Before you present a speech in class, there are ways on how to greet the learners and teachers who will be listening to you. This is the very beginning part of your speech which sets the whole tone of your speech presentation. This can either capture or lose your audience and teachers. Also, the way you greet when presenting says a lot about you—your attitude, your confidence, and how seriously you take the opportunity to speak.
So on this page, we went all out to teach you exactly how to greet when making a speech in a school class, in a way that will make you look prepared, earn respect, and also score those introduction marks.
Based on research on some of the biggest public speakers in the world, the winning speech often starts by doing one powerful thing—connecting with the audience in the first 10 seconds. We have seen this over and over from speakers like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and even Trevor Noah when he gives keynote addresses. These speakers mastered the ability to own the moment from the very first word. They do not just start with the topic, they establish their presence, read the room, and pull everyone in.
This is backed up by the primacy effect in psychology, which says that what people remember most is how something starts. If your first words fall flat, it does not matter how good your content is. Most of your classmates and even your teacher would have already lost interest. And that is the mistake most learners make when they just jump in without greeting properly or they mumble through the greeting like it is not part of the speech. But it is.
Remember, when you make a speech in class at school, you are speaking to people who know you, your classmates and teachers who see you every day, and who might already have opinions about you before you even open your mouth. So the moment you greet, that is your chance to reset the room with new expectations and make everyone pay attention for the right reasons.
Including a quick greeting in another South African language like isiZulu, Setswana, or Xitsonga, even if it is just one line, makes the room feel like you are speaking with them and not just to them. It shows confidence and it shows that you understand the space you are in.
Even something simple like:
“Good morning teachers, fellow learners. Sanibonani nonke, I am honoured to stand here today…”
Or
“Avuxeni, before I begin, I want to thank everyone for giving me these few minutes to speak…”
You also cannot be ignorant of the most popular trends happening in the world, country, school or even your own class, like loadshedding, TikTok challenges, Springboks winning, or even that one funny teacher moment everyone still talks about.
Bringing this in makes your speech feel alive, timely, and relatable.
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The 5 Fundamentals of Greeting When Presenting a Speech in Class
As we mentioned in the previous section, below we will discuss the 5 fundamentals of Greeting When Presenting a Speech in Class. These are the things that set you apart and create the kind of presence that makes people want to listen to you.
1. Greet Everyone in the Room Clearly
This is not the time for “hey guys”. Keep it clear and inclusive. Say:
“Good morning educators, classmates, and everyone present.”
Have you realised that students have a tendency to open with phrases like “hi guys”, “yo”, or “what’s up”? They are trying to be cool in the wrong place. This is very informal and will not score you marks. You rather do that at a birthday party, school concert, or weekend event, but not in a school classroom setting where you are being assessed on structure, tone, and delivery.
2. Be Seen and Be Heard
Before you even speak, you have already said something with your body. Stand up straight, pause, look at the room, and then speak. Make eye contact, do not stare at your shoes. Your body must say “I belong here.”
Those who know better would say, “Your body is speaking before your mouth does, while your energy is either pulling people in or pushing them away.”
If you slouch, fidget, or avoid eye contact, your speech has already started, but not in your favour. But when you walk up with calm posture, hold your space, and look around before speaking, people automatically give you attention.
3. Choose Your First Sentence Carefully
After your greeting, your first sentence must flow smoothly into your topic. Avoid random or robotic phrases that sound forced or rehearsed. For example:
“As a young South African, I have always wondered why we learn so much about the past but not enough about the future…”
That is how you spark curiosity. It pulls your audience in and makes them feel like this speech is going somewhere meaningful.
As opposed to something like:
“My topic today is technology and education.”
or
“I am here to talk about pollution.”
These kinds of openings fall flat. They sound like you are just ticking a box, and not like you actually care about what you are about to say.
4. Show Them You Are Present
Add something about the day, current trends (as highlighted in the section above), or the people you are speaking to. Even if it is simple, it creates a real connection.
You could say:
“It is an honour to be speaking in front of the same learners I sit next to every day.”
Or
“Before I begin, I just want to say, today is not just another day. It is the day after the Matric Dance, so I know some of us are still tired, but stay with me!”
Or even:
“With all this talk about AI taking over, I figured it is time we talk about what it means for our future careers…”
Now, contrast that to this:
“Today I will be doing a speech on bullying. Bullying is when someone treats another person badly…”
You can already feel the difference. The second one feels like a copied definition off the internet. It sounds stiff, disconnected, and out of touch.
You can see that the main differences are presence, personal connection, and relevance. The first one brings the audience in. The second one pushes them away before you even get to the point.
5. Anchor Yourself with Purpose
Anchoring yourself in this case simply means planting your purpose into the room. It is that final line of your greeting where you stop being general and show your audience, “This is exactly why I am standing here.”
You could say:
“So today, I am going to share a few thoughts that I hope will challenge how we see discipline in schools.”
