and quill writing.

Most of The Tortured Poets Department are fountain pen tracks — thanks to 2024 Producer Of The Year Jack Antonoff ’s sleek pop production and synth use. Tracks like "Fresh Out The Slammer" and "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" are sharp, snappy, tongue-in-cheek tales of love affairs about to begin and coming to an end with the same sonic exuberance of past Swift & Antonoff songs, like "Out of the Woods" and "Getaway Car."

Tracks on The Anthology , mostly produced by Aaron Dessner , are stripped-back, folk-tinged quill songs brimming with sorrow and harrowing thematics and dives even deeper into her chaotic psyche. "The Prophecy" sees Swift beg to change a prophecy that has been laid out ahead of her — likely stemming from the pressure of being a global superstar when all she wants is to be loved.

This Is The End Of An Era (Or A Chapter)

To her occasional disdain, Swift's highly personal songwriting has created a global obsession with her inner life. Although she's tired of the "public autopsy," Tortured Poets offers her time to reflect on the "events, opinions, and sentiments" over a time that was equal parts transient and transformative.

From her growth from the country-twanged teen singer on her self-titled debut to woman who is fearless in her pursuit of happiness, love, and peace, Swift has transformed time and time again. By viewing her work in eras — or, in this case, a chapter in a book of her life — it’s clear that Swift sees this current chapter of her life coming to a close, turning the last page and no longer longing to look back.

One could argue that Swift is an unreliable narrator, only ever presenting her side of the story. But she says that while considering the pain described on TTPS , many now-healed wounds turned out to be self-inflicted. With these stories immortalized, Taylor Swift has spoken her saddest story and is now "free of it." The tortured poets and poems will no longer take up space in this next chapter of her life.

Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift's Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon

Photo: Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Taylor Swift’s New Album 'The Tortured Poets Department' Is Here: The Tracklisting, Guests, Easter Eggs & More

Just over two months after Taylor Swift announced 'The Tortured Poets Department' at the 2024 GRAMMYs, the sprawling, bracingly personal album is here. Before you open the department door, arm yourself with the following knowledge.

We’ll be wandering through this Department for the foreseeable future.

Not only has Taylor Swift unleashed an absolute maelstrom with her 16-song new album, The Tortured Poets Department ; she’s dropped a whopping 15 additional tracks via its expanded version, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology .

Clearly, there’s an absolute treasure trove here — for Swifties and the merely Swift-curious alike. A mostly downbeat and discursive affair, The Tortured Poets Department feels like the shadow cast by the gilded, giddy, exhilarating Eras Tour , which isn’t over yet. (Which makes all the sense in the world, as she was simultaneously chipping away at the album while crisscrossing the globe.)

If you’re reading this, you’re probably bracing yourself for this long, solemn, darkly funny journey. Don’t go alone: here’s a brief breakdown of what you should know going in. (And keep checking GRAMMY.com, as there’s plenty more Taylor and Tortured Poets coming your way.)

The Tracklisting

As previously reported , here’s the standard tracklist for The Tortured Poets Department:

Side A "Fortnight" (feat. Post Malone ) "The Tortured Poets Department" "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" "Down Bad"

** Side B ** "So Long, London" "But Daddy I Love Him" "Fresh Out the Slammer" "Florida!!!" (feat. Florence + the Machine )

** Side C ** "Guilty As Sin?" "Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?" "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" "Loml"

** Side D ** "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" "The Alchemy" "Clara Bow"

The Expanded Tracklisting

Aside from The Black Dog Edition , The Albatross Edition , The Bolter Edition , and The Manuscript Edition — which consist of the standard edition of the album with its titular bonus track — here are the additional tracks that complete The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology .

"The Black Dog"

"Imgonnagetyouback"

"The Albatross"

"Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus"

"How Did It End?"

"So High School"

"I Hate It Here" "thanK you aIMee"

"I Look In People’s Windows"

"The Prophecy" "Cassandra" "Peter" "The Bolter" "Robin"

"The Manuscript"

Physical copies of The Tortured Poets Department feature an original poem by the one and only Stevie Nicks .

Titled "For T and me…," the poem starts off with "He was in love with her / Or at least she thought so / She was brokenhearted / Maybe he was too." It goes on to trace a doomed relationship — one party being "way too hot to handle" and the other "way too high to try."

