Beginning and Ending the Speech

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• Beginning and Ending the Speech

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The Introduction

• Get attention and interest
• Reveal the topic
• Establish credibility and goodwill
• Preview the body of the speech

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The Introduction

• Get attention and interest

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Methods of Gaining Attention

• State the importance of your topic
• Startle the audience
• Arouse the curiosity of the audience
• Question the audience (rhetorical)
• Begin with a quotation
• Tell a story
• Relate your topic to the audience

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Rhetorical Question

• A question that the audience answers mentally
  rather than out loud.

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The Introduction

• Get attention and interest
• Reveal the topic
• Establish credibility and goodwill
• Preview the body of the speech

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The Introduction

• Get attention and interest
• Reveal the topic
• Establish credibility and goodwill
• Preview the body of the speech

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Credibility

• The audiences perception of whether a speaker
  is qualified to speak on a given topic.

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Goodwill

• The audiences perception of whether the speaker
  has the best interests of the audience in mind.

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The Introduction

• Get attention and interest
• Reveal the topic
• Establish credibility and goodwill
• Preview the body of the speech

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Preview Statement

• A statement in the introduction of a speech that
  identifies the main points to be discussed in the
  body of the speech.

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Tips for Preparing the Introduction

• Be concise Usually no more than 10-20 percent
  of the total speech
• Look for possible introductory materials as you
  do your research
• Be creative in devising your introduction

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Tips for Preparing the Introduction

• Finalize the exact wording of your introduction
  after you have finished preparing the body of the
  speech
• Work out the content and delivery of your
  introduction in detail

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The Conclusion

• Signal the end of the speech
• Reinforce the central idea

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Crescendo Ending

• A conclusion in which the speech builds to a
  zenith of power and intensity.

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Dissolve Ending

• A conclusion that generates emotional appeal by
  fading step by step to a dramatic final statement.

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Methods of Reinforcing the Central Idea

• Summarize your speech
• End with a quotation
• Make a dramatic statement
• Refer back to the introduction

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Tips for Preparing the Conclusion

• Look for possible concluding materials as you do
  your research
• Conclude with a bang, not a whimper
• Be brief Usually no more than 5-10 percent of
  the total speech
• Work out the content and delivery of your
  conclusion in detail

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Sample Introductions The following introductions
are missing at least one of the elements of a
good introduction. See if you can identify the
problem (s).
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• What tiny crystal fortified the coffers of many
  ancient empires and laid waste to others? What
  mineral has the power to create and the power to
  destroy? What is good as gold when scarce and
  cheap as dirt when abundant?
• The answer to all of these questions is salt, the
  spice of life. Today I would like to look at the
  importance of salt in history, at how we spice up
  our lives with salt today, and at the role salt
  will probably play in the future.

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1. We have so much unused human potential. By
   improving the use of your time, you can have much
   more time for social activities. You can use your
   mental processes more fully, thereby improving
   your grades. You can also increase your physical
   stamina and improve your health. We must learn to
   know our bodies.

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• A six-year-old collie lay battered and helpless
  by the side of the road. The car that hit her had
  broken her pelvis, dislocated her hip, and
  smashed her jaw. It had also blinded her, and she
  whimpered in pain and fear.
• Unfortunately, this true story happens much too
  frequently because of the growing problem of pet
  overpopulation. Having grown up on a farm with
  animals of all kinds, I care deeply about their
  welfare, and I have become aware through my
  veterinary courses of how serious the problem of
  pet overpopulation is.

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• Every problem has at least two sides. When one
  side is right, and the other side is wrong, the
  problem is easy to solve. But what if both sides
  have merit in their arguments? How do you solve
  these problems?
• Balancing the rights of everyone in an adoption
  is one of these problems. The parents who give up
  the child have a right that all the information
  they disclose be kept confidential, while the
  adopted child has a right to know about the
  identity of his or her natural parents.
• Today Id like to explore this problem with you
  and look at one approach to solving it.

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• Beginning and Ending the Speech
• Chapter 9