10. Introduction and Conclusion

 

Introduction

 A good introduction will answer the question, "why should I listen to this person?"  It should be a strong attention getter.  It can be funny, mysterious, or whatever, but it should reflect your personality, and the nature of your story.  I knew a teenager who was the MC at a weekly meeting.  He was clever and quite a comic.  When preparing his testimony, he was concerned that the audience would think he was joking.  We came up with a great intro: "Most of you know me as a real joker.  Tonight, I want to be serious for a change and tell you about something significant that has happened in my life." Needless to say, it worked beautifully.  He had their full attention.  You could have heard a pin drop.

When thinking up an intro, don't try to be too clever.  That can backfire.  And don't make it too long.  Get to your story as quickly as you can.

Assignment:  Write out a one or two sentence introduction for your story.  I know this is not always easy.  Do the best you can.  Ultimately, it's your story that will impress them, but a good intro will help.

Conclusion

Your conclusion should bring closure to your story.  It can be a simple summary; it can be your theme repeated; or it can be a bible verse that captures your theme.  It can also refer to your intro, if that works for you.  Many use a verse like 2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

You might like to conclude with your favorite verse.  But be careful about introducing a new theme at this point.  Pick a conclusion which will build on the theme you have established.

Assignment:  Write out your conclusion in one sentence or include a short passage of Scripture.

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