How NOT To Open Your Speech (Only If You Want To Grab Audience Attention)

In our?last post, it was suggested you mirror the energy of your audience when you begin your presentation so that you can more quickly create a bond with them.

Which leads to the question, what should you say to capture their interest and attention.

Let’s start with what not to say.

Your first words should never be pleasant platitudes like, “Thank you,” “It’s so nice to be here,” or “What a nice introduction.”

Why shouldn’t you start this way?

• It’s boring.
• Nearly every speaker begins this way
• Audiences want to know right away that you have something unique.

Let’s examine each of these.

Am I saying it’s boring to be polite?

Not at all.

It’s important to be gracious and appreciative of your hosts and audience, but don’t start with those words.

Why?

Because audiences are distracted more than ever. They may be thinking about your speech, but chances are they have other issues on their minds like:

• The big proposal that needs to be completed by the end of the week
• How they’re going to replace the team members who unexpectedly quit this week
• What night they’re scheduled to get together with their best friends

There are countless ideas possibly running through their heads when you’re being introduced and when you step to the front of the room (or camera).

When the first words out of your mouth are common platitudes, this leads us to the second point…

You sound like every other speaker.

A question I ask every speaker I work with is, “Do you want your message to stand out?”

The obvious answer is “yes.”

If that’s the case then you must do something differently than every other person who stands in front of an audience.

People have heard so many speeches and presentations they’re conditioned to expect each to sound a certain way. This begins with your first words.

If you say something like, “Thank you, what a pleasure to be here” the audience, at a subconscious level, is thinking, “I’ve heard this before. I know where this is going. Hmmm. I wonder who just texted me.”

They are not aware of these thoughts, they just know they’re quickly losing interest because they think you’re going to sound like every other speaker.

When you say or do something out of the ordinary, you increase the chances they’ll lean in and want to hear what you have to say next.

Be unique

People are addicted to their cell phones or other devices. They’re waiting for an excuse to take a quick peak.

Don’t give them a reason to pull out their phone and get lost in a maze of emails, Facebook posts, or other addictive apps.

How can you be unique?

That will be the subject of our next three posts.

Be sure to tune in…

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Are These Seven Storytelling Mistakes Costing You Money or Opportunities?

Want to be a more effective storyteller?

Avoid seven common mistakes that kill the impact of most stories. Our FREE report gives you insight into these errors and how to avoid them.

To download the report (no-cost & no-obligation) visit:?https://bit.ly/7StorySinsReport