10 Beginning and Ending

the Speech

The Introduction
The Conclusion

A
mid silence, the famous line fades up on-screen—“A long time ago in
a galaxy far, far away. . . .” Then the title Star Wars appears, accompa-
nied by an orchestral blast from the musical score. As the title
recedes, three paragraphs of backstory—known as the “opening crawl”—slide
past viewers, and the music transforms into notes that sound like echoes of
space.
Since the original Star Wars movie debuted in 1977, subsequent install-
ments have had practically the same opener—same line of text, title effect,
music, and three-paragraph crawl. Why? The opener indicates to audiences
that they are about to watch a Star Wars movie. It captures their attention and
orients them to the story about to unfold. Without it, the movie would seem
incomplete, and viewers would not be “primed” for the experience.
Similarly, almost every Star Wars movie ends the same way. Fresh from a
battle against forces of the dark side, the protagonists stand together and
stare heroically into the distance. The music—a variation on the theme that
played at the beginning—swells to a triumphant climax. Then the film quickly
transitions to the name of the director and the credits roll. If there were no
such conclusion, if the action suddenly stopped and the screen went blank,
the audience would be left unsatisfied.

Just as movies like Star Wars need appropriate beginnings and endings, so do
speeches. The beginning, or introduction, prepares listeners for what is to come. The
conclusion ties up the speech and alerts listeners that the speech is going to end.
Ideally, it is a satisfying conclusion.
In this chapter, we explore the roles played by an introduction and a conclusion
in speechmaking. We also discuss techniques aimed at fulfilling those roles. If you
apply these techniques imaginatively, you will take a big step toward elevating your
speeches from the ordinary to the splendid.

176
©Tara Ziemba/Getty Images
 The Introduction
First impressions are important. A poor beginning may so distract or alienate listen-
ers that the speaker can never fully recover. Moreover, getting off on the right foot is
vital to a speaker’s self-confidence. What could be more encouraging than watching
your listeners’ faces begin to register interest, attention, and pleasure? A good intro-
duction, you will find, is an excellent confidence booster.
In most speech situations, the introduction has four objectives:
■■ Get the attention and interest of your audience.
■■ Reveal the topic of your speech.
■■ Establish your credibility and goodwill.
■■ Preview the body of the speech.
We’ll look at each of these objectives in turn.

GET ATTENTION AND INTEREST

“Unless a speaker can interest his audience at once, his effort will be a failure.” So
said the great lawyer Clarence Darrow. If your topic is not one of extraordinary inter-
est, your listeners are likely to say to themselves, “So what? Who cares?” A speaker
can quickly lose an audience if she or he doesn’t use the introduction to get their
attention and quicken their interest.
Getting the initial attention of your audience is usually easy—even before you
utter a single word. After you are introduced and step to the lectern, your audience
will normally give you their attention. If they don’t, wait patiently. Look directly at
the audience without saying a word. In a few moments all talking and physical com-
motion will stop. Your listeners will be attentive. You will be ready to start speaking.
Keeping the attention of your audience once you start talking is more difficult.
Here are the methods used most often. Employed individually or in combination,
they will help get the audience caught up in your speech.

Relate the Topic to the Audience

People pay attention to things that affect them directly. If you can relate the topic to
your listeners, they are much more likely to be interested in it.
Suppose, for example, that one of your classmates begins his speech like this:
Today I am going to talk about dreams, a subject that has always fasci-
nated me. I will look first at why we dream and then at how psychologists
interpret the meaning of dreams.

This is certainly a clear introduction, but it is not one to get you hooked on the
speech. Now what if your classmate were to begin his speech this way—as one stu-
dent actually did:

You’re being chased by an object of unspeakable horror, yet your legs

can only move in slow motion. Each step takes unbearably long, and your
frantic struggle to run faster is hopeless. Your pursuer gets closer, and your
desperation turns to terror. You’re completely helpless—eye to eye with
death.

178 CHAPTER 10 Beginning and Ending the Speech

 A good introduction will get
your speech off to a strong
start. To be most effective, it
should gain attention, relate the
topic to the audience, and be
delivered with strong eye
contact.
©Nick David/Getty Images

Then you wake up, gasping for air, your heart pounding, your face
clammy with sweat. It takes a few minutes for your heart and breathing to
slow down. You reassure yourself that it was “just a dream.” Soon you drift
back to sleep.

