Real Communication An Introduction

380 Part 4  Public Speaking

or unexpected information to get an audience’s attention. For example, in a

speech on sleep deprivation, you might begin your speech as follows:

Did you know that every semester, university students are legally drunk

for one week straight? Yet despite feeling drunk, they never drink a drop of

alcohol. During finals week, students at the University of Oklahoma sleep

an average of five hours per night. Sleep deprivation—getting five hours

or less of sleep per night—can affect reaction time and mental sharpness.

After being awake for seventeen hours straight, a sleep-deprived person has

the reaction time and mental sharpness of someone with a blood alcohol

concentration of 0.05, which is considered legally drunk throughout most

of Europe.

Tell a Story

As discussed in Chapter 12, anecdotes can be useful illustrations for your speech.

Real-world stories can be particularly effective when worked into your opening,

where they can make audiences feel invested in a person before they even know

what your thesis is. For example, Miriam thinks her audience will tune out if she

simply informs them that she’s going to discuss the secret costs of credit cards.

But what if she opens with a story? For example:

A few months ago, my friend Monica—not her real name—decided that

she positively needed to own a pair of Jimmy Choo boots. Now, I’ll admit,

these were some amazing boots: black leather, calf-high, four-inch heels.

But they cost—are you sitting down?—$895.00. Like most of us, she didn’t

have that kind of cash lying around, so she bought the boots on credit and

figured that she would pay them off month by month. Despite the fact that

she diligently puts $50 toward her payment each and every month, it’s go-

ing to take Monica 102 months—more than eight years—to pay for those

boots. In addition, she’ll pay over $750 in interest, which is almost as much

as the boots cost in the first place!

By telling a story, Miriam puts a familiar face on her subject; she’s also caught the

attention of anyone who’s ever had the experience of really wanting something

they couldn’t afford—which is pretty much anyone!

Start with a Quote

Leading with a quotation is a convenient and interesting speech opening. Quotes

can connect you as a speaker to real people and real situations. For example,

Kenneth is preparing an informative speech on Alzheimer’s disease. In his open-

ing, he uses a quote from former president Ronald Reagan, who passed away in

2004 after a ten-year struggle with the disease:

“I now begin the journey that will lead me to the sunset of my life.”

That’s how Ronald Reagan, upon learning he would be afflicted with

Alzheimer’s disease, described the illness that would eventually rob him

of the eloquence, wit, and intelligence that had defined him as an actor,

politician, and president. I’m here today to talk about the tragedy of

Alzheimer’s disease.

Take a look at your research.

Of all the evidence you have

gathered for your speech,

what jumps out at you?

Did you come across any

statistics that shocked you?

Did you encounter any

individuals whose stories

touched you—with humor,

sadness, or surprise? Think

about how any of the sta-

tistics, facts, anecdotes,

and quotes you’ve gathered

might be worked into an

effective introduction.

AND YOU?