Using Public Speaking Skills to Improve Your Essay Structure

Here's a question. What actually goes in the introduction of an essay? And what about the conclusion? We've all heard the old rule: "Tell your audience what you're going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them." Previews and summaries are all well and good, but there should be more meat to the introduction and conclusion of your essay--right?

Taking a public speaking course last semester gave me a new perspective on essay writing, particularly on the introduction and conclusion. I know what you're thinking. We're writers! There's a reason we put our thoughts on paper instead of saying them aloud! Fear not, reader--you can use a few basic parts of speech structure to aid your essays without ever saying a word.

Here are three principles of structure to bear in mind:

1. The introduction consists of the attention-getter, the filler, and the thesis statement.

    The attention-getter is better known among writers as the hook. This is what makes your audience want to keep listening--or in our case, reading. The hook can be anything that captures the interest of readers--a telling quote, an intriguing question, or a surprising anecdote, for example.

    The filler bulks out the introduction. Filler can be information or definitions a reader should know before diving into your essay, or it can be personal information that builds your credibility in the reader's eyes.

    Your thesis statement is the most important part of the introduction. In most academic papers, you are arguing something. This is the place for you tell your readers what your argument is in one neat sentence. Even college professors writing academic papers of their own for learned audiences must craft thesis statements. They're the most efficient way to let others know what to expect from your paper.

2. Have two to four main points.

    Most people can't remember more than four main points, so this is a good range. When you're outlining, outline the body of your essay first, leaving the introduction and conclusion off entirely until you know what your body looks like. This helps you focus on what's most important about your paper, the meat. ALWAYS OUTLINE YOUR ESSAY. (See this post about how outlines can make essay writing easier.) If you don't outline, you may ramble in the body instead of having two to four clear points supporting your thesis.

3. The conclusion consists of the summary and the closure.

    The summary is simply a brief restatement of your thesis and main points to solidify them in your reader's mind. The closure is a public speaking technique: Plan exactly what your last words will be ahead of time, so you don't ramble at the end. What do you want the last words of your essay to be? Where do you want to leave the reader? Remember, elements places at the end of a unit tend to have the most emphasis. Put your intended last words on the outline.

These three public speaking techniques should help you create better-organized essays with less stress about the beginning and end. Maybe speaking and writing aren't so different, after all.