Even when you use other interest-arousing lures, you should always relate your
topic to the audience. At times this will test your ingenuity, but it is imperative for an View the beginning of “In Your
effective introduction. Dreams” in the online Media Library
for this chapter (Video 10.1).
State the Importance of Your Topic
Presumably, you think your speech is important. Tell your audience why they should
think so, too. Here is how António Guterres, Secretary General of the United
Nations, used this method in a recent speech about climate change at the One Planet
Summit:

Climate change is moving much faster than we are. Atmospheric levels

of carbon dioxide are higher than they have been for 800,000 years. . . .
The past five years have been the hottest period on record. We are in a
war for the very existence of life on our planet as we know it.1

This technique is easy to use when discussing social and political issues, but it is
appropriate for other topics as well. Here’s how one student handled it in a speech
about beach volleyball:

Beach volleyball has grown from summer fun to an intensely competi-

tive international sport, with 6 million participants in the United States
alone. It’s the fastest growing sport in NCAA history, with more than 40
sanctioned ­programs in three years. High schools around the country are
now adding it to their extracurricular offerings. And at the Summer Olym-
pics, tickets to beach volleyball often sell out sooner than any other sport.

The Introduction 179

 Today, we’ll look at the history of beach volleyball and some of the rea-
sons for its spectacular growth.

Whenever you discuss a topic whose importance may not be clear to the audience, you
should think about ways to demonstrate its significance in the introduction.

Startle the Audience

One surefire way to arouse interest quickly is to startle your listeners with an arrest-
ing or intriguing statement. Everyone in the audience paid close attention after this
speaker’s introduction:

Take a moment and think of the three women closest to you. Who
comes to mind? Your mother? Your sister? Your girlfriend? Your wife? Your
best friend? Now guess which one will be sexually assaulted during her
lifetime. It’s not a pleasant thought, but according to the U.S. Department
of Justice, one of every three American women will be sexually assaulted
sometime during her life.

Notice the buildup to the speaker’s arresting statement, “Now guess which one will
be sexually assaulted during her lifetime.” This statement startles the audience—espe-
cially the men—and drives home at a personal level the problem of sexual assault
against women.
This technique is highly effective and easy to use. Just be sure the startling intro-
duction relates directly to the subject of your speech. If you choose a strong opening
simply for its shock value and then go on to talk about something else, your audience
will be confused and possibly annoyed.

Arouse the Curiosity of the Audience

People are curious. One way to draw them into your speech is with a series of state-
ments that progressively whet their curiosity about the subject of the speech. For
example:

This past month, more than 1 billion people around the world skipped
View the beginning of “Ramadan” lunch every day. They ate no food of any kind and drank no liquid of any
in the online Media Library for this kind from sunup to sunset. They did this every day during the month, and
chapter (Video 10.2). they do the same thing every year. I myself did it.
Why? Last month was a time for tending to the mind, the body, and the
spirit. Last month was the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

By building suspense about her subject, the speaker pulls her audience into the
speech. Notice how much less effective the introduction would have been if she had
simply said, “Today I am going to talk about Ramadan.”

Question the Audience

rhetorical question Asking a rhetorical question is another way to get your listeners thinking about your
A question that the audience speech. Sometimes a single question will do:
answers mentally rather than
aloud. How would you respond if a loved one was the victim of terrorism?
What would you think if you went to the doctor because you were ill
and she told you to watch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as part of your
treatment?

180 CHAPTER 10 Beginning and Ending the Speech

 In other circumstances, you may want to pose a series of questions, each of
which draws the audience deeper and deeper into the speech. Here is how one
speaker used this method:
Have you ever felt stressed out about essays or exams? Do you have
trouble sleeping, especially when those big projects come due? Would
you like to be healthier and happier at home, at school, at work?
If so, it might be time for you to begin meditating. Academic research has
recently confirmed what practitioners have known for thousands of years—
regular meditation can improve physical, emotional, and mental health.

When using this technique, be sure to pause for just a moment after each ques-
tion. This adds dramatic impact and gives the question time to sink in. The audience,
of course, will answer mentally—not aloud.

Begin with a Quotation

Another way to arouse the interest of your audience is to start with an attention-get-
ting quotation. You might choose your quotation from Shakespeare or Confucius,
from the Bible or Talmud, from a poem, song, or film. Here is how one student used
a humorous quotation to begin a speech about the need for political reform in the
U.S. Congress:
Mark Twain once said, “It could probably be shown by facts and figures
that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress.”

You need not use a famous quotation. The following made an effective introduc-
tion for a speech about birdwatching:
“It is a moment I will never forget. I glimpsed a flash of color in the
thicket, and then I saw it—a Bachman’s Warbler, one of the rarest birds in
all of A­ merica. I was so excited I could barely keep my binoculars from
shaking.”
This statement was made by my father. He is just one of the millions of
people who have discovered the joys of birdwatching.

Notice that both of the quotations used here as examples are relatively short.
Opening your speech with a lengthy quotation is a sure way to set your audience
yawning.

Tell a Story
We all enjoy stories, especially if they are provocative, dramatic, or suspenseful.
When it comes to speech introductions, stories are sometimes about well-known
events or public figures. But they can also be based on the speaker’s personal experi-
ence. Here is how one pre-med student used such a story. She began by recounting View the beginning of “Hoping to
the first time she observed doctors performing surgery in the operating room: Heal” in the online Media Library
for this chapter (Video 10.3).
There I stood, wearing a surgical mask, in the middle of a large, brightly
lit room. In the center of the room were five figures huddled over a table.
I found it difficult to see since everything was draped in blue sheets, yet
I didn’t dare take a step toward the table.
Then one of the figures called to me, “Angela, get over here and take
a closer look.” My knees buckled as I walked through the sterile
­environment. But eventually I was there, standing over an unconscious
body in the operating room.
The Introduction 181
 The effectiveness of any story—especially a personal one—hinges on the speak-
er’s delivery as well as the content. As you can see from the excerpt of this speech on
Video 10.3, the speaker uses pauses, eye contact, and changes in her tone of voice to
help draw her audience into the speech. See if you can do the same in your
introduction.

Use Visual Aids

Visual aids are most often found in the body of a speech, but they can also be used
in the introduction. They are most effective when they provide images that enhance
the impact of the speaker’s words.
Consider, for example, a speech on the subject of phony pharmaceuticals, drugs
that look like legitimate prescription drugs but that have been illegally manufactured
with counterfeit ingredients that can cause serious harm—perhaps even death—to a
person who ingests them. Here is how one speaker opened her remarks on this topic:
Take a look at these two pills. Do you notice a difference between them?
How about these two? Do you see a difference here? How about these?

As she talked, the speaker showed photographs of three sets of pills. Each set
looked identical. But in fact they were far from identical, as the speaker explained:
To the naked eye, these pills are indistinguishable. But at a chemical
level, they are very, very different. In each case, the pill on the left is real;

checklist
Speech Introductions

YES NO

1. Do I gain the attention and interest of my audience by using one or more of the
methods discussed in this chapter?
2. Do I relate the speech topic to my audience?
3. Do I clearly reveal the topic of my speech?
4. Do I establish my credibility to speak on this topic?
5. If my topic is controversial, do I take steps to establish my goodwill toward the
audience?
6. Do I define any key terms that will be necessary for the audience to understand
the rest of my speech?
7. Do I provide a preview statement of the main points to be covered in the body
of the speech?
8. Is the introduction limited to 10 to 20 percent of my entire speech?
9. Have I worked out the language of my introduction in detail?
10. Have I practiced the delivery of my introduction so I can present it fluently,
confidently, and with strong eye contact?

182 CHAPTER 10 Beginning and Ending the Speech

 As you work on your speeches,
keep an eye out for quotations,
stories, and other materials you
can use to craft an introduction
that will capture the attention of
your listeners.
©Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

it will help you get better. The pill on the right is counterfeit; it will not help
you get better. In some cases, it may even kill you.
As you can see from Video 10.4, it was a creative—and compelling—way to start.
The speaker used questions to arouse curiosity. She related to the audience by View the beginning of “Phony
addressing them as “you.” And she startled them by stating that a counterfeit pill Pharmaceuticals” in the online
could kill them. But it was her visual aids that pulled the whole introduction together Media Library for this chapter
and made it work. (Video 10.4).
If you are thinking about using visual aids in your introduction, keep in mind
that they are effective only when they are chosen strategically, relate directly to the
speech topic, and are in good taste. Using visual aids for their own sake or purely for
shock value is always counterproductive. (See Chapter 14 for a full discussion of
visual aids.)
The eight methods discussed in this section are those used most often by student
speakers to gain attention and interest. Other methods include referring to the occa-
sion, inviting audience participation, relating to a previous speaker, and using humor.
For any given speech, try to use the method—or combination of methods—that is
most suitable for the topic, the audience, and the occasion.

REVEAL THE TOPIC

In the process of gaining attention, be sure to state clearly the topic of your speech.
If you do not, your listeners will be confused. And once they are confused, your
chances of getting them absorbed in the speech are almost nil.
This is a basic point—so basic that it may hardly seem worth mentioning. Yet
you would be surprised how many students need to be reminded of it. You may hear
speeches in your own class in which the topic is not clear by the end of the
The Introduction 183
 introduction. So you will know what to avoid, here is such an introduction, presented
in a public speaking class:

Imagine taking a leisurely boat ride along a peaceful waterway. The sun
is high in the sky, reflecting brightly off the ripples around you. The banks
are lush with mangrove and cypress trees. You see a stately pelican rest-
ing on a low-lying branch. You grab your camera, snap a shot, and check
the result. The picture is perfect. But will it be perfect in the future?

What is the topic of this speech? Nature photography? No. Birding? No. Tour-
ism in the tropics? No. The student was talking about efforts to restore the natural
beauty of the Florida Everglades. But she did not make that clear to her audience.
Suppose, instead, she had begun her speech differently:

Alligators, panthers, otters, brown pelicans—these and other creatures

have lost 50 percent of their habitat in south Florida over the past few
decades. Now, however, there is a $10.5 billion program to preserve their
home in the Florida Everglades. The largest restoration effort in the history
of the world, it will rejuvenate one of America’s most diverse ecosystems
and protect it for future generations.

This opening would have provided a way to get the audience’s attention, but it
also would have related directly to the speech topic. If you beat around the bush in
your introduction, you may lose your listeners. Even if they already know your topic,
you should restate it clearly and concisely at some point in the introduction.

ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY AND GOODWILL

Besides getting attention and revealing the topic, there is a third objective you may
need to accomplish in your introduction—establishing your credibility and goodwill.
Credibility is mostly a matter of being qualified to speak on a given topic—and of
being perceived as qualified by your listeners. Here is how one student established her
credibility credibility on the subject of knitting without sounding like a braggart:
The audience’s perception of
whether a speaker is qualified Once considered something that grandmas did while rocking on the
to speak on a given topic. front porch, knitting is becoming more and more popular among our gen-
eration—and with good reason. Regardless of your age or gender, knitting
can lower stress, produce a sense of accomplishment, and even promote
mental health.
I started knitting when I was 10 years old, and I’ve been doing it ever
since. I now sell knit patterns on my own Web site and on Etsy and Pinter-
est. On weekends, I participate in trunk shows and expos dedicated to the
knitting arts.
Using some of my experience, today I will explain a bit about the pro-
cess of knitting and why it is so beneficial.

Whether or not you have done any knitting yourself, you will probably be more inter-
ested in the speech when you realize that the speaker knows what she is talking about.
Your credibility need not be based on firsthand knowledge and experience. It can
come from reading, from classes, from interviews, from friends—as in these cases:

I have been interested in the myth of Atlantis for several years, and I
have read a number of books and articles about it.

184 CHAPTER 10 Beginning and Ending the Speech

 Telling a story is an excellent
way to gain attention in a
speech introduction. The story
should be clearly relevant to the
topic and should be delivered
expressively and with strong
eye contact.
©MediaPunch/REX/Shutterstock

The information I’m going to share with you today comes mostly from
my criminal justice class and an interview with Aisha Bigsby of the public
defender’s office.

Whatever the source of your expertise, be sure to let the audience know.
Establishing your goodwill is a slightly different challenge. It is often crucial out- goodwill
side the classroom, where speakers have well-established reputations and may be The audience’s perception of
identified with causes that arouse hostility among listeners. In such a situation, the whether the speaker has the
speaker must try to defuse that hostility right at the start of the speech. best interests of the audience
Occasionally you may have to do the same thing in your classroom speeches. in mind.
Suppose you advocate a potentially unpopular position. You will need to make a
special effort to ensure that your classmates will consider your point of view. This is
how one student tried to minimize her classmates’ opposition in the introduction of
a speech urging them to live without social media:
I understand this sounds extreme. Who doesn’t like to see photos of
friends and videos of cute animals? Before I tried turning off my social-­
media accounts, I was really anxious about missing out on all the fun. But
it ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve made. If you don’t believe
me, try it yourself—turn off social media for one month. I’m convinced
you’ll see a difference in your outlook on life.

The speaker was clear about her intentions and reasonable in her expectations. By
the end of the introduction, the audience knew she had their best interests at heart.

PREVIEW THE BODY OF THE SPEECH

As we saw in Chapter 3, most people are poor listeners. Even good listeners need all
the help they can get in sorting out a speaker’s ideas. One way to help your listeners
is to tell them in the introduction what they should listen for in the rest of the speech.

The Introduction 185

 Here is an excellent example from a speech by former secretary of defense Robert
Gates at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point:

Today, I’d like to focus on three interrelated issues—the future of conflict

and the implications for the Army; how best to institutionalize the diverse
capabilities that will be required; and the kinds of officers the Army will
need for the 21st century.2

After this introduction, there was no doubt about Gates’s topic or the main points he
would cover in his speech.
In some types of persuasive speeches, you may not want to reveal your central
idea until later in the speech. But even in such a situation you must be sure your audi-
ence is not left guessing about the main points they should listen for as the speech
preview statement unfolds. Nearly always, you should include a preview statement like the following:
A statement in the introduction
of a speech that identifies the I’ve been fascinated by the Statue of Liberty ever since I was a kid, but
main points to be discussed in I never knew just how amazing it is until I researched it for this speech.
the body. This morning, I’d like to tell you a bit about its symbolism, its history, and its
architecture.
I firmly believe in opening the doors of higher education to everyone.
Today I hope to convince you that our state should make community col-
lege free for all residents. But before getting into the plan, let’s look at the
need to help more people attend college.

