Public Speaking

Plan Your Introduction (^131)

Give Your Audience a Reason to Listen

After you have their attention, answer your listeners’ second question, Why should I listen

to this speech? You may think your topic is important and interesting, but your listeners

may not. An audience mostly made up of 20-year-olds might initially think a speech on

the “hidden poverty” of elderly poor people and the need for retirement planning was

irrelevant, but almost everyone has friends and relatives over 65, and someday they will

find themselves as the “old-timers.” So the topic relates to people they know and care

about.

You can also frame a specific topic within a larger issue. Few people will ever bake a

rosca de reyes cake for Epiphany, but almost everyone has a favorite holiday food. Few

people will ever participate in the sport of dressage (training horses to participate in

competitive tasks); however, everyone is familiar with sports in general, and some have

trained animals to respond to commands.

Two important human characteristics are curiosity and the ability to learn new

things, so some topics simply increase your audience’s knowledge or satisfy their

curiosity. For example, dueling is no longer the way men establish their honor, but it has

a long history in the United States, so John chose this way to relate:^15

You may not realize that dueling was once quite a common practice in the United

States. In fact, the person on the $10 bill, Alexander Hamilton, was killed in a duel.

Many issues that don’t seem to directly concern your listeners may actually affect

their wallets, whether or not they know it. National issues that rely on tax dollars for

support are in this category; funding for the arts, agricultural research, and weapons

development are just a few examples. Chapter 16 provides more details about needs,

wants, emotions, and values that motivate people to listen to speeches.

Establish Your Credibility

A third introductory task is to link yourself to your subject and answer the question,

Why should I listen to you? Typically, you’ll describe subject-related experiences, interests,

Brendan McKeon

Audiences relate to some

topics easily. But it takes

more creativity to link other

subjects to your listeners’

lives and interests. The cost

in time or money, the impact

of national or international

issues on their lives and

future, and an appeal to

curiosity are just a few

strategies you can use to

make connections.

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