I gave this lecture on February 26, 2022.
The All-Important Introduction
INTRODUCTION
“Okay, now I don’t want to alarm anybody in this room, but it’s just come to my attention that the person to your right is a liar. Also, the person to your left is a liar. Also the person sitting in your very seats is a liar. We’re all liars.” These are the first few lines of Pamela Meyer’s July 2011 TED Talk, “How to Spot a Liar.” The audience chuckled and sat up straighter in their chairs. It was funny and created commonality among the listeners. This speech was something they all needed to hear.
We all know about the importance of first impressions. There are many reasons why this is so, but perhaps the most crucial is the primacy effect. It posits that when people experience things in sequence, they tend to remember the first one the most. A corollary to this is found in Proverbs 18:17, “The first one to plead his cause seems right . . ..” First things tend to set the narrative, which is difficult to change without—as the proverb goes on to say—diligent examination.
The first impression a person has, then, is the most memorable and sets the tone for the entire experience. This is very true in a speech, especially those given to a new audience. In this setting, despite us knowing each other well, each time we speak, we still make a first impression for that speech—and it can make or break its effectiveness. Each time, we must convince our audience to listen to what we have to say.
SPS Tonight, we will briefly consider introductions so that we take off on the right foot in our speeches. A speaker can begin a speech in countless ways, so we will cover a handful of the most effective methods.
Before we get to that, though, we need to understand—especially since our speeches are only six minutes long—that we must start strongly and quickly. We cannot stroll or meander into our subjects. We must come out of our corner punching, or we will waste precious time—and probably turn our audience off, giving them a poor first impression. So, what are the most common methods?
Shock your listeners: Give them a fact or statistic that amazes them. Here’s an example:
“Tobacco. Alcohol. Guns. Criminal items seized in a search . . . of a sixth-grade locker in a bad school district.”
The audience does not expect the twist—that these things were found in an elementary school! Now they want to know the rest of the story—how this came to be. They are hooked already.
Tell them a story: Everyone loves stories, so tell them one that draws them in:
“Isabelle lived alone for the first six years of her life, very alone in her silent world. She lived only with her reclusive mother, a deaf mute. The little girl was so isolated from other people she had no chance to learn or practice speaking. But in two months of interaction with people who could speak, she spoke in full sentences, and in just a few more, she possessed a vocabulary of more than 2,000 words.”
The story paints a picture in a few sentences, stirring the audience’s interest. They want to know how it ends. Did she become a child prodigy? A writer? A public speaker? An English teacher? A poet? Success!
Provide evidence: Give the audience some meat to chew on—information crucial to your point:
“The University of Michigan conducted a survey of 1,290 recently promoted business school alumni. Pollsters asked them what specific subject prepared them the most for their business success. More than 70% cited effective communications as the top business skill—ahead of financial and business expertise!”
This works because the listener is suddenly struck with proof that what you will say will benefit his career. If he wishes to succeed, he must learn to speak effectively. So, he gives you his full attention.
Quote a respected source or historical figure:
“A well-respected economist, the late Dr. Walter E. Williams, tells us how young people can avoid poverty and even thrive: ‘Here’s the road map: Complete high school; get a job, any kind of a job; get married before having children; and be a law-abiding citizen.’”
You give yourself immediate credibility because your foundational premise is backed by an expert or an authoritative figure. Someone with real knowledge and/or experience has reached this conclusion, and the audience expects you to elucidate at least one of these points. They’ve taken the bait.
Get ‘em laughing: Humor can be tricky, so use it with care. It can be effective if we can tell a joke. Sometimes, it is best to make yourself the butt of the joke:
“I was a bit nervous about this speech, so I asked a friend for some advice. He said, ‘Don’t try to be too charming, witty, or intellectual—just be yourself!'”
Humor tends to relax us, cuts the tension, and puts both speaker and audience in a positive frame of mind. But it needs to come off naturally and fluidly, so one should be careful about using it. Like a Carolina Reaper pepper, a little goes a long way.
CONCLUSION As mentioned earlier, there are countless ways to begin a speech, but whatever we choose, we need to make it stick. It must get the audience’s attention, pique their interests, draw them into the important thing you want to convey. So, prod their intellect. Astonish them. Make them laugh. Play on their emotions. Tell them a story. Mention something you have in common.
Whatever it is, we must start off strong. Then, the rest of the speech will have a better chance of falling into place.