How to Begin and End a Speech
Preparing an Introduction and Conclusion for Public Speaking
Oct 1, 2009
It’s impossible to say that the introduction to a speech is any more or less important than the conclusion, or vice versa. After all, whereas the introduction prepares the audience and generates interest in what is to come, which is the actual speech, the conclusion lets the audience know the speech is ending, ties up any lose ends, and reinforces the main ideas or idea presented during the course of the speech.
An Effective Speech Introduction
According to Stephen E. Lucas, author of The Art of Public Speaking, “A poor beginning may so distract or alienate listeners that the speaker can never fully recover.”
This is why the beginning is the most crucial part of a speech. It is the “make or break” moment that can either instill speakers with confidence, because they will know they have grabbed their audience’s attention, or destroy speakers’ confidence because they will see rejection in all those eyes string back at them and, more than likely, experience speech anxiety and blunder through the remainder of the speech.
Objectives of a Speech Introduction
According to Lucas, there are four main objectives for an introduction:
- To grab the audience’s attention and generate interest in the topic
- To let people know the topic of the speech
- To preview main points to be made
- To establish speaker credibility and sincerity
Grabbing the Audience’s Attention and Generating Interest
When speakers initially step onto a stage or behind a podium, they automatically have the audience’s attention. The problem, though, is that they have to keep that attention, which can be accomplished by generating interest in the speech topic. There are, however, as Lucas maintains, several ways for speakers to generate interest:
- Relate the topic to the audience: Let people know how the topic relates to them on a personal level.
- Share the importance of the topic: Tell the audience why the topic is important.
- Startle the audience: Provide an astonishing, interesting, arresting, or intriguing fact or statement.
- Ask a thought-provoking question.
- Open with an appropriate attention-getting quote by a great thinker or famous person.
- Use a narrative: Tell the audience a true story that relates to the topic.
Stating the Topic and Previewing Main Points
After getting the audience’s attention, let everyone know the topic of the speech and the main points that will be made during the course of the speech. Most people, after all, are poor listeners, but when provided with the topic and main points, they will know what to listen for throughout the speech.
Establishing Credibility and Good Will
By establishing their credibility, speakers demonstrate that they are qualified to speak on a subject. Speakers, therefore, should share the source of their expertise. This does not mean, however, that they must be experts. It simply means they must let the audience know whether they possess first-hand knowledge or experience, or if their knowledge of the topic was gained through extensive research, interviews with experts, or other means.
Speakers should also establish good will, especially when dealing with controversial topics, by letting the audience know they respect any opposing viewpoints but, nevertheless, would like to share some information that everyone might find interesting.
An Effective Speech Conclusion
The conclusion is important because it is the last thing the audience hears and will linger longer in everyone’s mind than the introduction ever will; moreover, a poor conclusion can mar an otherwise outstanding speech.
Objectives of a Speech Conclusion
Regardless of the type of speech being delivered – persuasive, informative, analytical, etc – the conclusion serves two purposes: it lets the audience know the speech is ending and reinforces the main ideas made throughout the speech.
Signaling the End of the Speech
There are several ways speakers can signal the conclusion:
- By using such phrases as “In conclusion,” “In closing, “ “In summary,” “One last thought,” etc.
- By changing tone of voice, pacing, intonation, and/or speech pattern and rhythm, all of which can alter the momentum of a speech (either slowly winding it down or else building to a crescendo).
Reinforcing the Main Ideas of the Speech
An effective conclusion serves to strengthen an audience’s comprehension of the topic; and as Lucas maintains, there are several methods speakers can utilize to accomplish this goal:
- Summarize main ideas by restating them, for example, “Tonight we discussed Schrodinger’s Paradox and examined how this paradox helps explain the law of probability because,” and so on.
- Relate the conclusion to the introduction by referring back to something said, a person mentioned, or a story related, etc.
- Conclude with an appropriate quotation that leaves the audience with food-for-thought.
- Conclude with a dramatic statement; for example, Patrick Henry ended his famous speech with these lines: “As for me, give me liberty or give me death” (Lucas, 1989); and those lines not only lingered in the minds of his audience but also echoed throughout history.
Both the introduction and the conclusion of a speech are important, and it’s impossible to say that one is any more or less important than the other. With this in mind, speakers should devote adequate thought to the preparation of both if they wish to deliver not only a good speech but also one that people will remember for a long time to come.
Lucas, Stephen. The Art of Public Speaking: Sixth Edition; Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998.
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