Elsewhere, Post Malone lends a haunting vocal to opener and lead single "Fortnight," and Florence + the Machine elevate "Florida!!!".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiqoZyauhdA

The lion’s share of the album was produced by Jack Antonoff ; Aaron Dessner handled a handful of tunes on the standard edition and the majority of The Anthology .

The Easter Eggs

Where do we begin? For starters, most of the songs seem to be directed at ex Matty Healy of the 1975, but Joe Alwyn and Travis Kelce seem to pop up here and there as well.

In the title track, Swift describes embracing the "cyclone" of a relationship with a partner akin to a "tattooed golden retriever." And they’d be remiss to compare themselves to Patti Smith or Dylan Thomas or any other famously tortured poet of the 20th century: "We’re modern idiots… we’re two idiots."

Elsewhere, Lucy Dacus of boygenius — and Antonoff himself — pop up ("But you tell Lucy you’d kill yourself if I ever leave / And I had said that to Jack about you / So I felt seen").

Far be it from us to speculate on exact subjects, but there are shades of depression ("You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days"), a betrothal that wasn’t to be ("You swore that you loved me but where were the clues? / I died on the altar waiting for the proof") and the racket of fame ("The circus life made me mean").

As usual, Swift has dumped puzzle pieces on the carpet — daring her ardent, global fanbase to start at the edges and work their way to the center. But never to this degree, across such an ocean of material.

Tortured poets — and those who fall in love with them — assemble!

Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift’s Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon

1 Great GRAMMY Acceptance Speeches
2 11 Artists Who Influenced Taylor Swift: Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Tim McGraw & More
3 Songbook: An Era-By-Era Breakdown Of Taylor Swift's Journey From Country Starlet To Pop Phenomenon
4 Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Is A Post-Mortem Autopsy In Song: 5 Takeaways From Her New Album
5 Taylor Swift’s New Album 'The Tortured Poets Department' Is Here: The Tracklisting, Guests, Easter Eggs & More

preview for Most OTT Dresses from the Oscars 2023

21 Of The Most Iconic And Memorable Oscars Acceptance Speeches Of All Time

From the hilarious to the tear-jerkers, here's a list of the best speeches of all time.

Let's not forget that these are actors and therefore people who make money from being dramatic or creating drama for a living.

So, is it really any surprise that when these actors win the highest honour in their field, things get very intense very quickly?

From Gwyneth Paltrow sobbing in a pink princess dress to Michael Moore berating George Bush, in celebration of the 96th Academy Awards (March 10), let's take a look back at some of the most memorable Oscars speeches from throughout the years ...

The Most Empowering Oscars Speeches

Michelle yeoh - best actress in a leading role, 2023.

Michelle Yeoh became the first asian woman to win the Best Actress In A Leading Role accolade for her part in Everything Everywhere All at Once at the 95th Academy Awards.

In a rousing speech the 60 year-old star told the audience: 'Thank you for all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities.'

Holding up her gold Oscar she exclaimed: 'This is proof that dream big and dreams do come true, and ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you’re past your prime.'

'This is history in the making,' Yeoh rightly said.

Ariana DeBose - Best Supporting Actress, 2022

West Side Story star Ariana DeBose gave an empowering and heartfelt speech when accepting her 'Best Supporting Actress' accolade at the 94th Academy Awards.

She spoke proudly of being an 'openly queer woman of colour' and told the audience 'there is indeed a place for us'.

Referring to her early days as a performer, she said: 'Imagine this little girl in the back seat of a white Ford Focus, look into her eyes.

'You see an openly queer woman of colour, an Afro-Latina, who found her strength in life through art. And that is, I think, what we’re here to celebrate.'

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste - Best Original Score, 2021

Zendaya presented the trio with the Oscar for Best Original Score for their animated film Soul at the 93rd Oscars.

'You know what’s deep is God gave us 12 notes, it’s the same 12 notes that Duke Ellington had, that Bach had, Nina Simone,' Ross began.

