Written by Jason Stansell

Writing an Introduction for a Speech Event can be both rather easy and also difficult at the same time. It doesn’t matter which Speech Event we are speaking of from Informative Speaking to Humorous Interpretation; in each, you have to find a way to make certain that the judge(s) understand your piece. But I’ll let you in on a little realized secret… That’s half the fun! It’s like putting a puzzle together. You need to find just the right pieces, or in this case, words to explain what your Speech or Interp is going to be about, without detracting from the piece. 

For example, if for a Dramatic Interpretation, you’re performing the balcony scene from “Romeo and Juliet” — and if you are, that takes more guts than I’ll ever have — if you end up telling the whole story of the scene in your intro, why bother with the scene? That said, a story such as “Romeo and Juliet”, despite being well known, still needs an intro that is more than just “‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare.” Give the intro some life, some magic, similar but distinctly different energy than that you’re going to use during the scene. 

Something like, “When our two star crossed lovers met at a masquerade ball and immediately fell in love; they had no way of knowing that they were from rival families. Nor could they foresee the tragedies for them both that this meeting set in motion. From the playwright who brought us comedy, tragedy, and farce — and a few times, all in the same play — in performances that still sell out theatres centuries later: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare.”

I’ve never found a rule that specifically sets a maximum length of an introduction, however, you don’t want it to be more than a paragraph. My personal recommendation, keep it under a minute. There are a few introductions in which you must explain the piece’s significance and to do so your introduction would take a bit longer to write. That said, simplicity whenever possible is the key. Even in the example I gave above, I kept it simple. I described how Juliet met Romeo, that they could not have known that their meeting would end the way that it did, introduced the name of the play, the name of the playwright, yet added just a smidgen of fanfare for Shakespeare given that he’s become a household name.

All that said, I’m going to walk you through the process, step by step, of writing a Dramatic Interpretation Intro using Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven.” Now, I should point out that it’s unlikely that you will come across “The Raven” in competition, at least in Dramatic Interpretation. If you compete in your local league, it’s possible you might encounter it in the Poetry Event (which we do not compete in at Potomac Debate Academy), but that event is an entirely different beast which we don’t need to get into at the moment.

1. “The Raven” is a longform, narrative poem. It is the narrative part of that description that allows us to use it for Dramatic Interpretation. You can also find such reasoning with most Dr. Seuss books in Humorous Interpretation. Is giving you this information important for knowing how to write an introduction? Not necessarily. However, understanding your piece is the first step for writing an introduction. One can read or deliver something from memory, without understanding it, but the disconnect will be noticed. I can quote the German movie “Lola rennt” (“Run Lola Run”) but, without understanding the stakes involved, the quotes are hollow, especially as I don’t understand German—gotta love subtitles. The same goes for understanding your piece. If the piece is dealing with grief, the way “The Raven” does, performing it with the excitement yet also anxiety as if you have while waiting for the Amazon delivery of the latest Pokemon game… isn’t the right approach.Nor would, as “The Simpsons” Halloween episode featuring “The Raven” suggested, performing it as a tale of horror of fear. “The Raven” is a tale of a man who is grief-stricken, distraught, and emotionally exhausted after the loss of his love Lenore. Do you have to have had such a loss to perform the piece? Absolutely not. But you do need to understand where the character is coming from. Thus too, you need to understand it to be able to write your introduction. But, keep in mind, that your performance won’t come with subtitles, unlike “Lola rennt”. Thus, you must be clear with your introduction as to what it all means.

2. You need to know exactly how long your performance is, minus the introduction. To do this, guess what, you rehearse it. Once you get to the point that you are comfortable with the words and language, but nowhere near memorized, time yourself. Sadly, I do not have the luxury of rehearsal time for this blog post. That said, the average reading aloud of “The Raven” is six minutes. However, in Dramatic Interpretation, you’re typically going to pause more, use more movement, and own the stage by acting out actions during and between lines to a far greater degree than an “average reading aloud.” Note, in Humorous Interpretation, it typically goes the opposite direction as comedy tends to speed up, so be wary of that. Taking this into account, “The Raven” would likely fall to about six minutes and 45 seconds. Obviously, every person’s performance will be different, but I’d say that’s a fair estimate. This means, to get us at the minimum time of seven minutes, we’d need an intro that would be at least 15 seconds long. But just 15 seconds leaves us with a chance to still come in under time. Thus, we need an intro that will be longer. We will keep that in the back of our minds for now, while we move on to step three.

