The Speech of Tribute (or sometimes referred to as a Commemorative Speech) is a classification of special occasion speech. You probably have heard one of these at sometime. It may have been at a funeral. It is called a eulogy at a funeral and is given to honor and remember the person who has died. But the tribute speech is also given at other times. Sometimes it is given at banquets to recognize or honor special people and their contributions. It is a very special speech used to inspire an audience to feel something about a person, a group of people, or an institution.
The speech can be given on a person that you admire who you do not know, or it can be given on someone you know quite well. For example, you may wish to pay tribute to an athlete, musician, artist, author, etc. which you admire or you might pay tribute to your grandmother, mother, a friend, a leader or someone that you know well. It doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that this speech requires sincerity. You must sincerely feel that the person deserves tribute. Also the person does not have to be dead. It may be someone of importance to you in your daily life. A tribute speech can also be given on an institution or a group of people. In that case you might choose a group such as a favorite sports team or Veterans of the US Armed Forces.
As you begin to organize this speech I encourage you to follow the rule of 2-5 main points in the body of the speech which is detailed in the textbook. For example, if you are paying tribute to your grandmother, you might want to discuss her 1. love of God and church, 2. her love of community, and 3. her love of family. More than likely, you will use topical organization (textbook). These are the things I will look for as I grade the speech. These are all examples but the point is that you must carefully word and organize the speech. Read the section in the book on the tribute speech and watch some sample speeches. You might consider the Eulogy of Rosa Parks, given by Oprah Winfrey.
The speech should be 4-6 minutes. It is not the length that matters but the content and delivery. Use extemporaneous delivery for the speech. Email or post on the discussion board any questions or concerns that you have as you work on the speech.