1. Creating Effective Introductions
A short Course
by Dr. Doran O’Donnell

3. Speech Introductions Gain the Attention of the Audience
Establish Credibility
Preview Main Points
Introduce Topic
Establish Thesis

4. Methods of Gaining Audience Attention
Tell a story
Relate the topic to the audience
Refer to the occasion
Refer to the audience
State the importance of the topic
Use a startling statement
Arouse the curiosity of the audience (offer unusual information)
Pose Questions
Begin with a quotation
Use Humor
No matter the method used, your attention step should always be related to your topic.

5. Establishing Credibility
May be combined with the attention step
Share your experiences or knowledge
Direct Experience
Witnessed Experience
Cite expert testimony
Cite statistics

6. Preview and Thesis
The thesis directly explains the topic to the audience.
It generally includes the preview statement
It generally tells the audience what to do with the information.
The preview acts as a road map to the speech.
Previews the main points of the speech in same order as they are in the body.

7. Previewing Main Points
Make it stand out: Mark your preview in some way
Try to use parallel wording of main points to aid in retention
Use signposts or strong language to distinguish each main point (see example, page 129)

8. Conclusions Signal that the speech is coming to an end
Summarize the key points
Reiterate the central idea of the speech
Challenge the audience to respond
End the speech memorably
Refer to the introduction
Use a quotation
Use a story or example
Reference the audience or occasion