8
THE INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION
Chapter in Review
primacy-recency effect
the tendency to remember the first and
last items conveyed orally in a series
rather than the items in between
startling statement
a sentence or two that grabs your
listeners’ attention by shocking them in
some way
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direct question
a question that demands an overt
response from the audience, usually by
a show of hands
story
an account of something that has
happened (actual) or could happen
(hypothetical)
joke
an anecdote or a piece of wordplay
designed to be funny and make people
laugh
personal reference
a brief story about something that
happened to you or a hypothetical
situation that listeners can imagine
themselves in
quotation
a comment made by and attributed to
someone other than the speaker
action
an attention-getting act designed to
highlight your topic or purpose
LO1
Why are solid introductions and conclusions so important to effective
public speaking?
A speech’s introduction and conclusion are important because we are more likely to remember the
first and last items conveyed orally in a series than the items in between. Listeners are more likely
to remember the beginning and ending of your speech than what you say in the body. Introduction
and conclusion are also important because of the need for listeners to grasp quickly your goal and
main points as they listen to your speech and to remember them after you’ve finished.
LO2
How can you get your audience’s attention in your introduction?
LO3
LO4
Why should you summarize your main points again in the conclusion?
An effective speech introduction gets audience attention, establishes listener relevance,
establishes credibility and goodwill, and introduces the thesis.
How might you motivate listeners to remember your speech in your
conclusion?
A well-designed speech conclusion summarizes the speech goal and main points and leaves the
audience with a vivid impression. Informative and persuasive speeches may leave an impression
with a clincher, a one- or two-sentence statement that provides a sense of closure by driving home
the importance of your speech in a memorable way. Two strategies for effective clinchers are using
vivid imagery and appealing to action.
LO5
How do you determine which sources to include in your outline and
reference list?
Regardless of the type of speech or how long or how short it will be, you’ll want to prepare a list of
the sources you use in it. This list will enable you to direct audience members to the specific source
of the information you have used and will allow you to quickly find the information at a later date.
creating suspense
wording an attention-getter so that
what is described generates initial
uncertainty or mystery and excites the
audience
clincher
a one- or two-sentence statement in
a conclusion that provides a sense of
closure by driving home the importance
of your speech in a memorable way
appeal to action
a statement in a conclusion that
describes the behavior you want your
listeners to follow after they have heard
your arguments
formal outline
a full sentence outline of your speech
that includes internal references and a
reference list
Chapter Quiz
True/False
1. A good introduction will help the audience quickly grasp the goal and main points of a speech.
2. A good speech introduction should only identify and define the topic quickly.
3. Even though an audience is physically present at a speech, it doesn’t mean they are paying
attention.
4. According to the primacy-recency effect, we are more likely to remember the first thing we
hear rather than the last.
5. The best way to create an introduction is to come up with a single idea and then stick to it.
Multiple Choice
6. While a good introduction previews the main points of the speech, a good conclusion
them.
a. summarizes
b. repeats
c. contravenes
d. reinforces
e. tells
7. The term
refers to appeals to emotions.
a. ethos
b. chronos
c. pathos
d. logos
e. kairos
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8. An effective way to get the audience’s attention is by:
a. telling a story
b. using a startling statement
c. telling a joke
d. asking a question
e. All of the above
9. A speaker can achieve a sense of closure in a conclusion by using a:
a. joke
b. adumbration
c. wrap-up
d. clincher
e. preview
10. Which of the following is not one of the goals of an effective introduction?
a. Get audience attention
b. Demonstrate the speaker’s sense of humor
c. Establish speaker credibility
d. Identify the thesis statement
e. Establish listener relevance
Answers:
1. T; 2. F; 3. T; 4. F; 5. F; 6. d; 7. c ; 8. e; 9. d; 10. b.
Speech Snippets
Introducing a Speech with Rhetorical Questions and a Startling
Statement
Lana used a combination of rhetorical questions and a startling statement to get her listeners’ attention for her speech on eating disorders:
“Who are five of the most important women in your life? Your
mother? Your sister? Your daughter? Your wife? Your best friend?
Now which one of them has an eating disorder? Before you disregard my question, listen to what research tells us. One in every
five women in the United States has an eating disorder.”
Getting Attention by Telling a Story
Matt used a short story to get audience attention for his speech about
spanking as a form of discipline:
One rainy afternoon, four-year-old Billy was playing “pretend” in
the living room. He was Captain Jack Sparrow, staving off the bad
guys with his amazing sword-fighting skills. Then it happened. Billy
knocked his mother’s very expensive china bowl off the table. Billy
hung his head and began to cry. He knew what was coming, and
sure enough it did. The low thud of his mother’s hand on his bottom
brought a sting to his behind and a small yelp from his mouth. Billy
got a spanking.
Introducing a Speech with a Personal Reference and a Startling
Statement
Getting Attention through Action
In her speech about acupressure, Andria asked her audience to perform
this action as she modeled it for them:
Take the thumb and index finger of your right hand and pinch the
skin between the thumb and index finger of your left hand. What
you’ve just done is stimulate a pressure point that can relieve
headaches.
Establishing Listener Relevance
Tiffany created a listener relevance link by asking her audience to
consider her topic in relation to their own lives:
Although a diet rich in eggs and meat was once the norm in our
country, more and more of us are choosing a vegetarian lifestyle to
help lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and even help prevent the onset of some diseases. So as I describe my experience,
you may want to consider how you could alter your diet.
Establishing Credibility in an Introduction
In his speech about smoking in public places, Eric established his
credibility by saying, “I used to smoke cigarettes and have quit, but not
before I did a good deal of research about the effects of smoking and
secondhand smoke.”
Summarizing Your Main Points
In her speech about binge eating and obesity, Jamie used this personal
reference and startling statement to get her audience’s attention:
For her speech on the benefits of organic food, Courtney offered this
summary:
“Imagine a table full of all the food you eat in one week. [pause]
That’s a lot of food, right? Now, imagine eating all that food in one
day! Believe it or not, there are people who do this. They consume
many thousands of calories more than the suggested intake of
2,000 per day. This is a condition called binge eating, and it’s more
common than you might think.”
So I hope you now understand how eating organically produced
food contributes to physical health, a cleaner environment, and
animal welfare.
Using a Short Quotation to Get Attention
In a speech about the importance of courage and taking risks, Sonja
began with Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous quotation, “The only thing
we have to fear is fear itself.”
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Ending with a Clincher
Jamie drove home her point about obesity by referring back to her
opening story about Tom and then offering an appeal to action:
Without doubt, obesity is a serious problem that must be addressed
by examining its causes and then constructing and implementing
workable solutions. Together, we can help people like Tom overcome obesity. If we can, we must—before it’s too late.
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