The Graduation Speech They Actually Remember.
Twelve minutes, no clichés, no list of things they should do with their lives. One idea, said plainly, to a class that has heard every version of the other thing.
Graduation is the hardest speaking slot there is. It is hot, it is long, the families came for a name and a handshake, and the graduates have already been told to follow their dreams by four different adults this month. Chris Sund treats that as a design constraint rather than an excuse. Short, specific, and aimed at the graduates rather than at the parents watching the graduates.
Nobody has ever walked out of a graduation wishing the speech had been longer. The discipline is the gift.
My KC Live, KCTV5 Kansas City →Hear him before you hand him the mic.
A commencement speaker is the one booking you cannot get wrong, because there is no second take and every family in the county is watching. Chris has been on morning television in six markets and in Forbes, Inc., and the Midlands Business Journal. Every appearance sits in the media hub with video, so your committee can hear exactly how he sounds before they vote.
Five rules he does not break at graduation.
Commencement goes wrong in predictable ways. These are the constraints the speech is written inside, and they are non-negotiable regardless of what else the program includes.
- It ends on time. Twelve to fifteen minutes, and it ends when it says it will. Every minute a commencement speaker runs long is a minute stolen from the part families actually came for, which is their kid's name being read.
- It is about them, not about him. Nobody in that gym came to hear a stranger's career highlights. His story shows up only where it earns the graduates something, and never as a resume.
- No list of advice. Five things to remember, seven habits, three keys. Lists are how a speaker feels thorough and how an audience stops listening. One idea, developed properly, beats seven mentioned.
- It says something true about the hard part. Some of those graduates are terrified, some have no plan, and some are not going anywhere in the fall. A speech that only addresses the ones with a scholarship leaves most of the class out.
- It respects the room's conditions. Hot gym, folding chairs, restless siblings, a sound system built in 1994. The speech is written to survive that rather than to require ideal conditions.
On what the commencement address is actually for
How twelve minutes gets built.
Customized around your school, your class, and whatever your principal says this particular group has been through. The shape holds.
Name the room
Something specific and true about this class, this school, and this year. Not a generic congratulations. The graduates need to know within ninety seconds that he actually learned something about them.The one idea
The comfort ceiling, framed for a person standing at the exact moment life stops being scheduled for them. This is the section that gets quoted back at the ten year reunion.The honest part
What happens when the plan does not work, when the acceptance does not come, when the first year out is harder than anyone said it would be. The part most commencement speeches skip, and the reason the students who needed it stay with him.The charge
One thing to carry out of the building. Short enough to repeat in the parking lot, specific enough to actually do, and directed at the graduates rather than at the cameras.Three kinds of ceremony.
The framework holds. What changes is what the graduates are walking into the day after.
Senior Class Commencement
The core one. A class where a third are going to a four year school, a third to a community college or a trade, and a third have not decided. The speech has to work for all three without pretending they are the same.College & University Ceremonies
Undergraduate ceremonies, college-level convocations, and honors ceremonies. Same discipline on length, different weight on what comes next. See the university speaker page for campus work beyond graduation.Nursing, Trade & Certificate
Nursing pinning ceremonies, trade and technical program completions, apprenticeship graduations, and adult education. Chris has spent two decades in healthcare workforce, so a room of new nurses gets someone who knows what they are walking into.Four movements. Ten principles.
Commencement draws on the same architecture as the book. Twelve minutes uses two of the ten well rather than naming all of them badly.
The Foundation
Ownership and time. What it means that the schedule is now theirs to write for the first time in eighteen years.The Breakthrough
The comfort ceiling and the inner voice. The heart of the commencement address, and the two that matter most on the first hard morning.The Standard
Truth over praise, and the hidden gear. What is still available to them that a diploma does not measure.The Purpose
Finishing, and leaving people better. The close, and the line families tend to repeat in the car.Send the class off holding it.
A speech gives a graduate twelve minutes. A copy gives them all ten principles for the year that is about to test every one of them. Schools regularly send every senior home with one as a graduation gift.
