8.1: Composing Introductions

Overview

An introduction is a key feature of oral interpretation, providing a brief, engaging paragraph at the start of a performance that connects the literature to the audience. Effective introductions include elements such as an attention getter, title and author, message or moral statement, personal connection, and optional background information. Performers should craft introductions that are clear, relatable, and concise, delivering them naturally while keeping the focus on the audience and the theme rather than the plot or character emotions.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Similar to books, oral interpretation performances begin with an introduction. (Public Domain; Frances E. Jones - New Orleans (1895) introduction headpiece)

Learning Objectives

1. Identify and apply the key elements of an effective oral interpretation introduction, including attention getters, title and author, message/moral statement, personal connection, and optional background/context.
2. Write and organize an introduction that establishes relevance and engages the audience, ensuring the theme or message is relatable, concise, and clearly connected to the literature.
3. Deliver the introduction with clarity, confidence, and authenticity, maintaining a natural tone distinct from the performance itself while effectively preparing the audience for the thematic content of the piece.

 

Introductions 

One specific characteristic of oral interpretation is the often-present introduction. This is a brief paragraph written by the performer that is placed toward the beginning of a performance. Its purpose is to impart relevance, connecting the literature and the performance to the audience. Essentially, it tells the audience why the literature and the performance are important and what lesson the audience can learn or theme they can celebrate because of it.

Elements of an Introduction 

An oral interpretation intro generally contains the following elements:

• Attention getter. Also known as a “hook,” this is the very first part of your introduction. It is the first time we are seeing and hearing you when you begin your performance, so it should be something that makes us want to continue to listen. When you deliver this moment, you should exude confidence. There are several techniques you can use as an attention getter:
  • Teaser – This is a short segment of the literature that is being performed.
  • Question – Get your audience thinking about your performance by asking them something. You can either solicit responses or let it be rhetorical.
  • Quote – Use a quote that relates to the message you have chosen to highlight in your literature.
  • Joke – Using humor is an effective attention getter, assuming it is connected to the performance theme somehow.
  • Startling research/fact/statistic – Citing your source immediately afterward, you can begin your performance with a relevant piece of information that reveals insight about your literature or your message.
  • More! – There are many other sorts of attention getters, from dancing to singing to sign language to foreign language… basically, anything other than, “Hi, my name is _____, and I’m doing (title and author) for you today” can work.
• Title and author. You should clearly state these for each piece of literature that appears in your performance. If an author is unknown, you should say so. If you are using work from a movie or television show, the screenwriter(s) is considered the author. You don’t need to cite illustrators as the words are what you are sharing, not the pictures. You should also be sure to state all authors if there are multiple ones for any particular work.
• Message/moral/relation statement. This is a sentence that tells the audience why they should pay attention for the next several minutes. The statement should include the word “you,” “we,” or “us,” and it should explain the message/theme/moral/lesson of the literature that you discovered through your analysis of the work.
• Personal connection statement. This sentence gives the performance a personal quality and explains to the audience why this particular literature or message/theme is important to you. This statement should include the words “I” or “me.”
• Background information or context (optional). If your literature is a cutting of a larger work or if it is so heavy in rhetorical context that the audience must understand a bit more in order to grasp the meaning of the work you wish to convey, you can provide some brief information to get an audience up to speed. For example, if you are doing chapter 11 of a novel, you may need to explain what has happened in the previous ten chapters or give us background on the main character before beginning your selection.

The order of these elements, except for the attention getter, does not matter. You may even find that you can use the personal connection or relation statement as the attention getter.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Activity 1: Crafting Your Oral Interpretation Introduction

Objective: Practice creating a strong, engaging introduction for an oral interpretation performance.

Instructions:

1. Choose a short literary excerpt you plan to perform.

2. Write an introduction that includes:

   • An attention getter (teaser, question, quote, joke, or fact/statistic).

   • Title and author of your piece.

   • A message/moral/relation statement explaining why the audience should listen.

   • A personal connection statement sharing why this piece matters to you.

   • (Optional) Background/context if needed.

3. Swap introductions with a partner and give feedback:

   • Does the attention getter grab your interest?

   • Is the theme/message clear?

   • Does the introduction feel personal and engaging?

4. Revise your introduction based on feedback and practice delivering it confidently.

Considerations for Writing/Delivering the Introduction

Once you have a rough idea of what you’d like to say in your introduction, you may want to keep the following in mind as you polish it and begin to practice delivering it.

• Ensure that your central message is something relatively universal. It should be something to which many people can relate. This means you should do a good amount of audience analysis before finalizing this theme for your performance. Consider your audience members’ cultures, ages, gender identity, socioeconomic statuses, political affiliations, interests, etc.
• Avoid detail about the plot of your piece. Let that develop as you perform. If you must go into plot in your intro, limit it to only one sentence. We want to see societal relevance and a connection to ourselves.
• Be you in the introduction, not a character. The intro should sound more neutral and natural compared to the piece itself. Most of the emotion and feeling in your performance should be demonstrated through the literature, not the intro.
• Remember to either memorize your introduction or use a notecard or paper that is separate from your literature script.
• Aim to limit your introduction to no more than 10% or less of the time of your entire performance.

Sample Introductions 

To help in your own composition of a performance introduction, here are some samples. You will see that each intro element has been labeled in brackets to help you identify them more easily (you would not say these words in the actual performance).

Sample Intro for a Single-Piece Performance 

[attention getter] “What defines responsibility when it comes to a divorce? [central message] Is it better to stay together for the sake of the kids, or is it better to break the ties and get on with our lives? As future parents, this is a decision we may all have to eventually face, whether we want to or not. [personal connection] My parents finally divorced when I was 12 after a decade of misery together, and I’m still not certain what I feel is the best choice. [background info] In this piece, Joanie Marcus is faced with this decision when her chronically irresponsible husband comes back to her claiming that he has changed. [title and author] Little Footsteps, by Ted Tally.

Sample Intro for a Multiple-Piece Performance 

[attention getter] According to the VA News (2025), an estimated 11,000 women served in the Vietnam War: nurses, staffers, volunteers. In all of our wars, women have been killed, maimed, disabled, and most of all psychologically injured. [central message] But, they are the forgotten veterans, and it is our duty to remember them. [personal connection] I became attached to this cause after taking a college course in Vietnam-themed literature and felt pulled to create this program in tribute to these wonderful women. The Women Wounded: a program including Home Before Morning, prose by Lynda VanDervanter, "Vo Thi Troung," poetry by Lady Borton, and "Letter from Home," poetry by Dana Schuster [titles and authors]. Here, women's voices are heard as they cry for recognition.