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新浪首页 > 新浪教育 > 《掌握英语口语》 > 第一章: 生动有力的开场白

1: Effective Introduction
http://www.sina.com.cn 2003/11/14 01:10  中图读者俱乐部

 

 INTRODUCTION FUNCTIONS

  A good introduction performs three functions. First, it captures the audience’s attention and arouses curiosity. Second, it previews the major ideas of your speech. Third, it tells your audience why they should listen to you.

  1. Attentioncatching Opening Line

  A key purpose of the introduction is to acquire favorable attention of the audience. Because listeners form their first impressions of the speech quickly, if the introduction does not capture their attention, the rest of the speech may be wasted on them.

  Example:

  Imagine for a moment that it is year 2050. You are 65 years old. You’ve just picked up your mail and opened an envelope that contains a check for 100,000! No, you didn’t win the lottery. You smile as you realize your own modest investment strategy over the last forty years has paid off handsomely.

  2. Preview Major Ideas

  Within a couple of seconds after you begin your speech, the audience should have a pretty good idea of what you are going to talk about. Do not get so carried away with jokes or illustrations that you forget the basic purpose.

  Example:

  Today I’d like to answer three questions that can help you become a better money manager: First,swheresdoes money come from? Second,swheresdo you invest it? And third, how does a little money growsintosa lot of money?

  3. Tell Your Audience Why They Should Listen to You

  Even after you have captured the attention of your audience and told the topic, you have to give the audience some reason to want to listen to the rest of your speech.

  Example:

  Knowing the answers to these three questions can literally pay big dividends for you. With only modest investments and a well-disciplined attitude, you could easily have 100,000.

 

 INTRODUCTION TECHNIQUES

  The introduction to your speech will span only a few sentences or, for a longer speech, a few paragraphs. How can you effectively capture attention, present your topic, establish credibility, and preview your major points in just a few minutes? Try one of these six tried-and-true techniques: (1) using a startling statement, (2) asking a question, (3) using humor, (4) using suspense, (5) telling a story, (6) establishing credibility. Not every one of these techniques is appropriate for every speech or occasion. However, among these six techniques, you’re sure to find at least one that will work well for your next speech.

  1. Using a Starling Statement

  If you want your audience to snap to attention immediately, start your introduction with a startling statement. You might describe an extremely unusual situation, reveal a shocking statistic, or vividly portray an alarming problem. Not only will listeners sit up and take notice, they’ll also listen carefully to find out more about what you just said and why you said it.

  When student Heather Larson of Northern State University in South Dakota wrote her speech“Stemming the Tide,”she used a series of startling statements to draw her audience instantlysintosher message.

  Example:

  Every eleven minutes one American dies from this killer. That is twice as many as will be murdered in crimes of homicide. It took eight years of Vietnam to exceed the 46,000 that will die this year. Three times as many Americans have died of this disease in the last decade than the 133,000 who died of AIDS. This disease will cost you and me and other Americans over 6 billion in medical costs and lost productivity this year alone, not to mention the human losses we will suffer. This tide awash on our shores may well directly touch each and every one of us in this room. I speak of breast cancer.

  2. Asking a Question

  You can get listeners involved in your introduction by asking a question that leadssintosyour central idea.

  Example:

  See this dollar bill? What can it do for you? You can invest it, save it to buy something more expensive, or you can just spend it. Although there isnt much to buy for a dollar these days. Kids, on the other hand, would take this dollar and be able to spend it on something that they would be satisfied with, even if what they were spending it on could kill them. This dollar can buy kids a high that’s cheap, available, and lethal to purchase.

  Clearly, Wadeson did’t want her listeners to actually respond. What she wanted was to get them thinking about her topic, the dangers of inhaling solvents and aerosols.

  3. Using Humor

  Humor, handled well, can be a wonderful attention getter. It can help relax your audience and win their good will for the rest of the speech.

  The following speaker used humor to express appreciation for being invited to speak to asgroupsby beginning his speech with his story.

  Example:

  Three corporate executive were trying to define the word“fame”.

  One said,“Fame is getting invited to the White House to see the President.”

  The second said,“Fame is being invited to the White House and while you are visting, the phone rings and he doesn’t answer it.”

  The third executive said,“Your both wrong. Fame is being invited to the White House to visit with the President when his Hot Line ring. He answers it, listens a minute, and then says,‘Here, it’s for you!’”

  Being asked to speak today is like being in the White House and the call’s for me.

  4. Using Suspense

  Consider how Rebecca Witte, a student at the University of Missouri in St. Louis, introduced a speech to a college audience.