'I want to point out that every gift is special. Every contribution with music that comes from the divine into the instruments into the film, into the minds, hearts and souls of every person who hears it, the stories that happen when you listen to it and watch it and the stories you share, the moments you make, the memories you create, man, it’s just so incredibly special. It’s just so incredibly special… we’re incredibly humbled and thankful. I’m thankful to God for those 12 notes.'

Lupita Nyong'o - Best Supporting Actress Oscars Speech, 2014

Nyong'o glided up to accept her award for her role in the harrowing Steve McQueen movie 12 Years A Slave, looking radiant wearing a Prada dress and headband which only added to the angelic nature of the speech. Nyong'o thanked McQueen and her co-stars so authentically before paying tribute to her brother and best friend and ending with a message to the audience, 'May this remind you that no matter where you are from, your dreams are valid.'

John Legend and Common - Best Original Song Oscars Speech, 2015

After a searing performance of their song 'Glory', which accompanied Ava DuVernay's Martin Luther King Jr. drama Selma , John Legend and Common took to the stage to accept their Oscar. The duo spoke about the parallels between the march for equal rights and justice acknowledged in the film and song and the people who continue fighting for their rights today. Legend used his platform to highlight the injustices in the American judicial system and urge for criminal justice reform.

Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney - Best Adapted Screenplay, 2017

The Moonlight director and writer gave an impassioned acceptance speech, encouraging young Black and LGBTQ+ people watching to have the confidence to tell their stories.

'This goes out to all those Black and brown boys and girls and non-gender conforming who don't see themselves, we're trying to show you, you and us. So thank you, this is for you,' said McCraney.

While Jenkins reminded viewers that the Academy and ACLU - America's biggest civil rights organisation - were there for them saying, 'All those people out there who feel like there's no mirror for you and your life is not reflected... we have your back and for the next four years we will not leave you alone and will not forget you.' Later on in the night, the two returned to the stage to accept the award for Best Picture, though were ultimately and understandably caught off guard after La La Land was announced as the wrong winner.

Frances McDormand - Best Actress Oscar Speech, 2018

'I'm hyperventilating a little bit, if I fall over pick me up because I've got some things to say,' began McDormand before paying tribute to her Three Billboards colleagues, her husband Joel Cohen and son Pedro McDormand Cohen before asking all the female nominees from every category in the room to stand with her. 'Meryl if you do it, everyone else will,' she said to Streep in the front row.

She then proceeded to educate ask the men in the room to meet with all the women they see standing to listen to their career ambitions and projects before mentioning two words, and subsequently enticing the audience at home to Google rapidly, 'inclusion rider' - a clause in an actor/filmmaker's contract that ensures a certain level of diversity in the cast and crew on a production.

The Most Entertaining Oscars Speeches

Ben affleck and matt damon - best original screenplay oscars speech, 1997.

Aged just 25 and 27, childhood friends Affleck and Damon won an Oscar for writing their film, Good Will Hunting. The pair shouted their speech, as they reeled off people to thank from Minnie Driver to Robin Williams to their mothers, escalated in volume as they became more excitable and aware of the time limit.

Julia Roberts - Best Actress Oscars Speech, 2001

The actress won the Best Actress Academy Award for portraying environmental lawyer Erin Brockovich in 2001 and accepted it with a hilarious speech which alternated between thanking everyone Roberts has ever met (she literally thanks 'anyone I've ever met in my whole life') at one point and battling with the behind the scenes Oscars crew keeping time on her speech: 'Man with the stick I see you!'

Olivia Colman - Best Actress Oscars Speech, 2019

When Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell announced the former Peep Show star as the winner and she was stunned into the backs of her seat, while being embraced and kissed by her husband, Ed on one side and a weeping Emma Stone on the other, we knew this was going to be a great speech.

Colman did not disappoint, starting her speech with, 'It's genuinely quite stressful, this is hilarious, I've got an Oscar', before poking her tongue out at the teleprompter when she was told to wrap up and simply pointing and saying 'Lady Gaga' at the star and her fellow nominee in the front row.

Daniel Kaluuya - Best Supporting Actor Speech, 2021

During the ceremony, the British actor won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah. In his speech he paid tribute to Chairman Fred Hampton, who he portrayed in the film, and his work in civil rights.

But he then thanked his parents in what could quite possibly be the funniest shoutout in Oscars' history.

