Comment by ocimbote
2 years ago
The anecdote doesn't strike me because your friend the pastor said it, but because it's a rule as old as times that every high-schooler was taught.
- The introduction should announce the thesis and its development - walk your way towards your thesis - The conclusion should summarize your thesis (and hint at openings towards new grounds)
But somehow, everyone seems to forget it and is in awe whenever someone recaps it.
And every high schooler, TedX speaker, and Malcom Gladwell impersonator gets this wrong: It only works if intro and conclusion present a different view on the information, otherwise it's simply boring the audience to death.