Where to begin? It’s an important aspect of every communication. I’m referring to the start of a speech, presentation or any situation where you need to talk for more than a couple of sentences. I’m purposefully calling it the “opening” here, to differentiate from your “introduction” – a related, but different aspect of speaking where you are introduced by someone else.
First impressions count
How you open your presentation sets the tone of what you are about to deliver. You only get one chance to make a first impression. How you open will impact your audience – are they engaged, intrigued, interested? Ultimately, do they want to listen to what you are about to say?
You need to grab the audience’s attention. There are many ways to open – a statistic, story, joke, quote or shocking statement. The context of the presentation will determine how it is appropriate to do so. In a serious situation, you’re probably not going to open with a joke.
Do not start with “Hello my name is […] and I’m here to talk to you today about […]”. If you’ve been introduced properly this shouldn’t be needed. If you are speaking in a situation without a formal introduction, you can still tell the audience who you are and the value of what you’re going to tell them in a more creative way.
Starting with why
I’ve written before about the importance of purpose and starting with why. How you open is the promise for the rest of the speech. What is the core message you are going to deliver? This will quickly determine whether the audience think it is relevant to them. It is essential to make sure that how you open coincides with why you are there (the purpose of your speech). If you’ve been billed as speaking about one subject, but your opening doesn’t mention this, the audience will wonder if they are in the wrong place or you have misunderstood the brief.
However you decide to open your presentation, make sure you then follow through on that promise. If you say you are going to give the audience three pieces of advice, make sure you do.
There are many different ways to open a presentation. Whatever you choose to do, grab the audience’s attention and articulate why they should want to listen (what’s in it for them). Once you’ve done that, deliver on your promise, then close strong – the subject of my next blog.
Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash
