Page 264 - Essentials of Human Communication

Step 8: Construct Your Conclusion, Introduction, Transitions, and Outlines 243

SkIll DevelOpment experIenCe

Constructing Conclusions and Introductions

Prepare a conclusion and an introduction to a hypothetical speech on one of the topics listed here, making sure
that in your conclusion you (1) review the speech’s main points and (2) provide closure. In your introduction,
make sure that you (1) gain attention and (2) orient the audience. Because the conclusion
and the introduction are
1. Competitive sports programs in high schools and colleges should be abolished.
2. Same-sex marriage should be legalized. often the parts that
3. Properties owned by religious institutions should be taxed. listeners remember
4. Assisted suicide should be legalized. most, give them special
5. Gambling should be declared illegal by all states. attention.

pause after completing your conclusion and ask audience members in a direct manner
if they have any questions. If there’s a chairperson who will ask for questions, pause af-
ter your conclusion, then nonverbally signal to the chairperson that you’re ready to
take questions.

transitiOns and internal suMMaries
Transitions (sometimes called “connectives”) are words, phrases, or sentences that connect
the various parts of a speech. Because your audience will hear your speech only once, they Explore the Concept
“Better Transitions” at
may not see the connections you want them to see. By using transitions, you can help your MyCommunicationLab
listeners see how one point leads to another or where one argument ends and another begins.
Use transitions in at least the following places:
● between the introduction and the body of the speech
● between the body and the conclusion
● between the main points in the body of the speech
Here are the major transitional functions and some stylistic devices that you might use:

● To announce the start of a main point: “First . . . ,” “A second argument . . . ,” “A closely
related problem . . . ,” “If you want further evidence, look at . . . ,” “My next point . . . ,” “An
even more compelling argument. . . .”
● To signal that you’re drawing a conclusion: “Thus . . . ,” “Therefore . . . ,” “So, as you can
see . . . ,” “It follows, then, that. . . .”
● To signal a qualification or exception: “But . . . ,” “However, also consider . . . ,” “On the
other hand. . . .”
● To signal a connection with another issue: “In contrast to . . . ,” “Consider also . . . ,” “Not
only . . . , but also . . . ,” “In addition to . . . , we also need to look at. . . .”
● To signal the next part of your speech: “By way of introduction . . . ,” “In conclusion . . . ,”
“Now, let’s discuss why we are here today . . . ,” “So, what’s the solution? What should we
do?”
Closely related to the transition is the internal summary, a statement that summarizes
what you have already discussed. Usually it summarizes some major subdivision of your
speech. Incorporate several internal summaries into your speech—perhaps working them
into the transitions connecting, say, the major arguments or issues. An internal summary that
is also a transition might look something like this:
The three arguments advanced here were (1) . . . , (2) . . . , (3) . . . Now, what can we do about
them? I think we can do two things. First, . . .