Preview statements such as these serve another purpose as well. Because they
usually come at the very end of the introduction, they provide a smooth lead-in to
the body of the speech. They signal that the body of the speech is about to begin.
There is one other aspect you may want to cover in previewing your speech. You
can use your introduction to give specialized information—definitions or back-
ground—that your listeners will need if they are to understand the rest of the speech.
Often you can do this very quickly, as in the following example:

A triathlon is a race made up of three different events completed in suc-

cession. The events are usually swimming, biking, and running, though
canoeing is sometimes substituted for one of these.

In other circumstances, you may have to explain an important term in more

detail. Here is how one student handled the problem in a speech calling for the cre-
ation of a living-wage policy to replace the current minimum wage:

What is the living wage, you ask? Well, it’s not the same as the minimum
wage. The minimum wage is set by Congress and is the same in every part
View this excerpt from “The
of the country. The living wage goes beyond the minimum wage.
Living-Wage Solution” in the online
As the Wall Street Journal reports, the living wage is tied to the local
Media Library for this chapter
cost of living and can vary from location to location. Its purpose is to help
(Video 10.5).
workers and their families meet a basic standard of living, even when that
standard of living is higher than the minimum wage.

SAMPLE INTRODUCTION WITH COMMENTARY

So far we have seen many excerpts showing how to fulfill the various objectives of an
introduction. Now here is a complete introduction from a student speech. The side
comments indicate the principles used in developing the introduction.
186 CHAPTER 10 Beginning and Ending the Speech
Space Junk

<<<

<<<
COMMENTARY SPEECH

Tonight, after the sun goes down, I’d like you to step outside,
The speaker begins by relating the topic to her lift your eyes to the heavens, and gaze at the night sky. If it’s
audience. Then she arouses curiosity by referring clear, you’ll be able to see the moon, the stars, and distant
to “something not so beautiful” that lurks just planets. Yet right outside our atmosphere is something not so
outside our atmosphere.
beautiful, something that Scientific American calls “a mine-
field in Earth orbit.”

Another name for this minefield is junk—space junk. Satel-

Now the speaker reveals her topic and defines lites that no longer work, pieces from spent rockets, debris
what space junk is. The imagery of it as a floating from the collision of man-made objects—together they form a
landfill is very effective. Statistics from the floating landfill that orbits the earth at speeds of over 18,000
European Space Agency quantify the amount of
miles per hour. The European Space Agency estimates that
space junk.
there are hundreds of thousands of pieces of space junk.

I first learned about space junk last year in my physics class.

The speaker explains her interest in the topic and Now, after doing research for this speech, I understand why
establishes her credibility. there’s an international effort to clean up the landfill whirling
around our planet.

Today we’ll look first at the history of space junk, then at the
The introduction ends by previewing the main way it’s affecting space exploration, and finally at some pro-
points to be discussed in the body.
posals scientists have advanced to clean it up.

TIPS FOR THE INTRODUCTION

1. Keep the introduction relatively brief. Under normal circumstances it should
not constitute more than 10 to 20 percent of your speech.
2. Be on the lookout for possible introductory materials as you do your research.
File them with your notes so they will be handy when you are ready for them. View the introduction of “Space
3. Be creative in devising your introduction. Experiment with two or three different Junk” in the online Media Library
openings and choose the one that seems most likely to get the audience inter- for this chapter (Video 10.6).
ested in your speech.
4. Don’t worry about the exact wording of your introduction until you have fin-
ished preparing the body of the speech. After you have determined your main
points, it will be much easier to make final decisions about how to begin the
speech.
5. Work out your introduction in detail. Some teachers recommend that you write
it out word for word; others prefer that you outline it. Whichever method you
use, practice the introduction over and over until you can deliver it smoothly
from a minimum of notes and with strong eye contact.
6. When you present the speech, don’t start talking too soon. Make sure the audi-
ence has quieted down and is focused on you before you begin. Establish eye

The Introduction 187

 contact with the audience, smile, and then launch into your opening words.
Give yourself every chance to make sure your introduction has the desired
impact.

The Conclusion
“Great is the art of beginning,” said Longfellow, “but greater the art is of ending.”
Longfellow was thinking of poetry, but his insight is equally applicable to public
speaking. Many a speaker has marred an otherwise fine speech by a long-winded,
silly, or antagonistic conclusion. Your closing remarks are your last chance to drive
home your ideas. Moreover, your final impression will probably linger in your listen-
ers’ minds. Thus you need to craft your conclusion with as much care as your
introduction.
No matter what kind of speech you are giving, the conclusion has two major
functions:
■■ To let the audience know you are ending the speech.
■■ To reinforce the audience’s understanding of, or commitment to, the central
idea.
Let us look at each.

