PREPARING YOUR SPEECH
Usually a brief, simple presentation, the first assignment is often called an ice breaker speech because it is
designed to "break the ice" by getting students up in front of the class as soon as possible. This is an important step b
ecause much of the anxiety associated with public speaking comes from lack of experience giving speeches. Once yo
u have broken the ice by giving a speech, you will feel less anxious and will have taken the first step on the road to c
onfidence.
DEVELOPING THE SPEECH
There are a number of possible assignments for the first speech. One is a speech of self-introductio
n that provides insight into the speaker's background, personality, beliefs, or goals. In other cases, students are asked
to introduce a classmate, rather than themselves. Some instructors require yet a different kind of speech. Make sure y
ou understand exactly what your instructor requires.
Focusing Your Topic
No matter what kind of introductory speech you are assigned, be sure to focus your presentation sh
arply so it conforms to the assigned time limit. One of the most common mistakes students make on their first speec
h is trying to cover too much.
It would be impossible, for example, to tell your audience everything about your life in a two- or three-minute speec
h. A better approach would be to focus on one or two events that have helped define who you are competing in the st
ate track meet, tutoring disadvantaged children, getting your first job, and the like.
This allows you to make a few well-developed points about a clearly defined subject.
On the other hand, avoid the temptation to narrow the focus of your topic too much. Few listeners would be pleased t
o hear a two- or three-minute discussion of advanced trumpet-playing techniques. Such a speech would be too specia
lized for most classroom audiences.
Developing Your Topic
Once you have a topic for your speech, be creative in developing it. Think of ways to structure t
he speech so it will be interesting and meaningful to your audience. Look, for example, at the sample speeches with
commentary at the end of this chapter. The first speaker explains aspects of her life by referring to her grandmother's
courtyard, which she used to visit as a child. The second speaker uses the notion of fearlessness when introducing o
ne of her classmates. In both cases, the speakers found a creative way to frame their information. Another possibility
is to think of ways you can make your presentation mysterious or suspenseful.
Suppose you are telling the audience about meeting a celebrity, visiting a famous place, or participating in a newswo
rthy event. Rather than identifying the celebrity at the outset, you might save his or her name for the end of your spe
ech. As your story unfolds, tantalize your classmates with clues about your celebrity's gender, physical characteristic
s, special talents, and the like, but keep the name secret until the last moment. Audiences are also interested in dange
rous situations, adventure, and drama. If your task is to introduce a fellow student, find out if she or he has ever been
in danger. Suppose your classmate was caught in a flood or spent a year in Africa with the Peace Corps. The details
would make excellent material for a speech. If you think about it, every person has faced risk, done the unusual, or tr
iumphed over hardship. Try to find ways to include such fascinating experiences in your speech.
You can also make your speech interesting by using colorful, descriptive language. One speaker used this
technique when introducing a fellow student, named Alexa, to the class. The speaker began by saying:
The spotlight shines. The music blares. The crowd cheers. The colors, bright and vibrant, bleed together as
Alexa and her partner sail around the dance floor. Her partner touches her hand and her waist, but only briefly. He t
hen spins her away, and she glides across the floor in what seems like a single motion. Alexa has worked many week
s for this moment. Alexa, you see, is a championship ballroom dancer.
The speaker could have said, "Alexa is a terrific ballroom dancer and finds it quite thrilling." Instead, the speaker pai
nted a word picture so listeners could visualize the dance floor, the brilliant colors of the costumes, and the exciteme
nt of the competition as Alexa and her partner perform in perfect symmetry.
Colorful and concrete illustrations like this are always more interesting than dull language and abstract generalizatio
, ns.
You might wonder whether you should use humor to make your first speech entertaining. Audiences love witty rema
rks, jokes, and funny situations, but like anything else, humor is effective only when done well. It should flow natura
lly out of the speech content rather than being contrived. If you are not normally a funny person, you are better off gi
ving a sincere, enthusiastic speech and leaving out the jokes. In no case should you include humor that involves obsc
enity, embarrasses individuals, or negatively stereotypes groups of people. The best kind of humor gently pokes fun
at ourselves or at universal human foibles.
ORGANIZING THE SPEECH
Regardless of your topic, a speech usually has three main parts- an introduction, a body, and a concl
usion.
In Chapter 10, we will discuss each of these parts in detail. Here we focus on what you need to know about them as
you prepare your introductory speech
Introduction
Your first job in the introduction is to get the attention and interest of the audience. You can do this b
y posing a question, telling a story, making a startling statement, or opening with a quotation. The purpose of all thes
e methods is to create a dramatic, colorful opening that will make your audience want to hear more.