Or:
“The truth is, many of us have normalised depression, and I am here to speak about it—not as an expert, but as someone who sees it in this very classroom.”
This is what it looks like when you anchor yourself. You are not here to ramble. You are here to say something that matters.
Now contrast that with this:
“My topic is social media. It is when people post things online and it can be good or bad.”
That is not anchoring. That is escaping responsibility for what you are about to say. There is no point, no direction, no urgency. Just filler words with no backbone. Please avoid that at all costs.
20 Best Examples on How to Greet When Presenting a Speech in Class
Based on the The 5 Fundamentals of Greeting When Presenting a Speech in Class discussed in the above section, we have 20 best examples which you can use for your next class speech, which are:
- Good morning educators, classmates, and everyone present.
It is a privilege to speak in front of you today. Most of the time, we sit in class and think about these things quietly, but today I get to speak them out loud. The topic I am about to explore affects all of us—mental health among learners, something we experience but rarely discuss. - Good day teachers and fellow learners.
Before I begin, I just want to say how much I appreciate being given this platform. It is easy to sit back and stay silent, but this time I chose to speak. I will be talking about bullying, not from a textbook, but from real experiences that happen right here in our own school corridors. - Sanibonani nonke.
I stand here not as an expert, but as one of you—just a learner trying to figure things out. Today, I want to talk about how social media is shaping our identity, especially as teenagers who are still trying to understand who we really are outside of filters and trends. - Good morning to all staff members and learners present.
It is not every day that we get asked to speak our minds in class. I want to use these few minutes to say something that actually matters. I will be speaking about the pressure of expectations, something we all silently carry, but rarely talk about. - Avuxeni. Thank you for your attention today.
I know we have a lot going on, but just pause with me for a few minutes. I want to speak about something many of us hide behind fake smiles—depression among teens, especially in school environments where it is misunderstood or ignored. - Good afternoon teachers, classmates, and guests.
After the Springboks’ recent win, we were all reminded of the power of unity and national pride. Today, I want to speak about what we can learn from sport and how that same unity can be used to tackle things like racism and classism in our schools. - Thobela.
It means “we see you”—and that is exactly what this speech is about: seeing one another. Not through gossip or judgement, but through empathy and understanding. I want to share a few thoughts on how we treat each other in this school. - Good morning respected educators and fellow learners.
Today, I am not here to lecture or impress. I am simply here to tell a story—a story about how I failed, and how that failure became one of the best things that ever happened to me. This speech is about learning through failure. - Dumelang bagaetsho.
I stand here with pride, nerves, and a bit of fear, but I am here. I am going to speak about gender equality in our school spaces—what it looks like, why it matters, and how small changes in how we speak and behave can shift everything. - Good morning everyone.
As someone who has personally experienced the effects of peer pressure, I want to talk about it not as a concept, but as a reality. I hope that by the end of this speech, we all walk away thinking differently about the choices we make. - Respected teachers and classmates, I greet you all.
Imagine a future where your entire job is controlled by artificial intelligence. That future is not far off—it is already here. I will be speaking about how AI is changing the world and what that means for us as learners today. - Hello teachers and fellow learners.
I know it has been a long week. I am tired, you are tired, but give me three minutes of your attention and I promise to speak about something real—how comparison is quietly destroying our self-esteem in the age of social media. - Good morning everyone.
When I was asked to speak, my first thought was to say no. But then I remembered how many times I wished someone had spoken about the things I struggled with. So today, I will be sharing my personal experience with self-doubt and rebuilding confidence. - Salutations educators and peers.
We are surrounded by so much noise every day—TikTok, gossip, drama. In the middle of all that, we have forgotten how to truly listen. My speech today is about the quiet skill we have neglected but desperately need back: listening. - Greetings to all present.
As we move closer to Matric, everyone is talking about marks, careers, and the future. But today I want to ask—what does success really mean? Is it just a university acceptance letter, or is it something deeper? - Molweni bafundi nootitshala.
I want to take a few minutes to talk about respect—not the kind that is forced through rules, but the kind we choose to give because we understand its power. In a school setting, this kind of respect can change everything. - Good morning.
There are so many things we speak about openly in school, but there are others we keep silent. Today, I want to speak about grief—what it feels like, what it does to you, and why we need to make space for it in our school environment. - Greetings everyone.
If you have ever been told “you are not good enough”, or if you have ever said that to yourself, then this speech is for you. I will be talking about internal doubt, how we create it, and how we can begin to silence it. - Good day respected teachers and classmates.
I want to open this speech with a question: Are we really preparing for the future, or just repeating the past in a different uniform? My topic today is about education and relevance—how we learn, what we learn, and why it matters. - Good morning educators, fellow learners.
Today’s speech is about time. How we waste it, how we chase it, and how we only respect it once it is gone. I hope that by the end of this speech, we all reflect differently on how we use the hours we are given every day.
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