Effective Introductions
The introduction is the first thing your audience will
hear or read. Many presentation fail in the opening sentences. Take the time to
plan your words in the introduction and make it influential.
This material is based on Ehninger, Douglas, et al.
Principles and Types of Speech Communication. 9th Ed. Glenview,
IL: Scott, Forseman and Co., 1986 and Sprague, Jo and Douglas Stuart.
Speaker’s Handbook. 2nd Ed. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
1988.
1.
Is the audience likely to be interested, or must
I arouse interest through some attention-getting approach?
2.
Is the audience sufficiently aware of my
qualifications or must I establish my expertise?
3.
Does my speech fulfill or depart from the
expectations of the audience or occasion? If the speech is not consonant with
expectations, should I clarify my reasons for the direction I am taking?
4.
How important is it to create an atmosphere of
good will?
5.
Does the audience have prior knowledge of the
scope of my speech, or should I forecast the major themes before delving into
the substantive portion?
1.
Get Attention
a.
Remember that the first part of influencing your
audience is to get their attention. This function is critical.
b.
Even
if they are already paying attention, it doesn’t hurt to have an attention
getting device. The audience may appreciate the extra effort.
d.
An
attention-getting statement will usually be the first element in your message.
2.
Establishing Credibility
a.
If the audience does not know about your
credentials—and if your credentials will help influence them—state them briefly
and appropriately in the introduction.
b.
However,
you may not want or need to explicitly state your qualifications.
i.
The
audience may already know your qualifications.
ii. You
may not have influential qualifications.
iii. For
some reasons, your qualifications may not advance your influence.
c.
Even if you don’t choose to explicitly state your
qualifications, you must still establish your ethos in the introduction.
i.
Think
of what gives you confidence in someone when you first meet them.
ii. Apply
these nonverbal techniques to your introduction.
1.) Look
at your audience.
2.) Speak
up.
3.) Be energetic.
4.) Be
personal.
5.) Smile,
if appropriate.
3.
Give the audience a reason to listen.
a.
The audience will begin by thinking explicitly or
implicitly, “What’s in this for me?”
b.
Give
them some reason that they should pay attention.
i.
The
subject may be vital—life or death.
ii. It
may save them money.
iii. It
may make them laugh.
iv. They
may need it for their job.
c.
Consider the motivational appeals.
d.
The
reason to listen may be obvious in certain situations or with certain
audiences. In this case, you may be able to skip this function.
4.
Introduce the topic
a.
Obviously, the audience needs to know what you’re
talking about.
b.
You
may start with an idea that is meaningful to the audience and move them to your
topic, but make sure they follow the movement.
c.
Remember that your audience is starting from a dead
stop; you’re already up to speed. Give them a chance to get going with your
topic.
d.
This
function may involve only a single sentence if the audience already knows what
to expect. Or it may involve several sentences if the audience is not familiar
with the topic or with your perspective.
e.
You may, in certain circumstances, want to withhold
your biggest ideas until later in the speech to build up to a big unveiling.
i.
This
may be an appropriate technique.
ii. However,
still give some sort of topic sentence and preview. Tell them the direction
you’re headed. “Before giving you the whole picture, let me give you some
reasons why I believe this issue is important to all of us.”
5.
Give a preview of the main points.
a.
Before you take a trip to a new destination, you need
some sort of map.
b.
Give
your audience a map of your big ideas so they know where you’re going and can
follow along.
c.
This doesn’t need to be elaborate and should just cover
the main points.
d.
This
preview will almost always be the last element in your introduction.
6.
Satisfy the demands of audience and occasion
a.
If there are some special rules, customs or protocols
for your rhetorical situation, address those in the introduction.
b.
There
may be some powerful element in the occasion that demands some reference in the
introduction. For example, giving a speech anywhere in America
on September 12, 2001.
7.
You don’t need all these elements in every
introduction.
a.
You will almost always have an attention getter. It
will almost always be first.
b.
You
will almost always have a preview. It will almost always be last.
c.
The other elements will come in between these two.
d.
You
may perform multiple functions with the same sentence of paragraph.
1.
Reference to the Subject or Problem
a.
A direct reference to the subject is an appropriate
beginning when the audience is familiar with and interested in the message.
b.
If,
on the other hand, the audience is familiar with the subject but skeptical of
your message, you will want to take some time to establish common ground with
the audience. By seeking to find themes or values which you and the audience
hold in common, or by noting the potentially controversial nature of your
remarks, you will establish a basis for the reception of your views.
c.
Many business conferences invite speakers with a
particular topic or theme in mind; the speaker need not go into lengthy detail
setting up the importance of the subject. Instead, the speaker can begin by
stating the subject and moving immediately to the first major point of the
address.
d.
