Name _________________________________
Introducing Me Speech
“You are an interesting person. Your life is unique, and you’ve had experiences that your classmates would like to hear
about. Luckily for them, you’re about to tell your life story!”
Follow the steps below to write a great speech about yourself.
Step 1: Start by answering the “Who Am I” questions below, as specifically as possible, on a separate sheet of paper.
“Who Am I?”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
When and where were you born?
Who are the other people in your family?
What’s your favorite thing to do?
What’s your least favorite thing to do?
What makes you happy? What makes you sad?
What special talent or talents do you have?
Tell an amazing true story that happened to
you.
8. Who do you admire most? Why?
9. What are your plans for the future?
10. Are you a good friend to your friends? What
makes you a good friend?
11. What have you done that makes you proud?
12. Have you ever met any famous people?
13. Are there any other interesting things you’d like
to include in “Introducing Me” speech?
Step 2: Once you’ve written all your answers, reread them. Pick out the 8 topics that are the most interesting, and
add at least one more detail to each question.
Step 3: Rewrite your answers on a few index cards, in the form of notes. NO SENTENCES!
For Example:
Instead of Writing:
I was born on New Year’s Eve,
during the worst blizzard
Philadelphia has seen in 100
years.
Write:
Born New Yrs
Worst Blizzard
Phila 100 yrs
Or some notes may be even more brief:
Thanksgiving Dog Story
Of course when you give your speech, you’ll “decode” your notes back into Standard English sentences.
Step 4: Writing the Introduction
Launching right into a speech without a good opener is a little like barging into someone’s home without knocking first.
A well-crafted introduction will do two things: It will grab your audience’s attention, and it will give an overview of what
the speech is about.
Types of “Grabbers”:
1. Tell a Story: An excellent way to draw your audience in is to tell a story. Be careful that your story relates to
your speech topic.
2. Cite a Statistic: If people love stories best, statistics are a close second. Audiences are entranced by numbers,
especially if they’re shocking or thought-provoking.
Example: *According to the U.S. Census Bureau, working women in our country earn, on average, a mere 53.8
percent of what men earn.
3. Ask a Question: Often a simple, interesting question can be enough to grab your audience. Here’s one that
would be likely to capture a classroom full of kids: “If I gave you one million dollars right now, what would you
do with it?” Or even something as straightforward as, “How was Stonehenge built?” can be an effective
grabber.
4. Paint a picture: Images-and not only visual ones, but those involving sound, taste, touch, and smell – can go a
long way toward drawing your audience in. Here is an example:
It starts with a deep rumbling that seems to shake your very bones. The rumbling builds to a deafening
crescendo that drowns out the calm voices on the headset. Moments later, you find yourself pinned
against the back of your seat. With great effort, you turn your head to look out the thick glass viewing
port. And there you see it: Earth, your home, falling away as you hurtle into space……..
5. Share a Quotation: Because quotations often sum up deep truths in a very few words, they can be extremely
effective as speech openers. A speech on the importance of expressing one’s opinion might wee begin with this
quote from Napoleon: “Ten people who speak make more noise that then thousand who are silent.”
Write your Grabber on a notecard and put it first in your cards.
Step 5: At the end of your speech, you will need a conclusion. Ending a speech and walking off without delivering a
well-written conclusion is not only disorienting for your audience, but is downright impolite – kind of like leaving a
friend’s house without saying good bye! Your conclusion needs to be one last thought. A thought-provoking idea is
perfect for your final sentence. Add a final thought or idea to a notecard and put it last.
Step 6: REHEARSE YOUR SPEECH! Tell your story to whoever will listen: your family, your mirror, or even your goldfish.
Time your speech! Your speech needs to be between 2 and 2 ½ minutes. If your speech is
too long, take out a card or two. It it’s not long enough, add some more information onto
the cards.