Discussion 1: Introduction To The Three Speeches

Discussion 1introductionsread The Three Speech Introductions Below And

Read the three speech introductions below and indicate which one you would choose if speaking to an audience of college students who do not know much about the issue of global warming. There is no right or wrong answer here. You are simply putting yourself into the shoes of the listener and choosing which short introduction grabs your attention and gets you ready to listen.

Introduction A: Hi. Last year I took a class in global ecology. I learned that the earth is warming about one degree every fifty years. At this rate, more than twenty percent of the ice stored in the polar icecaps will melt by the year 2050. This may not seem like a lot, but with this much extra water in the oceans, we might see Miami Beach under water and the island of Manhattan a new place to SCUBA dive. In my speech…

Introduction B: Good afternoon. My name is Ted Scott, and I’m going to talk about the issue of global warming. As you know, the earth is warming because humans are emitting CO2 gas from the cars we drive, from the fuels we use to heat our homes, and from the coal we burn to produce electricity. At the rate we are heating the earth, we will melt the polar ice caps in fifty years and sink much valuable oceanfront property. In my speech…

Introduction C: One day in the future, your grandchildren, or perhaps their grandchildren, take a vacation to New York State. They plan to do what so many other vacationers do in the area that was Manhattan Island; they will SCUBA dive through the subways of Manhattan Island. That’s right; if global warming continues through this century at the same rate it has been continuing over the last thirty years, some scientists are predicting that the Island of Manhattan will be under water by the year 2075. It seems unlikely, doesn’t it?

So which introduction did you pick? Do you know why it appealed to you? What do you think makes an introduction successful? What’s needed?

If you refer back to the list of attention-getters in module 6, what are a couple of the techniques you’d feel comfortable using in an introduction? Why?

Paper For Above instruction

In addressing the importance of engaging introductions when speaking about complex issues such as global warming, it becomes evident that the choice of opening remarks plays a crucial role in capturing the audience's attention and setting the tone for the message. Among the three options provided, I would select Introduction C as the most compelling for college students unfamiliar with the gravity of global warming. This choice is rooted in its creative and vivid imagery, which stimulates the imagination while emphasizing the potential long-term impacts of climate change in a relatable way.

Introduction C employs a future-oriented scenario that invites the audience to visualize a world drastically altered by rising sea levels, specifically mentioning Manhattan—an iconic city—and imagining underwater scenes of their own subway systems. This technique is an example of creating a visual, narrative-driven hook that humanizes the abstract threat posed by global warming. Such storytelling techniques are especially effective because they appeal to the listeners’ imagination and emotional sensibilities—key elements in persuasion and awareness-raising (Brouwer & Mathews, 2017). Unlike straightforward facts or personal anecdotes, this imaginative scenario invites curiosity and concern without overwhelming the audience with statistics, making it accessible and engaging for college students who may be new to the subject.

In contrast, Introduction A offers factual data about the rate of global warming and potential consequences like sea-level rise but does so in a more straightforward manner. While credible, it may lack the emotional resonance necessary to immediately capture attention among young adults less familiar with climate science. Introduction B provides clear information about human causes of climate change but is somewhat dry and lacks vivid imagery or storytelling techniques that create an emotional connection.

Successful speech introductions often employ techniques such as storytelling, startling facts, questions, or vivid imagery to immediately draw listeners into the narrative (Reynolds, 2012). In my case, I would feel comfortable incorporating visual imagery or hypothetical scenarios similar to Introduction C, because these techniques help create an immediate and emotionally-engaging connection with the audience (Huang & Johnson, 2018). For instance, beginning with a vivid description of the future consequences of global warming, or posing a thought-provoking question, can motivate the audience to listen carefully and care about the issue.

Effective communication about complex issues like global warming thus benefits greatly from imaginative storytelling and compelling visualizations, which foster curiosity and emotional investment. These techniques not only improve engagement but also enhance retention, making the subsequent information more impactful. Recognizing the importance of capturing audience interest from the outset underscores the value of selecting attention-grabbing techniques that resonate with listeners' values and imagination.

References

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