Public Speaking Handbook

effective Introductions 10.2 221

A thoughtful rhetorical question, on the other hand, can prompt your lis-
teners’ mental participation in your introduction, getting their attention and
giving them a reason to listen. President and CEO of Coca-Cola, Muhtar Kent,
began a speech to investors and financial analysts by asking,

Are we ready for tomorrow, today?^17

And Richard opened his speech on teenage suicide with this simple question:

Have you ever been alone in the dark?^18

deliVerinG Your QuesTion To turn questions into an effective introduc-
tion, the speaker must do more than just think of good questions to ask. He or
she must also deliver the questions effectively. The How To box offers you some
delivery tips.

resPondinG To audienCe resPonses Although it does not happen fre-
quently, an audience member might blurt out a vocal response to a question that
was intended to be rhetorical. If you plan to open a speech with a rhetorical
question, be aware of this possibility and plan possible appropriate reactions.
If the topic is light, a Jay Leno–style return quip can win over the audience and
turn the interruption into an asset. If the topic is more serious or the interruption
is inappropriate or contrary to what you expected, you might reply with some-
thing like “Perhaps most of the rest of you were thinking... ,” or you might
answer the question yourself.

usinG QuesTions WiTh oTher inTroduCTion MeThods Questions
are commonly combined with another method of introduction. For example,
University of Akron president Luis Proenza opened a speech on new strategies
for success in higher education with a question followed by a startling statistic:

What if the airplane had advanced as far and as fast as the computer?

Today’s jumbo jet would carry one hundred thousand passengers, and

it would fly them to the moon and back for $12.50 at 23,400 miles per

hour.^19

Deliver an Opening Question

•   Use a pause. Pause briefly after each question so that audience members have time to try to

formulate a mental answer. After all, the main advantage of questions as an introductory tech-

nique is to hook the audience by getting them to engage in a mental dialogue with you.

•   Use eye contact. You may look down at your notes while you ask the question, but effective

delivery requires looking back up to reestablish eye contact with listeners. As we discuss in

Chapter 13, eye contact signals that the communication channel is open. Establishing eye

contact with your audience following a question also gives them additional motivation to think

of an answer.

HOw TO