SIGNAL THE END OF THE SPEECH

It may seem obvious that you should let your audience know you are going to stop
soon. However, you will almost certainly hear speeches in your class in which the
speaker concludes so abruptly that you are taken by surprise. Too sudden an ending
leaves the audience puzzled and unfulfilled.
How do you let an audience know your speech is ending? One way is through
what you say. “In conclusion,” “My purpose has been,” “Let me end by saying”—
these are all brief cues that you are getting ready to stop.
You can also let your audience know the end is in sight by your manner of deliv-
ery. The conclusion is the climax of a speech. A speaker who has carefully built to a
peak of interest and involvement will not need to say anything like “in conclusion.”
By use of the voice—its tone, pacing, intonation, and rhythm—a speaker can build the
momentum of a speech so there is no doubt when it is over.
crescendo ending One method of doing this has been likened to a musical crescendo. As in a sym-
A conclusion in which the phony in which one instrument after another joins in until the entire orchestra is
speech builds to a zenith of playing, the speech builds in force until it reaches a zenith of power and intensity.3
power and intensity. (This does not mean simply getting louder and louder. It is a combination of many
things, including vocal pitch, choice of words, dramatic content, gestures, pauses—
and possibly loudness.)
A superb example of this method is the conclusion to Martin Luther King’s
“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” the speech he delivered the night before he was
assassinated in April 1968. Speaking to an audience of 2,000 people in Memphis,
Tennessee, he ended his speech with a stirring declaration that the civil rights move-
ment would succeed despite the many threats on his life. As the speech approached
its climax, King stated that God had allowed him to climb the mountain and look

188 CHAPTER 10 Beginning and Ending the Speech

over the Promised Land of equality and justice. Then, with soaring voice, he ended
with the monumental words of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”: “Mine eyes have
seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!” The audience erupted in thunderous
applause.4
Another effective method might be compared to the dissolve ending of a con- dissolve ending
cert song that evokes deep emotions: “The song seems to fade away while the light A conclusion that generates
on the singer shrinks gradually to a smaller and smaller circle until it lights only the emotional appeal by fading
face, then the eyes. Finally, it is a pinpoint, and disappears with the last note of the step by step to a dramatic final
song.”5 statement.
Here is a speech ending that does much the same thing. It is from General
Douglas MacArthur’s moving farewell to the cadets at the U.S. Military
Academy:

In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the
strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. But in the evening of my mem-
ory always I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes:
duty, honor, country.
Today marks my final roll call with you. But I want you to know that when
I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, and the
Corps, and the Corps.
I bid you farewell.6

The final words fade like the spotlight, bringing the speech to an emotional close.
You may think that you couldn’t possibly end a speech with that much pathos—
and you’d be right. MacArthur was an eloquent speaker discussing a grave issue with
extraordinary poignance. This combination rarely occurs. But that doesn’t mean you
can’t use the dissolve ending effectively. One student used it with great effect in a
speech about visiting her grandparents’ family farm as a young girl. During the body
of her speech, the student spoke about the sights and sounds of the farm, the love

Using public speaking

in your CAREER
Your degree in civil engineering has served you well concerns about the proposal. Because of your
and you are now the chief city planner for a major excellent public speaking skills, you have been
metropolis. After studying the issue for more chosen to represent the city at a meeting of the
than a year, you and the planning commission neighborhood association. You know that if
have decided that the best way to relieve the your speech is to be persuasive, you must use
city’s growing traffic congestion is to build a the introduction to establish your credibility
new downtown freeway. Unfortunately, there and goodwill so your listeners will be
is no way to build the freeway without willing to listen receptively to what you
knocking down a number of houses and say in the body.
businesses. Write a draft of your introduction.
Not surprisingly, the neighborhood Be sure to address all four functions
association that represents the area of a speech introduction discussed in
through which the new freeway will this chapter.
run has expressed a number of ©Vgstockstudio/Shutterstock

The Conclusion 189

The conclusion is your last
chance to drive home your
ideas. As you develop your
conclusion, try to finish on a
strong note that reinforces your
main points and leaves a
positive impression on listeners.
©Peter Muller/Getty Images

and laughter she shared there as a child. Then, in conclusion, she evoked the images
and sentiments of the farm one last time to create a moving dissolve ending:

Now, as with so much of our childhood, the farm is no longer the same.
Grandpa is gone. The barn has been rebuilt. The softball sits idly on the
shelf. Grandma no longer cooks her huge family dinners. Going to the farm
is different without these pleasures. But still the memories remain. I can still
see the fields. I can still smell the hay. I can still hear the laughter. I can still
feel the love.

Both the crescendo and dissolve endings must be worked out with great care.
Practice until you get the words and the timing just right. The benefits will be well
worth your time.

REINFORCE THE CENTRAL IDEA

The second major function of a conclusion is to reinforce the audience’s understand-
ing of, or commitment to, the central idea. There are many ways to do this. Here are
the ones you are most likely to use.

