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Chapter 10
INTRODUCTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
This is another in the “how to” series of chapters that provide students with fundamental skills for
speech construction. I like to think of the audience as being in a mental world that’s removed from
the “world” of the speech. A good introduction functions to take listeners from their world and move
them mentally and emotionally into the speech’s world. The conclusion delivers them back to their
personal world . . . but more knowledgeable now, more convinced, more determined to act. I think
the best way to teach a chapter such as this is to use lots of examples, both positive and negative.
Chapter Goals
At the end of this chapter, your students should be able to:
•
Develop an introduction to your speech that gains attention, motivates the audience to listen,
establishes credibility, and previews the speech
•
Develop a conclusion that signals the end, summarizes, provides psychological closure, and ends
with impact
Chapter Outline
I.
Good introductions have four major purposes.
A.
Introductions gain the attention of the audience.
1.
Asking a question invites listeners to answer either mentally or out loud.
a.
Rhetorical questions are those that listeners answer in their minds.
b.
Participatory questions invite an overt response such as a show of hands.
c.
A good question is intriguing enough to engage the audience.
d.
Asking a question helps establish a speaker-audience dialogue.
2.
Vivid descriptions invite the audience to visualize a scene mentally.
3.
Using a quotation or a cultural proverb is another effective opening strategy.
a.
Quotations can be about or by the subject (in a biographical speech).
b.
Good quotations encapsulate the speech's theme.
c.
Song lyrics, poems, family sayings, and so on can be effective.
4.
Audio or visual aids draw attention to the topic.
5.
An example attracts attention and involves listeners emotionally.
6.
Startling numbers can capture attention if they are unusual or if they are put into a
relevant context.
7.
Refer to a current event to establish common-ground.
a.
Reference to a current event helps establish common ground with an audience that is
familiar with the happening.8. Involve the audience physically.
8.
A joke or funny story is another attention-gaining strategy.
a.
Speakers should be aware that the joke may flop.
b.
The joke should relate to the topic.
9.
B. Give the audience a reason to listen; relate the topic to their interests.
1.
Answer the listener question, “Why should I listen to this speech?”
2.
Point out the relevance of the topic.
3.
Frame the topic within a larger issue.
4.
Appeal to curiosity.
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5.
Show the economic impact of the issue.
C.
Establish your credibility to speak on the topic and show why the audience should listen
to you.
1.
Share topic-related experiences, interest, and research.
2.
Establishing credibility is optional when the speaker is introduced or when the link
to the topic is already well known.
D.
Preview the main points of the speech as a way to alert the audience to the organizational
pattern of the speech.
1.
Be straightforward but clear.
2.
Use alliteration.
3.
Use a metaphor.
II.
The conclusion should be planned for impact.
A.
Begin with a signal or transition.
1.
Use verbal phrases or sentences that alert the audience to the end.
2.
Nonverbal pauses or movements can work, alone or with words, to signal the end.
B.
Review the major points in the summary.
C.
Provide psychological closure by looping back or echoing an element from the
introduction.
D.
End memorably in a way that leaves a positive impression by using the type of material
used to gain attention.
1.
Echo attention-getting device from introduction, such as a rhetorical question or a
quotation or example.
2.
Use parallel construction.
3.
Call people to action in a persuasive speech.
4.
Close by reinforcing a larger cultural theme or value, especially in a commemorative
speech.
Suggested Videos
MindTap Have students watch just the introduction of one of the speeches available via MindTap or
the instructor’s resource website.
•
Have students list each element of the introduction down the left side of their paper.
•
As they watch, have them identify and jot down each element of the introduction.
•
Afterwards, discuss the speaker’s opening strategy, how he or she relates to her audience,
his/her credibility, and the preview. (knowledge, application)
Discussion Topics
Introductions and Conclusions. Show a video of actual classroom speeches (from the text resources
or from your own collection) and ask students to outline the introduction and the conclusion.
Then discuss the effectiveness of these parts of the speech. Or use Teaching Idea 10.2
(Supplemental Resources); it asks students to evaluate introductions and conclusions on actual
student outlines. (knowledge, application, synthesis, evaluation)
Gaining Attention (pp. 127-130) Teaching Idea 10.1 (Supplemental Resources) gives several ideas
you can use to teach this material. (application, analysis, evaluation)
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Diversity in Practice: A Navajo (Diné) Speech Introduction (p. 129) Here is another reminder that
the patterns presented in the text are commonly used in the United States, but they are not the
only way to create and organize speeches.
Create an Interesting Introduction (p. 127).Direct students to Figure 10.1, then have them work in
pairs to create a four part introduction, given the central ideas given here. (application)
Evaluating Introductions and Conclusions Given two conclusions, students evaluate each and
compare and contrast the two. (evaluation)
Critical Thinking Exercises
(See p. 136 of the textbook for Critical Thinking Exercises)
Application Exercises
(See p. 136 of the textbook for Application Exercises)
Internet Activities
You can access instructor’s resources at http://www.cengage.com/us/. You will need your instructor’s
access code. Students and instructors may also go to MindTap to find a broad range of resources that
will help students better understand the material in the chapter, complete assignments, and succeed
on tests. MindTap also features speech videos with critical viewing questions, speech outlines, and
transcripts.
Supplemental Resources
•
Teaching Idea 10.1: Gaining Attention
•
Teaching Idea 10.2: Using Outlines as Models
Teaching Idea 10.1: Gaining Attention
(for use with pp. 127-130)
Purpose: To have students identify ways of gaining attention at the outset of the speech.
Procedure: Use one or more of the following methods:
•
At the outset of the discussion, ask students what they’ve seen speakers do that was effective in
gaining attention at the outset of the speech. Write their suggestions on the board. [My
experience is that they are able to identify most of the means of gaining attention presented in the
chapter.] After they have run out of suggestions, add any textual strategies they might have
missed, such as reference to a current event. Then highlight any means of gaining attention you
want to discuss in more detail; for example, review the pros and cons of telling a joke.
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•
Distribute student outlines with all identifying marks are removed. Ask class members what
technique the speaker used to draw attention to the topic. Write the techniques on the board. Add
any idea included in the text that they might have missed. Ask students to evaluate the
effectiveness of the opening.
•
Instead of using student outlines, use articles from newsmagazines or newspapers. Have
students identify the writer’s method of gaining attention. Develop the lesson as you did in
option #2 above.
Teaching Idea 10.2: Using Outlines as Models
Purpose: To provide students with actual examples of student speeches that show both positive and
negative models.
Procedure: Find online sample student outlines from different schools to protect your own students’
confidentiality. Distribute an outline to each student or to a pair of students and then use these for the
basis of a discussion.
•
For example, if I were teaching the elements of a good introduction, I might ask, “Tom, what’s
the topic of your outline?” Then, I’ll select a particular element such as establishing credibility
and ask, “How did your speaker establish credibility to speak on that topic?” Tom reads that part
of the outline, and I open the discussion to other class members. What do they think? Is
credibility established well? Could it be improved? If so, how? etc.
