called a hook or a grabber.
I don’t want to close my eyes; it makes me feel awkward and exposed to be in a group of people with my eyes closed. Because of that, I keep my eyes open. The problem is when I keep my eyes open, I feel like some sort of horrible nonconformist rebel. I feel awkward with my eyes closed and I feel guilty if they are open. Either way, I just feel bad. Besides, half of the time when speakers tell audience members to close their eyes, they forget to tell us when we can open them. If you are wanting me to imagine a story, just tell me to imagine it, don’t make me close my eyes (rant over).
You should plan your opening to be intentional and with power. “Can everybody hear me” is a weak and uncertain statement and this is not the first impression you want to leave. Do a microphone check before the audience members arrive and have someone stand in different corners of the room to make sure you can be heard. Don’t waste your valuable speech time with questions that you should already know the answer to.
You should know that before you begin. Even if the presentations for the day are running over and you are the last speaker, you should ask the MC before you begin. Always plan your first words with power.
You should make your slides big, really big. Test out your slides in advance of your speech, walk all around the room and make sure you can read them. Have a friend check them out as well. You should know they are big enough because you planned for it and tested it.
People really hate having things taken away, not to mention that your audience may want to take notes on their devices. Chances are you are speaking to adults, let them determine if it is appropriate to have out their technology.
Stop apologizing! Stop making excuses! While these lines may be true, they just come of as excuses and can make the audience either feel like you don’t want to be there, or they just feel sorry for you.
Talking about your nervousness will make you more nervous and will make them look for signs of your nervousness. Just start your speech.
Do not start with hesitation. Plan the first words, memorize the first words, practice the first words. Do not start with “Ok, so um, now I’d like…” Plan strong and start strong.
Do Not Discuss Your Business with People Watching…Really! I Mean It! Many of us are giving and listening to presentations in an online format. I have attended numerous presentations this year through Zoom where I have to sit and watch while the organizers engage in personal small talk or deal with the details of the presentation. This is how the speech I recently attended began. “Donna, you are going to share your screen, right?” “Yes. I have my PowerPoint ready to go. Will you push “record” when I give the signal?” “Sure. Where did you say that button is again? Do you think we should wait five more minutes, I think we had more who were coming? Dave, what was the total we were expecting?” “Yeah, we had 116 sign up, but the reminders went out late so this may be all we have. We can give them a few more minutes to log on.” “Donna, How is your dog? Is she still struggling with her cone since her spay surgery? My dog never would wear the cone –she tore her stitches out and broke her wound open. It was terrible. Well, it looks like it is about time to begin, thank you everyone for coming.” If you are organizing an event online, hosting a speech online, giving a presentation online–please keep it professional. Most platforms will allow you to keep the audience in a waiting room until it is time to start. If you have a business to deal with, keep the audience out until you have everything ready to go. Once the audience is in the meeting, you should engage the audience in group-type small talk or you should just start the presentation. In professional settings, you should start the meeting on time. Why punish those who showed up on time to wait for those who aren’t there yet?
I asked my long-time friend, Bill Rogers, to write an excerpt to add to the book. I met Bill when he was the Chief Development Officer for a hospital in Northwest Arkansas and I met him again when he was reinventing himself as a college student getting a Master’s Degree in the theater. He would love to share a symbolic cup of coffee with you and give you advice about public speaking.
Perfect morning for a walk, isn’t it? Join me for a cup of coffee? Wonderful. Find us a table and I’ll get our coffee.
There you go; just like you like it. There’s nothing like a great cup of coffee on the patio of your neighborhood coffee shop, is there?
Now that you’re settled in your favorite chair, take a sip, and let that glorious caffeine kick in and do its stuff. Okay, let’s talk.
So, you were asking me about public speaking.
Well, let’s see. Where do we begin?
One of the first pieces of advice I ever received was to imagine that every member of your audience is sitting there in their underwear! Yeah, right. That never worked for me. I tried it once with a local civic group of community leaders both male and female. If the intent of that tidbit is to make you relax, it certainly didn’t work for me. It just made me more self-conscious…and more nervous. I not only got distracted, but I also lost my train of thought, I started sweating, and, of course, imagined myself standing there without clothes. Needless to say, that speech was a disaster and I’ve never used it again. I suggest you don’t either.
In the early days, I also relied very heavily on my typed-up speech. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that unless you find yourself reading it word for word as I did. Nothing is more boring nor puts an audience to sleep quicker than a speaker with their nose down reading a speech. There’s no connection and connection with your audience is key.
As you know, I love theatre and I’ve done a bit of acting over the years. Early on, I learned that the quicker I learned my lines, the more I could play, experiment, and shape my character. It relaxed me and gave me enormous freedom. It led me to find a mantra for myself: “With discipline comes freedom.” This freedom will allow you to improvise as your audience or situation dictates while still conveying the core message of your presentation. That discipline and its resulting freedom apply to public speaking of any kind and, I think, will serve you well.