‘I’d like to thank my mum,’ he said. ‘You gave me everything. You gave me your factory settings. So I could stand at my fullest height. Thank you so much for showing me myself, and there’s so much work to do. That’s on everyone in this room. This ain’t no single man job. I look at every single one of you. We’ve got work to do.'

At the end of his speech, the star thanked his parents for bringing him into the world, much to his family's shock, who were watching the ceremony live in London.

‘My mum and my dad...they had sex. It's amazing! I'm here!’ he said, before the crowd went wild with applause.

The Most Emotional Oscars Speeches

Troy kotsur - best supporting actor, 2022.

The actor collected his award for Coda , and made history as the first male deaf actor to win an Academy Award.

'It’s a tough journey as a Deaf actor,' he said during his speech. 'There’s so few opportunities out there, and [Marlee Matlin, his Coda co-star] kept on going. She was persistent. And then so was I with my own career as a stage actor. So here I am today.”

The actor continued, paying tribute to his father: 'My dad, he was the best signer in our family. But he was in a car accident, and he became paralysed from the neck down. And he no longer was able to sign. Dad, I learned so much from you. I’ll always love you. You are my hero.'

Gwyneth Paltrow - Best Actress Oscars Speech, 1999

Paltrow was famously tearful when she won an Oscar for her role in Shakespeare In Love in 1999. The star became the most emotional when paying tribute to her father Bruce Paltrow, who was in the audience with her mother Blythe Danner, and who was diagnosed with oral cancer in 1999. Paltrow passed away from cancer complications in 2002 aged 58.

Halle Berry - Best Actress Oscars Speech, 2002

Berry had tears running down her face when she reached the stage to accept her Academy Award for Monster's Ball , becoming the first Black woman to win the Best Actress award in the process. 'This moment is so much bigger than me,' Berry said as she struggled to speak through tears while recounting her acting heroes. 'It's for every faceless, nameless, woman of colour who now has the chance because this door tonight has been opened.'

Jamie Foxx - Best Actor Oscar Speech, 2005

Starting with some Ray Charles vocals in homage to the singer he portrayed in the Oscar-winning film, Foxx then thanked his daughter (who he brought to the Oscars that night) for telling him just before the award, 'If you don't win Dad, you're still good', before a heartfelt tribute to his grandmother, Marie, where Foxx struggled to hold back tears.

Heath Ledger - Best Supporting Actors Oscars Speech, 2009

In 2009, Ledger was posthumously awarded an Oscar for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight , a year after his death. The award was received on his behalf by his family, who said they had been 'truly overwhelmed' by the honour and respect attributed to Ledger and accepted it on behalf of his daughter with Michelle Williams, Matilda.

Viola Davis - Best Supporting Actress Oscar Speech, 2017

Davis was overcome with emotion as she delivered her Oscars speech for her role in Fences in 2017, especially when talking about the impact of her parents on her life and career. Emma Stone looked particularly teary-eyed at the end when Davis paid tribute to her husband Julius Tennon and their children. 'I'm so glad you are the foundation of my life,' Davis said as she wrapped up her speech.

The Most Political Oscars Speeches

Marlon brando - best actor oscars speech, 1973.

The actor won his award for The Godfather in 1973 however declined his award and gave the opportunity for a speech to actress Sacheen Littlefeather, who used the platform to criticise the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood. She passed on the message that Brando couldn't accept the award because of the 'treatment of American Indians today by the film industry and on television and movie reruns'.

Michael Moore - Best Documentary Oscars Speech, 2003

Accepting his award for gun-control documentary Bowling for Columbine, director Michael Moore used his time on stage to criticise the George Bush presidency and Iraq War.

An impassioned Moore raised his voice as he said, 'Shame on you Mr Bush' while the audience roundly booed (though some applause was had) and high-profile celebrities like Adrien Brody looked on awkwardly.

Writing about his Oscars speech for The Hollywood Reporter, in 2017, Moore said: ' Later, my wife and I walked over to the Governors Ball. When I walked in, it was like the Red Sea parting. No one there wanted to be anywhere near the guy who got booed off the stage. One board member told me, "Wow, you really know how to ruin a standing ovation."'

However, he caveated that over the years he has a lot more of a positive reception to his speech than on the night in 2003.

