Public Speaking Handbook

effective Introductions 10.2 223

is to avoid being your grandfather. No more stories about walking uphill

both ways to school with a musket on your back and seventeen Redcoats

chasing you. Be in the now, and connect with your audience.^21

Personal References

A reference to yourself can take several forms. You might express appreciation
or pleasure at having been asked to speak, as did this speaker:

I am delighted to participate in this engaging meeting at my graduating

alma mater.^22

Or you might share a personal experience, as did this speaker:

Like some of you in the audience, I’ve held many jobs before finding

my true calling, from washing cars to waiting tables and taking care of

animals...^23

Although personal references take a variety of forms, what they do best, in all
circumstances, is to establish a bond between you and your audience.

References to the Occasion

References to the occasion are often made at weddings, birthday parties, dedi-
cation ceremonies, and other such events. For example, New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie opened his 2013 “state of the state” address this way:

Since George Washington delivered the first State of the Union in New

York on this day in 1790, it has been the tradition of executive leaders to

report on the condition of the nation and state at the beginning of the

legislative year. So it is my honor and pleasure to give you this report on

the state of our state.^24

The reference to the occasion can also be combined with other methods of intro-
duction, such as an illustration or a rhetorical question.

References to Preceding Speeches

If your speech is one of several being presented on the same occasion, such as
in a speech class, at a symposium, or as part of a lecture series, you will usually
not know until shortly before your own speech what other speakers will say.
Few experiences will make your stomach sink faster than hearing a speaker just
ahead of you speak on your topic. Worse still, that speaker might even use some
of the same supporting materials you had planned to use.
When this situation occurs, you must decide on the spot whether referring
to one of those previous speeches will be better than using the introduction that
you originally prepared. It may be wise to refer to a preceding speech when an-
other speaker has spoken on a topic that is so related to your own that you can
draw an analogy. In a sense, your introduction becomes a transition from that