In Class Two, we discussed one powerful means of introducing your speech that will grab your listeners’ attention: telling a story. This method will not, however, work in every case. Depending on your audience, and the purpose of your speech, you may choose instead to engage your listeners with a problem.
Basically, this involves laying out a real or fictional conundrum, and involving your audience in the solution. The problem may be as simple as a frightening statistic that impacts your audience personally. For example:
“127,000 people died last year from lung cancer because they couldn’t quit smoking.”
This is a powerful introductory statement because many in the audience are likely smokers, or at least know and love someone who is. So this problem automatically involves your audience. They realize something is wrong, and they can be part of the solution, as long as they listen to what you have to say next.
Or, the problem you use to introduce your speech may contain more mystery. Perhaps:
“127,000 people died last year who didn’t have to. Any idea why?”
This way, you’re not only engaging the audience by letting them know a problem exists, you’re also engaging them by asking a question that requires them to consider an answer.
If you’re speaking to a group with a lot in common, such as at an employee meeting or a convention for members of a particular club, you may be able to bring it even closer to home:
“Last quarter, XYZ Industries lost over $14 million to shoplifters and other illegal loss. We need to discuss security matters…”
In this instance, you have (hopefully) grabbed your audience’s interest with a problem amplified by a statistic, then engaged them directly in discussing the solution.
These examples are only a few of the many ways you can work a problem into your introduction. No matter how you do it, though, there are a few points to keep in mind:
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If your problem has an established solution, (i.e. we have already given our store managers permission to shoot shoplifters on sight,) it is best to communicate this early so the audience is not distracted by considering their own possible solutions as you continue to speak.
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If the problem you choose to present has no recognizable or realistic solution, (i.e. 437 planes have been lost in the Bermuda Triangle since 1935) be sure you explain the reason you presented it. There’s nothing wrong with using an unsolvable problem to introduce your talk as long as the audience understands why that problem, or the fact that it’s unsolvable, matters to them.
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If you are seeking a solution to the problem from your audience, be sure to have some means of obtaining their feedback. Perhaps passing out a comment sheet will suffice, or supplying them with your contact information to discuss the matter later. If you plan to entertain a panel discussion or Q&A after the speech, let them know early on so they can begin to prepare their questions and comments.
As PSU continues, we’ll come back to “problem introductions” again, approaching them from a different angle. Before that, however, for the next few classes we’ll be discussing the all-important conclusion. Stay tuned!
