what to write for class president speech

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to win a student election, by a former class president.

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Hoping to be your class president? Winning the position takes a lot of work, but you can absolutely make it happen. Why should you trust me? I was my Junior Class President and Student Government President my senior year, so I know what it takes to get there. In this article, I've outlined every step you need to take to become class president: starting with just getting on student council freshman year, all the way through running in a big election as a senior. 

Why Do You Want to Be Class President?

Before I talk about how to get elected, I want you   to think about why you want to become class president. Do you want to improve school dances? Do you want to have a wider variety of school lunch options? Create a class field trip? Start a fundraiser?

All of these reasons are legitimate. You need to figure out what your own goal is. If you're having trouble, sit down and brainstorm. Think about all the events your student government plans. Which did you attend? Were there issues at these events? What could have been done better? Is it something you could change? This brainstorming should lead you to some ideas of why you want to become president of your class or school.

Why do you need a reason to want to be class president? It'll keep you motivated during your campaign, and it'll help you explain to your classmates why they should vote for you. I'll delve into this in-depth later on in this article. 

First, I'll go over the two major steps you need to follow in order to run a successful campaign.

Step 1: Start Early

If you want to be president of your class or high school some day, you need to start working towards that goal early.

Plan to join student council your freshman year, but don’t expect to be elected president.  Freshman student council elections are usually a mess. Freshman elections typically happen within a month of starting school, so no one knows each other. The person elected president is usually the person whose name other students have heard the most. It’s not usually based on competence or trust.

My recommendation for freshman student council elections: Run for one of the “smaller” offices such as secretary or treasurer.  There is usually less competition for these positions, so you’ll have a better shot of being elected.  During freshman year, your aim should just be to get on the council. Once you're on it, you’ll be able to prove your effectiveness as a leader and can start the climb towards president. I was elected Freshman Treasurer, and then Sophomore Vice President, and then Junior Class President.

But by starting early, I don’t just mean joining the council early...

Step 2: Maintain Relationships

You need to work from the start to build relationships with your classmates so that they know and trust you. This is the most important step to becoming Class President.

Students want to elect someone they like and know is competent.  Be a leader in the classroom. Participate in class discussions and get good grades, it’s how you’ll prove your competence. Don’t be the class clown or the student who’s always on their cell phone or asleep.

Interact with the students around you.  Sit with different groups at lunch. Talk to them about their concerns and what changes they’d like to see happen at the school.

If you’re not currently on student council, ask if you can attend their meetings.  Some student councils allow students who’re interested in joining to sit in on their meetings, and some host an occasional meeting (monthly, bi-monthly, annual, etc.) for students who’re not on the council to voice their concerns and ideas.

Also, if you’re not currently on student council, ask members of student council if they need help with their events.  It’s a great way to test out student council to see if it’s right for you, and it's also a great way to show you’re fit to be on student council/leading student council.

With my advice, you won't be quite so lonely!

How to Run a Winning Election

The two steps I mentioned above will start you on the path to becoming president of your class, but to run a winning election you’ll need to do more.

#1: Get Your Name Out There

To win an election, you need to market yourself.  Start by creating a slogan, even if it’s as simple as “Lauren for Junior Class President.” You want to use one slogan for your campaign that will be used on all of your marketing materials so that your name becomes recognizable. If you don't come up with one slogan and instead use multiple slogans or designs, people may get confused. You want one good slogan that you'll use across all of your material to ensure a clear, focused campaign that'll create name recognition. Think about all of the US presidential campaigns; the posters always have one design from which they never stray.  

#2: Put Up Posters With Your Slogan

The posters can be super simple; even just a print out of the slogan on normal computer paper will work. However, you should have a lot of them.  The exact number will vary proportionally to the number of students in your class (or school, if you’re running for the overall Student Government President). What I mean by that is if your class has 100 students, 10 posters may be enough, but if you have 1000 students in your class, you may want to put up 50 or more posters. Count on some posters being ripped down or disappearing. Most schools have rules against this, but it’s hard to catch someone ripping down a poster. Plan on making extras.

#3: Create Something to Hand Out 

This can be a sticker, button, pencil, etc. You can make these super cheaply by buying labels, printing your slogan onto the labels, and handing them out as “stickers” or putting these labels onto pencils. Again, as I said for posters, the number of handouts you should make will vary based on the number of students in your class or school. If you can afford it, I’d recommend making at least one sticker/handout per student in your class.  The campaigns usually last multiple days, so try to make sure you have enough handouts to give a second sticker or pencil to other students who may misplace the first.

NOTE: You may not be able to use all of my suggestions above. Different schools have different campaign rules. For example, some schools don’t allow you to hand anything out. Check with a teacher or school administrator to make sure you know what the rules are.

What’s the Point of Marketing Yourself? 

You won’t win an election if people don’t know who you are and why you’re running. As I said before, students want to elect people they like and know are competent. Even if you’re a leader in the classroom and getting good grades, if you’re in a class of 1000, you may not know half of your classmates. You want the other half of students who don’t know you personally to know your name and to talk about you with their friends.

Posters help create name visibility.  People will start to recognize your name and will hopefully start to talk to their friends about you. 

Handouts (i.e. stickers or pencils) also help create name visibility and offer you an opportunity to meet more students you don’t know.  At lunch time, travel around your cafeteria, walk up to people you don’t know and ask if they’d like a sticker or pencil . It’s a GREAT excuse to talk to people and will give you an opportunity to convince them to vote for you. 

Make sure you tell them why you want to be president. As I mentioned earlier, whatever reason you decided to run (whether it was to improve school dances or improve the lunch menu) tell it to them! Ask them what they’d like to see happen at the school next year. Show them you’ll be a good listener as well as a good leader!

#4: Ace Your Campaign Speech

Some schools have candidates give speeches or debate.   My school did not. If your school allows you to give a speech, definitely do so!

Here are my recommended points to hit in your speech/debate.

• Introduce yourself (It may seem obvious, but it will help students who may not know you).
• “Hi, I’m Lauren Jones, and I’m running for Junior Class President.”
• Say why you want to be president and why you’re qualified. Your qualifications will be  a combination of personal characteristics and past experiences and successes.
• “I'm responsible and a good listener. I served as Sophomore Class VP and fundraised more than $1,000 for the Red Cross.”
• State your platform (what you plan to do differently).
• “I plan to move our school dance to the Marriott Ballroom instead of our gym.”
• Say how you plan to accomplish your goals.
• “I will raise the money to move our dance to the Marriott Ballroom by hosting a school-wide bake sale.”
• End with your campaign slogan.
• “Remember, Lauren for Junior Class President.”  

These should be the main points you hit, but I’d recommend injecting some humor into it to make it more interesting. However, your speech should not be too long (I’d recommend 2-3 minutes maximum).  Make it concise and to the point or you’ll lose your audience.

If you market yourself well along with starting early, building a solid reputation, and maintaining relationships, you'll have yourself a winning campaign!

What’s Next?

If you’re interested in becoming class president in part to put it on your college application, you should learn about what makes an amazing extracurricular activity for your college applications . Also, you should learn  how many extracurricular activities you need for college.

Interested in learning about other great extracurricular opportunities? Learn more about job shadowing , community service , and volunteer abroad programs.

Aiming to get into Harvard and the Ivy League? Read our  How to Get Into Harvard guide  for everything you need to know to get accepted.

As an SAT/ACT tutor, Dora has guided many students to test prep success. She loves watching students succeed and is committed to helping you get there. Dora received a full-tuition merit based scholarship to University of Southern California. She graduated magna cum laude and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. She is also passionate about acting, writing, and photography.

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Class President Speech | Speech on Class President Format for School and College Students 

June 2, 2021 by Prasanna

Class President Speech: Participation for school president is an energizing chance to fabricate your administration abilities and carry change to your school. On the off chance that you need to win the administration, you’ll need to give a convincing effort to get individuals to decide in favor of you. To deliver your discourse viable, plan out what you need to say before you begin composing. At that point, you can structure your discourse to keep it clear and succinct. At long last, utilize a tone that accommodates your crowd so your discourse will be locked in.

A decent class president epitomizes attributes like generosity, activity, authority, and brotherhood. Building up these qualities and needing school to be a good time for everybody will separate you from some other class president.

Students should make sure the speech should not be more than 4 to 7 minutes long. Also, try to include some funny lines to make the speech interesting.

Class President Speech Format

The format of Speech as a Class President should be very confined and notable. Students who are participating in the election of Class president should make sure that his/her classmates are pleased with the speech or should feel promising. Talk about the students’ problems they are facing in the school or colleges or in the class due to management or rules of the educational institute.

Discuss the ways by which you will always stay connected with the students and be involved with them.Consider ways you’ve demonstrated your initiative or dynamic capacities. Incorporate things you’ve accomplished for your school and how you’ve taken an interest locally. You can utilize this experience to persuade your schoolmates that you have the right stuff and capacities important to be understudy body president.

The format of the class president speech should include:

• Introduction: Introduce yourself with greetings, declare why you are running for school president
• Body: Here you will discuss what are the problems students are facing and how your presidentship will help them to deal with it. Give your motive or goals to become a president. Express your uniqueness from others.
• Conclusion: If the students are convinced with your speech, ask them for their votes and make a promise that you will work for the betterment of the students always.

Class President Speech in School

Hi, my name is Nargis. I’m not the sort of student who will be bunking class with you or playing pranks, however that likely isn’t what you need in a class president in any case. What I do offer is relentlessness, difficult work and the capacity to work with others in any event, during troublesome conditions while as yet keeping an awareness of what’s actually funny.

A year ago, when the cafeteria quit serving the self-service counter, I had the option to get it restored by beginning a request, having a significant number of you sign it and taking it to Principal Smith. Since we cooperated, we had the option to bring the self-service counter back, and now it’s better than anyone might have expected.

