The Classes of 2020 & 2021 - Here's to you!
A conversation between Charlotte and Molly about the 2020 and 2021 Graduation Ceremonies 
How did you find the speech?
M – The speeches all went really well actually; I don’t think either of us let the nerves get the best of us...
C – Yeah, obviously the first one was a bit shaky for both of us, but you very quickly get into the swing of things and start enjoying it.
M – Absolutely, everyone made it so welcoming, comfortable and vibrant – we got a real sense of pride being up there, it was a very special week
What are your top tips for public speaking?
C – Slow and steady wins the race-
M – YES! I speak way too fast, especially when I’m nervous and it just means you slip up more...
C – Yeah definitely, and if you read it slowly, you think people notice long pauses but actually they’re hooked on what you're saying.
M – Next time, before printing it, I’d probably try and structure it in the way it needs to be delivered, with the pauses written in.
C – Maybe even have multiple copies printed too! The Vice Chancellor had to iron mine HAHA!
What piece of advice would you give to future Officers?
C - Don’t think, just do (Maverick, 2022) and trust the advice from those around you (Mennell, 2022).
M – Did you just use Harvard referencing in an interview?!
C – No... What would be yours?
M – Erm, I wish I’d had more time to practice, it would have been useful to have a go in the cathedral before everyone was there, maybe even film it too. The live stream was really useful to reflect on and then fine tune bits.
What was the best part of the week?
C – Despite getting the chance to hold the Mace - which can I add is VERY heavy - it would have to be the different cohorts of students! Each ceremony was completely different, depending on the liveliness of the Graduands and families attending. Not trying to be biased here- but the Art courses really set the bar high for the rest of the week!
M – Yeah, I would completely agree with that, I thought it was going to be boring doing the same speech every time, but each one felt very different. And my favourite was definitely the Robert Kennedy College students, they had amazing energy - I had to make a last-minute change to part of the speech to acknowledge that most of them had been following pandemic restrictions for multiple countries!
What was your least favourite part?
C - THE HAT HAIR! Wearing a mortarboard really doesn’t do bits for ones look.
M – Haha! My hair stayed mostly under control. But having to sit still because there’s a camera on you and it’s being live streamed, that was so hard!
What was our own ceremony like?
C – Well, well well... You know what I am like – it was a STRESS to start! I was of course late: my train was cancelled; I had to run back home and drive 1 hour 15 to Carlisle; park up (where I received my first graduation gift) and RUN to the cathedral to find that everyone had already started! I would like to thank the WONDERFUL team I had been working with throughout the week for helping me calm down before I graduated - especially Rob Wilson!
M – I was extremely stressed for Charl... and myself actually, I forgot to pay for parking too! But overall, it was wonderful, and the Vice Chancellor was amazing at personalising each ceremony. I tried my best to personalise the speech as I was reading it, but I slipped up a couple of times...
C – Everyone found it funny though! It was nice to know what you were going to say so that I could cheer at the right times. It must have been nerve-wracking to do it in front of your own friends and family, so I hope we helped get the atmosphere back into the room and gave you the confidence to SMASH IT.
M – Haha! Yeah, that definitely helped. I think I would have cried if it had been dead silence!
Pictures
Left: Senior Lecturer Jamie Mcphie and Molly
Middle: Charlotte, Professor Brain Webster-Henderson and Molly
Right: Charlotte and Rob Wilson (Ambleside Campus Manager)
