You, literally have thirty seconds

to set the tone, establish

credibility, and hook your

audience into listening to you.

Your opening sets the entire

tone of your presentation

(including whether you'll be

interesting or not).

The first minute is when you

introduce your message and

tell the audience why they

need to hear it.

Successful Opening #1

Go against the expected.

Eg. “Everyone hates paying

Taxes. Except me. I love

paying my Taxes.”

This hooks your audience.

“Why would he love paying

taxes?”

Successful Opening #2

Ask a series of rhetorical questions. Not just one, but several.

Eg. “When did life begin?

How did we get on earth?

Is there life on other

Planets?”

Your talk will challenge

the audience’s intellect.

Successful Opening #3

Open with a sound bite.

Opening with a sound bite

instantly gets the

audience’s attention and

conveys the theme of

your talk.

Eg. “Education is the key

that unlocks the prison

door of ignorance.”

Successful Opening #4

Give a Shocking Statistic or Fact.

Find something shocking that

will instantly capture the

audience’s attention.

Eg. “In the time it takes you

to listen to my talk, 1200

people will die of heart

attacks somewhere in the

world.”

Successful Opening #5

Silence

A pause, whether two

seconds or 10 seconds,

allows your audience to

sit and quiet down. An

extra pause brings all the

attention right where you

should want it – on you.

Successful Opening #6

Start with a Powerful Quote and then add your own Twist.

Eg. “Oprah Winfrey says ‘You

can’t be friends with someone

who wants your life.’ I’d add to

that, ‘You can’t be friends with

someone who wants your life

and doesn’t want you to have it

either.’”

Successful Opening #7

Take them through a What If scenario.

This is a great opening if you

are talking about a product,

service, or a solution to a

problem.

Eg. “What if you were debt

free? Or, “What if you woke up

tomorrow and didn’t have a

weight problem?

Successful Opening #8

Tell them a story that evokes emotion.

Our brains are hard-wired

to listen to and

understand stories. To

make this opening

successful, you have to

keep the story short.

Bonus Tips #1

Sorry…

Apologizing for giving the talk.Doing this conveys insecurity and

should be avoided.

Trying to be funny.

Unless you’re giving a standup

comedy act or are roasting someone,

trying to open with a funny story or

joke is a bad idea. Bonus Tips #2

Smile before speaking.

Unless your presentation is a

somber one, smiling indicates you

are confident, and ready to present!Bonus Tips #3

Not prepared for speaking.

Never, even if true, tell the

audience you are not prepared for

your presentation.Bonus Tips #4

Bonus Tips #5

Don’t make excuses.

“I had a bad night.” “I misjudged

the time it would take to get here.”

“I had a family emergency”

Why You Need to Start and End Your Speech Strongly?

There are two concepts

Primacy states that people remember most vividly what they hear at the beginning of a speech

Primacy

Recency says those same people will strongly recall what you say at the end.

Recency

It sounds like a lot for thirty seconds. But, it’s the most important thirty seconds of your whole talk.

To open your talk effectively, you need to connect with your audience somehow.

BOTTOM LINE