For an example, look at the speech excerpt on Video 4.2. The speaker's assignment was to present a
narrative about a significant experience in his life. This is how he began:
I never knew the secret until I took a year off from school, traveled halfway around the world, and l
ived for a year in Thailand. I was there to teach English, but the trip ended up being much more than a job. It was a v
oyage of discovery. I didn't know exactly what I would find, but I came home with a truly valuable secret.
After this introduction, the audience was eager to hear more about the speaker's secret.
In addition to gaining attention and interest, the introduction should orient your listeners toward the
subject matter of your speech. In the longer speeches you will give later in the term, you will usually need to provide
an explicit preview statement that identifies the main points to be discussed in the body of your speech. (For exampl
e, "Today I will inform you about the symptoms, causes, and treatment of sleep apnea.")
Because your introductory speech is so short, you may not need a detailed preview statement. But
you still need to give your audience a clear sense of your topic and purpose. Be sure to check with your instructor to
see what kind of preview statement he or she prefers for the introductory speech.)
Body
After getting the audience's attention and revealing your topic, you are ready to move into the body
of your speech. In some speeches, the body seems to organize itself. If you are telling a story about a significant exp
erience in your life, you will relate the events chronologically, in the order they occurred.
But not all speeches follow such a format. Suppose you have been asked to give a presentation introducing a classma
te. You could organize the most important biographical facts about your subject in chronological order, but this migh
t result in a dull, superficial speech: "Maria was born in Miami in 2000, attended elementary school from 2006 to 20
12, and graduated from high school in 2018."
A better way of structuring your remarks might be to discuss three of the most important aspects of Maria's life, such
as hobbies, career goals, and family. This is called the topical method of organization, which subdivides the speech t
opic into its natural, logical, or conventional parts. Although there are many other ways to organize a speech, your fi
rst presentation will probably use either chronological or topical order.
Regardless of the method of organization you use, remember to limit the number of main points in the body of your
speech. In a two-minute presentation, you won't have time to develop more than two or three main points.
Once you have selected those points, make sure each one focuses on a single aspect of the topic. For example, if you
r first point concerns your classmate's hometown, don't introduce irrelevant information about her job or favorite mu
sic. Save this material for a separate point, or cut it.
Usually a brief, simple presentation, the first assignment is often called an ice breaker speech because it is
designed to "break the ice" by getting students up in front of the class as soon as possible. This is an important step b
ecause much of the anxiety associated with public speaking comes from lack of experience giving speeches. Once yo
u have broken the ice by giving a speech, you will feel less anxious and will have taken the first step on the road to c
onfidence.
DEVELOPING THE SPEECH
There are a number of possible assignments for the first speech. One is a speech of self-introductio
n that provides insight into the speaker's background, personality, beliefs, or goals. In other cases, students are asked
to introduce a classmate, rather than themselves. Some instructors require yet a different kind of speech. Make sure y
ou understand exactly what your instructor requires.
Focusing Your Topic
No matter what kind of introductory speech you are assigned, be sure to focus your presentation sh
arply so it conforms to the assigned time limit. One of the most common mistakes students make on their first speec
h is trying to cover too much.
It would be impossible, for example, to tell your audience everything about your life in a two- or three-minute speec
h. A better approach would be to focus on one or two events that have helped define who you are competing in the st
ate track meet, tutoring disadvantaged children, getting your first job, and the like.
This allows you to make a few well-developed points about a clearly defined subject.
On the other hand, avoid the temptation to narrow the focus of your topic too much. Few listeners would be pleased t
o hear a two- or three-minute discussion of advanced trumpet-playing techniques. Such a speech would be too specia
lized for most classroom audiences.
Developing Your Topic
Once you have a topic for your speech, be creative in developing it. Think of ways to structure t
he speech so it will be interesting and meaningful to your audience. Look, for example, at the sample speeches with
commentary at the end of this chapter. The first speaker explains aspects of her life by referring to her grandmother's
courtyard, which she used to visit as a child. The second speaker uses the notion of fearlessness when introducing o
ne of her classmates. In both cases, the speakers found a creative way to frame their information. Another possibility
is to think of ways you can make your presentation mysterious or suspenseful.