3. Now that we understand our piece, and know how long we need to make the intro, before we start writing it, we need to find where to put it. There is nothing in the rules that you cannot start your piece with the introduction first, however, except for in extreme circumstances, such as you’re butting up against the time limit, it’s not the best approach at all. That said, putting an introduction near the end wouldn’t make any sense at all, would it? Thus we need only look at the beginning for where to insert. Below are the first four stanzas of “The Raven”.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “

“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—

Only this, and nothing more.”

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—

Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating, “

“’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—

Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;—

This it is, and nothing more.”
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,

“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;

But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,

And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,

That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;—

Darkness there, and nothing more.

Thankfully, with “The Raven” being poetry, the stanza format actually helps us find a great spot. We’re looking for a spot where we can “break” without it being too abrupt. I see two perfect moments for this, both right after the first stanza, and right after the third stanza. Each time, the character ends with the hard decree that it must be a visitor at his chamber door and nothing more. The stanzas are short enough that even after the third, you still fall well into a comfortable margin to “break”.That said, for me, “breaking” after the first stanza feels more solid, less constricting, so that’s where I personally will “break” and insert my introduction. And by doing this we turn the first stanza into a “teaser”, much like you see on television shows before title and theme music.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “

“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—

Only this, and nothing more.”

[INTRO]

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—

Nameless here for evermore.

4. Now, remember how we said we need to be longer than 15 seconds, now is the time to put that to the test. Things we need to remember for the introduction:

• Name of the piece
• Name of the author
• Our understanding of the piece
• Life/magic with energy distinct but just as strong as the piece
• And most importantly, simplicity

However, they do not have to be in a specific order, allowing you to have fun with it. Remember me comparing intro writing to putting a puzzle together? Well, with this puzzle, there can be a variety of different combinations to reach different final products with the same goal. But it’s your puzzle, your final product. You’re own unique flair. Well, I guess for the example in this blog, it’s my unique flair, but you get the point.

Now, while I need this intro to be on the longer side, if I pad it out with useless chatter and flowery words, it’ll be obvious that I’m trying to extend my time. So, I need to use specifics. Simplicity right? So, I look up the  author and see that Edgar Allen Poe started writing at age six and, in 1827 at the age of 18 published his first book of poems, I can confidently say:

“Edgar Allen Poe, a prolific author and poet, has been entertaining audiences for two centuries.”

Of course, that’s not enough, so I look up information about his writings and about “The Raven” and I provide further:

“Edgar Allen Poe — a prolific author and poet, has been entertaining audiences for two centuries. He was never afraid to delve into the deep emotions we all face; whether it be pride, revenge, and hate as in ‘The Cask of Amontillado’; or the obsession, paranoia, and guilt we find in ‘The Tell Tale Heart’. Thus I’m here today to delve into even more emotions. Those of loss, grief, and emotional exhaustion as we explore ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe.”

As you can see, I kept it simple. I focused on and explained the emotions of the piece. Sure I brought up some of Poe’s other works and their emotions as well, but I didn’t wander off exploring the significance of everything Poe has written. Nor did I explore the symbolism throughout “The Raven”, or the impact “The Raven” has had on modern literature. However, each of those separately, could also make for interesting introductions in their own right. Don’t be afraid to experiment, but keep it simple, focused, and relevant.

5. Lastly, we put it all together:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “

“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—

Only this, and nothing more.”

BREAK
“Edgar Allen Poe — a prolific author and poet, has been entertaining audiences for two centuries. He was never afraid to delve into the deep emotions we all face; whether it be pride, revenge, and hate as in ‘The Cask of Amontillado’; or the obsession, paranoia, and guilt we find in ‘The Tell Tale Heart’. Thus I’m here today to delve into even more emotions. Those of loss, grief, and emotional exhaustion as we explore ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe.”

RETURN

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—

Nameless here for evermore.

