What are some unique ways to open or close a presentation?

If you're in Australia, you'll likely be opening your presentation with an 'Acknowledgment of Country' (if you are from a settler background). But it doesn't have to follow the same old 'I pay my respects to...' script! I have crafted mine around a story. I talk about my own connection to country through my family's history as missionaries here. As a storyteller who usually runs storytelling workshops, I also give a nod to our First Nations people as this country's original storytellers. Find your own unique connection to country (yes, you have one!), and write an acknowledgement that is personal, purposeful and powerful. It will mean so much more to your participants and to those on whose land you are working.

Humans love stories. Make your presentations captivating by effectively using these tactics: 1. Opening with a Story: Begin your presentation with a captivating personal story that's strategically chosen for its relevance to your topic. For example, look at almost every great TED Talk out there, it starts with story vs diving right into the data. 2. Closing with a Story: Conclude by finishing the story you began with, tying it back to the core message of your presentation.

Stories are one of the best tools to use and connect with your audience. The more authentic the stories, the more engaged and attentive your audience will be. Use them as a tool to capture attention and elicit some laughs from the crowd.

Start with a great hook, it can be funny, it can be powerful, it can be inspiring, it can be something related to the presentation itself, but whatever it is, get their attention and make them want to listen. To close, summarize what you have spoken about, relate it to the opening hook if it is relevant, and finish with a question that they can go away and think about!

?? YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG IF YOU DO NOT INCLUDE PI! Opening a presentation is all about "pattern interrupt," (PI) especially if you're not the first one presenting OR you're presenting later in the day. If you want people to listen, you have to first get their attention. Some examples may include: - Showing a seemingly-irrelevant image as your first slide. - Falling off the stage. - Shouting. - Having people stand up. Get their attention first, then get their investment by asking interesting, open-ended or rhetorical questions. Works every time.

The best way to open a presentation is to start with a quote or asking a question. The best ending would be thanking everyone.

Early audience engagement is critical for presentation success. Starting the conversation with an interactive question: a show of hands, polling software, or audience participation will help create an environment of attentiveness and vulnerability. It can be related to the presentation or completely orthogonal based on the vibe you want to send. The more self-deprecating the better!

When presenting it can be helpful to ask a question in the form of a self rating of the topic being explored. For example, if I am presenting on the topic of LinkedIn I will ask the group to rate their confidence with LinkedIn out of 10. Once I know who is rated at what level I can use this information throughout my presentation, and reference back to people who rated themselves at different levels. If I am talking about basic LinkedIn features, I will remind the people who rated themselves at 3 or below, that this is where they can start with LinkedIn. For the more advanced features I will suggest people who rated themselves a 6 or higher check out this feature to enhance their LinkedIn experience.

Dear LinkedIn article collaborators, If I tell you some unique ways to open and close a presentation, they won't be unique ways anymore. And if an AI is able to generate them, then they're definitely not unique ways.