exordium

I trembled violently at his exordium, and my father continued—

The purpose of the exordium is to put the audience into a receptive and attentive frame of mind.

Now to the point," I cried; "for exordiums be tedious.

After this weary exordium of theory, Tom, for which my apologies, let us turn to a bit of practice.

Having delivered this exordium, Wasson frankly confessed that the tribes which he represented were all justly chargeable with the war, and now deeply regretted their delinquency.