During the most recent three years at High School, I’ve been engaged with numerous exercises. I’ve played ball, spent a brief timeframe in the school band, dealt with different boards of trustees and aided coach understudies after school. A year ago, I was embraced into the National Honor Society and began an after-school club for plane lovers that meets once per week.

As your pupil committee president, I pledge to end all schoolwork. Simply joking. I can’t do that, yet what I can do is be your voice with the school organization and work to make this the greatest year Sample High has at any point had. I will present thoughts for occasions, for example, a week by week sock jump after secondary school b-ball games and we’ll cooperate to help the local area through humanitarian effort and showing them exactly how committed the understudies at Williams are.

I would see the value in your decision in favor of the president. Whenever I choose, I will keep on battling for the things that are essential to understudies, regardless of how huge or little they may be. How about we cooperate to make our stamp on this local area and on the world.

Class President Speech After Graduation

Hello Everyone. In the interest of my schoolmates, I might want to invite all workforce, family, companions, and visitors to ABC School of 2021 Commencement. I’m regarded to have the advantage of talking before all of you.

All things considered, in this class, it’s been a year, however, we made it. Despite the fact that we were unable to meet face to face, me, the staff of Waunakee secondary school, and your families couldn’t be more glad for the entirety of your achievements. Today is a vital day. For a few of us, it is the most joyful day of our lives, a snapshot of win and movement. For other people, it is the saddest as it denotes the conclusion of an important time period. However, we would all be able to conquer the year 2021 and live with us for eternity. Our year that will live in disgrace. Despite the fact that our encounters have been nothing similar to what we envisioned, we will come out more grounded, solidified, and arranged for the remainder of our lives.

For quite a long time, everything I could summon were those couple of sentences. I was lost. Confounded. Upset. Truly, following quite a while of anticipating this discourse, I continued pushing it off. I would not like to confront the four years of companionship, recollections, and giggling that formed me into who I am today. I would not like to confront the battle of missing our last semester, last school dance, or last game season. However, I particularly didn’t have any desire to confront the way that this was the end, the last page of our secondary school section. Not any more great mornings from the Waunakee grounds, no more suggestions to move our vehicles from staff leaving by Ms. Harrison, and, for those of you who know me well, no more remarks about my penmanship. In any case, I surmise I can live with that final remaining one.

Life inside during this isolate has been troublesome, truly troublesome. We have forfeited face to face discussions with colleagues, educators, and cohorts, supplicated that breaking quarantine wouldn’t get some answers concerning our most recent web-based media update, managed Schoology crashes, insufferably lethargic WiFi, and many sites springing up obstructed, including Yahoo Answers. However, perhaps the most troublesome, possessing ourselves for an entire day, all week long as opposed to carrying on with our ordinary lives.

FAQ’s on Class President Speech

Question 1. What makes a student a good class president?

Answer: A decent class president epitomizes attributes like generosity, activity, authority, and brotherhood. Building up these qualities and needing school to be a good time for everybody will separate you from some other class president.

Question 2. How to write a class president speech?

• Introduce yourself with greetings. Say Hello/Good Morning/Good Evening Everyone. My Name is [_____].
• Explain why you are the best to acquire the president position and what problems are faced by the students.
• Discuss your plans or moves, after getting president positions for students.
• End the speech with a slogan.

Question 3. Who is a good leader or class representative?

Answer: A class leader or representative should be Goal-oriented. Honest. Hard-working. Willing to serve others. A good listener. A good communicator. A good decision-maker. Encouraging.

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More than just a popularity contest, running for class president requires a candidate to connect with every student, regardless of their social status or clique. Winning over the student body with an effective, original and compelling class president speech could determine whether you get elected. A good speech will allow you to directly connect with your audience, while both informing the students of why you'd be a good president and entertaining them.

Campaign Promises

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In most schools, the class president's duties include organizing pep rallies, planning school dances and fund raising for class trips. Examine how these activities were received by the student body in past years. Identify what the students enjoy most about last year's prom and promise to bring those elements back to the dance this year, while pledging to change those things that the students did not enjoy. Outline some new pep rally activities that will help to generate more excitement about school spirit. Capture your audience's attention by informing students about what you will do for them that your opponent will not.

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If your school has a hated rival in sports, debate or other activities, play up that rivalry in your presidential speech. Attack your school's rival by making good-natured jokes at your rival's expense. Making fun of your rival's mascot, school colors, sport teams and campus could help engender support for you as a candidate. Tout how your school excels in comparison to your rival, and point out how your election to school president would further your school's dominance over its rival.

Class Clown

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Resist the urge to take your speech too seriously, and make yourself the butt of a few self-deprecating jokes. Let your audience know that you can take a joke by pointing out a few of your lesser moments. If you missed a game-winning shot, or dropped a sure touchdown pass in a game, mention those moments with a good-natured joke about how you could have done better. If you are involved in theater or band, make a joke about the ridiculous costumes or uniforms you have worn. A speech that laughs about these moments could help you to connect with students anxious over their own inadequacies.

School Spirit

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Write a speech that takes advantage of the student body's school spirit. Discuss all the things that make your school better than any other school in the district. If one of your school's sports teams just won state, bring up how much the victory meant to you and the student body. If the students have a favorite teacher, a person every student is excited by when they get a chance to take her class, mention that teacher by name and state how fortunate your school is to have her teaching there. Try winning over your audience by talking about how much the school means to you, and how, if elected, you will do everything you can to ensure it remains great.

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Timothy Lemke has worked as a freelance writer since 2009 and has been published with such websites as Ask The College Guy. Lemke graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and possesses a Bachelor of Arts in European history.

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Student Council Speeches

By:  Susan Dugdale  

How to write a winning speech: a template, guidelines, plus example speeches

Student Council Speeches mark the end of an election campaign.

Will yours be successful?

The final answer is in the hands of your fellow students. It's entirely their decision.

However, up until they mark their voting papers 'yes' or 'no' you have the potential to make their choice of candidate for the upcoming year 'you'.

How to write a great student council speech 

Use the quick links below to find what you need to write a great student council speech, whether it's the President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer role you're after.

• the primary purpose of your speech
• a template that includes all the necessary elements of a good Student Council speech
• points to consider carefully before you write
• an example Student Council President speech
• an example Student Council Vice President speech
• an example Student Council Secretary speech
• an example Student Council Treasurer speech
• a printable speech planner and outline to download
• vital tips for rehearsal . These make the difference between looking and sounding polished and bumbling.
• a link to a collection of videoed student council speeches
• how to manage anxiety about speaking in front of others

Understanding your speech purpose

Understanding the nature or purpose of your speech could make all the difference between winning and losing.

Student Council speeches are persuasive speeches . Their ultimate goal is to get you the YES vote.

To help you achieve that use the template, (framework or pattern), below to cover all the essential elements you need to pull together.

In addition, it will structure your speech logically, and effectively, from its opening through to its close.

(I've turned the template into a printable enabling you to plan and outline your speech efficiently and easily. You can download it from the link further down the page.)

Return to Top

Student Council speeches template

• Greeting - Attention Getter - The Hook You'll need an opening statement or rhetorical  question to sit your audience up with open ears and minds. For more see: How to write a speech introduction: 12 of the best ways to start.  
• Who you are - your name, your place or grade in the school, and maybe, your hobbies or interests, and the clubs or teams you're a member of. For example, Amnesty International, the speech and debate club, cross-country and basketball. And if you've used a campaign slogan work it in. It'll jog people's memories. 'Ah, yes, that person!', they'll think. Being known and familiar gives you a head start.
• What you want - the role you are campaigning for: President, Vice President,  Treasurer, Secretary, Historian...
• What you are going to do for the audience - benefits to them in exchange for their vote. (Brief summary -you will expand this in the body of your speech.)
• Credibility - your qualification or expertise establishing your fitness for the role you want. (Brief summary - you will expand this in the body of your speech.)
• Transition leading to...
• Your Main Idea 1 - For example: your goal for the role, what you want to achieve, how you plan to do it, the benefits to your audience - what painful problem(s) will you solve for them, your fitness for the job, transition to...
• Main Idea 2 - Supporting ideas - details and examples - transition to...
• Main Idea 3 - Supporting ideas - details and examples - transition to...

NB. Only include a second and third idea if you have time to expand on them. If not, move through to the conclusion.

• Summary of main points
• Re-statement of what you want - to be elected to the role you're running for
• Re-statement of the benefits to the audience
• Closer, clincher, call for action

Points to consider BEFORE you write your speech

You'll make a better job of completing the printable student council speech template if you  take the time to go through the points below.

And then, read the student council speech examples, before you start to write.

Research the role

Think about your audience, what tone or choice of vocabulary is best suited to them.

Avoid trying to impress with either 'big' words or use of slang. Both are traps! Be yourself. Authentic. Real.

Keep your language conversational rather than overly formal and use smaller rather than large sentences.

Try using active rather than passive words. These convey enthusiasm. For examples, see this page on using action verbs . You'll discover how to go from boring bla bla bland to dynamic excitement.

What 'hook' will you use to get them to listen? Humor? Humor is good if it is relevant and inclusive rather than exclusive. (No 'in' jokes!).

Your goal in the role you want

Avoid setting up expectations that you will deliver beyond your capability. :-)

It might be very tempting, but can you really reduce school hours, increase academic standards, introduce a range of exciting new extracurricular activities, as well as have a 'green day' and a movie night every month? Please keep it real!

Your credibility or qualifications

Now is not the time either to be shy or arrogantly big-headed! Let the audience know how right you are for the role you want.

Set yourself apart from other candidates by sharing compelling personal stories or anecdotes that both support your pitch, and show you understand the key issues that matter to your fellow students.

Your school's requirements

If your speech does not meet pre- established criteria in any way you may find it is returned to you edited. It's safer to find out what those criteria are BEFORE writing to avoid having to re-write or worse, being disqualified entirely.

Mockery and personal insults are not clever. They boomerang back on you, letting your audience know you're not to be trusted and neither are you ready for leadership.

