<p>i need to make a speech in two days at the freshman orientation. any ideas would be pretty much awesome. something to welcome them, have a little humor, yet deep. ah!! please help</p>
<p>you could start off about scaring them with the myths of high school and then segway into the reality</p>
<p>I mentioned "friends in high places"--i.e., upper-classmen, teachers, etc. but it wasn't exactly a speech, so right off the top of my head I'm not sure what you'd say to expand upon it. :p :) (I told them that under no circumstances should they ditch their freshmen friends for "friends in high places," but it's often useful to have some older/more powerful supporters.)</p>
<p>How 'bout something that brings up the four years that they have to endure, all the hardships, and then make a show of being glad that you are not in their shoes any longer? Then say seriously (and abiding the generic, stereotypical mush/cheese guidelines that the school expects you to follow) how everyone survives, and that if everyone works hard and cooperates as a collective, there is much fun to be had, in these times that will never come to pass again?</p>
<p>hahaha at my school the crazy spanish teacher gets up and talks to the freshmen about right brain and left brain learners and the seven intelligences. and i had to listen to that twice bc i came to the school in 7th grade. fell asleep both times</p>
<p>just make sure to reassure them that high school isnt scary and the upperclassmen were in their shoes and all that.</p>
<p>alright thanks guys... do you think a metaphor would be good.. like last year the prez who spoke talked about how they were ilke the new fish entering the fish bowl sort of.. and how that in middle school they were the oldest but now their starting fresh.... not that particular idea.. but something like a metaphorish? idk...what do u think? idk what i would do tho...</p>
<p>Good luck not coming off as over-the-top, cream fondue cheesy with the use of metaphors. It'll take a convincing delivery, and one heck of a line. I remember seeing nearly the audience collectively cringe during the speech our president gave at my freshman orientation. Unless you think of something really clever, I advise not touching metaphors of that kind with a ten-foot pole.</p>
<p>really... yeah okay i don't want to sound really corny. i just want to do a good job and make them look forward to coming.</p>
<p>Hmm. How about audience participation? </p>
<p>Give the speech in character. ^.~</p>
<p>Well, how 'bout trying the straight-forward, unembellished way? Start with a hook; grab their attention - make them differentiate between those insufferably boring faculty speeches and yours. Describe school as it is to you - the good, the bad, the ugly, the weird. Relate it to yourself, speaking from personal experience as opposed to the norm (grandiose generalizations), not so much to deliver it from the heart, but to deliver it to their minds. Don't paint a glossy picture of school; acknowledge that there are some faults (albeit in a light-hearted, perhaps cynical way), some tedium, some drama. Then, go on to speak positively about what the school offers, again, not on a school-wide scale, but from personal experience. Wrap up by saying that, through it all, they'll perservere, making the school a better place (to avoid the risk of getting on the bad side of the administration)?</p>
<p>Perhaps start off with, "Well, aren't we all glad to be here today, at this glorious institution? I'll bet you think I'm just going stand here, preaching about the virtues of school, right? I know you're thinking of sleeping through this; yes, you, over there. Don't. If there is one speech that you pay attention to, make it this one. Start off your high school years right."</p>
<p>Of course, this rather raises the expectations on the quality of your speech, but the generic drivel...well, I suppose it works, but danged if anyone remembers it five minutes after its conclusion. From what I've seen, the most memorable speeches of this nature tended to be slightly tinged with cynicism - it keeps your words down to earth and relatable, instead of having them ring airily false.</p>
<p>Just my measly two cents. Keep in mind that I cranked this out off the cuff; a decent speech for this kind of event should take some planning. Oh, and don't be too eloquent; cater to the general student body.</p>
<p>How about "All the things I wish I knew as a new freshman"? (Don't eat the pasta salad, If you forget your locker combo go to ___, Meet as many people as possible the first week, etc.) It's not original, but it gives you the opportunity to be both humorous and offer the freshmen some actual advice. Just make sure it's not peppered with too many inside jokes & use common sense in deciding who & what to make fun of.</p>
<p>Mmm. Laundry-listing isn't really much fun to listen to, either, but I just read the person's first post, and being as strapped for time as said person is, I guess one lacks the time to craft a particularly good speech.</p>
<p>Hey, if its any consolation, I'd give even the most memorable orientation speech no more than a few hours in a Freshman's mind, so anything acceptable would probably do.</p>
<p>thanks so much everyone.. especially prescited entity.. your ideas are definately helpin me. now i just need to sit down and write it. ah!</p>
<p>Quite welcome. Tell us how it goes.</p>