Engaging your audience: creating effective opening and closing paragraphs
I can craft an effective opening and closing paragraph for a persuasive speech.
Engaging your audience: creating effective opening and closing paragraphs
I can craft an effective opening and closing paragraph for a persuasive speech.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- It is important to consider how the tone of a speech opening will engage the audience.
- An introduction should hook your audience in, regardless of the topic.
- The ending of your persuasive speech presents the last opportunity to influence your audience.
- At the end of your persuasive speech, your audience should know exactly how to help or what to think or feel.
- Using rhetorical devices can elevate your opening and closing paragraphs.
Keywords
Impactful - memorable and significant
Compelling - convincing and attention grabbing
Viewpoint - a person’s opinion or perspective on something
Reinforce - to strengthen or further support something - in this context- an idea
Common misconception
I don't have time to write an effective closing, I just need to get my work finished!
The ending is arguably the most important part of the piece of writing. You need to leave your audience with a clear message that is memorable. Writing effective closings will get quicker the more you practice using specific strategies.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the 1998 essay ‘The End of Imagination’ by Arundhati Roy for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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