Another old adage we’ve all heard is Aristotle’s advice. You know the one. No? Well, roughly, it’s to tell your audience what you’re going to say, say it, and then tell them what you just said. That’s the basic formula for public speaking. And it works as a good place to start.
However, effective speaking is much more and, to me, it starts with a story or even a simple sentence.
You know the feeling you get when you read the first sentence of a good book and it just reaches out and grabs you? That should be your goal with every presentation. One sentence to capture your audience’s attention. Something that causes them to lean forward. Something that sparks their imagination.
It doesn’t have to be all that profound either. It can be something very simple. A personal story that relates to your topic. A relevant fact or statistic that defines or illustrates the issue or subject matter at hand.
A couple of classics come to mind. The first is Alice Walker’s, “The Color of Purple.”
“You better not tell nobody but God.”
And the second one is from my favorite novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee.
“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm broken at the elbow.”
Both sentences hook you immediately. A few simple words speak volumes. After reading or hearing those words, you naturally lean in. You want to learn more. You want to find out what happens next. Every effective speech or presentation does the same thing.
Of course, make sure that the first and last thing you say to your audience is both relevant and appropriate. I share this out of an abundance of caution. I once worked for an internationally recognized and well-respected children’s research hospital and I was given the privilege to speak at a national educational convention. The room was filled wall to wall with teachers. I thought I’d be cute and add a little levity. I opened my presentation with this line, “You know, I’ve had nightmares like this…” Instead of the roars of laughter, I was expecting, a wave of silence ensued. Not only was the line not funny, but it was also wholly inappropriate and I immediately lost my audience. Not my best day. Learn from my mistakes.
Finally, let’s touch on the importance of approaching a speech as a conversation. You and I are sitting here enjoying our coffee and having a friendly, relaxed conversation. Strive for that every chance you get. You may not always have that luxury. Some speeches and presentations simply demand formality. But even in those cases, you can usually make it somewhat conversational. I always try to write my speeches in a conversational style. Like I’m talking to a friend…or trying to make a new one.
So, to recap: tell a story, learn your lines, hook your audience with a simple sentence, close with a question or call to action, use repetition, keep it conversational, treat your audience as a friend, and give yourself permission to relax.
Above all, be yourself. Allow yourself to be as relaxed as you are with those closest to you. If you’re relaxed, if you try to think of your audience as a friend, then, in most cases, they too will relax and they will root for you. Even if they disagree with what you are telling them, they will respect you and they will listen.
How about another cup?
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Advanced Public Speaking Copyright © 2021 by Lynn Meade is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
by Tony Burns
Do you sometimes struggle to decide how to open your presentations? We know that the way we begin is important – it creates the first impression that the audience will receive so there’s a bit of pressure around getting it “right”. The CRC (Context – Relevance – Credibility) method that we teach on our courses is simple and effective – but as you become more confident, you may start looking for something a bit different – something that helps make you and your presentation more memorable.
I (Tony) recently had the pleasure of attending a number of presentations from 2015 Toastmasters World Champion, Mohammed Qahtani. I was, of course, analyzing Mohammed’s techniques and one thing that I noticed is how he opened his talks. Check out the begining of his winning speech:
Did you get it? You have to be alert because it’s over so quickly!
He starts by asking a question.
In this case “What?” (in other words “What’s the problem with what I’m doing?)
So short and direct and funny that it immediately drew us in.
When I watched his presentations over the weekend of New Zealand Toastmasters conference here in Wellington, I started to see that asking a question , seemed to be Mohammed’s “go to” method for starting a talk.
So could you use the same technique? What are the pro and cons of this technique?
The main thing to avoid is asking a trite or manipulative question that annoys your audience. Unfortunately a lot of presenters mis-use the question technique by asking questions like “Who here would like to make more money?” or “Have you ever had to deal with a difficult person?”
This feels incredibly patronising to any other than an audience of little children – in fact, adults will feel like you are treating them like little children and immediatley become resistant – so don’t do it!
Instead, design a “strategic question” – a question that does not have an obvious answer or maybe one where the intuitive answer is wrong. Or, a question that gets the audience to consider something that they’ve never thought about before.
This takes some planning and thinking. So don’t leave it to the last minute to design such questions as you’ll probably under-utilise the opportunity that opening with a question offers.
It’s important that your question links logically to your Destination Statement (aka your Key Message). For example, in the Kiva presentation that we use to demonstrate the use of the SpeakerMap™ , the Destination Statement is “Lend $25 to a poor person.” The thrust of the presentation is that it’s possible to help poor people by lending money rather that giving money. This is a new concept for most people so your opening question might be:
“How would you feel if you gave money to help a poor person only to have them give it back to you later?” or
“If I asked you to give $100 to a poor person would you do it? But what if I told you that after three months, you get that $100 back – guaranteed. Then would you do it?”