Leonardo DiCaprio - Best Actor Oscar Speech, 2016

In 2016, the world waited with baited breath to see if The Revenant star would finally win an Oscar many thought he should have received years before. He did and nailed his speech in the process, using the platform to eloquently pay tribute to and urge protection of indigenous people while also asking for action on Climate Change, which he called 'the most urgent threat facing our entire species'.

Oh, we can't wait for the Oscars this weekend.

The Sweetest Oscars Speech

Brendan fraser - best actor oscar speech, 2023.

Brendan Fraser won the Oscar for Best Actor for his leading role in The Whale at the 95th Academy Awards. The actor came to the podium with tears in his eyes, and relayed a moving, whale and water themed speech that had everyone in the audience moved, telling his co-workers for the film: 'you laid your whale-sized hearts bare so we could see into your souls like no one else.'

Fraser found success in the late 1990s and 2000s, but after 20 years Fraser has experienced something of a comeback, telling the audience at the Oscars: ' Things they didn’t come easily to me...I just want to say thank you for this acknowledgement.'

Emerald Fennell - Best Original Screenplay Oscar Speech, 2021

Emerald Fennell won the Oscar for the Best Original Screenplay for Promising Young Woman at the 93 rd Oscars, and adorably began her acceptance speech by revealing that she hadn’t actually written anything to say.

‘They said write a speech and I didn’t, because I just didn’t think this would happen, and I’m going to be in trouble with [producer] Stephen Soderbergh,’ she admitted.

‘He’s so heavy and he’s so cold!’ she joked about her Oscar on picking it up, adding: ‘So, the only speech I ever wrote was when I was 10, soI had a look to see if there was anything useful from it, but it mostly thanked Zack Morris from Saved By The Bell , my very supportive husband. ‘Unfortunately, he hasn’t been as much a part of my life as I’d hoped, and so that speech is not that useful.’

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emma stone accepts the lead actress award for poor things onstage at the 96th annual oscars held at dolby theatre on march 10, 2024 in los angeles, california photo by rich polkvariety via getty images

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gabrielle union and dwayne wade at the 96th annual oscars held at ovation hollywood on march 10, 2024 in los angeles, california photo by lexie morelandwwd via getty images

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los angeles, california february 24 margot robbie attends the 30th annual screen actors guild awards at shrine auditorium and expo hall on february 24, 2024 in los angeles, california photo by frazer harrisongetty images

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Hari Srinivasan Delivers 2024 Autism Acceptance Month Keynote Presentation

On April 3, 2024, Hari Srinivasan presented the keynote address in the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development's 2023-24 Autism Seminar Series , in recognition of Autism Acceptance Month.

A self-advocate, Srinivasan is a PhD student in neuroscience at Vanderbilt University, an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley, a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow, a NISE fellow at the Frist Center for Autism & Innovation at Vanderbilt University, and a public member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. He is a member of the Duke Autism Center of Excellence Advisory Committee .

In his presentation, "Redefine the Table," Srinivasan illuminated the critical need for autistic individuals not just to sit at the table where autism is discussed, but to fundamentally redefine the table itself. He invited participants to consider a shift in perspective from binary views of autism to a more integrated approach that recognizes the complex, multifaceted experiences of autistic individuals.

"It's not enough to just get to sit at the table. In order to get to meaningful change, we have to redefine the table itself" - Hari Srinivasan

Through his personal narrative and professional insights, Srinivasan underscored the importance of redefining the conversation around autism and disability to foster true belonging, inclusivity, and meaningful support across the lifespan. This redefinition calls for embracing multiple aspects of disability. For example, he challenged what he sees as a false conflict between person-first and identity-first language, in favor of moving the conversation away from semantics to the need for more urgent, tangible solutions.

"Why can't we use both? Frankly, there is too much air time wasted on discussing this [language] issue, even as we have a milion solutions for autism that we need to be working on."

Srinivasan provided context for the social, neurodiversity, and medical models of disability, and how these have impacted policies and social norms around disability. He addressed the reality of medical issues for disabled people while disentangling this from the historical medical model of disability.

"Improvements in our quality of life through better medical care and treatment should not be conflated with the old medical model of disability and past history of institutions."

