I technically joined Speech and Debate by accident. Speech and Debate was established this year, so my multimedia classmates and I wanted to do a news package on it to bring it some attention. I was there to film. The topic they were debating was, “Are we always morally obligated to help people?” As I was crouching in weird positions to get different camera angles, someone on the side who was assigned “Yes, we are always morally obligated to help people,” said, “Well, obviously. This’ll be so easy!” I got a little distracted from my assignment. After my camera died, I helped the side that was assigned “No, we aren’t always morally obligated to help people,” and we caught the other team entirely off guard.
Suffice to say, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I joined. I only know that I love having discussions that challenge ideas, not merely arguing for the sake of arguing, but to understand different perspectives. So, when I was met with a load of structure and technical jargon, I quickly realized that I had much more to learn.
We were last practicing for Original Oratories. An Original Oratory is a speech event where speakers give self-written and memorized persuasive speeches addressing issues in society.
Similar to an essay, an Original Oratory speech has to have a strong introduction and conclusion. Your introduction is what first catches your listener’s attention, and your conclusion is what cuts off any loose ends and wraps your argument up in a pretty bow. People will remember your beginning and ending more than they will remember any of the in-between. You have to make it count.
So, here are five methods you can use to make an engaging introduction and how to write a satisfying conclusion.
Using questions
Contrary to what you may have been told, you can use questions in an introduction. However, you have to be asking the right questions.
“Have you ever wondered–” No. I haven’t, and just like that, you’ve lost me. No one cares until you make them care. Be interesting.
If you’re going to write an introduction with a question, provide some context first. Introduce something that will make the audience naturally question. Something that doesn’t make sense, something that they’ll want to understand. Then, when the audience is already asking the question in their heads, say it out loud. Or, use that context to ask a challenging question that will flip their perspective on something they may believe they already know. Then, transition into your topic.
Example:
“I’ve met many people who don’t have that much empathy for bugs, and to them, I showed a study that revealed that bees, the creatures that are so often demonized as aggressive with their stingers, actually like to play. I softened some of the bug-haters’ hearts that way. But why? What is it that makes people justify killing bugs when the bugs are just minding their business? What is it that makes them change their minds when they find out that bugs can play? Do they become more human in one’s eyes? More than 270 journalists in Gaza were killed by Israel since the beginning of the Palestinian genocide. This is not just a war on Hamas. This is an execution of a society. Taking out journalists, the very people who can share the stories of Palestinians, was a strategic choice to prevent them from being seen as human and convince the rest of the world that they are akin to bugs.”
Using quotes
A quote can either work incredibly well or get the judges rolling their eyes, even though you’ve just opened your mouth.
The most important thing to remember when choosing a quote to use for an introduction is to find one that’s 1) not cliche, and 2) not too general. Everyone’s heard “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” or “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Be specific. Find a quote that’s really relevant to what you’re talking about, then use it to connect to your points.
Example:
“Socrates, in the second of his final four dialogues, before being sentenced to death for impiety and corrupting the youth, defended his beliefs, saying, “To fear death is nothing other than to think oneself wise when one is not. For it is to think one knows what one does not know. No one knows whether death may not even turn out to be the greatest blessing of human beings. And yet people fear it as if they knew for certain it is the greatest evil.” Fear is a powerful emotion, driving one to act, yet keeping them from thinking clearly. It is for this reason that people in life-or-death situations should not be held accountable for immoral actions unless it’s clear that the immorality is intentional and uncalled for.”
Defining a Term
Typically, define a word that’s jargon to the topic you’re talking about, or a word that you want to expand on the meaning of, then use it to transition into your topic. Don’t be pretentious unless you have the substance to back it up.
Example:
“Typically, I wouldn’t cite a TikTok in a professional setting like Speech & Debate, but I find the quotes from these captions important. “First World War, kinda nervous.” “POV: You and the boys in 3 weeks, proving to your parents that years of gaming actually paid off.” “Cream cheese will never be the same again.” If you aren’t aware, these are referencing the ongoing war between the U.S. and Israel against Iran, and one of the Epstein files, where it seems they express that the babies they cannibalized taste like cream cheese. This is memetic warfare, the use of humor to influence public opinion.”
Using a Short Anecdote
Hook your audience with a story, but don’t make your speech about the story. Tell a story that connects back to your topic.
Example:
“One time, my mom and I were at Little Pampanga. It’s a Filipino restaurant that sells food specific to the province in the Philippines that my mom is from, Pampanga, and it’s joined with a small market. I wanted kalderetang kambing, it’s a goat and tomato stew. My mom usually orders for me when we go there because I can’t speak Tagalog. When we sat down to eat, I asked her, “Why didn’t you teach me Tagalog when I was a little kid?” and she said, “I tried, but you laughed and responded back in gibberish because you thought I was speaking gibberish.” She brushed it off, but I could see she was disappointed. My experience of being disconnected from my Filipino heritage is not unique. For a while, I found myself settling for being “the Asian one,” even if it wasn’t my kind of Asian. Many Asian-Americans may feel more connected to Japanese or Korean experiences, even if that’s not the heritage they belong to. This is due, in part, to the commercialization and fetishization of Asian cultures.”
Setting the Scene
Setting the scene is like writing the beginning of a narrative. Immerse your audience in a place or situation that sets you up to talk about your issue, then transition into your issue.
Example:
“I had been in this room more times than I could remember. The air was chill to the touch. Every piece of furniture was neat with the intention of feeling friendly, but it all felt fake to the lost, skeptical middle schooler I used to be. A sign hung on the wall, saying, “What you say here stays here, unless 1) someone is hurting you, 2) you want to hurt someone, 3) you want to hurt yourself, or 4) you give permission to share with another trusted adult.” I know now that the counselors only wanted to help me, but at the time, all I could think was “Who reported me?” I didn’t want to talk to them, and I didn’t know how. I didn’t know how to advocate for myself. I didn’t know what my options were. The current mental healthcare system doesn’t work because the topic of suicide is still approached with taboo and fear, as if talking about it itself is a scary thing. This fosters an environment where students don’t feel they can open up about their struggles and are afraid of the consequences of expressing themselves.”
Writing the Conclusion
A conclusion should summarize the points you made in your argument, but it should also connect back and resolve the conflict brought to light in the introduction in a way that is satisfying to the audience.
Conclusions also often have “call to actions,” something said to light a fire in your audience and send that last message for them to support your viewpoint.
So, if I were to write a conclusion to connect to the introduction about the commercialization of Asian culture and my disconnection from my heritage, I could say something in Tagalog, show how I connect to my heritage now, and prompt any Asian-American watching to have pride in their culture, while also spreading awareness of how commercialization can be harmful.
Despite having joined Speech and Debate by accident, taking advantage of the opportunity was no mistake. I’ve learned a lot in the time I’ve participated. Even if you don’t want to be in a speech competition, consider how studying speech can help you in your daily life. You may find that you can better articulate your ideas and advocate for yourself and others.