Readily acknowledging the skill and expertise of your fellow candidates sincerely in a way that doesn't demean yourself, or them, shows an open mind and maturity.

Aim to have your speech ready BEFORE the deadline.

Give yourself time to prepare thoroughly, including time to review of your opponents' campaigns. That can be very useful for seeing their strengths as well as their weaknesses, which you can then respond to in your own material.

Student Council President speech example 

Here's a sample student council speech. I've written it from the perspective of someone running for President.

As you read it, imagine it said aloud. That will help you get the rhythm and flow of language. The speech is between 3 - 4 minutes long, depending on how quickly you speak.

Vote Sophia Clarke for Student Council President

"I’ve got a question for you. I’m not asking you to shout your answer out, or raise your hand. All I’m asking is that you give it room in your mind. Let it sit for a bit, and have a think about it.

My question is – do you believe like I do, that all of us deserve the opportunity to make the best of ourselves? Not second best, 3 rd , or even, highly commended. The BEST.

I’m Sophia Clarke. I’m in the 12 th  grade, and I’m running for president. My vision is that each student is enabled to develop the skills and confidence to become the bigger, better version of themselves. The best they can be.  Regardless of who they are, and what they need to achieve that.

It’s an audacious goal. Some would say an idealistic, rather than a realistic, one.

However I say it’s awesome. And that you’re intelligent people who realize that reaching any goal starts with taking the first step.

So let me remind you why choosing me, Sophia Clarke, for president, is also choosing a better chance for yourself, and everyone else to grow.

I know you, and I know your needs well. I’ve served on your behalf in multiple roles through my years here; secretary, auditor, public relations officer, and have successfully taken on multiple issues. You’ll know some of those through directly benefiting from them.

It was me who was behind the push to get a regular anti-bullying program running throughout the school. That was two years ago, and now the  Teens Against Bullying  message underpins what we expect and strive for in our every day dealings with each other.

We know incidents of bullying are far fewer as a result. As our orange tee shirts say we ‘choose kindness, acceptance and inclusion’ for each other, and our selves.

Who has been involved in our mentoring-homework program? Either as a buddy-tutor or as a student getting a helping hand? And who, like me, is passionate about making sure that everybody gets a fair go?

In the past year, under my watch that program has escalated. We have over 50% more tutors across more subject areas and more students taking up the offer of help. That is a fabulous outcome for everybody. Truly win-win.

A tick in the box alongside my name is a tick for the continued growth of those programs. Their value is proven. They allow each of us to grow and experience the strength and confidence that comes from knowing that we can make a positive difference in other people’s lives as well as our own.

When you vote me for President you get my capacity to organize, to liaise, to listen and to speak, working for the benefit of everybody.

A 'yes' for me is a 'yes' for appreciating and celebrating diversity.

A 'yes' for me, Sophia Clarke for President, is 'yes' to a better you.

And together that is a 'yes' to a better life, and a better school, for all of us."

Student Council Vice President speech example

Like the speech above, this one runs to approximately 4 minutes when said aloud. Try it and see.

Nod your head if you've heard of the phrase '2nd fiddle' or '2IC'.

What about 'sidekick'?

Not booting a ball in from a sideline but a trusty partner to whoever it is who has the leading role. Like Robin is for Batman.

Or like, {name of your country's Vice President or Prime Minister} is for {name of country's President or Prime Minister} or {name of your school's Vice Principal} is for {name of your school's Principal}!

Well, that's what I aspire to - to become the trusty, tried and true sidekick to the President on our student council.

My name is Jason Hull. I'm in Grade 12 and proudly standing in front of you today as a candidate for the role of Vice President. Yes, I am asking you to give me something of immense value - your vote.

I know what the issues, here at {name of school} are. As part of my campaign, I've interviewed you, and listened. I promise your ideas will be acted on.

Afterall I've trained for this role, put in the time. You know, I know how to get things done.

Last year I served as Secretary and the year before that I was a representative for the committee - proof that I'm committed to bettering our school environment not just for you, but for everybody!

With your support, I'll be your go-to guy when you want to make sure that your opinions and feedback reach the decision-makers.

One of my main goals as your Vice President is to champion your initiatives: amongst others, that's the library extensions you told me about, the desire for healthier food choices in our cafeteria, and the urgent need to increase and diversify the workforce and out-reach opportunities that so many of you mentioned.

Whether you're passionate about improving our school facilities, or enhancing our community involvement, I'll be there to guide and help you. 

In the role of Vice President, I will work alongside the President fulfilling my duties to the best of my ability. 

Together, we'll make sure that your concerns, and hopes are not just heard but actively pursued. Not 'I' will make sure, but 'we'.

There is no 'I' in we, and that too, is a prerequisite of the Vice President's position: the capacity to put aside ego and to work productively for the good of all.

Because together, we, the Vice President, the President and the other council members, are stronger and can achieve more.

The Vice President role may be a support act but it's a vital one.  To succeed in it, collaboration is key. I promise to work hand in hand not only with the President but also with the entire student council team, our teachers, and our administration on your behalf.

Unity is strength. More than ever, we need to nurture understanding, kindness and respect for each other. Regardless of your grade, interests, or background, I want every one of you to feel valued and heard.

That's a goal many would say is impossible.

However, I say, we need to be the difference we want to see in the world. And to borrow those famous words of Helen Keller's: "Alone we can do so little. Together we can so much."

It would be an honor to be your voice, your eyes and your ears as Vice President.

So, I ask you, will you trust me to have your best interests at heart? Will you enable me to work on your behalf?

And are you willing to give me, Jason Hull, your vote for best sidekick, aka. Vice President?

I'll take those smiles, as a 'Yes'.

Example Student Council speeches for Secretary and Treasurer

Click the link to read an:

• example Student Council speech for the role of Secretary . Plus, an overview of the Secretary's main tasks and responsibilities.
• example Student Council speech for the role of Treasurer . Plus, an overview of the Secretary's main tasks and responsibilities.

(This page was getting far too long to include them both here. ☺)

Get the printable student council speech outline

Click on the image below to open a downloadable printable student council speech planner and outline pdf. (Please note it will open in a new window.)

Your completed outline will provide both the structure and the content you need to efficiently write your speech.  

After you've finished writing your speech

Now that you've finished writing, you're ready to begin work on your delivery: how you present the speech to your audience.

The first step in that process is making sure your speech fits comfortably into whatever time you've been allocated.

After that comes rehearsal. The information you need for both steps is below.

Timing and word count

Student Council Speeches are generally brief: around 1-4 minutes long which isn't a lot of time! That's between approximately 150 - 600 words at an average speaking rate of 150 words per minute.

To be safe say your speech out loud as if you were delivering it for real and time it. In some schools going overtime can result in being disqualified.

Going faster to fit everything in

Please do not be tempted to say it faster to get everything you planned said. As a strategy it doesn't work. You'll end up gabbling: speaking far too quickly and people won't be able to understand what you're saying.

Cutting out extra material

If you have got too much material for the time limit, cut it. Choose the least important ideas to let go of first. Then move on to rephrasing to reduce the number of words used to express a point.

When you think it's done, repeat the test. Say it out loud as if you were actually giving it, and time it.

If you're now within the allotted time, you are ready for rehearsal.

For more about word count see: how many words per minute in a speech

How to rehearse your speech

Please, please  rehearse your speech ! Do not be tempted to wing it. The more you rehearse the easier it will be to deliver it well.

Remember it is only 1 to 4 minutes long! In that time your goal is to have your audience ready to vote for you.

You can help them make that decision by being confident and prepared. You will show that through:

• your speaking style  - natural, sincere, fluent, understandable (clear and able to be heard without straining)
• your body language  - relaxed, open gestures, good eye contact and smiling
• your personal grooming or presentation  because how you look 'speaks' too. Make sure that your clothing and general grooming supports your speech because, like it or not, you will be judged on both!

Go to: how to rehearse a speech properly .

 Videoed Student Council speech examples  

How do other people handle a Student Council speech? What's their content and delivery like?

Are they funny? Formal? Too hurried? Confident? Familiar with the audience?

It can help to look at what others have done. Even if it's only to decide their way will not be your way!

Click the link to access a collection ten videoed student council campaign speeches from the 2018 student council executive board candidates for Malvern Preparatory School, Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA. 

At the foot of the article you'll find links to the videos of the school's 2015, 2016 and 2017 student council campaign speeches.

A word of warning

Ps. panic not.

If you find yourself getting anxious over the thought of delivering your speech, please check this page for help.

• How to deal with acute public speaking anxiety: 14 ways that will help

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, running for class president, any speech tips.

Hi everyone! I've decided to run for class president and I need to deliver a speech to my peers. Any suggestions on what key points and issues to address in my speech? How can I make it engaging and memorable?

Hello! Running for class president is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your leadership skills and passion for your school. Here are some tips to help you craft a memorable and engaging speech:

1. Start with a hook: Catch the attention of your peers from the get-go by opening your speech with a surprising fact, an interesting story, or a funny anecdote related to your school or your own experiences. This will set you apart from other candidates and help you make a strong first impression.

2. Clearly state your goals: Outline your key proposals and aims for your term as class president. Be specific about what you hope to achieve and the initiatives you plan to introduce to benefit your classmates and improve your school community. Focus on 2-3 main ideas so your speech doesn't feel overwhelming.

3. Address relevant issues: Consider the pressing issues affecting your school or class, and discuss how you plan to address them. This can include social or academic concerns, facilities upgrades, or school spirit initiatives. Show your classmates that you understand their concerns and are dedicated to making real change.

4. Showcase your qualifications: Share any relevant experiences or achievements that demonstrate why you're the best candidate for the job. This can be previous leadership roles, volunteering, or extracurricular activities where you've shown initiative and responsibility.