He advocates for both strengths-based opportunities and challenge-based solutions, acknowledging the diverse needs and potential of autistics across the spectrum. His talk challenged the audience to reconsider their perspectives around disability to achieve equity in social, medical, and research spaces.

Srinivasan asserted the need to reassess research priorities and include more disabled people in medical research as both researchers and participants, centering equity of access to new discoveries.

With more than 275 attendees from 12 countries, across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, North and South America, the presentation was among the highest attended in the 10-year history of the Duke Autism Seminar Series.

slide from "Redefine the Table" presentation

More About Hari Srinivasan

Prior to graduate school at Vanderbilt University, Srinivasan earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley. He majored in psychology with a minor in disability studies and graduated as a University Medal Finalist, along with earning a Departmental Citation Award, Highest Honors, and Phi Beta Kappa and Psi Chi membership. He was an undergraduate Haas Scholar and carried out a year-long study on awe and empathy in autism. He was also lead student instructor for a weekly class on autism, creating and teaching content that covered a myriad of issues across the lifespan.

As a student journalist at The Daily Californian, Srinivasan wrote more than 50 articles on disability and non-disability topics. More recently, he has written articles for Time , Newsweek , Fortune , and Psychology Today .

As part of his graduate program, Srinivasan will research the sensorimotor space, specifically peripersonal space (PPS), which has practical implications on multiple fronts for autism. He has autism and ADHD. His autism includes limited speaking ability, sensorimotor issues, health issues, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mood dysregulation and social anxiety.

Srinivasan's non-academic affiliations span law and policy to research arenas such as the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Autism Society of America, International Society for Autism Research, Autism Europe and The Brain Foundation.

You can find Hari on social media at: LinkedIn , X/IG/FB @harisri108, Bluesky @neuroscientist, Youtube @neuroscientist108, and on his blog http://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com

Palm Beach Society: Former skinhead, extremist gives keynote at Fellowship dinner

A man with first-hand knowledge of hatred and extremism was the guest speaker at the annual dinner of the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews .

The dinner took place Feb. 8 at the Beach Club.

More Palm Beach society news here.

Sylvia James and Debora Weinstein served as co-chairwomen of the"Standing Up To Hate" dinner, where each guest was given the blue square pin from Bob Kraft's Foundation to Combat Antisemitism campaign.

The evening included a cocktail reception, an invocation from the Royal Poinciana's Chapel's Rev. Robert Norris ― which kept with the interfaith theme by including a Hebrew prayer ― a welcome from board chairman Skip Randolph , and the presentation of the John C. Randolph Award to William Meyer.

In his acceptance speech, Meyer expressed appreciation to the Christian community for standing with the Jewish community against the hateful attitudes and incidents being directed against Jews, and to the Fellowship for its efforts the past 31 years to educate and bring people of all backgrounds together.

The night's keynote speaker, Christian Picciolini , shared his inspiring personal story.

A former skinhead, Picciolini has spent decades helping people move away from that life. He focused on how people, especially youth, are attracted to extremist movements and what can be done to prevent it.

He has spoken all over the world, including the TEDx stage, and won an Emmy Award in 2016 for producing an anti-hate advertising campaign. He is the author of a memoir, "White American Youth," and a 2020 book, "Breaking Hate: Confronting the New Culture of Extremism."

The night concluded with a benediction from Palm Beach Synagogue’s Rabbi Moshe Scheiner.

More than 175 people attended.

