Introductions, Conclusions, and Transitions
Once you have determined the organization of the body of your speech you are ready to work on the introduction, transitions, and the conclusion.
There are 5 basic steps a speaker needs to accomplish in a good introduction:
Click on the link for 6 techniques for writing attention-grabbing introductions by Saro Velragan
http://saro-toastmasters.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-write-attention-grabbing-speech.html
The audience will first observe you as you walk up to the lectern; how you present yourself will make an impact on them. So, walk up confidently and then turn to face the audience and pause for a few seconds while looking around to see that you have their attention before you begin to speak. When I am grading speeches, I often write up notes after a speaker has finished and I am discombobulated when the next student begins speaking before they have my attention. Sometimes, if the audience is distracted, just standing in silence before them will get their attention.
When you have the attention of the audience they will listen to you without being distracted. Other noises, thoughts and feelings become unimportant to them for the time that you hold their attention. If you hold the attention of the audience throughout your speech, by the end of the speech the audience will not be aware of how much time has passed but will be aware of what you said and how you said it.
If you do not have the attention of the audience then you cannot achieve your goal. You cannot impact them or change them in any way and "you might as well save your breath to cool your porridge" as the saying goes. Some students think their goal is to "talk about a topic" but that does not require the attention of the audience and certainly makes no change in them.
How to get attention:
Novelty is a good way to get the attention of the audience. So, do not say, "Hello, my name is...." That is not a new way to begin your speech.
Tell the audience something that will surprise, shock, or amuse them. Begin your speech with information that the audience does not know. Make it short and to the point. Tell a humorous story. Reveal statistics to the audience which are compelling or even shocking.
Use a visual aid to get attention. Be sure to explain the visual and refer to it while opening.
Use a quotation from someone famous that the audience knows or a quote that has an engaging message.
Tell an amusing story. Many speakers begin their speeches with a joke or humorous story. This works best if the story or joke relates clearly to the topic of the speech or the occasion for the speech. Self-deprecating humor or jokes that may insult or offend anyone are obviously inappropriate.
Use an illustration or a story about your topic.
Disclose personal information that relates to your topic and your audience. This could be very helpful when doing a eulogy or toast where you want to establish a relationship between you and the person you are speaking about.
CONSIDERATIONS
Watch out for openings that might fail to launch. If you begin with a question, you must consider if the audience answers the question and gives you an answer you were not expecting. That might mean your whole speech is irrelevant. What if you expect them to answer the question and they don't? Consider this while crafting your introduction.
If you ask the audience to close their eyes and imagine something, they may lose focus. You don't want them to close their eyes, you want them to keep looking at you. If they close their eyes then you have lost their attention. If you want the audience to picture something you describe, such as an ideal world, they can do that with their eyes open.
Finally, watch out for jokes or humor that fails to launch. Each audience is different, so consider how you will handle scenarios where audiences do not respond well to your attention grabbers.
You might actually identify your topic in your attention getter or you may need to tell the audience what you will be speaking about.
Sometimes you will state your thesis statement directly so that the audience will know exactly what you hope to accomplish with your presentation.
The audience needs to know what you plan to speak to them about and the easiest way is to identify your thesis statement clearly early in your introduction.
In order to be able to clarify your topic for your audience you need to be very clear and specific in your goal and thesis statement as you prepare the speech.
Check that you have focused the specific purpose of the speech so that you will be able to make it interesting and engaging for the audience in the time you have available.
Keep the focus on the audience and you will be able to adapt the topic to their needs and interests.
IMPORTANT: Do not say "My topic is...." or "I'm here to tell you about.." or "My speech is about...."
Instead, frame your topic in terms of your thesis: It is essential for all students to enroll in a public speaking course.
You may identify your topic at the same time as you identify for the audience how they will benefit from listening to your presentation.
It is vital that you know how your presentation will benefit the audience before you put your speech together and that you are able to communicate that to the audience.
The audience needs to be motivated to listen to you so that you can hold their attention and accomplish the goals you have for your speech.
The introduction of the speech is an important place for the speaker to establish his/her credibility with the audience. Identifying what makes you an expert on the topic will go a long way to getting the audience to believe what you are going to say. Remember, if you know more about your topic than your audience, you the expert in the room. Your interest in a topic for years, months, or even a few weeks and the research you have completed on a topic can go a long way to establishing that you know what you are speaking about. The audience wants to believe you, so this will help them to do that. (Of course you have to continue to work on establishing credibility throughout your speech by identifying the sources of your information or supporting your points logically.)
When you identify for the audience why you are competent to speak on this topic they can relax and feel better about trusting you and believing you. Sometimes, when the audience is already familiar with your expertise in a particular area all you need to do is to remind them briefly but for a different audience it may be necessary to explain how you gained the knowledge and experience you have with the topic. Keep it brief but make sure that you make clear that you know what you are talking about.
The old adage about public speaking is: "Tell them what you will tell them. Tell them. And then tell them what you told them."
Your goal is to continue to hold the attention of the audience throughout your speech.
You will be better able to do this if your audience knows where you are heading with your speech.
So, when you tell them what your main points will be they will be able to follow along with you as they listen and will know what you are still going to discuss before you complete the speech.
It is so much easier for your audience to pay attention to your speech if you identify the main points you will be discussing. It is like giving them a map to follow along with.
Example: During this speech, I will be discussing the need to enroll in a public speaking course, how to enroll, and the benefits of taking public speaking.
Note: After your introduction and before the body of your speech (the first main point) you should use a transitional statement (more about transitions are listed below). For example: "First, I'll be addressing the need for students to gain public speaking skills for the workforce." This statement will go between the preview of points and the first main point.
More information about transitions is listed below (after conclusions).
If you have worked hard on building the body of your speech you want to make sure you end well. Leaving the audience with a feeling of completeness is a good way to ensure they will remember your speech.
There are two sections to a conclusion: summary and close.
Summary
As your presentation draws to a close remind your audience of your main points by summarizing what you have spoken about.
This will give the audience a signal that you are about to conclude the speech and help them to remember your main points.
Example: "During this speech I discussed the need to take a public speaking course, how you can enroll, and the benefits of completing a public speaking course."
Close
You want to end your speech with a strong statement.
Some speakers like to tie this back to their introduction because this gives a feeling of cohesion to the speech.
If you began with a quotation you might want to use a similar quotation or even to use the same quotation in your closing statement as it might now hold new meaning for the audience.
Other ideas for a strong close are to add words of encouragement or issue a challenge.
You may also consider using a story or anecdote that will leave the audience with a feeling of completion and the emotional response you are looking for.
Many speakers don't practice their conclusions well and end up not knowing how they plan to end the speech. To avoid this problem it is important to plan out your conclusion carefully and practice aloud before you deliver the speech.
The best closing statements leave the audience feeling motivated to take action or with a strong positive feeling towards the speaker or the topic.
Think of the close like tying a ribbon on a gift package. If you are the type of person who likes to make a strong impression on your audience and you want your speech to have a strong impact then think carefully about how you can end the speech.
Remember the conclusion is the last chance you have to make an impact on your audience and achieve your goal.
DON'TS
If you have not carefully planned your closing statement you may be tempted to just say "That's it" or "That's all." What kind of impression do you suppose that will make on the audience?
Don't thank your audience for listening! You were doing them a favor. Remember how you identified the benefits for the audience for listening to your speech? Well... They should be thanking you! If you have done a great job engaging the audience they will feel that they have benefited from listening.
Don't end with the statement, "Are there any questions?" When you say this it distracts the audience from your main points and from processing what you have discussed. Let them process the information and remain available for questions. After they have finished clapping, then look at the audience and ask if they have questions or comments.
The reason to incorporate internal summaries, transitions, and signposts into your presentation is so that the audience will be able to follow your ideas and know where you are in the speech. This adds to your logos and ethos and will help you to hold the attention of the audience.
Internal Summary
After you have provided the evidence to support each point, it is helpful for the audience to hear you restate the point and the supporting evidence succinctly. These summaries help the audience to process the information you are telling them and give them a sign that you are ready to move on to the next point. Using internal summaries helps build logos.
Transitions
Transitions can be short phrases or more elaborate. They provide the listener with a connection between the main points and help to bridge your ideas. Using transitions helps build ethos. Here are some examples of transitional phrases.
"Another reason you should support your local producers is..."
"While we can see there are many reasons to consider the proposal let us look at some of the dangers associated with it's implementation."
"These are strong reasons to support the candidate but the most important reason is..."
"Once you have identified the problem correctly it is time to implement a cost-effective solution..."
"Having examined the reasons leading up to the disaster let us now look at the consequences.."
Signposts
Just as you look for signs that tell you how far along in a journey you are and how many more miles before you reach your destination signposts provide the listener to your speech with the same information about your speech. Signposts work best when you have previewed your speech in the introduction so the audience knows how many points you will make. The most common signposts are numerical.
Some examples of signposts are:
"To begin with let us examine...."
"The second reason we should implement the new policy is..."
"Finally we must consider..."