Suppose you are telling the audience about meeting a celebrity, visiting a famous place, or participating in a newswo
rthy event. Rather than identifying the celebrity at the outset, you might save his or her name for the end of your spe
ech. As your story unfolds, tantalize your classmates with clues about your celebrity's gender, physical characteristic
s, special talents, and the like, but keep the name secret until the last moment. Audiences are also interested in dange
rous situations, adventure, and drama. If your task is to introduce a fellow student, find out if she or he has ever been
in danger. Suppose your classmate was caught in a flood or spent a year in Africa with the Peace Corps. The details
would make excellent material for a speech. If you think about it, every person has faced risk, done the unusual, or tr
iumphed over hardship. Try to find ways to include such fascinating experiences in your speech.
You can also make your speech interesting by using colorful, descriptive language. One speaker used this
technique when introducing a fellow student, named Alexa, to the class. The speaker began by saying:
The spotlight shines. The music blares. The crowd cheers. The colors, bright and vibrant, bleed together as
Alexa and her partner sail around the dance floor. Her partner touches her hand and her waist, but only briefly. He t
hen spins her away, and she glides across the floor in what seems like a single motion. Alexa has worked many week
s for this moment. Alexa, you see, is a championship ballroom dancer.
The speaker could have said, "Alexa is a terrific ballroom dancer and finds it quite thrilling." Instead, the speaker pai
nted a word picture so listeners could visualize the dance floor, the brilliant colors of the costumes, and the exciteme
nt of the competition as Alexa and her partner perform in perfect symmetry.
Colorful and concrete illustrations like this are always more interesting than dull language and abstract generalizatio
, ns.
You might wonder whether you should use humor to make your first speech entertaining. Audiences love witty rema
rks, jokes, and funny situations, but like anything else, humor is effective only when done well. It should flow natura
lly out of the speech content rather than being contrived. If you are not normally a funny person, you are better off gi
ving a sincere, enthusiastic speech and leaving out the jokes. In no case should you include humor that involves obsc
enity, embarrasses individuals, or negatively stereotypes groups of people. The best kind of humor gently pokes fun
at ourselves or at universal human foibles.
ORGANIZING THE SPEECH
Regardless of your topic, a speech usually has three main parts- an introduction, a body, and a concl
usion.
In Chapter 10, we will discuss each of these parts in detail. Here we focus on what you need to know about them as
you prepare your introductory speech
Introduction
Your first job in the introduction is to get the attention and interest of the audience. You can do this b
y posing a question, telling a story, making a startling statement, or opening with a quotation. The purpose of all thes
e methods is to create a dramatic, colorful opening that will make your audience want to hear more.
For an example, look at the speech excerpt on Video 4.2. The speaker's assignment was to present a
narrative about a significant experience in his life. This is how he began:
I never knew the secret until I took a year off from school, traveled halfway around the world, and l
ived for a year in Thailand. I was there to teach English, but the trip ended up being much more than a job. It was a v
oyage of discovery. I didn't know exactly what I would find, but I came home with a truly valuable secret.
After this introduction, the audience was eager to hear more about the speaker's secret.
In addition to gaining attention and interest, the introduction should orient your listeners toward the
subject matter of your speech. In the longer speeches you will give later in the term, you will usually need to provide
an explicit preview statement that identifies the main points to be discussed in the body of your speech. (For exampl
e, "Today I will inform you about the symptoms, causes, and treatment of sleep apnea.")
Because your introductory speech is so short, you may not need a detailed preview statement. But
you still need to give your audience a clear sense of your topic and purpose. Be sure to check with your instructor to
see what kind of preview statement he or she prefers for the introductory speech.)
Body
After getting the audience's attention and revealing your topic, you are ready to move into the body
of your speech. In some speeches, the body seems to organize itself. If you are telling a story about a significant exp
erience in your life, you will relate the events chronologically, in the order they occurred.
But not all speeches follow such a format. Suppose you have been asked to give a presentation introducing a classma
te. You could organize the most important biographical facts about your subject in chronological order, but this migh
t result in a dull, superficial speech: "Maria was born in Miami in 2000, attended elementary school from 2006 to 20
12, and graduated from high school in 2018."
A better way of structuring your remarks might be to discuss three of the most important aspects of Maria's life, such
as hobbies, career goals, and family. This is called the topical method of organization, which subdivides the speech t
opic into its natural, logical, or conventional parts. Although there are many other ways to organize a speech, your fi
rst presentation will probably use either chronological or topical order.
Regardless of the method of organization you use, remember to limit the number of main points in the body of your
speech. In a two-minute presentation, you won't have time to develop more than two or three main points.
Once you have selected those points, make sure each one focuses on a single aspect of the topic. For example, if you
r first point concerns your classmate's hometown, don't introduce irrelevant information about her job or favorite mu
sic. Save this material for a separate point, or cut it.
