Direct the Audience toward the Body of Your Speech

It may be necessary to provide certain background for your speech to help the audience understand that which follows. This may include definitions, if they are required, and delimiting the topic to the portion of it you intend to cover.

An important feature of the introduction is to provide a bridge to the body of the speech, moving from the preliminaries to fulfilling the speaker’s specific purpose.

Because listening is difficult, it is up to the speaker to provide as many markers as possible for the audience. The first one is the goal statement. That should be followed by enumerated preview, which refers to the overview of the topic you will cover in your speech. For example, if you are going to inform the audience about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), the goal statement and the enumerated preview might go something like, “Today I will inform you about the prevalence of STDs, by explaining their symptoms and complications, how they are transmitted, and how they can be prevented.” This enumerated preview tells the listeners just what you will be speaking about.

Transitions between main points of a speech

Together with filling the gap between the introduction and the body of a speech, transitions serve an important function of organizing a coherent pattern of a speech. You must use transitions to move smoothly from one point to the next and from one section of the speech to the following section, or your presentation will seem awkward and disjoined. Transitions are used to indicate the completion of one idea (internal summary) and the start of another idea (internal preview). They also serve to remind you of your sequence of thought. Good transitions help the audience to anticipate and to remember.

Using the STDs example, here are two sample transitions from the “symptoms” topic to the “transmittal” topic, which serve as main points of the body”

· Now, that you are aware of just some symptoms of STDs and the problem they cause, you might be more interested in learning how they are contracted, and that is what I will speak about next. STDs…

· STDs are much more prevalent and more easily transmitted than most people believe. You probably do not want to get them or pass on to others. There are several ways you can prevent the acquisition and the spread of STDs. First, you can…

Anticipating

Transitions make clear the thought pattern of the speaker and allow the audience to anticipate the nature of the forthcoming material. As the speaker, you know already the ideas to be presented and the order in which they will occur, but the listener must pick them up and assimilate their meaning as they go by just once. You can guide the listener by frequent use of summarizing linking, reminding, and forecasting. Some examples of transitional words and phrases are

· Next…

· It follows that…

· Now let’s move on to…

· Not only… but also…

· Now that we’ve… let’s look at…

Signposts are a specific type of transition. They usually consist of a number:

· First…

· My second point is…

· The third step is…

· Next…

· Finally…

· The last point is…

Reviewing and Previewing

Summary transitions, those that review that which has gone before and preview that which follows, are excellent memory aids. Through repetition they help the audience to remember the material. The use of emphasis – such as, “Now I want especially to emphasize that point” – is another way to regain and focus audience attention and help others retain your message.

Be sure to make ample use of transitional devices in your speech. Summarizing, previewing, signposting, and emphasizing will help your audience to follow and to remember your ideas, and they will help you, the speaker, to maintain organization and control as you make your presentation.

Practice Assignments

A. Openings. Look at the presentation openings below and divide them under three headings:

PROBLEMS

AMAZING FACTS

STORIES

What do you think each presentation was about?

1. Did you know that Japanese companies spend four times more on entertaining clients in a year than the entire GDP of Bulgaria? 40 billion dollars, to be precise.

You know, that is twice Colombia's total foreign debt. You could buy General Motors for the same money.

2. Suppose your advertising budget was cut by 99% tomorrow. How would you go about promoting your product?

3. According to the latest study, by 2050 only one in every four people in Western Europe will be going to work. And two will be old age pensioners.

4. You know, R&D is 90% luck. When I think about creativity, I'm reminded of the man who invented the microwave oven. He spent years messing around with radar transmitters, and then noticed the chocolate in his pocket was starting to melt!

5. Statistics show that in the last ten years more people have legally emigrated to the United States than to the rest of the world put together — about half a million of them a year, in fact. Now, over ten years, that's roughly equivalent to the population of Greece.

6. Have you ever wondered why it is that Americans are easier to sell to than Europeans? And why 9 out of 10 sales gurus are American? You have? Well, if I could show you what stops Europeans buying, would you be interested?

7. I read somewhere the other day that the world's highest paid executive works for Disney and gets $230 million a year. Now that's about $2000 a minute! That means he's currently making more money than Volkswagen.

8. How many people here this morning hate going to meetings? Just about everybody, right? Well, imagine a company where there were never any meetings and everything ran smoothly. Do you think that's possible?

9. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to negotiate with the Japanese? I remember when I was working in Nagoya and everybody had told me the Japanese don't like saying no. So, in meetings I just kept saying yeah to everything. And they hated it. It turned out yeah sounds like no in Japanese!

B. Presentation. Use the frames below to help you prepare effective openings, using the problem, amazing facts, or story technique. Whatever technique you choose, prepare your opening carefully. You should always know exactly how you are going to start.

Problem Technique

Suppose ......................................................

How would you......................................................?

Have you ever wondered why it is that ................................................

................................................................................? You have?

Well, if I could show you......................................................

.................................... Would you be interested?

How many people here this morning / afternoon / evening

Well, imagine...................................................

.......................................Do you think that's possible?

Amazing Facts Technique

1. Did you know that.......................................................?