Selecting Introductions and Conclusions:
Strategies and Determining Factors
This material is from Ehninger, Douglas, et al. Principles and Types of
Speech Communication. 9th Ed. Glenview, IL: Scott, Forseman and Co., 1986.
Consider
these questions when planning your introduction or conclusion techniques:
1.
What are your experiences and abilities?
a.
The best source for real illustrations is your own
life.
b.
Stories
that you have discovered through research, on the other hand, need to be
rehearsed so that they sound “natural.”
c.
Your abilities as a speaker also may constrain your
choices.
i.
If
you are not naturally humorous, if you do not tell funny stories in a natural,
relaxed manner, perhaps attempting a humorous anecdote would not be wise.
ii. On
the other hand, if you are known as a clown and want to be taken seriously for
a change, you will need to set forth your qualifications explicitly and, in
concluding, create a serious mood for the consideration of your views.
2.
What is the mood and commitment of the audience?
a.
If you are speaking on a subject already announced and
known to be controversial, gaining attention through a startling statement or a
humorous anecdote may seem highly inappropriate.
b.
If,
on the other hand, the audience is indifferent or has already heard several
presentations on the same subject, a direct reference to the subject may be
perceived as dull and unoriginal.
c.
If the audience is in a jolly mood and does not wish to
be serious, you have a major problem on your hands. A rhetorical question that
forces them to think for a moment, or a startling statement that creates
curiosity may be appropriate in this circumstance.
3.
What knowledge does the audience have about you
and your commitment to the subject?
a.
If you are already known as an expert in an area,
stating your qualifications will be repetitious and may even convey conceit.
b.
If,
on the other hand, your personal experience and depth of feeling is generally
unknown, you will want to reveal these through personal reference or through an
additional inducement at the close of your address.
4.
What constraints are imposed by the situation or
setting?
a.
A somber occasion, such as a funeral or a dedication of
a war memorial, is hardly the place for gleeful hilarity.
b.
On
the other hand, some serious occasions, such as commencements, can be enlivened
by timely, well-chosen humor.
c.
A reference to the occasion or personal greeting may be
an appropriate reminder to the audience that you, as well as they, appreciate
the significance of the occasion.
d.
Pertinent
quotations and epitomizing illustrations, whether used at the beginning or end,
also can convey a sense of the event’s meaning for everyone present.