Summarize Your Speech

Restating the main points is the easiest way to end a speech. One student used this
View the conclusion of “TB: An technique effectively in his persuasive speech about the resurgence of tuberculosis as
Ancient Plague Returns” in the a worldwide killer:
online Media Library for this chapter
(Video 10.7). In conclusion, we have seen how tuberculosis has recently returned as
a global health crisis. It is infecting and killing on an unprecedented scale.
Especially in third-world countries, TB is decimating those who need the
most help.
190 CHAPTER 10 Beginning and Ending the Speech
 But there is hope. The World Health Organization and privileged coun-
tries like the United States can expand their efforts to treat and prevent TB.
We have the money and we have the know-how. Now we just need to
come together and put an end to this epidemic.

The value of a summary is that it explicitly restates the central idea and main
points one last time. But as we shall see, there are more imaginative and compelling
ways to end a speech. They can be used in combination with a summary or, at times,
in place of it.

End with a Quotation

A quotation is one of the most common and effective devices to conclude a speech.
Here is a fine example, from a speech on volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters of
America:
None of us have the extra time that we’d like. But whatever time you
can spare, you’ll be making a world of difference in the life of an underpriv-
ileged child. In the words of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Give
what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

The closing quotation is particularly good because its urgency is exactly suited to
the speech. When you run across a brief quotation that so perfectly captures your
central idea, keep it in mind as a possible conclusion.

Make a Dramatic Statement

Rather than using a quotation to give your conclusion force and vitality, you may
want to devise your own dramatic statement. Some speeches have become famous
because of their powerful closing lines. One is Patrick Henry’s legendary “Liberty or

checklist
Speech Conclusion

YES NO

1. Do I signal that my speech is coming to an end?

2. Do I reinforce my central idea by:
Summarizing the main points of my speech?
Ending with a quotation?
Making a dramatic statement?
Referring to the introduction?
3. Is the conclusion limited to 5 to 10 percent of my entire speech?
4. Have I worked out the language of my conclusion in detail?
5. Have I practiced the delivery of my conclusion so I can present it fluently,
confidently, and with strong eye contact?

The Conclusion 191

 Death” oration. It takes its name from the final sentences Henry uttered on
March 23, 1775, as he exhorted his audience to resist British tyranny:

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of

chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others
may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.

Although your classroom speeches are not likely to become famous, you can still
rivet your listeners—as Henry did—with a dramatic concluding statement. What fol-
lows is a particularly striking example, from a speech on suicide prevention. Through-
out the speech, the student referred to a friend who had tried to commit suicide the
previous year. Then, in the conclusion, she said:

My friend is back in school, participating in activities she never did

before—and enjoying it. I’m happy and proud to say that she’s still fighting
for her life and even happier that she failed to kill herself. Otherwise, I
wouldn’t be here today trying to help you. You see, I am my “friend,” and
I’m more than glad to say I’ve made it.

As you can imagine, the audience was stunned. The closing lines brought the
speech to a dramatic conclusion. The speaker made it even more effective by pausing
just a moment before the last words and by using her voice to give them just the right
inflection.

Refer to the Introduction

An excellent way to give your speech psychological unity is to conclude by referring
to ideas in the introduction. Here is how one student used the method in her speech
about carbon monoxide poisoning:

It was supposed to be a time of celebration. Five friends had gath-

Introduction
ered in a south Florida hotel room to celebrate a birthday. Juchen
Martial, one of the five, was turning 19. But the day after the birth-
day party, a maid passing by the hotel room glanced through a
window and saw five dead bodies. All five friends had been killed.
   Their killer was silent, invisible, odorless, and tasteless. Their
killer was carbon monoxide. The friends had left their car running in
a carport directly beneath their hotel room. Carbon monoxide
seeped into the room and took their lives—as it does the lives of
400 people a year in the United States.

In the body of her speech, the student looked in detail at the problem of carbon
View the beginning and ending of monoxide poisoning and explained ways to head off the problem. Then, in her clos-
“The Silent Killer” in the online ing words, she tied the whole speech together by returning to the story described in
Media Library for this chapter her introduction:
(Video 10.8).
Conclusion  emember those five friends I mentioned in the introduction
R
of my speech? Their deaths were tragic and unnecessary. I
hope the information I have provided today will help you
avoid their fate. By understanding where carbon monoxide
comes from, by recognizing the warning signs of carbon
monoxide poisoning, and by f­ollowing the simple preventive
steps I’ve discussed, you can make sure that you don’t fall
victim to the silent killer.
192 CHAPTER 10 Beginning and Ending the Speech
 Summarizing the speech, ending with a quotation, making a dramatic statement,
referring to the introduction—all these techniques can be used separately. But you
have probably noticed that speakers often combine two or more in their conclusions.
Actually, all four techniques can be fused into one—for example, a dramatic quota-
tion that summarizes the central idea while referring to the introduction.
One other concluding technique is making a direct appeal to your audience for
action. This technique applies only to a particular type of persuasive speech, how-
ever, and will be discussed in Chapter 16. The four methods covered in this chapter
are appropriate for all kinds of speeches and occasions.

