The valedictorian speech should fulfill two goals: It should convey a “sending off” message to the members of a graduating class, and it should inspire them to leave school ready to embark on an exciting new adventure.

Keep your thoughts short and to the point. Plus, if you don’t like giving speeches, keeping it short will make it go faster. Talk to your principal or teachers to get a sense of how much time you have. If they don’t have good guidelines, 5 to 10 minutes should be more than enough.