Honorary Degree Nomination Outline
Name:
Date:
Title:Force From Within
Specific Purpose: To convince my audience that Dr. Myles Munroe is a worthy recipient of an
honorary degree from Marietta College and an invitation to speak at our commencement ceremony.
Thesis Statement: Myles Munroe is a multi-talented inspirational speaker whose influences have
been felt in the business, governmental, and religious realms as well as in the personal lives of countless individuals.
Preview: We can all learn so much from this man if we first gain an understanding of the
broad realm of influence he has established, recognize the universality of his
message, and invite him to be our commencement speaker.
Organizational Design: Topical/Categorical
Introduction:
I. Waking up in the morning and knowing that we have a full day ahead of us is sometimes more than we
can bear.
A. Yet there remains inside each of us the knowledge that we can do anything we set our minds to do.
B. Rather than pulling the covers back over our heads and leaving the world to change itself, we continue with our lifelong purpose of becoming exactly whom we want to be, changing the world in the process.
II. Such is the message of Dr. Myles Munroe, a leader in inspirational speaking.
A. This man lives to help others realize that they are only as limited as their vision.
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B. He not only leads by example, but really reaches into the lives of all he comes in contact with, showing them first whom they are and then whom they can be.
III. We can all learn so much from this man if we first gain an understanding of the broad realm of influence he has established, recognize the universality of his message, and invite him to be our commencement speaker.
(Transition: Initially, let’s consider Dr. Munroe’s broad range of influence.)
Body:
I. Dr. Munroe is not only an inspirational speaker, but he is a leader in the business, government,
religious, and educational realms.
A. Retired U.S. Congressman, Floyd Flake, remarked in response to the release of Dr. Munroe’s book, The Burden of Freedom, that, “Dr. Munroe has eloquently demonstrated that he is a true leader of leaders.”
B. Pneuma Life Publishing Company’s website, last accessed April 8, 2004, reported that Munroe has spoken before Fortune 500 companies as well as consulted with top CEO’s.
1. Dr. Munroe, in 1999 alone, received some 600 invitations to speak in 55 nations.
2. The diversity of his influence only adds to his appeal.
C. Munroe has shattered the barriers between religion and everything else.
1. He successfully takes his understanding of the spiritual, if you will, and presents it to Presidents of nations, founders of companies, and audiences consisting of people from all walks of life.
2. The fact that this man reaches so many people, regardless of their background or profession, symbolizes a value held in high regard by Marietta College: diversity.
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(Transition: Having established a vast realm of influence, it is most important that the message being spoken is practical, inspiring, and adaptable.)
II. Dr. Munroe’s message, as modeled in his lifestyle, preached in his sermons, and advocated in his
inspirational messages, meets all three of those requirements.
A. Dr. Munroe first stands for recognizing one’s potential.
1. He states in his book Understanding Your Potential, “There are many selves within you that lie dormant, untapped and unused.”
2. Success comes when we understand how to combine all that we are capable of being and then reaching our ultimate capabilities.
B. Dr. Munroe then builds upon the foundation of potential and reveals to all who are willing to listen effective ways to maximize that new found identity.
1. Dr. Munroe encourages us to leave one success and create another success.
2. On the day of our graduation, when we look back on our four years of investment, basking in our success, I can hear him telling us “Yes that’s fantastic; now go do more!”
C. Finally in this process of self-actuation, Dr. Munroe draws out a most exciting ability residing in each of us.
1. As a leader of leaders, Dr. Munroe has a unique understanding of what it means to be a leader.
2. He states, “Leadership has very little to do with what you do and is fundamentally a matter of who you are.
3. This alone makes him rather fitting to receive a degree from Marietta, a college that lists leadership as core value number eight.
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(Transition: “Becoming who you are”...how many times we really need to hear someone profess the faith in us that we truly can be amazing!!!)
III. Bestowing an Honorary Degree on any individual is an unspoken alliance with the message that individual stands for.
A. Understanding and maximizing your potential to the point that you too become a leader of leaders is most definitely a message that Marietta College stands behind.
B. Giving an Honorary Degree to Dr. Myles Munroe and inviting him to speak at commencement is an investment in the students, faculty and all others who would be in attendance.
C. It would truly be a memorable occasion, where so many people could hear, learn, and be inspired by his message, a message that is a reflection of this institution.
(Transition: I can’t help but smile when I think of that day, standing before my parents and friends as I receive my diploma. If Dr. Munroe were invited to speak, I know that my fellow classmates and I would receive so much more than a diploma!)
Conclusion:
I. Understanding who you are, what you are capable of and how to accomplish your dreams is what life is about.
A. Dr. Munroe recognizes that and has devoted his life to telling all who will listen that they can...oh the possibilities are endless!
B. I ask you to join me in welcoming an amazing inspirational speaker, a renowned multinational leader and a man who really wants nothing more than to tell as many people as he can that the possibilities are endless!!!
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Works Cited
Bahama Faith Ministries International. Munroe, Myles. 5 Apr. 2004
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Nassau Guardian. 2 Dec. 1998.
Mayers, Eloisa. “Gambling: A Grim Warning.”Bermuda Sun. 12 Oct. 2003.
Munroe, Myles. Becoming a Leader. Bakersfield: Pneuma, 1996.
- - -. The Burden of Freedom. Lake Mary: Charisma, 2001.
- - -. Maximizing Your Potential. Shippensburg: Destiny Image, 2001.
- - -. Seasons of Change. Lanham: Pneuma, 1998.
- - -. Understanding Your Potential. Shippensburg: Destiny Image, 2002.
Thomas, Shelia. “God is Key Partner in Business Group.”The Detroit News. 14 Mar. 2001.