Preview Your Main Points

Another key goal for your introduction is to provide a preview of the main points that will be covered in the body of the speech, in the order that you will talk about them. For example, if you are giving a speech about why students should enroll in an art course, you might say: “There are two reasons why every college student should enroll in an art course. First, it provides students with a creative outlet, and second it teaches students useful and creative ways of thinking about their own subjects of study.” Audiences prefer to listen to speakers who are prepared and have a plan the audience can follow; by previewing, you offer a mental outline that your listeners can follow as they attend to your speech.