5. Build rapport with your audience: Connect with your peers by using inclusive language, such as "we" and "our," to show that you view your class as a team, and that you're ready to work collaboratively. Address the audience directly and maintain eye contact to establish a connection and convey sincerity.

6. Be genuine and passionate: Avoid using cliche phrases or making promises you can't keep. Speak from the heart and be honest about your intentions and goals. Your classmates will appreciate your authenticity and be more likely to support you.

7. Add a personal touch: Share a story, a personal experience, or even a hobby that connects you to your peers or explains your motivations for running for class president. This will help humanize you and make your speech more relatable.

8. Conclude with a memorable statement: Finish your speech with a memorable quote, motto, or call-to-action that will leave a lasting impression on your audience. Make sure it aligns with your overall message and is something your classmates can rally behind.

9. Practice, practice, practice: Rehearse your speech multiple times to ensure smooth delivery, proper pacing, and confidence on the stage. You can practice in front of a mirror, record yourself, or ask friends and family for feedback.

Keep these tips in mind while crafting your speech, and don't forget to engage with your classmates before and after your speech to answer any questions and gather more support. Good luck with your campaign!

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Student Council Speech

Student council speech generator.

So you feel that you have what it takes to be part of your student council in your school. You got the guts, responsibility, wit, and charm to grab the position you are vying for from other students who are as qualified as you. Even if you are sure of yourself, you need to convince every student in your school that will be an effective officer if you are elected. And one way to convince your fellow students to vote for you is through your speech .

What is Student Council Speech? A student council speech is a presentation given by a student who is running for a position on the student council, which is a group that represents the interests and ideas of the student body at a school. In this speech, the candidate shares their ideas, goals, and plans to improve the school and address student concerns. They aim to persuade their classmates to vote for them by highlighting their leadership qualities, past achievements, and specific proposals for making positive changes within the school community. This speech is an important opportunity for candidates to connect with their peers and show why they are the best choice for the position.

Download Sample Student Council Speech Bundle

When writing a student council speech, you must be able to persuade your schoolmates to trust in your abilities and your platforms. (If you need more tips on writing persuasive speeches , see this one). Remember, you are not running just for popularity votes or to earn yourself a good credential in your achievements. You are running for a certain position (whether you’ll be a president, treasurer, secretary, etc.) to serve the student body, to represent them when they want their needs to be attended to and to make better changes in your school. So first you need to make your speech sound persuasive, but not aggressive. Start writing your speech weeks ahead before you deliver your speech.

Student Council Speech Format

Introduction.

Greet the Audience: Start with a friendly greeting to capture the audience’s attention. Introduce Yourself: Briefly introduce yourself, including your name, grade, and any relevant personal background that relates to the position you’re running for.

Statement of Intent

Declare Your Candidacy: Clearly state the position you are running for on the Student Council. Motivation: Share why you decided to run for the student council, focusing on what motivates you and why the role is important to you.

Qualifications

Experience and Skills: Highlight your relevant experiences, skills, and achievements that make you a suitable candidate. This could include previous leadership roles, involvement in school activities, or specific talents that contribute to your ability to serve effectively.

Vision and Goals

Key Issues: Identify key issues or areas for improvement within the school that you plan to address. Proposed Initiatives: Outline your main goals or initiatives that you aim to implement if elected. Be specific about what changes or improvements you want to make and how you plan to achieve them.

Plan of Action

Strategies: Briefly describe the strategies or steps you will take to achieve your goals. This shows that you have thought about how to turn your ideas into action. Collaboration: Emphasize the importance of working together with fellow council members, students, and school staff to accomplish shared objectives.

Reiterate Key Points: Summarize the main reasons why you are the best candidate for the position, focusing on your vision, qualifications, and what sets you apart from other candidates. Call to Action: Encourage your classmates to vote for you, emphasizing the importance of their vote in making a positive change within the school. Thank You: Conclude by thanking the audience for their time and consideration.

Example of Student Council Speech

“Good morning, students and teachers of Springfield High! My name is Jamie Lee, a sophomore, and I’m excited to run for the position of Secretary on our Student Council. Why am I standing here today? Because I believe in change, in improvement, and most importantly, in us—as a student body—to make Springfield High not just a school, but a community where every voice is heard and valued. My experience as class representative last year taught me the importance of organization, communication, and dedication—qualities essential for the role of Secretary. My main goal is to enhance our school’s spirit and involvement through better-organized events, clearer communication between the student council and the student body, and by creating more opportunities for everyone to contribute their ideas and talents. I plan to introduce a monthly feedback session where you can share your thoughts and suggestions directly with the council. But that’s not all. I want to work on making our school events, including dances, fundraisers, and spirit weeks, more memorable and inclusive. How? By working closely with clubs and sports teams to ensure our activities reflect the diverse interests and talents within our school. I’m asking for your vote not just for me, but for the vision of a school where every student feels connected, involved, and proud to be a Springfield Hawk. Let’s make this year one of unity, fun, and achievement. Together, we can make a difference. Thank you for considering me as your next Student Council Secretary. Let’s soar high, Hawks!” This example of a student council speech uses a structured approach to convey the candidate’s motivations, qualifications, goals, and plans in a clear and engaging manner, effectively persuading classmates to lend their support.

What is the Best Student Council Speech Example?

Title: Creating Unity, Inspiring Change Good morning, fellow students, teachers, and staff, I stand before you today not as a candidate, but as a passionate advocate for positive change in our school. My name is [Your Name], and I am committed to fostering a sense of unity and bringing about real, impactful change. Imagine a school where every student’s voice is heard, where diversity is celebrated, and where kindness and respect are the foundation of our interactions. This vision drives my candidacy. 1. Unity Through Diversity: I believe in celebrating our differences. Let’s embrace our diverse backgrounds, interests, and talents to create a rich tapestry that makes our school vibrant and unique. 2. Student-Led Initiatives: I propose student-led initiatives that reflect our passions. From cultural awareness events to environmental projects, let’s turn our ideas into actions that benefit our entire community. 3. Mental Health Support: Mental health is a priority. I will work to expand counseling services, create safe spaces for open discussions, and promote stress-relief activities, ensuring every student’s well-being. 4. Interactive Learning: Let’s enhance our learning experience through interactive methods. I will advocate for technology integration, peer-to-peer tutoring, and hands-on projects that make education engaging and enjoyable. 5. Community Engagement: Our school is not just a building; it’s a part of our community. I will initiate partnerships with local organizations, organizing volunteer opportunities and outreach programs to give back and make a difference. In closing, I am not just asking for your votes; I am asking for your trust. Together, let’s build a school where every student feels valued, heard, and supported. Join me in creating a future where unity inspires change. Thank you.

Examples of Speeches for Student Council Representative?

Empowering student voices.

“Hello, everyone, I’m [Your Name], and I’m here to talk about empowering student voices. Our school is not just a place of learning; it’s a community, and in a community, everyone’s voice should be heard. As your student council representative, my mission is to bridge the gap between the student body and the administration. I will establish regular open forums where students can voice their concerns, ideas, and suggestions. These forums will be a platform for change, where we can work together to make our school an even better place. I’ll also implement an online suggestion box for those who may not be comfortable speaking up in person. Every idea counts, and every voice matters. Let’s make our school a place where students play an active role in shaping their own education. I promise to be your dedicated advocate, listening, acting, and ensuring that every student’s voice is heard. Vote for change. Vote for me. Thank you.”

Bridging the Gap

“Dear friends and fellow students, I’m [Your Name], and I’m running to bridge the gap between students and the administration. It’s time to foster a closer relationship that benefits us all. I propose regular meetings with teachers, administrators, and students to discuss school policies and improvements. Our education should be a collaborative effort, with students having a say in decisions that affect us directly. In addition, I’ll work to create an inclusive school culture. Let’s celebrate our diversity through cultural events, and ensure that every student feels welcome and valued. I believe in transparency and open communication. Together, we can make our school experience better for everyone. Vote for a bridge to a brighter future. Vote for me. Thank you.”

Building a Greener School

“Hello, fellow students, Our environment is a priority, and I’m committed to making our school more eco-friendly. As your representative, I’ll initiate ‘Green School’ initiatives. We’ll start with recycling programs and energy-saving projects. I’ll work to establish a school garden, promoting sustainable practices. Let’s reduce waste and show that we care about the future. Your voice matters. Tell me your eco-friendly ideas, and together, we can create a greener, healthier school. Vote for a greener future. Vote for me. Thank you.”

Student Council Speech Samples to Edit & Download

• Student Council Speech for Secretary
• Student Council Speech for 4th Grade
• Student Council Speech for Elementary
• Student Council Speech for 5th Grade
• Student Council Speech for Class Representative
• Student Council Speech for House Captain
• Student Council Speech for 3rd Grade
• Student Council Speech for Treasurer
• Student Council Speech for Vice President
• Student Council Speech for Election

Student Council Speech Examples & Templates

Free PDF Download

Funny Student Council Speech

High school student council speech.

Edit & Download

Short Student Council Speech

Short Student Council Secretary Speech

seaford.k12.ny.us

Sample Student Council Speech Guidelines and Schedule

Speech Example for Student Council

myperfectwords.com

Student Council President Speech

Junior Class President Speech

Student Council Campaign and Speech

stignatiussacschool.org

High School Student Council Speech

How to Write Student Council Speech

This is the most nerve-wracking part of your speech. So this part must be a good, no, great one. If for examples. you’re running for student council president don’t start just by merely introducing your name and telling them you are running for student council. You need to start your speech with a bang! Something that can catch the attention of your audience. Students are usually inattentive during these kinds of speeches so you need them to focus towards you. There are lots of creative ways to make a flashy opening. You can sing, rap, dance, act, do some comedy sketches, or anything that relates to the theme of your speech. However if you do not feel like performing live, you can still do some creative opening. You can use videos, power point presentation, music, or ask your friends to introduce you. You may also see introduction speech .

