The Art of Public Speaking - CH. 10 (Beginning and Ending the Speech)

Tips for the conclusion

1. as with the introduction, keep an eye out for possible concluding materials as you research and develop your speech 2. conclude with a bang, not a whimper. Be creative, hit the hearts and minds of your audience, use the conclusion with the greatest impact 3. don't be long-winded; the conclusion will normally make up no more than 5-10% of your speech 4. Don't leave anything in your conclusion to chance; work it out in detail and give yourself plenty of time to practice delivering it.

The introduction has 4 objectives:

1. get the attentions and interest of your audience 2. reveal the topic of your speech 3. establish your credibility and goodwill 4. preview the body of the speech

Getting the attention and interest of your audience (7 ways)

1. relate the topic to your audience 2. state the importance of your topic 3. startle the audience 4. arouse the curiosity of the audience 5. question the audience 6. begin with a quotation 7. tell a story

Reinforcing the central idea

1. summarize your speech 2. end with a quotation 3. make a dramatic statement 4. refer to the introduction

crescendo ending

a conclusion in which the speech builds to a zenith of power and intensity

dissolve ending

a conclusion that generates emotional appeal by fading step by step to a dramatic final statement

rhetorical question

a question that the audience answers mentally rather than out loud

preview statement

a statement in the introduction of a speech that identifies the main points to be discussed in the body

credibility

the audience's perception of whether a speaker is qualified to speak on a given topic

goodwill

the audience's perception of whether the speaker has the best interests of the audience in mind