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Effective
Introductions
Get the attention
and interest of the audience.
However, just getting their
attention is not enough! You have
to make them want to listen to your speech.
Reveal the
topic of your speech
By the end of the introduction there
should be no doubt in the
audience’s mind as to exactly what your speech is about.
Establish
credibility and goodwill
Basically, reassure the audience
that you are sincere and are
not trying to deceive them. If goodwill is not quickly
established, your audience can easily ignore your message or
become ver suspicious. On the other hand audiences will
forgive a lot of mistakes by a speaker they like or at least
that they feel likes them.
Establish WHY
the audience should listen to you.
This is the audience’s first
impression of you, so it is important
to make a good impression. If you don’t give the audience a
compelling reason why they should listen, then it’s doubtful
that you will keep their attention very long.
Keep it brief
If it is too long, you will begin to
lose the audience’s attention.
You should leave the development of major points to the body
of the speech. A good rule of thumb is that your intro should
not be more than 10-15% of your speech.
Use visual
language
Use vivid adverbs and adjectives to
appeal to all five senses.
Try to "paint the air" with visual imager.
Use an
effective attention getting device
Stories – keep them short and
dramatic
Shocking statistics – make sure that they are both shocking
and easily understandable
Quotations – keep them brief and to the point
Relate everything to the audience
Rollovers – a story that is begun in the introduction and
finished in the conclusion
Compliments of Frank P. Connelly, DTM
Candidate for International Director
Region 8, 2001 – 2003