You can also open your speech by asking a question, whether if it is rhetorical or humorous. Here are some examples:

“So here is this person standing infront of you, asking you to for her. Why should you? You ask.” “If there’s anything you can do something for the school to make it loads better, what will it be?”

You can also add quotes from famous people that correlates with your speech. Make sure you cite your quotes properly. Here are some examples of quotes from well known people that you can cite:

“Leadership is not about the next election. It’s about the next generation.” Simon Sinek “I think leadership is service and there is power in that giving: to help people, to inspire, and motivate them to reach their fullest potential.” Denise Morrison “You need an attitude of service. You’re not just serving yourself. You’re helping others to grow up and grow with them.” David Green

After your awesome introduction, you then proceed to state all about yourself. Describe yourself, the position you are running for and the reason why you are running. Tell your name and your grade in your school. This is important if you go to a school with a big population. Don’t ever skip this part of speech as this will be what the audience should remember when it’s time to vote for you. You may also see thank you speech .

No need to elaborate in this part of speech. A brief 1-2 sentences are enough. Example:

“Hello. My name is John Cheese and I will be running for President! My vision is change for the betterment of our school. I fight for equality for all the students in this institution.”

Next is the part where you will sell yourself by mentioning your qualifications. This is one way to persuade your fellow students that you are responsible enough to be part of the student council. Mention any accomplishments that are related to the position your are running for.

If you’re running for president, don’t list your accomplishments in stamp collecting. The accomplishments that you should cite are your leadership skills, whether you are the team captain of your football team or you’re the major in your drum and lyre corp. You can also mention your honors and awards. You may also see speech templates .

“I am currently the team captain of our baseball team and I have also been a member of the Boy Scouts. Currently, I am the president of our drama club.  I have also been an honor roll student for the past five years. I have been exposed to a lot of leadership training skills and I believe I am most qualified to be an efficient president in the student council.”  

Writing the main point of your speech

Now that you have organize your introduction, it’s time to get to your ideas and how you should present them in front of the student body. This is the part where you will enumerate your platforms on how to improve the system in your school. Make sure that when you have laid out your platforms to the students you made some research. Ask the students, teachers, personnel on what areas that you should be improved.

Listen to what the students are concerned about. What are the changes that the students may want to see? What areas in your school you want to change to keep it running efficiently? You can also research ways on how to deal with school problems. Read books and ask some experts to help you. And find out how you, a member of the student council can address these problems. Once you already knew this, you will know what will be your platforms. A nice opening statement is to state out the causes that are important to you and what are your plans to make it better. You may also see special occasion speech .

“Bullying and discrimination has been more prevalent in this institution for the past year. As a student, I am disappointed that some of my fellow schoolmates has been the forerunners of this ugly way of treating people. And because of this, I would work out to invite speakers to talk about sensitivity in school, open more clubs for students to join, and start a tutorial program to aid students who are having a hard time in their classes.”

Keep in mind that you need to present your ideas briefly but persuasive enough to move your audience. If you need an inspiration, refer to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. His speech was short but full of key points that got his message across to his audience. You may also see self introduction speech .

End it with a memorable conclusion

1. Once you’ve stated your ideas effectively, it’s time for your conclusion. When you get there, go back to mention your plans as a president or a treasurer and relate it to your main points that you’ve mentioned a while ago. You may also see speech examples for students .

“With my experience in leadership training and in my service to my team members, I know I can be a great leader to each of you. I promise to do my best to stop discrimination and bullying and to increase the interest of the students to be more open to each other’s diversities.” 

2. Don’t forget to highlight your qualifications one last time. They key to this is to sincerely state that it is your passion to serve your students. You may also see tribute speech .

“I am a passionate advocate against discrimination. And to change that attitude starts here in our school. I want everyone to be accepting of everyone’s differences. I vision an institution with good relations between students and faculty members. I care about each of you and your right to be treated fairly…”

3. Of course, don’t forget to ask the audience to vote for you. Here is the part where you will beg your students to vote for you. Their vote is important for you to win the election. Ask with genuine humility for the students to vote for you. You may also see informative speech .

“I ask nothing but your votes. I would be deeply honored if you’ll vote for me on the election day.” 

Now that you completed your speech, see to it if it’s good enough for you to use. Ask a friend, a family member, or a teacher to read your speech. Ask them what areas you need to improve. Ask for a constructive criticism, even if it hurts.

It’s important for you to learn to improve your speech and to be open-minded towards critical suggestions. Remember you are running for the student council. Make yourself a best example of a responsible student that your fellow students can look up to. Additionally, debates may come up in before the election day, so make yourself familiarize with debate speeches .

What is a good speech for student council?

A good speech for a student council should be engaging, relatable, and persuasive. It should include:

• Introduction: Begin with a strong hook or personal anecdote to grab the audience’s attention.
• Your Vision: Clearly outline your goals and vision for the student council. Explain how you intend to make positive changes.
• Relevance: Address the specific needs and concerns of your fellow students. Show that you understand their issues and are committed to addressing them.
• Qualifications: Highlight your relevant skills, experience, and qualities that make you a suitable candidate.
• Ideas and Initiatives: Present concrete ideas and initiatives you plan to implement if elected. Be specific and practical in your proposals.
• Inspiration: Motivate your audience with an inspiring message that encourages unity and active participation.
• Closing: End with a strong call to action and a memorable closing statement.

Why do I want to run for student council?

• Leadership: Desire to take on a leadership role and make a positive impact on your school community.
• Advocacy: A commitment to representing and addressing the concerns and needs of fellow students.
• Service: A genuine interest in serving others and contributing to the betterment of your school.
• Initiative: Eagerness to implement positive changes, initiatives, and projects that benefit the student body.
• Voice: A belief in the importance of having a voice in the decision-making processes at your school.
• Personal Growth: Opportunity for personal growth, development of leadership skills, and networking.
• Passion: Passion for specific causes, clubs, or activities at your school and a desire to support them.
• Community Building: A goal to create a sense of community, unity, and school spirit among students.
• Inspiration: Being inspired by previous student council members or leaders who made a positive impact.
• Love for Your School: A deep affection for your school and a desire to contribute to its success and well-being.

What are the Good student council speech ideas?

• Mental Health Awareness: Discuss initiatives to promote mental health and well-being, such as counseling services, stress-reduction activities, or peer support programs.
• Diversity and Inclusion: Address the importance of diversity and inclusion, proposing events, clubs, or awareness campaigns to celebrate differences and foster unity.
• Student Engagement: Highlight the need for more student involvement in decision-making, suggesting forums, surveys, or open discussions for students to voice their concerns.
• Environmental Sustainability: Propose eco-friendly practices, like recycling programs, tree planting, or energy conservation efforts, to make your school more sustainable.
• Bullying Prevention: Talk about strategies to combat bullying and promote kindness and respect within the school community.
• Academic Support: Suggest peer tutoring programs, study groups, or additional resources to help students excel academically.
• Extracurricular Activities: Promote the creation of new clubs, sports, or arts programs to cater to a wider range of interests.
• Community Outreach: Encourage volunteer opportunities, partnerships with local organizations, and community service projects.
• School Safety: Address safety concerns and suggest measures to ensure a safe and welcoming school environment.
• Technology Integration: Propose the use of technology for educational enhancement, including virtual resources and tools for remote learning.
• Student Wellness: Advocate for initiatives like healthy eating options, exercise facilities, or mindfulness practices to support student well-being.
• Peer Mentorship: Discuss the benefits of mentorship programs, where older students can guide and support younger ones.

What are the Topics Included for Student Council Speech?

Student council speeches can cover a wide range of topics, depending on the issues that matter most to your school and peers. Here are some common topics and themes to consider:

• Leadership and Service: Discuss your commitment to serving and leading your fellow students.
• Unity and Inclusivity: Emphasize the importance of fostering an inclusive and welcoming school community.
• Student Voice: Highlight the need for students to have a say in school decisions and policies.
• Academic Excellence: Talk about ways to improve academic support, resources, and educational opportunities.
• Mental Health and Well-being: Address the importance of mental health support and stress reduction.
• Diversity and Cultural Awareness: Celebrate diversity and promote cultural awareness and understanding.
• Environmental Initiatives: Propose eco-friendly projects and sustainability efforts for the school.
• Bullying Prevention: Discuss strategies to combat bullying and create a safer, kinder school environment.
• Community Outreach: Advocate for volunteer opportunities and partnerships with local organizations.
• Technology Integration: Propose using technology for educational enhancement and virtual resources.
• School Safety: Address safety concerns and suggest measures to ensure a safe school environment.
• Peer Mentorship: Talk about the benefits of mentorship programs to support academic and personal growth.
• Student Well-being: Discuss initiatives like healthy eating options, exercise facilities, or mindfulness practices.

What are the Quotes to put in a student council speech?

• Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
• “Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek
• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
• “In diversity, there is beauty and strength.” – Maya Angelou
• “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
• “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
• “Leadership is not a position or a title; it is action and example.” – Cory Booker
• “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
• “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.” – Maya Angelou
• “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
• “Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” – Mattie Stepanek
• “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
• “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
• “Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
• “The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are.” – John C. Maxwell

How to start a student council speech?

Begin a student council speech with a compelling and attention-grabbing opening, like a quote, personal anecdote, or thought-provoking question, to engage and captivate your audience from the start.

What is the main idea of student council?

The main idea of a student council is to represent and serve the interests of the student body, fostering leadership, organizing events, and improving the school community.

How do I run a good student council?

To run a good student council, prioritize communication, listen to peers, set clear goals, organize effective events, and collaborate with the school administration to address students’ needs and concerns.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Write a Student Council Speech on improving school lunches.

Create a Student Council Speech about enhancing school spirit.

Funny Student Council Speech Ideas to Help Everyone Relate to You

Give them a speech they'll never forget. These ideas can help you get started with a funny, creative speech perfect for the student council role you want.

Michele is a writer who has been published both locally and internationally.

