Chapter 33

How to Form an Introduction and Conclusion to Your Study

Introduction

After you have designed your structural outline and inserted all the relevant material as your own personal notes, you should have a lengthy outline to reference in any setting, whether it be teaching, preaching, or writing. Every well-developed outline needs a few more components in order to be ready for the task of communication. Those elements are an introduction, a conclusion, transition statements, and illustrations.

How to Form an Introduction

Purpose

When writing an introduction, you should keep two purposes in mind. The first purpose of an introduction is to arouse interest. Your introduction should be able to answer “yes” to each of the following questions: Is this worth listening to? Is this relevant (up to date)? Is this practical?

Another purpose of a good introduction is to prepare hearts and minds. Your listeners or readers need to be prepared to apprehend truth, appreciate the importance of the Word of God, and—perhaps most importantly—accept the conclusions and the claims that God’s Word makes.

Good Introductions

Like most aspects of communication, introductions can be done well or poorly. Here are a few characteristics of a good introduction. First, it must be well-prepared. Have you thought through the content of your introduction? Have you considered how you will write or say it? A second characteristic of a good introduction is that it must be presented with conviction and confidence. Third, a good introduction must be simple and transitional. In other words, it is not the study itself. The introduction can’t “let the cat out of the bag” and reveal too much. Rather, it should orient the listener or reader toward the lesson that is to follow. Finally, introductions must be varied. This is highly important if you are teaching, preaching, or writing regularly. Like anything, an approach can become boring if it always follows the same track. Consider these five kinds of introductions: interesting, arresting material (a quote, statistic, thought provoking statement), a statement of relevance or importance, reading the text to be preached, or a simple explanation of how the text deals with the subject. Your introduction can also incorporate more than one of these.

Developing an Introduction

Sometimes, developing an introduction can be a challenge. The following are a few suggestions for finding the material or the inspiration for an introduction. Sometimes, there is an occasion during which you are teaching or writing. For example, holidays such as Christmas or Easter are the perfect occasions from which an introduction can be drawn. Second, the surrounding context of the passage you are teaching can serve as an appropriate introduction. This is especially true if you are teaching through a series. In this case, reviewing the previous week’s lesson can be a sufficient introduction. Third, the historical background of a book or passage can also be the perfect backdrop for an introduction. These run the risk of being boring, but they don’t have to be! Some of the historical background information in the Bible is riveting. Fourth, if your passage contains meaningful geographic references, the introduction could address it. A fifth approach would be a biographical sketch of a biblical character that is relevant to the lesson. Lastly, a relevant story could also appropriately introduce a passage.

Finally, it is important to develop a transition from the introduction to the main body of your teaching outline. Whatever the makeup of your introduction, you will need to work on smoothly transitioning to your surefire proposition. Furthermore, it’s usually helpful for you and your listeners to indicate where you are going with the passage (e.g., “three observations regarding the desire of the flesh”).

How to Form a Conclusion

Purpose

If you consider the main part of your lesson as a flight, your conclusion is the landing. Bad landings (conclusions) can make great flights (lessons) forgettable. Good conclusions should bring unity and clarity to your lesson. They should be organized and coherent. Conclusions should be personal as they draw listeners or readers toward personal decision. Conclusions should be specific rather than vague and, like introductions, should have variety. But more than anything else, conclusions need to be well-planned.

As with introductions, conclusions can be poor. A few examples of conclusions to be avoided include touchdown conclusions (“do this and all your problems will go away”), circling conclusion (that seem to never end), and detachable (“one size fits all”) conclusions.

Good Conclusions

Building good conclusions takes practice, but there are a few things to keep in mind. First, conclusions should always keep with the proposition and aim of the lesson. The conclusion will be confusing if it charts an entirely new direction. Second, keep the conclusion brief. Land the plane. Long, drawn-out conclusions that ramble are a sign of unplanned conclusions. Third, conclusions should answer the “so what?” question. What is the appropriate response to this lesson? Finally, a conclusion should be about the entire lesson, not just the final point. Some conclusions to cultivate include application conclusions, illustration conclusions, direct appeal conclusions, and summary conclusions.

Transitions

Any time you communicate, whether writing or speaking, it’s important to think through your transitions. Transitions are the “seams” that enable you to flow naturally from one point to another. Transitional sentences are necessary for the following reasons: (1) clarification of thought; (2) cohesion—they are the glue that holds your sermon together; and (3) preaching efficiency—they keep the sermon moving from point to point.

A well-planned, quality transition should serve as a transporter moving the listener or reader from one main idea to the next. Good transitions use bridge words such as “finally,” “not only—but also,” “again,” “in addition to,” “besides,” “furthermore,” “moreover,” and “on the other hand.” You can also transition by giving a skillful summary of the previous idea before moving on to the next idea. Transitions can be boring, especially if you resort to the same approach every time, so use variety and plan them in advance.

Illustrations

Purpose

Illustrations are an important aspect of any form of communication. They can be described in multiple ways. Illustrations are analogies used to explain or apply truth. They are concrete examples used to support general assertions in order to reduce the level of abstractions. Illustrations are windows to let the light of understanding shine on that which is unknown.

Illustrations serve multiple purposes. They can illuminate or clarify a subject, obtain and hold interest, establish rapport, give rest to the audience when a topic is particularly weighty, make a truth vivid, strengthen the argument, bring conviction of sin, persuade, aid memory, add humor, stimulate imagination, speak to a difficult situation indirectly, or make the message practical. Illustrations are tangible. They help the listener or reader see truth in action, aid in making application, show the need for truth or the advantage of applying truth, show the popularity of a given topic, and demonstrate the disastrous consequences if the lesson is not applied.

Good Illustrations

A good illustration is fresh, interesting, and up to date. You can accomplish this by drawing from personal experience, firsthand observation, or old stories provided you deliver them well and give them a new twist. A good illustration must be convincing and accurate. Avoid errors of fact and errors of probability. Good illustrations must also be understandable and interesting. A confusing illustration is particularly problematic since illustrations are meant to assist in understanding. Illustrations can be personal, but avoid illustrations that will bring harm or embarrassment to anyone. Above all, good illustrations must illustrate the point you are explaining in the passage. What types of illustrations are there? Illustrations come in a variety of forms: stories, anecdotes, parables/allegories, object lessons, dramatizations, figurative language, poems, analogies, and quotations.

Sources for Illustrations

Where can illustrations be found? By far, the best source for illustrations is the Bible itself. There are numerous reasons that biblical illustrations are the best. They teach the passage from which the illustration comes plus the passage you’re interpreting. They honor the God of the Bible. They enlist the presence and power of the Holy Spirit as he works through Scripture. They open the hearts and minds of the hearers in unexpected ways. They give the speaker added authority. They never wear out and are never out of date. They never arouse adverse criticism. And they show the unity of the Bible.

There are other places, though, besides the Bible from whence illustrations can be drawn: personal experience, personal observations, nature, sports, entertainment, biographies, history, missions, literature, science, art, archaeology, theology, and, of course, your imagination.

Conclusion

After you have a complete and well-developed outline, it’s time to add the finishing touches. These touches include an introduction, a conclusion, well-planned transitional statements, and illustrations. These elements will engage your readers/listeners and aid in their attentiveness and understanding.

 

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