  Example:

  I am a seven letter word. I destroy friends, families, neighborhoods and schools. I am the biggest killer among teenagers today. I am not alcohol. I am not cocaine. I am suicide.

  Witte’s introduction aroused curiosity and encouraged listeners to stay tuned for the answer. Then, to keep listeners involved, Witte cited a few surprising statistics and went on to pose two thought-provoking questions:

  Example:

  Why is it then that the high schools aren’t doing anything? Why is it that high schools do not have mandatory suicide prevention programs as a part of their everyday curriculum? Those are very good questions and that is why I am here today.

  Initially, Witte’s introduction intrigued her listeners and therefore captured their attention for a minute or two. But Witte had to do more to keep her audience interested after the first few sentences. By quoting statistics and asking questions, she gave her audience solid reasons for staying interested.

  5. Telling a Story

  Everybody likes a good story, so long as it relates to the topic at hand. Stories can be effective in leading off any kind of speech.

  A college student used this story to introduce his speech,“Health Care Combat Zones”.

  Example:

  California emergency room nurse Tim Dufelmeier became a hero - not because of his successful efforts to save a patient, but because of his valiant rescue of an emergency room physician. A disgruntled patient had lunged at three ER physicians without warning, wounding two slightly and shooting one point-blank in the head and chest. Dufelmeier charged past the gunman, grabbed the doctor and rushed him to emergency life-saving surgery.

  6. Establishing Credibility

  The reason why the audience listens to you is closely related to how credible you are. You need your listener to know that you are qualified to stand there and tackle the topic.

  When John F. Ferguson, a minister, spoke during a VeteransDay assembly at a high school in Kirkland, Washington, he stated his credentials during his introduction.

  Example:

  We have come together to honor the military service of American men and women, particularly those who participated in the war in Vietnam. I’m one of those people. I served in the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam in 1967. I was a member of the 15th Marine Counterintelligence Team, operating just below the Demilitarized Zone. Our team was a part of small unit combat and intelligence operations, now known as the Phoenix Program.

  Ferguson let his audience know that he was personally involved in the war. He didn’t brag or boast; he simply explained what his wartime role was. His experience was directly relevant to the topic of war veterans and to the purpose of the school’s assembly to honor veterans, so he seemed more credible to the audience.

第一章: 生动有力的开场白

 

 开场白的作用

  一段精彩的开场白有三种作用。第一,吸引听众的注意力,激发听众的好奇心;第二,概述你演讲的主要内容;第三,向听众阐明听你演讲的必要性。

  1.引人入胜的开头

  开场白的主要目的就是赢得听众的注意。由于听众对演讲的第一印象会很快形成,如果开场白不能吸引他们,那么其他部分就只会白白浪费掉了。举例:

  想像一下现在是2050年。你已经65岁了。你刚刚收到一封来信,打开信封,里面是一张10万美元的支票。不,不是你赢什么彩票。当意识到在过去的40年中自己的少量投资的策略现在终于有了可观的收益时,你不禁喜上眉头。

  2.概述要点

  在开始演讲后的几秒钟内,听众应该对你要谈到的内容有一个很好的了解。不要因为讲了几个笑话或例证导致离题万里,而把根本目标抛到了脑后。

  举例:

  今天我来回答三个问题,这三个问题有助于你理财。第一,你如何挣钱?第二,你如何投资?第三,小钱如何生大钱?

  3.向你的听众阐明听你演讲的理由

  即便你已经抓住了听众的注意力,也阐明了演讲的话题,你也必须告诉听众为什么要接着听下去。

  举例:

  弄清这三个问题的答案的确可以带来意外的收益。你只需要很少的投资,严谨的态度,挣得10万美元不在话下。

  开场白的技巧

  演讲的开场白只要几句话就行,长一点的演讲则需几段。如何在几分钟内有效地做到吸引听众,引出话题,建立信任,介绍要点呢?下面这六个技巧屡试不爽,不妨一试:(1)语出惊人;(2)提出问题;(3)利用幽默;(4)设置悬念;(5)讲述故事;(6)建立信任。这些技巧并非每一条都适用于任何演讲、任何场合。然而,在这些技巧中,你肯定至少会找到一条能在你下次演讲中大显身手。

  1.语出惊人

  如果你想迅速吸引你的听众,那么开场白一开始就要语出惊人。你可能会描绘一个异乎寻常的场面,透露一个触目惊心的数据,或者栩栩如生描述一个耸人听闻的问题。听众不仅会蓦然凝神,而且还会侧耳细听,更多地寻求你的讲话内容,探询你演讲的原因。

  南达科他州北部州立大学的希瑟·拉森在撰写她的演讲词“逆流而行”时,运用了一系列的惊人之语,迅速地把她的听众吸引了过来。

  举例:

  每11分钟就有一个美国人死于这种病。这个数量是死于谋杀犯罪案人数的两倍。今年有4.6万人死于这种病,而8年越南战争的死亡人数也不过是这个数字。在近十年里,美国人死于这种病的人数是死于艾滋病13.3万人数的三倍。这种病将使你我和其他美国人今年在医疗费用上花费掉超过60亿美元,并失去劳动能力,更不用说我们所遭受到的生命损失了。我所说的患乳腺癌这种疾病的浪潮可能会直接袭击我们在座的每一个人。

  2.提出问题

  你可以通过提出与中心思想相关的问题来使听众投入于你的开场白。

  举例:

  看到这张美钞吗?它对你有什么用呢?你可以用它来投资,可以省下来买更贵的物品,或者干脆花掉。虽然现今1美元买不了多少东西,但另一方面,孩子们可以用这1美元去买他们喜欢的东西,即便是他们买来的东西会伤害他们。这1美元可以让孩子们廉价地、随处可得地,但非常致命地“爽”一把。

  很显然,威德森不想让她的听众真的来回答她的问题。她只想引发他们对她的话题--吸入溶剂和气溶胶的危险--进行思考。

  3.利用幽默

  幽默如果运用得恰当,在吸引听众注意力上能取到很好的效果。它有助于缓和现场气氛,使他们愿意继续听你的演讲。

  下例演讲者以幽默的语气用他自己的故事作开场白,来表达他对被邀请作演讲的感谢。

  举例:

  三位公司主管试图给“名声”这个词下个定义。

  第一个说:“名声就是白宫邀请你去与总统会面。”

  第二个说:“名声就是白宫给你发出邀请,当你在那儿时,电话响了,但是总统却不接。”

  第三个主管说:“你们俩说的都不对。名声就是你被邀请到白宫拜见总统,这时总统的热线电话响了,他接过来,听了听,然后说:‘找你的!’”

  今天我应邀在这里演讲就如同在白宫有电话找我。

  4.设置悬念

  丽贝卡·威特就读于圣路易斯州的密苏里大学,她曾给大学生做过演讲,看看她是如何开场的。

  举例:

  我是一个由七个字母构成的单词。我破坏了友情、亲情、邻里之情、同学之情。我是当今青少年中最大的杀手。我并非酒类,也并非可卡因,我的名字叫自杀。

  威特的开场白激起了听众的好奇心,促使他们继续听下去以便找到答案。于是,为了保持听众的兴趣,威特引用了一些触目惊心的统计数据,又提出了两个令人深思的问题。

  举例:

  为什么高级中学没有采取措施呢?作为日常课程的组成部分,为什么高级中学缺少强制性的自杀防范纲要?这些问题都很重要。这也正是我今天在这里做演讲的原因。

  起初,威特的开场白激起了听众的兴趣,因此,在一两分钟内就吸引住了他们。但是在头两句话之后仍旧保持听众的兴趣,威特就必须继续努力。通过引用数据,提出问题,她确保了她的听众兴致不减。

  5.讲述故事

  只要与你演讲的主题相关,动人的故事人人都会喜欢。不论哪种类型的演讲,以故事开篇都会给人留下深刻的印象。

  一位大学生用下面这个故事开始了他的演讲:“卫生保健的斗争领域”。

  举例:

  加利福尼亚急诊护士提姆·杜非弥尔成了一位英雄,不是因为他成功地抢救了一位病人,而是因为他勇敢地营救了一位急诊医生。一个不满的患者在没有任何征兆的情况下枪击三位急诊科医生,造成两人轻微受伤,一人中弹--正中头部和胸部。杜非弥尔猛扑向持枪者,救出了重伤的医生,迅速送往急诊手术室。

  6.建立信任

  听众之所以倾听你的演讲与你可信度密切相关。你得让你的听众明白:你有资格站在这里阐述这个话题。

  约翰·F·富格逊部长在华盛顿Kirkland的一所中学举行的老兵节集会上讲话时,他在开场白中获得了听众对自己的信任。

  举例:

  我们齐聚一堂,向服过兵役的美国男人和女人,尤其是那些参加过越战的老兵,表示敬意。我是他们中的一员。1967年我在美国海军陆战队中服役。我是反间谍第15组的成员,就在非武装区之外活动。我们组是情报军事行动部队的一小部分,现在叫做凤凰计划。

  约翰·F·富格逊向听众说明他曾亲自参加了越战。他并没有自吹自擂,夸大其辞;他只阐明了他那时的任务是什么。他的经历与战争老兵的主题以及学校集会的目的直接相关。因此,对听众来说,他似乎显得更为可信。




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