The Introduction

There is an old saying that suggests "familiarity breeds contempt." I concede while this may not always be true, at the very least it can lead to misunderstanding. Let me explain. If a person about to speak is known to his or her audience, then there is the temptation that they may not feel a need to offer up any kind of explanation or lead-in to whatever it is they are going to say. The speaker may think to themself, "I am their spouse or college roommate or next door neighbor, so why do I need to spend any time explaining what it is I am about to talk about? Why can't I just start talking about whatever it is I want to talk about?" There is a logic to such a question. The problem is if the person on the receiving end of a comment is not given any kind of explanation of whatever it is they are about to be told, then their ability to grasp that comment is all the more difficult. Speakers should not fall into the trap of assuming that just because they are a known entity that they are going to be automatically understood. Such thinking is asking to be misunderstood. This is why the introduction of any attempt to communicate is so vital. In news writing, the beginning of the communique is called the lede (lead). In speaking or conversation, it is called the lead-in or set-up. From the perspective of the listener or receiver of a message, not being given an explanation of any kind is like being blindfolded and then asked to identify what is before them. At best, such a challenge is going to be difficult to meet. Why put any person through that? The good news here is that the introduction does not have to be long or complicated. It can be as simple as "Guess what just happened to me" or "Let me tell you about my day." With that, the receiver is onboard and, as they say, "all ears." Establishing a comforable beginning may not guarantee that a misunderstanding won't occur, but it reduces the chances of that happening.