Introductions and Conclusion

An effective introduction begins with an attention getter. This aspect of writing a speech is one of my favorites because it involves being creative and thinking outside of the box of how you are going to arrive at your topic. Introductions should also indicate your purpose, establish credibility and review your main points. Achieving each of these steps is crucial to how much the audience is going to get out of your speech. Having an idea about what you are going to talk about helps the audience tune in, while reviewing the main points gives them a framework to be ready to listen for. Without credibility they would have no reason to listen to what you have to say-- providing evidence that you know what you are talking about will get their attention. For my informative speech my intro begins like this:        Who doesn’t miss the joy of being a child and digging in the dirt, feeling amazed at learning how the world works, and being completely at peace just being outside. (Attention Getter) My purpose is: Starting a vegetable garden can be overwhelming, but using the square foot gardening technique can help you start your own simple, affordable, low maintenance and productive garden. (Thesis) To establish credibility I wrote:  From 1982-86 he had a gardening series which aired on PBS and had the highest rating of any garden show of that time (Bartholomew, 1981).(Establishing Credibility)  My preview of main points is as follows:

Today I am going to teach you the basics for starting a square foot garden: a raised bed, the right soil, and most importantly the square foot organization for planting your vegetables. (Preview of Main Points)

        Conclusions are basically retelling what you told the audience in your speech. When you end the speech you want to review your main points, reinforce your purpose, and let the audience know that you are finished. My conclusion for our next speech is:

     There are many benefits to having your own vegetable garden. Square foot gardening is an efficient way to use the space you have for vegetables, it is economical and easy to get started.  As I have shown you today all you need is a box, the right blend of dirt and compost, and the square foot organization for planting your vegetables. With square foot gardening you can start small and have plenty.

I review my main points, reinforce my topic, and have a closing statement. Ending the speech effectively is just as important as setting it up well in that it is the last impression the audience has of your intentions.