When
Howard R. Swearer, President of Brown University, spoke to the trustees of the
university on the matter of intercollegiate athletics, he used a direct
approach:
The
national intercollegiate athletic situation is in considerable flux and, I
believe, may have entered a period of rapid transition. Many colleges and
universities are facing critical questions which cannot be begged for long.
The
driving forces are well known but merit mention anyway, if for no other reason
than that many of us in the older generations may tend to view collegiate
sports through the now misty and romantic filter of our own undergraduate days.
However, the tug of nostalgia should not inhibit us from making a clear
assessment of the contemporary scene.
e.
The Reverend James G. Harris, of the University Baptist
Church of Fort Worth, introduces his sermon against the prayer amendment in
just such a manner.
Representative American Speeches 44, no. 4 (1971-72): 145.
On
November 8, [1971] just one week from tomorrow, House Joint Resolution 191 will
be introduced on the floor of Congress. It shall be subject to a vote without
passing through the judiciary Committee, where hearings could have cleared the
air and where opponents to this bill would have had a chance to be heard in
reasons for their vigorous opposition.
In
1964, three months were spent in hearings when a so-called prayer amendment,
the Becker Amendment, was proposed. As a result of these hearings, the
overwhelming evidence presented to the Committee was so convincing that the
effort was abandoned. At that time, to avoid such a hearing, the so-called
prayer lobbyists sought to get the necessary 218 signatures of congressmen that
would have made it possible to bypass the Judiciary Committee and eliminate the
hearings that are so necessary for a thorough study of a bill. Only 170
signatures could be obtained in 1964.
The
champions of freedom won a great victory and we relaxed. But the other side did
not relax. For seven years they have lobbied and worked. After these
intervening years, a discharge petition was signed a few days ago by the
required 218 congressmen, and within a matter of days this bill will be
presented on the floor of the House. We who are concerned and alarmed have
little time to turn the tide around. I bring this message to inform you of what
I believe is a grave peril to our liberty and to share
with you my own convictions.
2.
Reference to the Occasion
a.
Occasions such as commencement addresses, acceptances
of awards, major holidays, and keynote addresses at conferences virtually
dictate a reference to the reasons you are brought together.
b.
Explicit
reference to the significance of the occasion helps create a feeling of good
will.
c.
When the historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., appeared
at the Joint Session of Congress to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s birth, he opened his remarks in an
appropriate manner:
Mr.
Speaker, Mr. President, Members of Congress, friends, it is a high honor for me
to share with three such doughty warriors for liberty and justice as Averell
Harriman, Claude Pepper, and Jennings Randolph the opportunity to address this
most eminent legislative body in the world.
It
is, indeed, a most special occasion that brings us together. We have heard all
our lives about the first hundred days of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. We gather
today to celebrate his first hundred years.
d.
This
way to show that you are not giving a canned speech was used by Senator William
L. Armstrong of Colorado when he
appeared before the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
Mr. Chairman, the
irony of the situation today is inescapable. Here I sit before several
television cameras pleading the case about why the full Senate should televise
its debates. Yet, television coverage is prohibited if I were just a few steps
away in the United States Senate. However, if I were at the other end of the
corridor in the Capitol, in the U.S. House of Representatives, television
cameras would record all my remarks, as well as the comments of those who agree
and disagree with me.
i.
Vital
Speeches of the Day 52, no. 2 (Nov. 1, 1985): 37.
3.
Personal Reference or Greeting
a.
Helps establish goodwill.
i.
Marcie
Groover, a student at Stetson
University,
used her own experience to establish a personal relationship with the audience:
As I was working my
way through the public school system, I, like my peers, believed that I was
receiving a fine education. I could read and write, and add and subtract-yes,
all of the essentials were there. At least that’s what I thought. And then the
boom lowered: “Attention class-your next assignment is to present an oral
report of your paper in front of the class next week.” My heart stopped. Panic
began to rise up inside. Me? In front of thirty other fourth-graders giving a
speech? For the next five days I lived in dreaded anticipation of the
forthcoming event. When the day finally arrived, I stayed home. It seemed at
the time to be the perfect solution to a very scary and very real problem. Up
to that time, I had never been asked to say a word in front of anyone, and,
more importantly, had never been taught anything about verbal communication
skills.
b.
Be
modest and seem sincere. But avoid being overly modest or apologetic
i.
Dan
Ramczyk, from the University of
New
Mexico, successfully balanced modesty and
openness in explaining how he came to believe that female sexual harassment in
employment was a serious problem:
To be perfectly
honest, I myself never really believed that female sexual harassment was really
that significant a problem. My lack of empathy for the woman could be
attributed to the differences in our common grounds of identification. However,
one Sunday morning several months ago, as I was reading my hometown newspaper,
I came across some very disturbing statistics. These statistics made it
impossible for me to ignore the problem of female sexual harassment any longer.
c.
