Introducing Your Speech

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Your speech introduction is your first chance to connect with your audience and prepare them for what you will say. During this time, you want to gain listeners’ attention, disclose your speech thesis, establish credibility, connect to listeners’ needs and interests, and preview your main points. Although you will be doing most of this simultaneously, speech introductions often begin with gaining your listeners’ attention and end by previewing your main points.

Gain Listeners’ Attention. More than anything else, your introduction tells the audience what type of speech you are going to give. If you start your speech with overused phrases like “Hi, my name is . . . and today I’m going to talk about . . . ,” you are telling your audience that your speech is going to be boring. Instead, create anticipation for what you have to say with a more creative introduction. Here are some ways to do that:

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Gain Listeners’ Attention Disclose Your Speech Thesis Establish Credibility Connect to Listeners’ Needs and Interests Preview Your Main Points
Table 14.2: TABLE 14.3 INTRODUCTION CHECKLIST

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Disclose Your Speech Thesis. After grabbing your audience’s attention, you reveal the subject matter of your speech by clearly stating your speech thesis. For example, “You can reduce the likelihood of falling victim to cyberstalking by taking steps to protect your privacy online.” Sometimes you will need to provide background information or definitions to make sure your audience understands your thesis. In a speech about cyberstalking, you may need to define the term in your introduction so that there is no confusion about what you mean.

Establish Credibility. As you introduce a speech, the audience may wonder about your qualifications or experience with the topic. Listeners are more receptive to your message if they perceive you as credible or trustworthy. Although credibility is a key component in persuasive speaking, you also want to be trustworthy and ethical when giving informative and special-occasion speeches. How do you establish your credibility during the speech introduction? Briefly tell listeners about any relevant personal experience, or explain why you’re interested in the topic. For example, “Last October I discovered that I had a cyberstalker.”

Of course, you must maintain your credibility throughout the entire speech. We discuss how to do this in Chapter 17.

Connect to Listeners’ Needs and Interests. People pay more attention to a speech when they think the topic is relevant to their needs and concerns. But it’s not always apparent to your listeners how they can benefit from listening to your speech. This is why it is important to clearly state “what’s in it for them” during your introduction. For instance, “I know that many of you have Instagram, Twitter, and other social media accounts. What I have to share with you today can lower your chances of becoming a victim of cyberstalking.”

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Preview Your Main Points. End your introduction by highlighting the main points of your presentation. This signals to your audience that you are transitioning from the introduction to the body of your speech: “I will first discuss the common types of cyberstalking that occur online. Then I’ll go over some steps you can take to protect yourself.”