self introduction speech
James Roberts 1 Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel : Introduction Speech Example Outline General Purpose: To Inform. Specific Purpose: To inform my audience how the chi ldren’s book Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel relates to my life.
Central Idea/Preview: The children’s book Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel relates to my life, by reminding me of the significance of parents and gra ndparents reading to their children, by illustrating the importance of teaching values thro ugh story-telling and, finally, by revealing a simple, transparent way to show childre n they are loved Object: The children’s book Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel .
Organization Pattern: Topical Introduction I. Attention Getter: Do any of you have a favorite childhood memory? [Pause] Several of my favorite memories are of my parents and grandparent s reading to my brothers and I when we were still small. To this day I adore listening as other s read to me. I appreciate books (in part) because of the time my family set aside to read with their children.
II. Relate to the Audience: I imagine most everyone here can relate to a good story … perhaps to stories we were told as children, [short pause] sto ries that sparked our imagination or excited our passions, stories with heroes and heroines, magnifi cent stories of adventure and virtue.
III. Preview: Throughout the course of this speech, I will discuss three ways in which [display object] Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel relates to my life: 1) Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel reminds me of the significance of parents and grand parents reading to their (grand)children, 2) illustrates the importance of teaching values throu gh story-telling and 3) reveals a simple, transparent way to show children they are loved.
[We will begin with the story of my parents and gra ndparents.] Body I. Main Point: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel reminds me of the significance of parents and grandparents reading to their children.
A. Sub-Point: I believe I came to enjoy reading be cause books were such a large part of my life from a young age. 1. Example: My parents and grandparents read many books to my brothers and I when we were small; my favorite was Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. The story came to life on the pages as I listened. In m y imagination I was Mike Mulligan, just like Mike in every way, from his cap and overalls to his swanky smile. James Roberts 2 B. Sub-Point: Listening to stories probably made me a better reader.
1. Example: From hearing a parent mimic the sound o f a steam shovel to encountering new words, I learned a lot as a listen er. I had someone with me who was ready to teach me about new ideas.
[Now that we’ve heard about the importance of readi ng to children, let us turn to the value of story- telling.] II. Main Point: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel illustrates the importance of teaching values through story-telling (I’ll speak of two).
A. Sub-Point: The story of Mike Mulligan taught me the value of family.
1. Example: In the story Mike Mulligan is a man wh o won’t give up his steam shovel, Mary Anne, because he cares for her, like o ne person might care for another. Once Mike commits to loving Mary Anne her wellbeing becomes his.
B. Sub-Point: Mike Mulligan also taught me the val ue of hard work.
1. Example: Mike and Mary Anne are a great team. In the story they work just a bit faster than all the other steam shovel teams. Mike and Mary Anne take pride in doing work together and doing it well.
[Story-telling has one additional value, which brin gs me to our final point.] III. Main Point: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel reveals a simple, transparent way to show children they are loved. A. Sub-Point: A great way to show children they ar e loved is to spend time with them, enjoying the things they enjoy.
1. Example: As I listened to my parents (and grand parents) reading I experienced tremendous joy. It never occurred to me that my joy was not identical with those who read to me, even as it did not occur to me that reading to a child is an act of love. All the same, I was very happy and I loved my (grand)parents very much for reading to me, which is a sure sign I myself fe lt loved.
Conclusion I. Transition Signal: Well, steam shovels may be r elics of the past, but stories like Mike Mulligan’s belong in our future.
II. Summary of Main Points: Today I have discussed three ways in which Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel relates to my life, and I hope also to yours: 1) Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel reminds me of the significance of parents and grand parents reading to their (grand)children, 2) illustrates the importance of teaching values throu gh story-telling and 3) reveals a simple, transparent way to show children they are loved. James Roberts 3 III. Call to Action: I hope you will choose to read to your children and grandchildren [short pause] as often as you can. I am confident you will find such efforts rewarding.
IV. Memorable End: As for me, I’ve made one or two promises about the things I want to do with my family, God willing. And the promise at the top of that list [2 second pause] is to read to them [shorter pause] as often as I can.