Observe how John H. Hanley, president of the St.
Louis-based Monsanto Company, builds common ground with members of the Houston
Club:
Seeing
many people here today with whom Monsanto has a business and professional
relationship reinforces my belief that we in St. Louis
and you in Houston have a great
deal in common.
Cynics
might say, “Yes, both places are hotter than soup in the summer.” They might
add that our two baseball teams are not so hot.
But
I shrug off those disrespectful comments and point to our mutual good sense in
promoting an aggressive, diversified business community in our respective home
towns.
I
applaud our mutual good taste in covering two of the world’s greatest sports
emporia-the Astrodome and Busch Stadium-with Monsanto’s Astroturf
Vital Speeches of the Day 45, no. 2 (Nov. 1 1978):
55.
4.
Rhetorical Question
a.
A rhetorical question is one which is asked without
expecting an immediate verbal response.
b.
Jacqueline
Jackson, a student at Regis
College,
used this approach to focus attention on her topic and at the same time
indicate her main themes:
Johnny
can’t read. Johnny can’t write. Johnny doesn’t know how to spell. Johnny’s not
good with numbers. Johnny has a hard time remembering. Johnny lost the football
game. Maybe Johnny’s retarded and we’re not doing enough for him. Maybe
Johnny’s gifted and we’re holding him back. Johnny can’t get along with others;
Johnny can’t get along with his teachers either. Johnny can’t seem to do
anything right. But why can’t Johnny read, write, spell, play football, or get
along with others Could it be the fault of the schools?
That seems to be the answer that the mass media have been promoting for years.
Is the American school system responsible for the unbalanced, semi-literate
children of today? Should the school system be responsible to educate every
unbalanced semiliterate? Are schools being asked to do too much? Are schools
being asked to do the right things?
5.
Startling Statement
a.
If your audience is particularly apathetic, if might be
appropriate to shock them by beginning with a startling statement.
b.
John
Knutson, a student at the University
of Wisconsin, Stout, began a speech
with this statement:
He
told me that “it would have been better if they would have taken a pistol to
his head, and pulled the trigger.” My friend wasn’t talking about someone
terribly injured in an automobile accident, nor was he referring to a veteran
who never recovered from Vietnam.
Fernando was citing the instance of an 18-year-old boy being sentenced to jail
for the first time. 6
c.
Select and phrase such a statement with discretion. If
the audience perceives the statement as being in poor taste-shock solely for
the sake of shock-they may regard you and the remainder of your presentation
with suspicion.
6.
Pertinent Quotation
a.
A quotation that conveys the theme or major point of
your presentation can provide a good beginning.
b.
Be
simple and succinct;
c.
Alicia Becker began a speech on crises in higher
education began with a quotation:
“It
was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of
foolishness, it was the age of reason; it was the epoch of belief, it was the
epoch of incredulity; it was the season of light, it was the season of
darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” With those
words Charles Dickens described the era of the French Revolution, nearly 200 years
ago. But he could just as well have been talking about today and tomorrow. We
live in a similar age of contradiction and turbulence, in an atmosphere which
threatens to destroy every institution, including this school. Today, I would
like to discuss with you some ways in which contradictory forces from the
government, the people of this state, the faculty of the university, and the
students who attend it are threatening the basic purpose of your education.
7.
Humorous Anecdote
a.
Be appropriate.
b.
Be
relevant.
c.
Hanna Gray introduced the Commencement Address at
Duke
University in May, 1982:
There
is a famous story, famous at any rate in the Connecticut
River Valley,
which has to do with a crusty and patriotic old Vermonter who lived on an
island in the Connecticut River through which ran the
boundary separating New Hampshire
and Vermont. One year, a team was
sent out to survey that boundary and its members discovered, quite
unexpectedly, that the old man lived not as had always been thought in
Vermont
but on the New Hampshire side of
the line. In a state of some anxiety and trepidation, they went to confront him
with the news that he lived in New Hampshire,
and to their astonishment he replied, “Well, thank the good Lord. I was
beginning to think I’d never be able to tolerate another one of them damn
Vermont
winters.” Members of the graduating class: yours is the exact analogue to the
old man’s position. The boundary that separates you from another Durham
winter has been drawn. You have been surveyed, found to be BAs, BSs, MAs, MBAs,
MSs, JDs, MDs-I could go on-but in any case, you have been surveyed and found
to be all those good things and therefore also citizens of some state which is
popularly known as “the real world.” Yet, tomorrow your spiritual terrain will
be roughly the same as today, and so will you: quite undramatically unchanged,
yet perhaps somewhat gratified to have survived into your new citizenship in
case, you have been surveyed and found to be all those good things and
therefore also citizens of some state which is popularly known as “the real
world.” Yet, tomorrow your spiritual terrain will be roughly the same as today,
and so will you: quite undramatically unchanged, yet perhaps somewhat gratified
to have survived into your new citizenship.
d.
