From UVA Writing Center

Problem Statements/Introductions

When you map the elements of rhetorical problems onto a document, you construct an introduction with at least three, and perhaps four, rhetorical elements:

1. An optional statement of a Status Quo (or Stable Context). This is the state of affairs that gave rise to the Destabilizing Condition. Although a statement of Context is optional, it is an easy and useful way to prepare readers not only for your problem but for the discussion of its resolution.
2. A statement of the Destabilizing Condition. This is usually a predicament for tangible or pragmatic problems or a question for conceptual ones, including perhaps a few sentences explaining some important aspect of the condition.
3. A statement of the Consequences of the Destabilizing Condition, either the costs of leaving it unresolved or the benefits of resolving it.
4. A statement at the end of the introduction that offers a response to the Problem, including either a resolution of the problem or a promise of a resolution to come - this is the Claim. In business and professional situations, if you have stated the Consequences in terms of costs, the claim should often include the benefits of the solution. In other words, the response answers the question, "Why is your solution a solution?"

      If your argument solves a problem, your claim will be the solution/response to the problem.
      If your argument poses a problem, your claim will be with the Destabilizing Condition.

There is one initial flourish you can add to the statement of your problem: a Prelude that sets the stage for your Status Quo. Preludes are rare in professional documents and even rarer in scientific and technical documents. But they do occur occasionally in academic texts in the humanities and in belletristic writing such as that you find in The New Yorker. A Prelude can be a quotation, an anecdote, or anything loosely related to the Status Quo or the Problem.

A Sample Problem Statement Outline

It might appear that _____ is the case because _____ (status quo).  
However, that is not really the case because _____ (destabilizing condition).  
In fact, if you look into the problem, _____ (claim) is really the case.

The problem statement is the most problematic issue for every writer. Your entire paper will flow from how you set up your problem, which then functions within an introduction and arises from a claim. It’s not enough to just say something about someone, or how two people are similar or different. Ask yourself, "So what? What’s my point?" Your problem statement is the statement that makes a point about the issues and information you’re discussing, and is what the rest of the paper hinges upon. It’s not just your topic, but what you are saying about your topic – your Destabilizing Condition - and implies some question that your paper will be answering. Sometimes it’s necessary to draft or pre-write for a while to discover what that point will be (and often writers are unsure of their point until they've written the draft and discover the point near the end of the paper).

Reading aloud can do nothing but help.