COMMENTS

How to Write an Acceptance Speech: 12 Steps (with Pictures)
3. Record yourself reading your speech. Use a camcorder, computer, or your phone. Make sure you're standing for the recording and set the camera far enough away that it captures your entire body. If you'll be giving your speech at a podium, find something to use as a podium for the video, like a table or a desk.
How to Write an Acceptance Speech? Detailed Guide with Tips
Lack of Structure: Avoid a disorganized or lengthy speech. Structure your speech with a clear beginning, middle, and end to maintain your audience's attention. Being Negative: Stay positive and avoid any negative remarks or criticisms, whether related to the award or other aspects. Maintain a gracious and optimistic tone.
18.2 Special-Occasion Speeches
Speeches of Acceptance. The complement to a speech of presentation is the speech of acceptance. The speech of acceptance is a speech given by the recipient of a prize or honor. For example, in the above video clip from the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards, Taylor Swift starts by expressing her appreciation, gets interrupted by Kanye West, and ends ...
Short Award Acceptance Speech Examples: Inspiring Examples
A good acceptance speech acknowledges the efforts of team members and reflects gratitude. Writing an award acceptance speech that inspires others is essential, especially for CEOs and business executives. It's an opportunity to inspire hard work and sustainability while acknowledging the achievements of the company.
Award and Acceptance Speeches
An acceptance speech often follows an award speech and is given by the winner of the award. An acceptance speech, like any other speech, should be prepared in advance. Thanking the givers of your award is your first order of business. State how much and why you are grateful for this honor, and if possible, name the people in the organization ...
How to Give an Acceptance Speech (with Pictures)
Writing a Great Speech. 1. Don't plan to "wing it.". For any public speaking event, planning and preparation is key. Even if the speech you've been asked to give is only a minute long, preparing and organizing your thoughts beforehand can make the difference between a tepid response and a warm one.
How to give an award acceptance speech
Perhaps you could begin by breaking down your speech into a few sections. For example, you could structure the speech as follows: Introduction, thanking a few specific people, telling a story or an anecdote, and conclusion. This should all take no more than 3-5 minutes. And it will fly by.
How to Write an Acceptance Speech
Acceptance Speech Writing Tips. The following are the tips that you should follow to create a well-written speech that impresses the audience. Know your audience: Research the audience and occasion to get a sense of the tone and expectations.Understanding your audience can help you tailor your speech to their interests and needs.; Keep it concise and focused: Avoid going off-topic or rambling.
17.3: Types of Special Occasion Speeches
The presentation of an award is usually followed by an acceptance speech, which the recipient delivers upon immediate receipt of the award. This speech gives the recipient an opportunity to show appreciation for the award as well as humility and grace (O'Hair & Stewart, 1999). Such a speech should be prepared ahead of time, if possible.
6 Tips to Making a Memorable Acceptance Speech
The following tips will help leave a lasting impression on your audience when giving an acceptance speech. Be Prepared. It never hurts to put thought into your speech before walking up to the front of the room or onto the stage. Write your speech on a few index cards in legible handwriting for brief glances. Bullet points are there for a quick ...
Acceptance Speech
Memorizing our own speech would also help us gain confidence in delivering the speech. 8. Always End with a Bang. If you want to make a great impact on your audience, always end your acceptance speech with a bang. You can summarize and condense the groups of people who helped you but this is not anymore necessary.
Mastering Presenter Speech for Award Ceremonies
The speech should include an award presentation, acceptance speech, and introduction of the award recipient in a concise yet impactful manner. It is essential to honor the recipient's achievements and the purpose of the award while maintaining the audience's attention. Incorporating gratitude and a thoughtful ending further enriches the ...
How to Give an Award Acceptance Speech to Thank ...
As compared to other speeches, an acceptance speech does not include a beginning, body or conclusion and doesn't need a PowerPoint display.In addition to this, acceptance speeches aren't allotted a lot of time as you would with a keynote speech, so you will have to make it short.. Acceptance speeches also provide you, the speaker who's accepting the award, an opportunity to either make a ...
17.3: Types of Special Occasion Speeches
The complement to a speech of presentation is the speech of acceptance. The speech of acceptance is a speech given by the recipient of a prize or honor. There are three typical components of a speech of acceptance: 1) thank the givers of the award or honor, 2) thank those who helped you achieve your goal, and 3) put the award or honor into ...
Award Speech
What to Keep in Mind When Writing for Your Award Acceptance Speech. 1. List down the people you have to give thanks. The first step in writing your award acceptance speech is to simply list down. List down the people that have to be recognized for helping you in your path to achieving the award. This might sound like it is an obligation to ...
Presentation Skills: Give a Great Acceptance Speech
Imagine giving an acceptance speech in front of the people you respect the most (or perhaps the whole world) and you are brief, funny, thoughtful, and insightful. ... Plus, this course will be a great addition to anyone trying to build out their knowledge in the following areas: presentation speech - public speaking skills - communication skills.
Presentation & Acceptance Speeches : Parts of an Acceptance Speech
An acceptance speech should put the award in context and give it dignity, express thanks and convey feelings. Discover the parts of an acceptance speech with...
Award Acceptance Speech
1. Opener. This part of your speech is basically your introduction. This will be your formal opening, the ice breaker or the attention-grabber for your speech. The main purpose of this part is to show your excitement, your shock and happiness to be given the award. This will also serve as your formal acknowledgement to the people present during ...
Great GRAMMY Acceptance Speeches
Glenn Rowley. | GRAMMYs / Apr 22, 2024 - 04:24 pm. As expected, much buzz followed the release of Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19. Fans and critics alike have devoured the sprawling double album's 31 tracks, unpacking her reflections from "a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time" in search of ...
21 Best Oscars Acceptance Speeches Of All Time
Daniel Kaluuya - Best Supporting Actor Speech, 2021. View full post on Youtube. During the ceremony, the British actor won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Judas and the Black ...
Presentation & Acceptance Speeches : Similarities Between ...
Both presentation and acceptance speeches place the award being given in a context. Learn the similarities between a presentation speech and an acceptance sp...
Public Speaking Chapter 18 Flashcards
Three major traits of a good acceptance speech. Brevity, humility, and graciousness. Fundamental purpose of a commemorative speech. to inspire the listeners, arouse and heighten their appreciation of or admiration for the person, institution, or idea you are praising. Why does a commemorative speech depend so much on the creative and subtle use ...
Chapter 18: Speaking on Special Occasions Flashcards
acceptance speech. a speech that gives thanks for a gift, an award, or some other form of public recognition. commemorative speech. a speech that pays tribute to a person, a group of people, an institution, or an idea. speeches of introduction. -be brief. -make sure your remarks are completely accurate. -adapt your remarks to the occasion.
Hari Srinivasan Delivers 2024 Autism Acceptance Month Keynote Presentation
On April 3, 2024, Hari Srinivasan presented the keynote address in the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development's 2023-24 Autism Seminar Series, in recognition of Autism Acceptance Month. A self-advocate, Srinivasan is a PhD student in neuroscience at Vanderbilt University, an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley, a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow, a NISE fellow at the Frist Center ...
Former skinhead speaks to Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews
In his acceptance speech, Meyer expressed appreciation to the Christian community for standing with the Jewish community against the hateful attitudes and incidents being directed against Jews ...

