ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the ways to capture and sustain listeners' attention, examines the purposes of introductions and conclusions, and expresses various strategies for beginning and ending speeches. Attention is the ability to focus on one element in a given perceptual field. The factors of attention are activity, reality, proximity, familiarity, novelty, suspense, conflict, humor, and the vital. A quotation may be an excellent means of introducing a speech. It can prod listeners to think about something important and it often captures an appropriate emotional tone. In an informative speech, a summary allows the audience to pull together the main strands of information and to evaluate the significance of the speech. Illustrations engage the listeners emotionally. The illustration should be both inclusive of the main focus or thrust of the speech and conclusive in tone and impact.
