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14 Developing the Introduction
<A> OBJECTIVES
To prepare the introduction.
To use the introduction to gain audience attention.
To preview the topic and purpose.
To establish your credibility.
To preview the main points.
To motivate the audience to accept your goals.
<A> CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE
I. Functions of the introduction
A. A good introduction serves to arouse your audience’s attention, introduce your topic
and purpose, establish your credibility, preview your main points, and motivate the
audience to accept your speech goals.
B. The introduction should be prepared after you’ve completed the speech body.
C. It should be brief, no more than 10 to 15 percent of the overall speech.
II. Gaining audience attention
A. A good quotation culled from literature, poetry, or film, or a statement from a notable
person that elegantly and succinctly expresses a theme of the speech will draw the
audience’s attention.
B. Stories or narratives are “surefire attention-getters,” and they make ideas concrete and
colorful. They also personalize issues by encouraging identification.
1. An anecdote is a brief story of meaningful and entertaining incidents based on
real-life.
2. The key to introducing a speech with a story is choosing one that strikes a
chord with the audience.
3. Stories should be able to stand on their own, so that speakers do not have to
explain what the story means.
C. Another tactic is to refer to the audience, because establishing common ground with
the audience demonstrates interest and respect.
D. Introducing a speech by referring to the occasion can establish goodwill with the
audience.
1. Such references make listeners feel recognized and involved.
2. People are generally curious about the meaning the speaker assigns to the
occasion.
E. Speakers can capture attention by posing a rhetorical question, or one designed to
make the audience think.
1. When you use a rhetorical question, always let the audience know your speech
will attempt to answer it.
2. If it is done carefully, posing questions that seek an actual response, either in a
show of hands or by a verbal response, also sparks interest.
F. Offering unusual information can stimulate listeners’ curiosity and make them want to
hear more about your topic. Speakers frequently base their startling statements on
statistics.
G. Humor can spark interest, put the audience at ease, and boost speaker credibility.
1. The speaker should use humor with caution, making certain it is relevant and
not tasteless or inappropriate.
2. Speech humor should always match the audience, topic, purpose, and
occasion.
III. Previewing the purpose and topic
A. A second function of the introduction is to introduce the topic and purpose to the
audience. The speaker should declare what the speech is about and what he or she
hopes to accomplish.
B. When the speech purpose is to persuade, a speaker may decide to postpone revealing
the purpose until later in the speech.
IV. Establishing your credibility as a speaker
A. Ethical appeals are important when the audience does not know you well and when
you need to establish your professionalism.
B. Establish credibility by stating your qualifications, emphasizing your experience,
knowledge, or perspective that is different from or more extensive than that of your
audience.
V. Previewing the main points
A. The introduction should also preview the main points, and do so in the order in which
the speaker will address them, to help the audience mentally organize the speech.
B. A straightforward introductory preview statement simply mentions the points, saving
any in-depth discussion for the body of your speech.
VI. Motivating the audience to accept your goals
A. The introduction should motivate the audience to accept the speaker’s goals. One way
to make the topic relevant is to describe the practical implications it has for the
audience.
B. Speakers can also convince audience members that the speech purpose is consistent
with their motives and values.
<A> KEY TERMS
rhetorical question a question that does not invite an actual response but is used to make the
audience think.
preview statement statement included in the introduction of a speech in which the speaker alerts
the audience to the main speech points.
CHAPTER STUDY GUIDE
I. SUMMARY QUESTIONS
What are the functions of introductions?
Introductions serve five functions: They arouse the audience’s attention and willingness to listen,
What guidelines should you follow when preparing the introduction?
Speakers should prepare the body of the speech before the introduction, keep the introduction
What are some of the more effective ways to capture an audience’s attention?
Some of the most effective ways of capturing attention include using quotations, telling a story
How can speakers establish credibility in the speech introduction?
To establish credibility, a speaker should demonstrate knowledge of the topic, present the
II. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How often do you think people listen only to the introduction of a speech and tune out the
rest? If they tune out the body of the speech, shouldn’t the introduction be especially
effective?
Whether the audience tunes out the body of the speech may depend on the effectiveness of the
Why is it potentially problematic to attempt humor in the introduction of a speech?
Students should note that the introduction serves to set the tone and speakers should also aim to
How can speakers develop introductions that interest audience members enough to make
them listen all the way through a speech? What clever strategies can you think of?
This is a good opportunity for students to incorporate what they have learned from the chapter
In your opinion, what can a speaker do to establish credibility with his or her audience?
Have students discuss the ethical appeals that prove most effective in public speaking scenarios.
III. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
QUESTIONS
The following questions may help you illustrate important points in the chapter and facilitate
students’ learning of this material. These questions can also be used as:
homework questions
quizzes
in-class work (individually or in groups)
topics to generate discussion
question-and-answer sessions between instructor and students
What are some functions of an introduction?