…and so on. We don’t really need the whole poem here for our example. Though, feel free to look it up if you are interested in reading “The Raven.”

Now, while I focused heavier on the Interpretation side of Speech Introduction writing, the same thing applies to writing your introductions for other events such as Original Oratory and Informative Speaking, with just a few differences. After all, you also need to know what you are talking about, understanding your piece, and what you are saying… However, in the case of these two events, you don’t need to research the author, or other works. unless, for example, you’re actually doing a speech about Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”. The great thing about introduction writing with these two events, is that you’re weaving it into a speech that you are already writing. Thus, it’s naturally a part of the speech. So, let’s explore how this could be done for these two events, as if you were, in fact, doing a piece on “The Raven.” While these two events do have their own leanings, this example has been written in a way that it could be used for either event.

With these events, honestly, it’s much easier to get away with just leading with your introduction. I’ve witnessed it many times, and honestly, I have never seen it be an issue. However, a lot of competitors actually start their speech right on topic, and, just like the “teaser” we created with the first stanza in the Dramatic Interpretation example above, create a teaser with their own writing. However, while an Interpretation Intro is an explanation, for Original Oratory and Informative Speaking, the introduction is more like a road map. As a big theatre guy, if I were doing either of these events instead of an Interpretation, I’d personally still lean into my theatrics, especially with “The Raven.” So, I’d probably start my speech with the first stanza again:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “

“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—

Only this, and nothing more.”

Only this time, instead of just a break for an introduction I would go straight into my Speech, and then fold an introduction into it:

Society at large has misinterpreted these words over the centuries. For example, in a Halloween episode of “The Simpsons” in which they declare that “The Raven” is supposed to be a scary story. And it is… and it also isn’t. It’s not so much about fear and horror as it is about the pain, grief, and memory that haunts us. Surprisingly, one of the few pieces of modern media to actually understand “The Raven” in context, was Star Trek Voyager — and that was only in a subtle nod by using the name “The Raven” for a ship that a Voyager crewmember, who is haunted by her past, formerly lived aboard. As this is the case; today, we are going to take a long and hard look at “The Raven”. We are going to delve into the real emotions behind it, why the narrative poem holds such status today that it is still often referenced, and fully understand Edgar Allen Poe’s intentions. This way, to paraphrase the Raven from, well, “The Raven”, all of our misunderstandings about the poem will be, “nevermore.”

Okay, so it’s corny, forgive me, so am I. However, it illustrates the unique fun that an Original Oratory or Informative Speaking piece can have, even with something that’s two centuries old. It describes an issue, though indirect of the speech itself, expands this with subtle humor plus an example, allowing it to lead us into the main focus of the speech, to explore emotions, popularity, and why Edgar Allen Poe wrote, “The Raven”.

Now let’s look at the events of Impromptu and Extemporaneous. While Impromptu very well could get “The Raven” as a possible prompt, Extemporaneous won’t. However, crafting an introduction for these events (as these events are off-the-cuff as opposed to being written and memorized), runs similarly to the most recent example above. You can lead off with stating what you’re here in the round to discuss, or, you can “fluff it” a bit, and give it life first. I’d recommend practicing with random prompts, maybe for Impromptu, use Charade cards as prompts, and for Extempraneous, maybe cards from a Trivial Pursuit game. Practice writing a style that is comfortable for you to be able to remember, but flexible enough to give you room to change it around as the need arises.

Finally, for our last event, Program Oral Interpretation… that’s a tricky one. Everything will be case-by-case basis with this event as you are weaving a different variety of pieces together into one coherent narrative. My best advice is to not be afraid to experiment. Maybe find a way to use the literature to explain it so that you’re both quoting and “intro-ing”. Maybe add a sentence or two that uses the intro as a segue into the next.

With all of these events, remember, your coach is not just here to give you instructions. They are here as a source of resources for you. Ask questions, get their opinions, tap their knowledge as if they’re a water source.

Whatever event, style, or strategy you choose to do, above all else, have fun. I know it’s cliche, but these times don’t come again. Enjoy selecting your pieces, writing your intros, memorizing and performing… and enjoy your tournaments. Even the scariest of tournament memories are going to be memories you’ll look back on fondly for the rest of your life.