You Are Capable of More: A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self. An Amazon bestseller from Game Changer Publishing, with a foreword by Ben Newman.
Ten chapters across four movements, written plainly enough that a graduating senior will actually finish it. Signed copies are available, and on larger orders they can be pre-signed and boxed so your office is not handling a signing line on ceremony day.
The feedback speaks for itself.
His engaging style draws the audience into the conversation, creating a relaxed atmosphere that encourages learning and reflection. You leave not only inspired but equipped.
Chris energized the room, sparked conversations, and encouraged connections throughout the event, with a lasting impact on our future leaders.
Chris was an outstanding speaker and a highlight of our event. He took the time to deeply understand our organization and thoughtfully personalized every moment.
Chris is a thoughtful, intentional leader who understands the influence he carries. His message challenged me to think differently about how I lead, serve, and influence others.
Chris would be an incredible addition to any live audience. Each time he finds a unique way to connect on both a personal and professional level, keeping everyone engaged and attentive.
His engaging style draws the audience into the conversation, creating a relaxed atmosphere that encourages learning and reflection. You leave not only inspired but equipped.
Chris energized the room, sparked conversations, and encouraged connections throughout the event, with a lasting impact on our future leaders.
Chris was an outstanding speaker and a highlight of our event. He took the time to deeply understand our organization and thoughtfully personalized every moment.
Chris is a thoughtful, intentional leader who understands the influence he carries. His message challenged me to think differently about how I lead, serve, and influence others.
Chris would be an incredible addition to any live audience. Each time he finds a unique way to connect on both a personal and professional level, keeping everyone engaged and attentive.
Ceremonies that end the year.
He is not reading a speech he gave last year.
Chris Sund is an executive leader, keynote speaker, and bestselling author of You Are Capable of More.
As President and COO of Uniti Med, GQR Healthcare and Nebula, he helped grow Uniti Med 10x in two years and earn the number three ranking on the Inc. Regionals list among the fastest growing companies in the Midwest, while the organization earned Fortune Best Workplaces recognition and Great Place to Work certification three years running.
He is a father of three, a Maxwell Leadership Certified speaker, trainer, and coach, Vice President of the NATHO Board of Directors, and the founder of Amplify Speakers. Every commencement address is written for the specific class hearing it, which starts with a call to whoever knows that class best.
Details your committee will ask for.
Principals and committees ask these.
How long is the commencement address?
Do you customize it for our school?
How much does a commencement speaker cost?
Can you speak to the students who do not have a plan yet?
Will he stay for the whole ceremony?
Do you do nursing pinning and trade program ceremonies?
Can we give every graduate a copy of the book?
What if the ceremony is outdoors?
How far in advance should we book?
How do we start?
Other ways schools book him.
Same framework, built for the specific room you are filling.
High School Speaker
Every format schools book, in one place.AssembliesHigh School Assembly Speaker
The school-wide assembly, built to hold a gym.Awards NightsSchool & Sports Banquet
Academic awards, senior nights, and recognition events.BanquetsAthletic Banquet Speaker
End-of-season events for teams, programs, and departments.Higher EdUniversity Speaker
Faculty, staff, chairs, and campus programs.CampusCollege Speaker
Students, student leaders, and campus teams.Signature KeynoteYou Are Capable of More
The flagship keynote behind the book.BooksBulk Book Orders
Volume pricing for graduating classes and senior gifts.Speaking on and around campus.
Chris speaks in college towns across the country for campus events, commencements, and the conferences that fill their event centers.
West Lafayette · Cedar Falls · Mankato · St. Cloud · La Crosse · Eau Claire · Kalamazoo · Tuscaloosa · Auburn · Athens · Gainesville · College Station · Waco · Lafayette · Oxford · Morgantown · State College · Eugene · Provo · Tempe · Ames · Iowa City · Lawrence · Manhattan · Columbia · Norman · Stillwater · Bloomington · Champaign · Ann Arbor · Boulder