Chapter 10

Introduction Objectives

-Get the attention and interest of your audience -Reveal the topic of your speech -Establish your credibility and goodwill -Preview the body of your speech

How to get attention and Interest

-Relate the topic to your audience -State the importance of your topic -startle the audience -arouse the curiosity of the audience -question the audience -begin with a quotation -tell a story

intro tip 3

-be creative in devising your intro by making two or three

Reveal the topic

-be sure to clearly state the topic of your speech when gaining the audience's attention -even if they already know your topic, you should restate it clearly and concisely at some point in the intro

Introduction boosts the speaker's...

-confidence

arouse the curiosity of your audience

-could be a series of statements that progressively whet their curiosity about the subject

Establishing credibility and goodwill

-credibility is most ya matter of being qualified to speak on a fine topic and being perceived as qualified by your listeners -goodwill is crucial outside the classroom where speakers have well established reputations and may be identified with causes that arouse hostility among listeners

Make a dramatic statement

-devise your own statement to give your conclusion force and vitality

intro tip 6

-don't start talking too soon, wait for audience to settle down and listen

intro tip 4

-don't worry about the exact wording of your intro until you have finished preparing the body of the speech

Summarize your speech

-explicitly restates the central idea and main points one more time

Sources of credibility

-firsthand knowledge or experience -reading, classes, interviews, or from friends

Refer to the intro

-gives speech psychological unity by concluding with references to the ideas in the intro

Tips for the conclusion

-keep an eye for possible concluding materials when researching -conclude with a bang, not a whimper -don't be long winded, conclusion should be 5-10% of speech -don't leave anything up to chance, work out your conclusion

Signal the end of the speech

-let your audience know you are going to stop soon, so they aren't left puzzled and unfulfilled -have brief cues that let them know you are getting ready to stop -let them know by delivery (voice and rhythm) -both the crescendo and dissolve endings must be worked out with great care

intro tip 2

-lookout for possible intro info when doing research

Alternative concluding technique

-make a direct appeal to your audience for action -only applies to persuasive

Tell a story

-needs to arouse the audience and get listeners emotionally involved in your speech -could be based on personal experience

Begin with a quotation

-needs to be short, attention getting quote

End with a quote

-one of the most common and effective devices to conclude a speech

Relate the topic to your audience

-people pay attention to things that affect them directly -always relate your topic to your audience

Other methods to gain attention and interest

-referring to the occasion -inviting audience participation -using audio equipment or visual aids -relating to a previous speaker -starting off with humor

Reinforce the central idea

-reinforce the audience's understanding of or commitment to the central idea -Summarize your speech -end with a quote -make a dramatic statement -refer back to the intro

question the audience

-rhetorical questions get them thinking about your speech -could pose a series of questions, each of which draws the audience deeper and deeper into your speech (pause after each one)

startle your audience

-startle them with an arresting or intriguing statement to get their attention -be sure the startling intro relates to your topic

State the importance of your topic

-tell your audience why they should think your speech is important -technique is easy to use when discussing social and political issues such as poverty, endangered species, and domestic surveillance

Preview the body of the speech

-tell your listeners in the intro what they should be listening for in the rest of the speech -in some persuasive speeches, may want to wait to reveal central idea until later in speech -preview statements provide a smooth lead-in to the body of the speech -can use your intro to give specialized info that your listeners will need if they are o understand the rest of the speech (definitions or background)

intro tip 5

-work out intro in detail

Conclusion and functions

-your closing remarks are your last chance to drive home your ideas -to let the audience now you ar sending the speech -to reinforce the audience's understanding of, or commitment to, the central idea

Tips for the intro 1

Keep intro brief