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Introducing Your Speech

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 (see Table 14.3):

Ask a real question. Posing a real question makes your speech interactive by involving your audience. For example, “By a show of hands, how many of you have completely public social media accounts?” Exercise caution if you encourage verbal responses, because lengthy answers will cut significantly into your speech time. Be prepared to step in and cut off responses if things get out of hand.
Ask a rhetorical question. Rhetorical questions prompt your listeners to silently reflect on an issue. For example, “If you found out today that you only had six months to live, what would you do tomorrow?” This can work better if you are delivering your speech online and can’t see or hear the responses of your audience.
Make a startling or suspenseful statement. Start with a fact or statistic that raises your listeners’ curiosity or challenges their worldview. For example, “One in three of you in this class will get it at some point in your lives. It’s known as the ‘silent killer.’”
Tell a story. Begin your introduction with a compelling, relevant story. This is what Obama did when he summarized the story of the U.S. Constitution. When telling a story, keep it brief. You don’t want the story to become the speech itself.
Use a brief quotation. Alert your audience to the speech’s theme and grab their attention with a relevant quote. For example, “Gandhi said, ‘You must be the change you want to see in the world,’” or “I’m an adopted child, and my mother always told me, ‘We chose you.’”
Reference the occasion or recent events. Comment on common ground between you and your audience. For example, “Tonight is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the significance of 50 years of marriage as we honor Lawrence and Charlene.”

Disclose Your Speech Thesis.After grabbing your audience’s attention, you can reveal the subject matter of your speech, or 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.”

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 of your speech to the body: “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.”