In
a business communications course, Ellen Watrous started her speech on
historical cost accounting versus replacement cost accounting in this fashion:
i.
A
French balloonist once floated across the English Channel
and landed in a field of wheat. He spotted an Englishman and said, “Excuse me,
sir. Can you tell me where I am?” The Englishman replied, “Certainly. You are
in a basket in a field of wheat.” “You must be an accountant,” said the
balloonist. “Amazing,” said the Englishman. “How did you know?” “Easy,” replied
the balloonist. “Your information is typical: totally accurate but absolutely
useless.”
e.
Before using a humorous opening, ask yourself whether
you can relate the story in a natural, spontaneous manner. If you aren’t good
at simple, sincere humor, don’t attempt it.
8.
Real or Hypothetical Illustration
a.
Make the story vivid, interesting and relevant
b.
Deanna
Sellnow, a student at North Dakota
State
University, used this technique to
introduce a speech on personal credit data banks:
i.
John
Pontier, of Boise, Idaho,
was turned down for insurance because a reporting agency informed the company
that he, and his wife, were addicted to narcotics, and
his Taco Bell franchise had been closed down by the health board when dog food
had been found mixed in with the tacos. There was only one small problem. The
information was made up. His wife was a practicing Mormon who didn’t touch a
drink, much less drugs, and the restaurant had never been cited for a health
violations
9.
Combining Methods
a.
Combine the eight techniques to perform the necessary
function of your introduction.
b.
One
student combined several methods-quotation, real
illustration, and rhetorical question-to orient listeners to the subject:
i.
“Equality
of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United
States or any state on account of sex.”
ii. Sounds
simple enough-doesn’t it? As a matter of fact, 73 percent of all Americans
favored the Equal Rights Amendment. It was endorsed by more than 450 national
organizations representing 50 million Americans, and it was defeated last
summer. The movement for an Equal Rights Amendment and the subsequent support
for the amendment reflect a need and desire for change. Yet the defeat of such
an amendment illustrates that our attitudes need to be re-evaluated. Today I’d
like to examine the issue of equal rights with the objective being a rethinking
of our attitudes toward equal rights. First, we must recognize the impact of
the discrimination and stereotyping that are occurring right now. Next, we
should examine the misconceptions surrounding an attempted solution to the
problem-what was known as the Equal Rights Amendment. And finally, we will
consider a viable action for all of us. 9
1.
Plan your introduction as much or more than any
other part of the message, even if you know your audience and have experience.
2.
Even though the introduction is the first thing
in your presentation, it usually is the last thing you should work on in your
preparation.
3.
Avoid false starts, apologetic or tentative
phrases: “Is the mike on?” “Well, here goes nothing,” or “Let’s see, where
shall I start?”
4.
Don’t try to be too clever in your introduction
technique.
5.
Choose your first words carefully. Whatever you
say first will be your attention getter whether it’s effective or not.
1.
Don’t begin with, “Before I start I’d like to
say...” You have already started.
2.
Don’t start with, “My name is . . .” If you feel
like you must give your name—and you don’t need to do it unless the audience
doesn’t already know it—don’t make it the first thing out of your mouth. Often
students who start with their name have a second sentence that would work
much better.
3.
Don’t start with, “Today I want to talk to you
about . . .”
4.
Don’t ever begin with an apology like: “I’m not
really prepared” or “I don’t know much about this, but...”
5.
Don’t be dramatic to the point of assuming a
whole new identity or persona. Leave that to the cabaret impersonators and give
your speech as yourself
6.
Don’t use an attention getter that has no real
link to your topic. Avoid the temptation to stretch a point so you can start
with an unrelated joke you think is hilarious. Similarly, firing a starter’s
pistol in the air at the beginning of a speech on “How To
Get a Running Start on your Competition” would do more to distract than attract
your audience.
7.
Don’t make your introduction seem
disproportionately long.
8.
Don’t use stock phrases like “Unaccustomed as I
am to public speaking” or overworked apocryphal stories. Ask a friend to give a
brutal critique of your trove of expressions and stories.
9.
Don’t name-drop in building your credibility.
You do not want your audience to think that you are just gratifying your ego.
10.
Don’t startle your audience by coming out of a
yoga-like trance into an explosion of oral energy. This is a favorite of high
school orators. Engage your audience before your start.
11.
Don’t start with a long quotation that leaves
your audience wondering where the quotation ends and your words begin.
