ABSTRACT
Several of the preceding chapters have been devoted to the procedures by which the bulk of a message for rhetorical communication may be developed. For the most part, these chapters have been concerned with the development of the body of the message. After the body of a message has been developed, you must consider how to introduce that body to the audience and how to conclude the message. In this chapter we shall discuss the functions of introductions and conclusions and suggest some specific ways that messages may be introduced and concluded. As you proceed through this chapter, you should keep clearly in mind that introductions and conclusions are functional units within messages. They are not merely means of beginning and ending messages. Rather, if skillfully employed, they are means of enhancing the effectiveness of the rest of the message.