Arouse your audience’s attention and willingness to listen
The textbook mentions seven techniques that are designed to win the audience’s attention.
Please identify at least six of them.
1. Using a quotation
Provide an example of previewing the main points. You can use the same topic that you
used in the previous question.
Provide an example of establishing credibility within the introduction of a speech. You can
use the same topic that you used in previous questions.
How do you motivate the audience to accept your goals? Cite an example of how you would
do this.
In the introduction, the audience needs to be given a reason to believe the speaker. What
should the speaker do in the introduction to achieve this goal?
A speaker needs to build his or her credibility in the introduction. The speaker needs to make a
ACTIVITIES
Starting Out Right
Purpose: To gain experience in writing introductions.
Instructions: In the space provided, write a creative introduction for each of the following
speech topics using the strategy specified in parentheses.
1. something unusual or extraordinary that you have done (personal story)
2. using social media (humor)
3. extramarital affairs and cheating (startling facts or statistics; you may make up “data”
for this exercise)
4. presenting an award (quotation)
5. how to make something (rhetorical question)
6. the future or the past (illuminating with images)
7. some aspect of your school (express interest in the audience)
Two Heads Are Better Than One: Developing Introductions
Purpose: To help students prepare for their upcoming speeches.
Instructions: Students should come to class with their speech topics in mind. Organize students
in groups of four or five, and ask them to brainstorm appropriate attention-getters for each of the
group members’ topics. Following this, the groups should present their ideas to the class. The
class then selects the introduction it feels is especially creative for each topic.
Motivating Your Audience
Purpose: To help students practice making topics relevant and gain practice in establishing
credibility.
Instructions: Instructors should provide students with ten possible speech topics; these topics
may be picked up from other class activities or taken from below. Students should briefly
describe how they would make this topic relevant to the audience, as well as how they would
establish credibility.
Speech topics: drunk driving, deception, illegal immigration, English as the official language,
funding to support the arts, health care in the United States, your favorite vacation spot, safer
sexual practices, recycling, nutrition, and exercise
Discussion: The instructor can ask students to read their answers, discussing how well or how
poorly they succeeded in meeting the objectives of the assignment.
What’s Hot and What’s Not?
Purpose: To give students an opportunity to practice developing introductions, and to find out
what students think are currently important topics or people.
Instructions: Ask students to think of recent events and people who are in the public eye.
Generate a list of all the hot events and people that students mention. This will get discussion and
class participation going. Then, narrow the list down to one event and one person. Next,
construct two speeches, one for the event and one for the person. Students should do this exercise
together as a class.
The instructor should provide a blank speech outline on the board. The class should then fill in
each of the parts of the speech—introduction, body, and conclusion— for both topics. Class
members should discuss and select the types of attention-getters that would be most appropriate
for the topic. Students should also write down the completed outline in their notebooks so they
can use it as a reference when they write their own outlines.
Writing Introductions with Stories/Anecdotes
Purpose: To give students practice writing introductions with stories and anecdotes.
Instructions: Practice writing introductions based on stories or anecdotes for each of the
following speech topics:
texting while driving
illegal immigration
health care in the United States
student loan debt
your favorite vacation spot
You might consider asking students to repeat the assignment using other types of attention-
getting devices discussed in the chapter (quotations, questions, etc.). This activity also works
well for online courses.
Building Credibility in an Introduction
Purpose: To encourage students to examine their expertise/knowledge for purposes of building
credibility in a speech topic.
Instructions: Think of two of your personal hobbies or interests. If you were to write a speech
about them, how would you build credibility in the introduction? List statements you might make
to support your credibility for each.
Encourage students to take an inventory of their expertise or knowledge of their chosen hobbies
or interests. Students often do not see their own expertise unless it is pointed out to them or they
are encouraged to write those things down.
III. GROUP ACTIVITIES
Analyzing Introductions
Purpose: To give students an opportunity to identify the strategies used in speech introductions.
Instructions: In a group of three or four people, find copies of three or four speeches from a
speech archive such as www.ted.com, Vital Speeches of the Day, or by searching the Internet.
Isolate the introductions for each speech. In a paragraph, describe the type of introduction used
in the speech: A story? Quotations? Humor? Did the speaker select appropriate opening material
for the occasion and audience? Be prepared to discuss your findings with the class.
This activity could serve as an in-class report to fulfill an assignment. Have groups of students
generate a report on the introductions they analyze. This also works well as an assignment for an
online course.
Experimenting with Humor
Purpose: To encourage students to explore their comfort level with humor as an attention-
getting device.
Instructions: Working individually, write a paragraph describing a funny incident that has
happened to you. Next, divide into groups of four or five students, and take turns telling your
stories to the group. Were you comfortable using humor? Why, or why not? Were the audience
members comfortable with your use of humor? Why, or why not?
As a supplement to this activity, encourage students to use humor as an attention-getting device
in their introductions, conclusions, or both. Have group members comment on the effectiveness
of the humor.