How to Write an Acceptance Speech

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How to Write the Best Acceptance Speech for Your Audience?

What is an Acceptance Speech?

How to Write an Acceptance Speech?

Immediately Start With a Thank You

Discuss the Organization

Recognize Supportive People

Include Humor in Your Speech

End With Impact

Express Gratitude

Acceptance Speech Examples

Mistakes to Avoid When Writing An Acceptance Speech

Phrases You Can Use in Acceptance Speech Writing

Tips for Acceptance Speech Writing

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18.2 Special-Occasion Speeches

Ceremonial Speaking

Speeches of Introduction

Speeches of Presentation

Speeches of Acceptance

Speeches of Dedication

Speeches of Farewell

Inspirational Speaking

Speeches to Ensure Goodwill

Speeches for Public Relations

Speeches of Justification

Speeches of Apology

Speeches for Commencements

Key Takeaways

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Module 11: Speaking to Entertain and for Special Occasions

Presenting an Award

Accepting an Award

To Watch: Berta Cáceres, Goldman Prize acceptance speech

What to watch for:

How to Give an Acceptance Speech

Sample Speeches

Writing a Great Speech

Polishing Your Speech to Perfection

Delivering your Speech with Dignity

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How to give an award acceptance speech

Table of Contents

Determine the goal of your speech

Structuring your speech

Consider telling stories

What kind of story to tell

Using humor: advantages and pitfalls

Practice makes perfect

When you’re on stage

About The Speaker Lab

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Acceptance Speech Definition

How to Start an Acceptance Speech?

How to Write an Acceptance Speech?

Acceptance Speech Examples

Acceptance Speech Writing Tips

Common Mistakes to Avoid in an Acceptance Speech

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you end a speech?

What do you say in an acceptance speech?

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6 Tips to Making a Memorable Acceptance Speech