Tim Shriver’s 2026 Laetare Medalist Notre Dame Speech

A note from Tom Rosshirt:

In this space of our newsletter, we often talk about treating others with dignity. But you can’t truly honor someone else’s dignity unless you also honor your own.  

Today, I want to talk about honoring our own dignity in a specific context.

Have you given a public speech recently? Maybe a toast at a wedding, or a talk at a funeral? If so, it makes sense if you were nervous. Almost everyone is a little anxious or afraid when speaking in public.

I have some thoughts about how to deal with that fear. 

I’ve been writing speeches for 35 years, and I think the greatest opportunity offered in most speeches is to build trust. Trust makes people more open to your message.  It makes people more responsive to your request. It can lead to friendship. It can open a dialogue that can enrich your life. 

But here’s the challenge: There is a tension between trust and fear. Fear makes you want to hide, and trust demands that you open up. So, there’s a standoff. If you’re afraid and want to hide, how do you create a state of mind that lets yourself be seen? How can you be authentic and unafraid when it’s authentic to be afraid? 

In my view, the best way to get over your fear – and honor your own dignity – and give a good speech – is to talk about what you know and love.

Do you have a personal story you love to tell? What happens to you when you’re telling it? I bet it lights you up. When you’re lit, you’re animated and alive, you’re more fun to listen to – you’re in a state of mind that helps you give a good talk.  

That’s my first piece of advice – talk about what you know and love. It puts you at ease, and the joy you find when telling a favorite story displaces your anxiety. 

But there’s another element that can light you up even more. Stop here for a minute and ask yourself what it is. Give a guess.

(Stop – take another minute! What lights you up maybe even more than talking about what you know and love?) 

Can you guess what it is? 

If you want to honor your own dignity, reduce your own anxiety, and light up when you speak – talk about what you know and love and are learning.

If you ask teachers why they love to teach, many will say it’s the thrill they experience when a student suddenly sees the answer, suddenly gets a flash of insight.

And students love talking about what they learned almost as much as they loved learning it.

I think it’s true for all of us – when we talk about what we’re learning, the joy of discovery is shining in our eyes. There is a luminous quality to us. The newness makes it fresh and fills us with wonder. And anybody who’s in the midst of wonder is a very engaging person.

How does this connect to dignity? Honoring our own dignity means not hiding. It means letting ourselves be seen, bringing out the things that we care about, that we love, that light us up, that make us want to learn. When we’re honoring our own dignity in this way, we shine.  

All of this is a long introduction to a speech Tim Shriver gave at Notre Dame’s Graduation last Sunday after being awarded the Laetare Medal – Notre Dame’s highest honor.

Have a look – Tim offers a master class in public speaking, in talking about what you know and love, sharing what you’re learning, telling a favorite story – all of which amounts to honoring your own dignity – and everyone else’s as well. 

A friend of mine saw the speech and texted me: “He’s so likable!” Yep. That’s what dignity does for us. Enjoy.   

-Tom Rosshirt