 Have you ever met someone who made a bad first impression on you but ended up becoming a close friend later on? Have you ever been the one who's made a less than stellar first impression? How long did it take for things to turn around? One of the most crucial skills in public speaking is getting off on the right foot. Doing so requires a speaker to give attention to the preparation and delivery of the introduction of their speech. In this video, we'll discuss the functions, components, and tips for effective introductions in public speaking. The introduction serves a variety of purposes in a speech. From the audience's perspective, it sets the scene for the rest of the speech and lets them know what you'll be talking about. It's also where they'll make the decision about whether or not to bother listening to the rest of the speech. From the speaker's perspective, the introduction is a great opportunity to build a little positive momentum. If the introduction goes well, you'll start to build confidence and the butterflies in your stomach will begin to shrink a bit. Like many other parts of public speaking, the components of an introduction are pretty straightforward. The things that you should seek to accomplish in a speech introduction are gain attention, establish relevance, reveal the topic, establish credibility, and preview the main ideas. Let's take a look at each of these components separately. First things first, you need something right up front that will pull the audience in and make them pay attention. We suggest a full-on professional wrestling style entrance, complete with the outfit and loud rock music. Alas, as cool as that seems, we're mostly joking about that. In reality, you want to gain the attention of the audience in a way that doesn't make them lose all respect for you. Fortunately, there are many ways that you can do just that. Some of the more traditional methods of gaining the attention of the audience are telling a story, referring to the occasion precipitating the speech, referring to either recent or historical events with a connection to the speech, sharing a startling statistic related to the content of the speech, using a compelling quotation, asking the audience a question or questions to pique their curiosity, or using humor to draw their attention. Whatever method you use to gain the attention of the audience, make sure it has some connection to the topic and content of your speech. Another important component of an introduction is establishing relevance for an audience. Have you ever sat in a class and thought, what's the use in paying attention? I'm never going to use this information. Well, I hate to break it to you, but your speech audience is having the exact same thought. It's your job as a speaker to show them how this information is important to their lives. Sometimes that means you have to get a little creative in making the connection between your topic and their life. Without that connection, though, you've lost them before you ever get started. The next component of an introduction is to reveal the topic of your speech. Before you start hurling Captain Obvious memes, let me say that you'd be surprised how many speakers fail to communicate the topic of their speech. We won't belabor the point here. Suffice it to say that whether or not you think the audience knows the topic of your speech, it's good speaking practice to make sure by making it clear in the introduction. You will also need to establish credibility with the audience in the introduction of your speech. The members of your audience need to have confidence that you are prepared and actually know a little something about your topic. Two of the simplest ways of communicating credibility are explaining your experience and your preparation. If you have a professional background in this area, be sure to let the audience know. You can also let them in on the copious amounts of research that you did leading up to the speech or any academic background in the area. Of course, your delivery and overall level of confidence will also help the audience trust you that much sooner. Outside of the classroom, professional speakers are sometimes able to skip establishing credibility in the introduction of their speech. Why do you think some speakers can get away with this while still delivering effective speeches? I'll give you a moment to think about it. If you need more time to think about that question, feel free to pause the video now. Otherwise, let's continue. If a speaker is able to skip establishing their credibility in the introduction, it's likely because they are well recognized and don't need to build much credibility. Another possible reason is that a speech of introduction preceded the speaker, and their credentials were made clear in that speech. Along with credibility, you may also have to take time to establish goodwill with the audience. This would be necessary under any circumstance where it's not clear that you have the audience's best interests at heart over your own. If it's possible that the audience could find your motives suspect, then you'd better reassure them by establishing goodwill. Finally, speakers need to preview the main ideas of their speech in the introduction. A preview statement introduces the audience to the major themes and main points of your speech. Oftentimes, a preview is a simple reworking of the central idea statement for a speech. The preview is also a natural segue into the body of the speech. As such, it frequently is the last component of the introduction that is delivered. We have a few tips to share for making your introductions as effective as possible. First, the introduction should actually be one of the last things that you prepare for your speech. You won't really know what to put into the intro until you've fully developed the information in the body of the speech. This will also allow more time for you to look for cool quotes and stories as you research that you can use in the introduction. Secondly, keep the introduction short. The introduction shouldn't take up more than 10% to 15% of your total speech time. Let's say, for example, that your assignment calls for a five-minute speech. That comes out to 300 seconds, which means that your whole introduction should be in the 30 to 45 second range. That will go quickly, but you need to save as much time as possible for the body of the speech. Finally, it's not a terrible idea to script out your introduction. Getting things rolling smoothly in the intro can be a help to both the audience and the speaker. Even scripted out, you want your introduction to seem spontaneous and conversational, but this is the area of your speech where such precision of language and confidence and preparation can pay off the most. Your introduction will set the stage for the rest of your speech in many different ways. It's worth your time and energy to make certain that the first impression you make is a positive one. In this video, we discuss the functions, components, and tips for effective introductions and conclusions in public speaking. Check out some of our other videos for more insight into the public speaking process.