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Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Lecture Notes
Chapter 11: Introducing Your Speech
Learning Objectives
1-1 Explain how an introduction affects a speech
1-2 Describe the purpose served by introductions
1-3 Identify at least five ways to introduce a speech
1-4 Use the introduction to capture attention, build credibility, and preview the speech’s
main ideas
1-5 Avoid introduction pitfalls
Outline
I. As audience members quickly make impressions of you, the introduction captures the
audience’s attention from the outset.
A. One way to grab your audience’s attention is to startle or shock them.
1. Startling statements are effective but should be honest and ethical,
depending on the topic.
2. An introduction that only possesses shock value and is not connected to
the rest of the speech can confuse the audience.
B. Audiences that are involved are more likely to immerse themselves into the
topic.
1. When audience members believe your topic directly affects them, they
are more inclined to pay attention.
C. Arousing curiosity and building suspense can engage the audience.
1. Rhetorical questions or questions requiring no overt answer or
response are curiosity arousers and suspense builders
D. Quotations can be used to impress the audience and attract the audience’s
attention.
1. Quotes from well-known figures or ordinary people can be used when
appropriate to arouse great interest.
E. Humor can be used to capture the audience’s attention if it directly connected
to the content of the speech rather than serving as an afterthought.
Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
1. If you think audience members might find your humor to be offensive,
don’t use it.
F. Arousing emotion can be a way to engage the audience in your topic.
1. Stories such as illustrations and examples can capture the listener’s
attention and interest.
2. Stories also add color to a speech and help the speaker make the ideas
in the speech less abstract and more concrete.
II. Aside from capturing your audience’s attention and engaging them in your ideas,
your introduction should establish the speaker’s credibility.
A. Credibility is based on the audience’s judgments of a speaker’s expertise on a
topic.
1. Audience members’ initial impressions of you will be based on how you
look, what you say, and how you communicate during your opening
remarks.
2. If at the end of the intro the audience believes you are qualified to
speak on your topic, can identify with you and respond because they like
and trust you, you will be deemed credible in their eyes.
B. Demonstrate your credibility in your speech.
1. If you are mindful of the ways listeners perceive you, then you will find
that you can use attitude, demeanor, and content to build your credibility
in their eyes.
2. Listeners will be encouraged to listen to you if they believe you are
concerned about them and their well being.
C. Establish the relevance of your topic for your audience members.
1. What’s in it for me?
D. A speaker’s credibility is based on the audience’s initial impressions.
1. Culture plays an important role in how an audience is likely to respond
to a speaker.
III. In your introduction, preview the main ideas of your speech.
A. The preview lets the audience know your speech’s subject and purpose.
1. The preview identifies the main ideas that will comprise the body of your
speech.
2. Your audience should have a clear understanding of your intended topic from
the very beginning of your speech.
IV. Speakers should avoid making common mistakes when preparing an introduction.
Student Resource
Gamble, The Public Speaking Playbook, 2nd Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2018
A. Speakers should spend adequate time preparing the introduction.
1. Lack of preparation is not something listeners easily forgive.
B. Speakers should not pretend to know something that they don’t or pretend to
feel something that they don’t.
1. Audience members want to feel as if they know the “real” you.
C. Speakers should avoid tricking the audience into paying attention with the use
of gimmicks.
1. Treat the audience fairly.
D. Speakers should avoid being long winded.
1. Introduction is 10-20% of overall speech time and conclusion is 5-10%
of overall speech time.
E. Speakers should create the introduction last.
1. Much easier to prepare intro after the body has been completed.
