A Good Introduction is the Key to a Successful Speech

Having taught public speaking to student for te past number of years, I tell my students that it is important to pay special attention to the introduction. This is when your audience makes the initial impression. To make the point about how an introduction should be put together, I refrenece a flyer I saw years ago. In big bold letters, the flyer said "SEX". Then it went on to say, in much smaller print "Now that I've got your attention...". It was a flyer advertising an object, I think a guitar, someone had for sale. The approach is not new but when I was a freshman in college, it was the first time I had seen this. It worked, it got my attention and I read the rest of the flyer. I laughed at the time but now, years later, I realize how, if this was an introduction to a speech, it would have been a terrible one.

Now, years later, I think about what a terrible introduction that would be for a speech. When putting a speech together, individuals should keep in mind that a successful introduction should do four things. A good introduction should get the listener's attention and this certainly did that. It should also set up your topic, establish the speaker's credibility and be no more than 5-20 percent of the entire speech. The introduction failed in those other three areas.

I realize this is a poster advertising an individual looking to sell an object, not a speech. Of course it is different than a speech, but the sign can still teach many lessons about speaking. A good introduction needs to set up your topic. That means it has to be related to what you are discussing. In this case sex and the guitar had nothing to do with each other.

The introduction should also get the attention and interest of your audience. The sign did that. A shocking or startling statement usually does, but there are a number of other approaches that can be used as well. One approach is questioning the audience. I like to try and arouse the curiosity of the audience. Telling a story and using a quotation are other possible methods. There are also times when the only appropriate introduction is to reference the occasion, even if it is not the most interesting approach. For instance, on the anniversary of 9-11, the only appropriate approach is to start by talking about the tragedy. Each one of these approaches really warrants their own article as there are a number of techniques for each.

Some sources say a good introduction should only be five to ten percent of your entire speech while others say 10-20 percent. If you are giving a ten minute speech, by the most liberal of standards then, the speech introduction should be no more than 2 minutes. It could be as short as 30 seconds.

However long the introduction is, it is important to give this a lot of consideration. This is how you get your audience's attention. This is the first thing they will hear. Do not start by just saying, "Today I am going to talk about ...".

I tell my students that a speech without a good introduction is a lot like sex... ... ... ... without foreplay. It can get the job done. It can be successful and even good, but if you truly want to be memorable, it is important to set the right tone. Here's to putting the necessary time into working out a good, effective and memorable introduction.