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When you've got hundreds of kids staring you down, bright lights in your face, and the worst case of jitters the school stage's felt in weeks, take a breath. You can always rely on the funny student council speech you've worked so hard on crafting to perfection to get you through.

So many people can be naturally funny without trying too hard, so if you just relax and let your natural humor shine through in your student council speech, you'll do great. But if you've glued your pinky to the backspace trying to write yours, let us help you with these tips and ideas. 

Funny Student Council Speech Intros for Specific Roles 

When you're running for a student council position, all you've got is your words. So, you need to write a speech that students will remember long after you've graduated. After you've pitched around some  speech ideas for your student council role , it's time to put pen to paper (or fingers to the keys). And what's the best way to get an audience on your side? With laughter, of course. 

• Student Council Speech Ideas & Tips to Help You Win
• Tips for a Winning Student Council Speech for Treasurer
• 15 Powerful Attention Getters for Any Type of Speech
• Student Council Speech Ideas & Tips to Help You Win

Funny President Speech Intro Example 

The other candidates are going to come up here and tell you all the reasons why you should vote for them. I'm going to give you only one reason why you should vote for me. I've got the face of an angel.

Think about it, every time I ask for your concerns, give a speech, or land an interview in the school paper, you're going to have to look at my face. If you want to make this year and school politics Instagram-worthy, consider just whose face you want to stare at every day, mine or theirs.

Hilarious Vice President Speech Opener

My competitors have come up here and given you a laundry list of reasons why they should be elected VP, so I'll keep things short. I'm the brains behind this operation, and I'll marionette puppet our president better than Ratatouille and his little rat hands ever could. Whatever you want, I'll work those strings to make it happen. 

Silly Secretary Speech Intro

Your student council secretary really needs to love words. I love words so much that I'll only eat Alpha-Bits for breakfast. And what's more, I'll only eat the cereal letters I can use to make a word. So, say there's a "T," "Q," and "R" left in the bowl; I can't bring myself to swallow them.

I love pencils so much that I fail every automatically graded exam because I can't bring myself to damage the pencil by using it. I love writing so much that I've got a physical therapist on speed dial for my carpal tunnel. 

Comical Treasurer Speech Opener

If time is money, we're all going to be very rich after this speech. I'm not sure who's responsible for the exchange rate, but I hope it's a good one. As treasurer, I take money lingo just as seriously as I do sticking to our budget, and unlike Al Capone, I won't bust our operation with faulty books and tax fraud. 

• How to Make Life After High School Worth All the Hard Work

Funny Student Council Speech Intros That'll Win Everyone Over 

One of the biggest tips for writing a speech is to connect with your audience on their level. Your classmates will probably respond well to fun and humor, so give your speech a dose of comedy and break the ice with a funny intro.

• Mr. Smith, our beloved math teacher, told us all that we'd use trigonometry one day. I think he's an awesome teacher and I really want him to be right. So, my entire speech will cover things that are opposite and adjacent to the issues of our school, and that will lead me on a tangent.
• When you hear the words "Student Council," you probably envision a bunch of old, bald, white guys sitting around wearing suits with ties and talking about all the problems students cause in the world. Today, to help me get through my stage fright, I'm asking you to imagine me as one of those guys. Preferably, I hope you picture Will Farrel as Mattel's CEO. 
• Today, I'm here to taco 'bout something serious and I've been trying to figure out how to get your vote. You might think school rules and student privileges are nacho business, but you'd be wrong. I won't try to get jalapeño business or get saucy, and I certainly won't burrito around the bush. If you want this year to feel like a fiesta, vote for me for President. In queso you still haven't figured it out, I'm the best woman for the job.
• Everyone, let's take a moment of silence. [Pause]. Thank you for joining me in that moment of silence for the competition that I'm going to slaughter at the ballot box this week. 
• (Pointing phone at the crowd) [High School Name] STUDENT BODY! Let's make some noise for my lovely competition — they've worked so hard — and give yourselves a round of applause for appointing someone as awesome as me to your student council. (Puts phone away.) So I'd like to thank my mother who, without her, I wouldn't be here today, and my father of course, because there's part of him in here too...(dramatic pause). OH, oh sorry everybody, those were my acceptance speech cards. Let me just pull out the right ones here.

Creative Ways to Sprinkle Some Humor into Your Speech 

Speech starters aren't the only places you can toss in a little funny line or two. There are a ton of ways you can incorporate humor into your student council speech to break the ice, grab everyone's attention, or stand out from the crowd. These are just a few of them: 

Poke a Little Good-Natured Fun at a Staff Member

There's nothing teens find funnier than cleverly making fun of their teachers and principals. Just be sure to only poke fun at the ones you know will take the joke well, and keep it good-natured and lighthearted. 

End an Info-Heavy Section With a Witty One-Liner

As a teen, you know kids have short attention spans (curse you TikTok), so you'll start to lose them after a while. Keep their attention by ending any information-heavy section with a funny one-liner. It's hard to stay snoozing when you're laughing. 

It's totally ok to use jokes in a student council speech, but remember the goal of using jokes and humor is to connect with your peers, so make sure they're things that everyone will actually find funny and not anything that could be hurtful or upsetting.

Don't Rush the Delivery

If you've got a line you just know is going to make everyone laugh, don't pull the wind from its sails by speeding through it. People tend to talk faster the longer they're presenting, so make sure your joke lands by pulling back and easing into the delivery. 

Add Something Funny or Unexpected to a Serious Sentence

If you're listing some of the genuine things you bring to the table for your desired student council position, grab everyone's attention by throwing a funny one on at the end. 

Tell a True Funny Story From Your Childhood

Talking about something funny that really happened to you, especially if it's related to the student council role you want in some way, can be a creative and memorable way to stand out. For example, the lemonade stand disaster you had as a kid might just make you a shoo-in for treasurer. After all, you learned from your mistakes. 

End the Speech With a Joke or Funny Slogan 

You can also use a joke or a funny slogan at the end of your student council speech to help make it memorable. A funny, relatable slogan that helps people remember you could have a positive impact when it comes time to vote. 

• School Jokes for Kids of All Ages

Hook 'Em With Humor for a Winning Speech 

The secret for how to win a high school election isn't stuffing the ballot box or teen comedy movie-ing your way to making the competition drop out. Instead, it's about being memorable and connecting with your peers. A funny opening line or hilarious closing one will not only capture their attention, but it'll have them thinking about you when they step up to that ballot box. 

Senior Class President Duties

How Can I Contribute to the National Honor Society?

Serving as the senior class president is a prestigious honor. After all, your classmates chose you to serve as their role model and a leader. Senior class president duties are varied but are primarily focused on the best interests of the senior class. You’ll need to be prepared to coordinate with other student leadership and the administration as you plan events for the year.

Senior Class President Speech

Expect to give a class president speech several times during your term. This position requires that you speak to the entire class about special activities, goals and even problems that need to be resolved.

Visibility is key as a leader of the class. Your classmates are your constituents, and they need to know that you’re there for them. If you lead by example, you’ll be remembered as an outstanding role model for others.

Guide Goal Setting for the Student Class

Get ready to share senior class president ideas with the students that serve on your student council. If you begin the year by setting goals, you’re more likely to make a positive impact during your time in office. Be collaborative and encourage participation in the goal-setting process, and you’ll build a strong student following that will ensure a successful year.

Run the Meetings

Presiding over meetings is one of the important class president duties that you’ll encounter in your role. In addition to setting the agenda for class meetings, you’ll also need to be prepared to keep the meeting on task. You may need to learn parliamentary procedure or determine the ground rules for shared governance. It’s important to keep the meetings fun and help your classmates feel that their opinions are valued.

Communicate With Administration

As the senior class president, you’ll be the main contact for administration about class issues. You can expect to have regular meetings with your adviser and even the principal.

If your class has concerns, you’ll be the main leader who will bring forth new ideas or problems that need to be solved. Similarly, if the administration needs your help with an incident that happens at the school, you’ll need to be ready to talk to your class to help with a resolution.

Serve as a Role Model

Serving as a model student and leader is one of the most important class president duties in your position description. In addition to being involved, you’ll need to maintain a solid academic performance and follow the rules. Your class will look to you as a role model and someone whom they can count on to be a leader.

Facilitate and Encourage Student Involvement

Be ready to bring senior class president ideas to the table that will encourage students to be involved in extracurricular activities. You’ll have the opportunity to propose activities and social events and even help make them happen. Attending events, performances and athletic contests will show your support for other students and inspire student engagement.

Create Committees for Special Initiatives

Be ready to learn how to delegate leadership responsibilities to other students. When your class thinks of new programs, you’ll need to figure out how to make them happen. You may start off the year with established committees, or you can create pop-up committees when new ideas are brought to the table.

Advantages of Serving as the Senior Class President

In addition to adding to your extracurricular resume, you’ll learn a lot about leadership as the senior class president. Working with teachers and administrators will help you build communication skills and gain valuable contacts for the future. You’ll also learn about public speaking when you give your class president speech.

Related Articles

How to Write a Speech to Win School Captain

How to Run for Elementary School Class President

How to Start a Club in School

What Are the Benefits of Student Leadership?

National Honor Society Description Officer Duties

How to Run a Club Meeting

Qualities & Skills for Being a School Captain

Ideas for school-secretary speeches & posters.

Dr. Kelly Meier earned her doctorate from Minnesota State Mankato in Educational Leadership. She is the author and co-author of 12 books and serves as a consultant in K-12 and higher education. Dr. Meier is is a regular contributor for The Equity Network and has worked in education for more than 30 years.

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High school president writes notes thanking fellow seniors — 180 of them

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Emily Post would be proud.

A high school class president in Massachusetts who gave a commencement speech wanted to recognize all of his fellow graduates. So he wrote them personal thank-you notes presented at the ceremony — 180 to be exact.

