This document provides guidance on constructing an effective introduction to a speech. It recommends using an attention getting device at the beginning to engage the audience. The introduction should then state the topic and purpose of the speech using a thesis statement. It should also establish the speaker's credibility on the topic and provide a preview of the main points that will be discussed in the body of the speech. Examples are given of different types of attention getting devices and ways to establish credibility drawn from personal experience or research. The introduction should smoothly transition the audience into the body of the speech.

1. Kelly Soczka Steidinger
MSTC Communication Instructor

2. 1. Get the attention of the audience
 By using an Attention Getting Device (AGD)
2. Reveal the topic & purpose of the
speech
 By using a Thesis Statement
3. Establish your credibility
4. Preview the main points of your speech
O’Hair, D., Stewart, R. & Rubenstein, H. (2012). A speaker’s guidebook: Text and
reference. (5th ed.). New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s

4. 1. Use a statistic or example
2. Rhetorical question
3. Use a quote
4. Tell a story
5. Use an analogy/metaphor
6. Refer to the occasion
7. Address audience needs

5. A speaker’s credibility can come from:
 Personal experience
 Discuss your experience with the topic
 From research and reading
Provide an oral citation with information from your
research
 Expertise in the topic area
Refer to your from formal educational or occupational
experience

6. “Volunteering is something that has been
a huge part of my life for about 5 years.”
- From Personal Experience
“An article on global warming that
appeared in the February 22, 2018 issue
of USA Today sounded the alarm …”
- From Research and Reading
Examples of Establishing Credibility

7. How?
By listing the main points of the speech that
you will discuss
Why?
It tells the listener what to listen for during
the speech
It provides a smooth transition into the
body of the speech

8. “First I am going to tell you
about George Washington’s
personal qualities and behaviors.
Then I will discuss the leadership
roles that made him an effective
politician. Finally, I will explore
the events in history that made
him a respected leader and “The
Father of his Country.”

9. 1. While researching main points, look for
potential introduction information.
2. Be creative, but still stay on topic.
3. Write introduction & conclusion after the body
of your speech.
4. Write it out in detail for smooth delivery
5. Practice, practice, practice!

10. (AGD) One night Mary Ann Kanzius awoke to a horrendous clamor
coming from downstairs, upon investigation she found her husband
John sitting on the kitchen floor cutting up her good aluminum pie
pans with a pair of shears. When asked why he was wiring the pans
to his ham radio, he told her to go back to bed. So off she went
know that John wasn't kind of person to quit until he was satisfied,
but what she didn't know is that John was developing a way to use
radio waves to kill the cancer he'd recently been diagnosed with and
his midnight tinkering may soon give hope to the 1.4 million (Est.
Credibility) Americans diagnosed with cancer every year according
to the 2006 American Cancer Society facts and figures. (Thesis) For
John Kanzius inadvertently refined a current cancer treatment called
radio frequency ablation, he made it more effective and less
invasive. (Preview the Body) To understand how this came to be,
we will explore first the current procedure, second, John's new
approach and finally the implications of this new hope for treating
cancer. O’Hair, D., Stewart, R. & Rubenstein, H. (2012). A speaker’s guidebook: Text and
reference. (5th ed.). New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s