Do you see how powerful this technique can be?
You’ve involved your audience, made them think and introduced your topic, all within seconds of opening your mouth. Very impressive!
So what strategic question might you use to open your next presentation?
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One of the hardest things about public speaking is knowing how to start a speech. Your opening line is your first impression. It’s how you capture attention. It’s how you captivate the audience. So how do you make sure you nail it every time?
The best way to know how to open a speech is to look at what has worked in the past. When we examined the top speeches of all time and the most popular TED talks of all time, we found some interesting speaking patterns.
Time has identified the top 10 greatest speeches of all time. They are:
#1: Socrates – “Apology”
#2: Patrick Henry – “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”
#3: Frederick Douglass – “The Hypocrisy of American Slavery”
#4: Abraham Lincoln – “Gettysburg Address”
Opening Line: “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
#5: Susan B. Anthony – “Women’s Rights to the Suffrage”
#6: Winston Churchill – “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat”
#7: John F. Kennedy – “Inaugural Address”
Opening Line: “We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom — symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning — signifying renewal, as well as change.”
#8: Martin Luther King, Jr. – “I Have a Dream”
#9: Lyndon B. Johnson – “The American Promise”
#10: Ronald Reagan – “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate”
How do all of these historical greats start their speeches? Is there a difference between these and some of the more modern top TED talks?
Before we dive in, let’s recap with some critical do’s and don’ts when opening a speech:
Here are the opening lines to the top 10 Ted Talks of all time according to view count:
#1: Sir Ken Robinson – “Do schools kill creativity?” Opening Line: “Good morning. How are you? It’s been great, hasn’t it? I’ve been blown away by the whole thing. In fact, I’m leaving.”
#2: Amy Cuddy – “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are” Opening Line: “So I want to start by offering you a free, no-tech life hack, and all it requires of you is this: that you change your posture for two minutes.”
#3: Simon Sinek – “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”
#4: Brene Brown – “The Power of Vulnerability” Opening Line: “So, I’ll start with this: a couple years ago, an event planner called me because I was going to do a speaking event.”
#5: Mary Roach – “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Orgasm” Opening Line: “All right. I’m going to show you a couple of images from a very diverting paper in The Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine.”
#6: Julian Treasure – “How to Speak so that People Want to Listen” Opening Line: “The human voice: It’s the instrument we all play.”
#7: Jill Bolte Taylor – “My Stroke of Insight” Opening Line: “I grew up to study the brain because I have a brother who has been diagnosed with a brain disorder: schizophrenia.”
#8: James Veitch – “This is What Happens When You Reply to Spam Email” Opening Line: “A few years ago, I got one of those spam emails.”
#9: Cameron Russell – “Looks Aren’t Everything; Believe Me, I’m a Model” Opening Line: “Hi. My name is Cameron Russell, and for the last little while, I’ve been a model.”
#10: Dan Pink – “The Puzzle of Motivation” Opening Line: “I need to make a confession at the outset here.”
What can we learn from these opening lines? There are some patterns that can help us. First, let’s start with what you shouldn’t do. Have you ever made one of these cardinal speaking sins?
Anything technical! This is a big mistake people make when they have not done a tech check ahead of time or are feeling nervous. Never start with these openers:
Your nervousness. Many people think it is vulnerable to start with how nervous they are about speaking — you can mention this later, but it should not be the first thing. Why? People will then only be looking for signs of your nervousness. Don’t start with:
A lackluster or non-believable nicety. It’s great to be grateful to the person who introduced you, but it’s not a great way to include the audience. It’s ok to thank the audience for being there—but do it at the end (not as your opening line). These are all too boring:
Boring, shmoring! I have an exception here if you can make it funny. Ken Robinson started with a nicety and then turned it into a joke. He said, “ “Good morning. How are you? It’s been great, hasn’t it? I’ve been blown away by the whole thing. In fact, I’m leaving.”
Get even more public speaking tips with our related resources:
A story. The absolute best way to start a presentation is with a story. There is nothing better to capture the imagination and attention of an audience. Try to use these speaking openers as fill-in-the-blanks for your speech.
In his talk, “The lies our culture tells us about what matters,” David Brooks started off with a great opening line AND a story. He said, “So, we all have bad seasons in life. And I had one in 2013. My marriage had just ended, and I was humiliated by that failed commitment.” Makes you want to watch right…
And if you need help on storytelling basics, be sure to check out some of my top 5 favorite speakers .
A BIG idea. Sometimes you want to share your big idea right up front. This can be helpful because it is intriguing and gets people clued in right away. All TED speakers try to integrate their big idea early.