“I wish I could’ve acknowledged you all, but there was simply not enough time,” Mason Macuch of Lakeville said in his June 7 speech. “Instead, I want you to reach under your chairs, where you will find a personal note that I’ve written to each of you as a way to say one final goodbye and thank you for making these years that will soon pass the ‘good ole days.’”

The seniors at Apponequet Regional High School about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Boston found envelopes containing 5-by-7-inch (13-by-18-centimeter) white cards with their messages.

Macuch said it took him about 10 hours to write the cards. As class president, he said he knew most of the students.

“I just wrote anything from farewell messages to little memories that I had with whoever I was writing to, or maybe if it was a close friend, a longer message to them,” Macuch, 18, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “Anything that I could think of about the person I wanted to say about them before we graduated and went on our separate ways.”

Macuch had to clear the idea with school administrators first. He arrived an hour before the ceremony and got help from an assistant principal and a teacher taping the cards under the chairs.

It was a surprise to everyone, said his best friend, Conor Tripp, in an email.

“I do not consider myself an emotional person, but his speech and the gesture of writing each and every member a letter moved me so much and I was very emotional from that moment on,” Tripp said. “It was such a special way to acknowledge every member of the class and show a strong bond between the members of our class.”

Macuch said a lot of graduates thanked him in person afterward. Many parents sent him nice comments on social media.

“Some people I hadn’t talked to in a few years were just so thankful for them. It was really nice to see that they were just so appreciative of all the hard work that went into them, and it was a really nice way to say goodbye to everyone,” said Macuch, who is starting college in the fall and plans to study biochemistry.

He was trained well.

“My mom always pushes to write a thank-you note,” he said.

To send off his fellow graduates, he wrote 180 personalized notes

“If someone would take the time to write 180 personal letters, it is Mason Macuch,” said his high school classmate Conor Tripp.

Key takeaways

Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed.

• The senior class president at a Massachusetts high school surprised his peers during graduation.
• He spent about 10 hours writing the notes and also wrote thank you notes to the school staff.
• The gesture moved his classmates, who said they will remember his kindness.

Did our AI help? Share your thoughts.

Senior class president Mason Macuch was near the end of his speech at his high school’s graduation ceremony when he paused and asked his classmates to look under their seats.

“We have studied together, laughed together and grown together, and tomorrow all of that changes,” Macuch told 180 classmates at Apponequet Regional High School’s commencement this month. “I want you to reach under your chairs, where you’ll find a personal note that I’ve written for each of you as a way to say one final goodbye.”

Then he added, “Thank you for making these years what we will soon call the good old days.”

As his classmates retrieved the thank you notes he’d taped under their seats on June 7, many of them became emotional.

“I was speechless — the letter brought tears to my eyes instantly,” said Emily Bodwell, 17, who has known Macuch since she was 4. They grew up together in Lakeville, Mass., about 40 miles south of Boston.

Macuch’s handwritten note to Bodwell thanked her for “always laughing” with him, and he recalled a game they played together sliding down the stairs when they were 5.

“I will cherish all our memories together especially when we played boom-boom,” he wrote. “Your kindness will take you so far in this world.”

Bodwell said she was stunned that Macuch took the time to write to each graduate individually.

“There aren’t enough positive words to describe the impact Mason and his letters made on our senior year,” she said. “Every member of our class felt appreciated, honored and cared for.”

Macuch’s best friend, Conor Tripp, 18, said he was also surprised to reach under his chair and find a letter from his longtime pal.

“I had no idea he was doing this, and I was really caught off guard,” he said. “But if someone would take the time to write 180 personal letters, it is Mason Macuch.”

Reagan Flynn, 18, said Macuch’s send-off is something she will hold onto.

“Everyone I talked to was very grateful for their personalized letter,” she said.

Macuch said he spent about 10 hours writing the notes several days before the ceremony once he’d received permission from the school administration to surprise his classmates. He wrote a message in Spanish to a student who doesn’t speak English, he said, and he also wrote thank you notes to the school staff.

“It was a monumental task for Mason to write individual cards to everyone, but he’s a role model and a really kind person to every student,” said Principal Kahlan Dessert. “I’d have to say I’m not surprised at all that he decided to do this.”

Macuch is the youngest of six children, and he said his mom, Janet Macuch, taught him and his siblings the importance of writing thank you notes.

“A note or a letter is a simple thing, but it has so much meaning,” he said. “My hope is that the notes will bring back happy memories to my classmates when they look at them years from now.”

Macuch said he initially thought of thanking everyone in his speech, but he knew there wouldn’t be time to mention them all. “So I got the idea that I could give them each a personal note,” he said.

Because the graduates were assigned seats at the ceremony on the school’s football field, he taped the notes under the chairs one hour before everyone arrived, with help from a teacher and an assistant principal. WCVB Boston covered the event.

“There were a few last-minute seat swaps on the seating chart, but I managed to switch out the notes,” Macuch said, adding that he wrote the sentiments over several days between classes, school events, and his two part-time jobs bussing tables and delivering restaurant orders in Lakeville.

Macuch said he knows 95 percent of his classmates, so it wasn’t difficult to think of something different to write to each one.

“For those I don’t know as well, I tried to think of something from over the years that I’d noticed about them, or I wrote a nice farewell message,” he said.

Bella Gagnier, 18, said Macuch told her he was proud of the hard work she’d put in toward her goal of becoming a nurse.

“He will truly do anything to make everyone smile,” she said.

Graduation speaker Morgan Hayward was one of the few people who knew about Macuch’s plan because they’d rehearsed their speeches together.

“When I learned about his idea, I cannot say that I was shocked,” said Hayward, 18. “He was doing this because he truly cared about his classmates and wanted us to know we are important to him, each in our own way.”

Macuch said he hopes to keep in touch with as many classmates as possible as they move forward with their lives.

This fall, he said, he’ll study biochemistry at Connecticut’s Fairfield University, with a goal of going to medical school and becoming a heart surgeon.

Flynn said that seems like an appropriate career choice for Apponequet’s bighearted senior class president.

“I know this is the end of our high school years, but this will not be the end of our friendship,” she said. “Everyone should be so lucky to have a friend like Mason in their lives.”

How to Write a Student Election Speech

Brandi laren, 25 jun 2018.

If you are a leader and aspire to inspire others, running for student government is an ideal choice. Even the process of entering an election will give you a first-hand lesson in leadership, voting, elections and politics. It doesn't matter if you are running for president, vice president or secretary of the student council, you will have to prepare a speech and present it to your classmates. This speech, along with other campaigning tactics, like putting up posters, can make a big difference.

Explore this article

• Introduction
• Main Points

1 Introduction

Start your speech by welcoming your classmates and thanking them for attending. Then, introduce yourself, describe what office you're running for and quickly state why you're the best candidate. For example, "Good morning, everyone. My name is John Smith and I'm running for president of the student council. As students, we are ready for change in our school. I am the person who can help. As president of student council, I would fight for better school lunches, more after-school activities and more field trips." Talk briefly about some of your other leadership positions at school and why they have prepared you for the position. Use your personality to draw in your classmates and ignite their interest in learning more about you.

2 Main Points

Focus on the student body's interests. What are some things that students have been requesting at your school? What have they been complaining about? If you could improve five things about your school, what would they be? Use these elements in your speech. Let them know that you've been paying attention. For example, "We are tired of bad school lunches. As president of the student council, I will fight to get us better meals." Try not to make false promises. Talk about school supplies and events and other things that you are more likely to have control over. State these things briefly in your speech. If you have a catchy slogan you've been using on your posters around the school, don't forget to use that, throughout your speech.

Conclude by letting your classmates know that if you are elected, you'll be working for them. Tell them that you'll always be open to their ideas on how the school can be improved and be more fun and enjoyable. Your campaign speech should only be about one to two minutes long, so make sure you keep your points short and meaningful. Think of a creative ending that will serve as a punctuation mark and leave your classmates wanting more.

• 1 Benedictine University: How to Write a Meaningful Manifesto
• 2 Forbes: 10 Keys to Writing a Speech

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How to Write a Presidential Speech

Last Updated: May 19, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz . Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 119,067 times.

Are you running for president? There are some tried and true ways to write an effective campaign speech. Maybe you're running for school president or another office. You want your speech to be memorable and persuasive!

Presidential Speech Template

Opening the Presidential Speech

• You should make this theme simple enough that you can express it in one sentence.
• Make sure that you repeat your theme several times throughout your speech, especially in the beginning, middle, and end.

• You could start the speech with an anecdote, a quip or a strong quote. Don’t be afraid to offer a little humor, but it immediately clears what you would bring to the table. [3] X Research source
• When ending a speech, you could say: “If I am elected school president, I will focus on lengthening lunch hours, adding more student clubs, and reducing student fees.”

• If you’re running for a student position, review sample student campaign speeches. There are many of these templates online.

• For example, if your audience is concerned about the economy, and you have training in economics, mention it--especially if your opponents do not.
• Tell the audience an anecdote relating to what sets you apart. It will make it more memorable.

Developing the Presidential Speech

• The middle of your speech should be the longest because that's where most of your content lies.
• Don't slack off on the beginning and end of your speech. Even though they are shorter, they can make your speech memorable--or forgettable.

• You could open by saying something like: "Here are the three things we need to change."
• Be specific. Use statistics and human anecdotes to highlight the problem. However, be brief. You want to focus on solutions more than problems.

• Boil the speech down to 2 to 3 key issues that you plan to change. Be very specific when you outline your solutions.
• Expand on each of your key promises by detailing the problem and how you plan to address it specifically.
• Don’t make the middle of the speech too dry. Constantly reinforce your personality and theme throughout the details of your promises.

• Go with the flow. If you notice your audience getting ants, liven up your speech or end it early.
• Stick by the event's rules. Some events may require that your speech is only 5 minutes, while others want it to be at least 30 minutes.

• If you are talking about the Vietnam war, you can make yourself more relatable to younger generations by mentioning the soldiers who were no older than themselves.
• If you are running for high school president, say that you will ensure the administration listens to student wishes for a longer lunch break.