SAMPLE CONCLUSION WITH COMMENTARY View the conclusion of “Space

How do you fit these methods together to make a conclusion? Here is an example, Junk” in the online Media Library
from the speech about space junk whose introduction we looked at earlier (page 187). for this chapter (Video 10.9).

Space Junk
<<<

<<<
COMMENTARY CONCLUSION

In conclusion, while humans have managed to boldly go

After signaling the end of her speech, the speaker where no one has gone before, we’ve left a lot of garbage
gives an excellent summary of her main points. behind. Space junk is growing every day, and it poses serious
This is usually standard practice in an informative problems for the future of space exploration. Fortunately, sci-
speech.
entists from NASA and the international community are
exploring ingenious ways of taking out the trash.

So the next time you’re outside at night, lift your gaze upward.
By echoing her opening scenario, the speaker You’ll see the moon, the stars, and perhaps a couple planets.
unifies the entire speech. The final sentence But now you’ll know there’s a lot more up there than meets
provides a dramatic ending. the eye.

TIPS FOR THE CONCLUSION

1. As with the introduction, keep an eye out for possible concluding materials as
you research and develop the speech.
2. Conclude with a bang, not a whimper. Be creative in devising a conclusion that
hits the hearts and minds of your audience. Work on several possible endings,
and select the one that seems likely to have the greatest impact.
3. Don’t be long-winded. The conclusion will normally make up no more than 5 to
10 percent of your speech.
4. Don’t leave anything in your conclusion to chance. Work it out in detail, and
give yourself plenty of time to practice delivering it. Many students like to write
out the conclusion word for word to guarantee it is just right. If you do this,
make sure you can present it smoothly, confidently, and with feeling—without
relying on your notes or sounding wooden. Make your last impression as force-
ful and as favorable as you can.

The Conclusion 193

 Summary
First impressions are important. So are final impressions. This is why speeches need
strong introductions and conclusions.
In most speech situations you need to accomplish four objectives with your
­introduction—get the attention and interest of the audience, reveal the topic of your
speech, establish your credibility and goodwill, and preview the body of the speech.
Gaining attention and interest can be done in several ways. You can show the impor-
tance of your topic, especially as it relates to your audience. You can startle or question
your audience or arouse their curiosity. You can begin with a quotation, a story, or
visual aids.
Be sure to state the topic of your speech clearly in your introduction so the audi-
ence knows where the speech is going. Establishing credibility means that you tell the
audience why you are qualified to speak on the topic at hand. Establishing goodwill
may be necessary if your point of view is unpopular. Previewing the body of the speech
helps the audience listen effectively and provides a smooth lead-in to the body of the
speech.
The first objective of a speech conclusion is to let the audience know you are end-
ing, which you can do by your words or by your manner of delivery. The second objec-
tive of a conclusion is to reinforce your central idea. You can accomplish this by
summarizing the speech, ending with a quotation, making a dramatic statement, or
referring to the introduction. Sometimes you may want to combine two or more of
these techniques. Be creative in devising a vivid, forceful conclusion.

Key Terms
rhetorical question (180) preview statement (186)
credibility (184) crescendo ending (188)
goodwill (185) dissolve ending (189)

Review Questions
After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What are the four objectives of a speech introduction?

2. What are eight methods you can use in the introduction to get the attention and
interest of your audience?
3. Why is it important to establish your credibility at the beginning of your speech?
4. What is a preview statement? Why should you nearly always include a preview
statement in the introduction of your speech?
5. What are six tips for your introduction?

194 CHAPTER 10 Beginning and Ending the Speech

6. What are the major functions of a speech conclusion?
7. What are two ways you can signal the end of your speech?
8. What are four ways to reinforce the central idea when concluding your speech?
9. What are four tips for your conclusion?

Exercises for Critical Thinking

1. Here are six speech topics. Explain how you might relate each to your classmates in
the introduction of a speech.
roller coasters high blood pressure
performance-enhancing drugs Australia
laughter Social Security
2. Think of a speech topic (preferably one for your next speech in class). Create an
introduction for a speech dealing with any aspect of the topic you wish. In your
introduction, be sure to gain the attention of the audience, to reveal the topic and
relate it to the audience, to establish your credibility, and to preview the body of the
speech.
3. Using the same topic as in Exercise 2, create a speech conclusion. Be sure to let
your audience know the speech is ending, to reinforce the central idea, and to make
the conclusion vivid and memorable.

Exercises for Critical Thinking 195