Thanks for some awesome speeches introducing yourselves last night! If you were among the last ten to speak, you, too, have comment cards from me--please make sure you get them from me next class!
Before we meet again, please:
Watch the first two minutes of ANY FOUR "TED talks" on www.ted.com. Be prepared to explain which of the four you MOST wanted to hear more of, and why. What made the introduction effective?
Read the conclusions of the speeches in the "A Few Good Speeches" handout. To do this you will need to identify the conclusions--where do you think the conclusions begin? What makes these conclusions effective? Can you identify some of the strategies these speakers use to make their conclusions more effective? If you can identify the strategies of strong speakers, you can imitate them and expand your own toolbox!
Read the handouts on introductions and conclusions. We'll talk about them next week--just skim them before our conversation
Bring to class a draft idea of an introduction--that is, the beginning of a speech. This doesn't have to be written or otherwise represented on paper (though you can--many of you thought Dan's choice to write out his speech was very effective!), but you need to give it some serious thought (whether you write it out or not!) Expect to spend at least an hour or two strategizing about your introduction. Try to use a story, a saying, a quotation, a question, or some other strategy to get your audience's attention. Your first idea probably won't be the one you ultimately use. Keep in mind the strategies you saw in the TED talks. Remember, introductions always introduce something, so you want to imagine what the rest of the speech might look like. You can try redoing the introduction to your speech introducing yourself, if you like, or try beginning another speech you might like. A toast, a work presentation, a presentation for one of your other classes, it doesn't matter--every speech has to begin somewhere! We will work on your introductions in class.
