The following opening and closing lines come from class presentations about informational interviews.

Assess:

■ How well does each opening create interest in the rest of the presentation? (How well does it demand your attention as a listener and connect to the content?)

■ How well does each closing end the presentation? (Is it memorable and meaningful?)

■ How well-matched are the opening and closing lines? (How well do they work together to create psychological unity across the presentation? How well do they match in tone?)

1. Opening line: I interviewed Mark Perry at AT&T.

Closing line: Well, that’s my report.

2. Opening line: How many of you know what you want to do when you graduate?

Closing line: So, if you like numbers and want to travel, think about being a CPA; Ernst & Young can take you all over the world.

3. Opening line: You don’t have to know anything about computer programming to get a job as a technical writer at CompuServe.

Closing line: After talking to Raj, I decided technical writing isn’t for me, but it is a good career if you work well under pressure and like learning new things all the time.

4. Opening line: The advertising agency I interned for has really tight security; I had to wear a badge and be escorted to Susan’s desk.

Closing line: On my last day, Susan gave me samples of the agency’s ads and even a sample of a new soft drink she’s developing a campaign for—but she didn’t let me keep the badge.