• If you are running for school president, mention things you’ve done that helped the school to make you seem more qualified.
• If you come from a coal mining family, and you are giving your speech in a blue-collar area, mention it! This will make you more relatable.

• For example, if you want people to join your campaign, ask them to vote for you. Be sure to thank them for their consideration as well.

Delivering the Presidential Speech

• Some speeches play to people’s fears and anger, but the best ones remain positive and play toward people’s optimism. People want to know how you will improve things.

• This is why broadcast writing is less dense than print writing, generally. When writing a speech, keep the sentences concise.
• Try to use one direct point per sentence. People can understand complex topics better when they are reading.

• You don’t need to fixate on proper grammar, punctuation, and so forth in a speech that will be given verbally (and presidential speeches are designed to be spoken).
• It’s more important to capture the cadences and colloquialisms of regular speech, while staying true to yourself.

• Ancient philosophers who perfected the art of rhetoric called this “pathos.” An appeal to the emotions.
• The philosophers believed that the core of any persuasive speech should be logos (an appeal to reason). However, they believed that speeches without pathos failed to move.

• Have a clear idea of what you want to say. Keep the finest details confined to notes so that you can refer to them if you need to.
• Remember that giving a speech is theater. You need to be dramatic and show passion, but you don’t want to stumble over words or look down like you’re reading it.

• They say that when people get in trouble, it’s usually because they went negative.

• The best place to include a joke is in the opening of your speech. Create a rapport with the audience and use a joke that is specific to the location.
• Stay away from any offensive jokes and make sure a joke is appropriate to the occasion.

• Show, don't tell. Show your telling points with vivid human stories or a relatable anecdote.

Expert Q&A

• Remember to have good posture while you're giving your speech. Thanks Helpful 13 Not Helpful 1
• If you don't win the election, just remember to be a good sport to everybody. Your opportunities in the future are more likely to become greater. Thanks Helpful 11 Not Helpful 1
• Make eye contact. It's important not to spend the entire speech looking down! Thanks Helpful 10 Not Helpful 1

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• ↑ https://blog.prepscholar.com/good-persuasive-speech-topics
• ↑ Patrick Muñoz. Voice & Speech Coach. Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6sm47j-Am4
• ↑ http://presidentialrhetoric.com/campaign2012/index.html
• ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/publicspeaking/chapter/17-3-organizing-persuasive-speeches/
• ↑ http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/writing-a-school-election-speech.html

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The Greatest Speeches of All Time, and What Biden Said

The oratory was warmed-over, but the substance was right.

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Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (NOA) using AI narration.

I f you want to reach the kids , you’ve got to go where the kids are. Where are they right now? With their devices, of course. And what are they doing on those devices? Listening to podcasts, of course. This, presumably, was the reason behind the release of a corker: NATO Through Time , in which a grandfatherly former NATO official and three young and extremely well-informed co-hosts plunge into the past.

What’s next, Yalta: The Musical ? It would probably be a more successful venture, because Yalta was once; NATO is forever. From age to age, a new generation of supporters must be rallied, and that is becoming the 13th labor of Hercules. If the thudding disappointment of Unfrosted taught us anything, it’s that young people hate Boomer nostalgia. And NATO is the rotary phone of geopolitical alliances.

I grew up a long time ago, when the world was every bit as complicated and dangerous as it is today. But, if only as a reassuring fiction, the American president was often referred to as “the leader of the free world.” America was the most powerful country in history, and it was sworn to protect—and was protected by, should the terrible day come—an alliance of other free nations.

NATO was principally a firebreak against the Soviet Union and remains one against Russia. But Barack Obama felt that a foreign policy in which Russia was our chief enemy was a little old-fashioned. Too From Russia With Love . Too Rocky IV and Rambo III . In a presidential debate in 2012, he mocked Mitt Romney for saying that Russia was the biggest threat to America: “The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because, you know, the Cold War’s been over for 20 years.” Then the Cold War rose from the dead and Russia invaded Crimea, and two years ago began its bloodthirsty attack on Ukraine.

Two people who don’t like NATO are Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump (who once told his foreign-policy adviser, “ I don’t give a shit about NATO ”). This ought to ring a distant alarm bell. Managing the very special relationship between these two powerful men seems to be Trump’s version of NATO: cheaper, more direct, perhaps one day turning into an alliance of its own.

Around the world, autocracy is rising; spend any time at all reading about the evidence, and your hair catches on fire. Russia, China, North Korea—they have all been strengthening their ties to one another; all of them have a dim view of America and of democracy.

Toward self-preservation, allow me to offer my own extremely brief assessment of NATO through time, in the form of three speeches by American presidents.

N o one really knows what John F. Kennedy actually said in his famous 1961 inaugural address , because he was so goddamn sexy and so goddamn confident that the beautiful words and soaring phrases float through your receptive brain but can find no purchase. But by looping the video for a week, this is what I’ve got:

Kennedy believed that the Second World War—which had ended just 15 years earlier—was a turning point in American history. The war had revealed the extent of America’s commitment to freedom and its special role as the defender of nations where tyrants ruled. The speech recognized that the dropping of atomic bombs in Japan had forever changed the equation of human progress: “The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life.” America had nuclear weapons, but so did its greatest enemy.

Embedded within the beautiful speech was the rationale for a lot of very questionable foreign policy. But the speech was also a flex and a warning: “To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do—for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.”

In his beautiful words, he was talking about the rotary phone—NATO. And the desperate need to keep the peace: “To those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction. We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.”

R onald Reagan presided over the Soviet Union’s demise. He also popularized that oxymoronic piece of realpolitik “Trust but verify.”

In 1984, he gave a speech marking the 40th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy. Peggy Noonan wrote it, and it took its place among the greatest American political speeches of all time. No one could sell a speech like Reagan, and this one opened like a novel, or better yet, a screenplay:

ESTABLISHING SHOT : “We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France.” DISSOLVE : “The air is soft, but 40 years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon.”

The genius of the speech was that, while it described dramatic action that took place in the context of extremely complicated political history, it left that history as assumed fact and centered on the individual and collective actions of very young American men, some of them boys, who had more or less been dumped out of landing craft into waist-high waves, and were immediately under German machine-gun fire.

Some survivors of that pitiless day sat in the front rows of the audience, and Reagan addressed them directly: “You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One’s country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.”

I doubt if any of the terrified young men bleeding and dying on that beach thought of themselves as morally bound to defend democracy. But Reagan followed an established tradition of recognizing the highest aspirations of American troops in combat and of finding within the individual acts of one soldier the aims and honor of a just war.

In one of the speech’s most arresting passages, Reagan tied the horrors of combat back to the suffering of parents and families. “The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They thought—or felt in their hearts, though they couldn’t know in fact—that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4 a.m., in Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying, and in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.”

I don’t think any other politician of the past 50 years could have sold that line about the Liberty Bell, but when Reagan said it, you were pierced by it.

Young Americans then had comparatively little experience with the Second World War as an exercise of American greatness. They’d been ground down by Vietnam, and by all the music and movies about it, and by the homeless vets who sat in wheelchairs panhandling and drinking. Vietnam had brought shame to America—but the Second World War was different. This speech gave them a chance to reconsider America in a new light, as the hero of a global catastrophe. This was before Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation and Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, and Spielberg and Tom Hanks’s Band of Brothers . In fact, those lionizing, mythmaking inventions probably would not have existed without Reagan’s speech.

The tone was Shakespearian, Prince Hal into Henry V: “These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.”

But the real heart of the speech was here, in the emphasis on the ways that the Allied powers had worked together to achieve this joint victory: “All of these men were part of a roll call of honor with names that spoke of a pride as bright as the colors they bore: the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Poland’s 24th Lancers, the Royal Scots Fusiliers, the Screaming Eagles, the Yeomen of England’s armored divisions, the forces of Free France, the Coast Guard’s ‘Matchbox Fleet,’ and you, the American Rangers.”

And then he said this, possibly the point of the whole thing—his endorsement of the idea that the “strength of America’s allies is vital to the United States”: “We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.”

W hen I read that Joe Biden was giving his own speech in Normandy this month, I think I actually said, “O almighty God, forbid it.” I knew it would feature our ever-diminishing president delivering a warmed-over version of Reagan’s great speech.

It was that. But, in its unspectacular way, it was also a speech that drew the sharpest possible contrast between Biden and Donald Trump, and what Trump imagines is his ability to cajole and bully our enemies, to find common cause with them and to stage dramas in which he emerges as a global ambassador of peace through strength. During his administration, Trump threatened North Korea with nuclear attack (sweet Jesus!). But he softened after Kim Jong Un “ wrote me beautiful letters .” The kind of foreign policy that involves, say, sending aid to Ukraine to beat back Russian soldiers seems far less interesting to him.

Biden said this: “When we talk about American democracy, we often talk about the ideals of life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. What we don’t talk about is how hard it is.” He said the “most natural instinct is to walk away, to be selfish, to force our will upon others, to seize power.”

“American democracy asks the hardest of things: to believe that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.”

Y ou would think that freedom is the force that flows naturally, but it’s not. Freedom generally has to be fought for and always must be vigilantly—and sometimes militarily—guarded.

There’s no point listing Joe Biden’s manifold shortcomings here. They’re in front of our eyes, and they’re not all “ cheap fakes .” But Biden believes in NATO and in supporting our allies. Maybe that seems quaint, and rotary-phone-as-hell, but these are very good things.

Trump is flashier: a convicted felon, an insult comic, the last man on Earth to run on a platform of “Trust me,” and yet it’s working on a huge number of Americans.

If you vote for Biden, you’ll have to ask yourself a question: Is he still fit for office, or is he too frail, too ancient-seeming to make another term anything but a mockery of the country?

And if you vote for Trump, you’ll have to ask yourself this one: Do you feel lucky?