E ver been faced with situations where you are meant to give a speech, and you are so anxious? That’s what happens when you are not prepared. In a few cases, some just have a phobia of the crowd. For these reasons, we often advise that you are fully ready to give a speech or presentation by rehearsing as many times as humanly possible. Now when practicing, it’s usually better to practice in front of people and not a mirror. This will help in boosting your self-confidence level.

Ever heard the saying, “practice makes perfect”? Everyone is expected to practice before going before an audience, from musicians, students and even to managers.  The same processes also apply during graduation events. The truth is if it goes well or otherwise, people will forever remember that day. Either way, the day is soaked in an ocean of mixed emotions. So you might want to put in your best by doing your bit. Everyone involved in the graduation ceremony is expected to play a role, and it is likely that they are fully aware of their parts to make the celebration successful.

We would like to give you a little heads-up about How to Hold Your Graduation Rehearsal.

Rehearsing the Procession

A rehearsal procession is dependent on the age range of the people graduating. This is because it might be a little more difficult with kids than it will be for high school students. The former will require a series of rehearsals to get it right because it’s hard enough to get them to sit in a spot than it is to thread a needle while for the latter, it will require just two to three attempts. While rehearsing, it is vital that the procession walk is perfect.

The graduating students and participants should familiarize themselves with the stage layout and venue of the graduation event. The coordinators of the graduation and teachers should also schedule each stage of the ceremony and ensure that everyone adheres to the time allocated. Strict adherence to this will enable natural flow. It is also essential to make the rehearsal as real as possible. So we would advise that if there is procession music, then it should be played.

Getting Students Seated

In any event, the organization is an essential part of the success of the event. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange students in the order that their names will be called (alphabetically). The arrangement can be made by labelling the seats with their names (alphabetically) or numbers. I would advise that numbers are used just for privacy purposes (people that do not want outsiders to know their names).

A vital part of the rehearsal is proceeding through the aisles after certificate and award collection because you do not want to have students confused on where to pass through as an exit. In cases where the population of graduating students is high, it becomes essential to take short pauses between a second or two to avoid problems.

Handing Out Certificates or Diplomas

At this point, emotions heightened, and all thoughts are swimming in the minds of the graduating set. In the report, we have noticed that this is the part where mistakes occur because some are very nervous. Therefore, students should be made to practice and taught to remain calm all through the entire ceremony. It is essential that this part of the rehearsal is taken seriously as the appropriate process needs to be followed.

The students should be taught which hand does the shaking and receiving of diplomas to avoid “confused hands”. In some ceremonies, receiving certificates always come with a snapshot. Now that the certificate has been obtained, the receiver should know where the exit is.

Singing a School Anthem

So if your school has an anthem, it is crucial that the students and even the teachers practice the anthem together with instruments to avoid some people singing the end and some, the middle. During this part of the ceremony, the student body and the staff of the school build up pride for the school. The anthem gives the attendees a sense of pride and belonging for those that know the anthem (alumnus). Perfecting this section of the event requires the touch of a music teacher or coordinate so that musical keys or notes are not all over the place, but that there are uniformity and some professionalism in singing.

For younger students, it will require that quite some non-exhausting rehearsals are organized.

Giving Out Awards

Finally! The moment when students face a “thousand butterflies in their stomachs”. For this part which is similar to receiving a diploma or certificate, the student is expected to bend a little so that the medal is hung around his or her neck. Most graduation ceremonies usually give the medal or award along with the certificate because of the limited time. Therefore, extra time should be allocated for awards and medal presentations.

It is also at this point that parents or guardian would like to take snapshots of the children or wards. Give a little time for this because it is a remarkable memory for the student and parent. And remember this happens only once in the life of the student.

In summary, prepare very well for any event you may have.

You will find great graduation quotes samples HERE.