No matter whether it is five years or 50 years since you were at school, one thing that all class reunion speeches should be is polite. They can be funny, nostalgic or serious, but when you are writing your speech (especially the opening), remember that people have decided to attend the class reunion because they want to have a good time thinking about the past. Some may have travelled a long way to get to the class reunion, or have left busy lives behind for a while, so it's important that everyone has an enjoyable time. Starting with a phrase like "thank you all so much for making the effort to get here", or "it's an honor to be up here speaking to all of you tonight" will make the guests feel welcome, and set the tone for the rest of the evening.
After your opening, there are a number of angles you could take for your speech. You could refer to the period in history when you were at school together, discussing subjects like what cars people drove, and where the favorite hotspots were for your class to hang out outside of school. And on a national and international scale, why not look at who was president at the time, and what they were doing? The aim of your speech is to warm people up for their evening of reminiscence, so you need to demonstrate the kind of retrospective people should be looking for.
If your class generally had a friendly and intimate relationship, you could discuss group memories, such as a specific teacher and their characteristics, a romantic couple within the class, or a particular trouble maker. Make use of your yearbook to see the comments people wrote about others, and, if they are not offensive, feel free to read some out.
After your opening, there are a number of angles you could take for your speech. You could refer to the period in history when you were at school together, discussing subjects like what cars people drove, and where the favorite hotspots were for your class to hang out outside of school. And on a national and international scale, why not look at who was president at the time, and what they were doing? The aim of your speech is to warm people up for their evening of reminiscence, so you need to demonstrate the kind of retrospective people should be looking for.
If your class generally had a friendly and intimate relationship, you could discuss group memories, such as a specific teacher and their characteristics, a romantic couple within the class, or a particular trouble maker. Make use of your yearbook to see the comments people wrote about others, and, if they are not offensive, feel free to read some out.
