Teachers may encourage students to begin speeches with a few lines about themselves. This is important, particularly for young people and novice speakers. The orator must establish credibility quickly. Accordingly, a solid record of accomplishment in a chosen field should be conveyed to the audience promptly. Well-known and sought-after speakers can afford to be self-deprecating. Everyone else should focus on claiming a legitimate right to expound on the topic at hand by affirming experience and knowledge.
Surprisingly, not every member of the local women's club is well versed in the organization's history. Neither, can the Veterans of Foreign Wars often tell how long the VFW has been around or what their charter statement says. A speech-maker gains a foothold with his listeners when he reveals something about them that they did not know. Commencing a speech with context (i.e. why your topic fits with a group's mission and heritage) can impress listeners and hold their attention.
Cold hard facts can disarm even the most cynical audience. Public speaking teachers urge their students to do their homework and research their topics thoroughly. Greeting the audience with the fruits of her labors, a student orator can get her audience thinking before it has time to zone out. For example, a speech on the virtues of voluntarism can begin with percentages of populations living at the poverty line or overtime hours clocked by nurses doing routine tasks. This information centers the audience on the problem that the speech will address.
Storytelling is a time-honored method of keeping an assembled group heedful. The illustration, case study or object lesson presents a thesis in a manner to which listeners can relate. A speech on poverty is best begun with a living, breathing example. Describing the hunger, the filth and the smells is part and parcel with moving hearts to want to donate time, money and other resources to worthy causes. Vivid descriptions are the most effective way to convey the intent of the speech and the charge to the audience.