I love how Stacy Smith starts off her talk with her big idea framed in an interesting way. She said, “Today, I want to tell you about a pressing social issue. Now, it’s not nuclear arms, it’s not immigration, and it’s not malaria. I’m here to talk about movies.”
Special Note: Be very careful to NOT deliver your one-liner by re-reading your title slide. You also want to position it as exciting and intriguing. For example, don’t say, “Today I am going to talk about body language.” Instead say, “Today I am going to teach you the single most important thing you can do to improve your charisma… and it starts with your body.”
A quirky one-liner. If you can use humor — do it! Humor or curiosity is a great way to start a speech on a high. You can get creative with these! Think of an interesting fact about you, your audience or your topic that can lead you into your content.
When I gave my TEDx London Talk I started off with a quirky one-liner that immediately got a few laughs. It was “Hi, I’m Vanessa and I am a recovering awkward person.” It worked so well it is also the first line of my book, Captivate .
II love the way Eve Ensler opens her speech with an interesting one-liner: “For a long time, there was me, and my body.”
This is a great tip from Conor Neill. He says that it is great to start with a question that the audience is asking themselves or would be very curious to know the answer to. This might be phrasing a pain point or worry for your audience.
See Cono Neill’s examples here:
Did you know…? Any interesting factoid or curiosity is bound to intrigue your audience. This is great if it leads into your content or a story. I like to start with did you know… Here are some that I use. You will have to fill in the blank for your audience:
Jamie Oliver does this amazingly in his TED Talk. He starts with this mind-blowing fact, “Sadly, in the next 18 minutes when I do our chat, four Americans that are alive will be dead through the food that they eat.”
Hopefully these opening lines will give you some ideas to use to open your speech.
Do you know how to end on a high? Leave a lasting impression in your presentation? Science tells us that the first and last parts of your presentations are the most important. Get our FREE download to get our closer guide.
20 thoughts on “how to start a speech: the best (and worst) speech openers”.
Love your material
didnt help me but still good stuff
Thank you Vanessa. I’ve been a public speaker for 25 years and I’m impressed with your content here. Thank you. Looking forward to a deep dive into more of your material. With gratitude.
Found these examples super informative. Can’t wait to mix match the examples to see which one will work best for my presentation!
I am preparing to make a presentation on Public Speaking and came across your article. This is very instructive and timely too.Many thanks.
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Powerful speech opening lines set the tone and mood of your speech. It’s what grips the audience to want to know more about the rest of your talk.
The first few seconds are critical. It’s when you have maximum attention of the audience. And you must capitalize on that!
Instead of starting off with something plain and obvious such as a ‘Thank you’ or ‘Good Morning’, there’s so much more you can do for a powerful speech opening (here’s a great article we wrote a while ago on how you should NOT start your speech ).
To help you with this, I’ve compiled some of my favourite openings from various speakers. These speakers have gone on to deliver TED talks , win international Toastmaster competitions or are just noteworthy people who have mastered the art of communication.
After each speaker’s opening line, I have added how you can include their style of opening into your own speech. Understanding how these great speakers do it will certainly give you an idea to create your own speech opening line which will grip the audience from the outset!
Alright! Let’s dive into the 15 powerful speech openings…
Note: Want to take your communications skills to the next level? Book a complimentary consultation with one of our expert communication coaches. We’ll look under the hood of your hurdles and pick two to three growth opportunities so you can speak with impact!
Opening: “Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack. It sounds scary. Well I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D.”
Putting your audience in a state of imagination can work extremely well to captivate them for the remainder of your talk.
It really helps to bring your audience in a certain mood that preps them for what’s about to come next. Speakers have used this with high effectiveness by transporting their audience into an imaginary land to help prove their point.
When Ric Elias opened his speech, the detail he used (3000 ft, sound of the engine going clack-clack-clack) made me feel that I too was in the plane. He was trying to make the audience experience what he was feeling – and, at least in my opinion, he did.
When using the imagination opening for speeches, the key is – detail. While we want the audience to wander into imagination, we want them to wander off to the image that we want to create for them. So, detail out your scenario if you’re going to use this technique.
Make your audience feel like they too are in the same circumstance as you were when you were in that particular situation.
Opening: “You can’t say it, but you know it’s true.”
Opening: “There’s nowhere I would rather be on a day like this than around all this electoral equipment.” (It was raining)
When you use humour in a manner that suits your personality, it can set you up for a great speech. Why? Because getting a laugh in the first 30 seconds or so is a great way to quickly get the audience to like you.
And when they like you, they are much more likely to listen to and believe in your ideas.
Obama effortlessly uses his opening line to entice laughter among the audience. He brilliantly used the setting (the context of Trump becoming President) and said a line that completely matched his style of speaking.
Saying a joke without really saying a joke and getting people to laugh requires you to be completely comfortable in your own skin. And that’s not easy for many people (me being one of them).
If the joke doesn’t land as expected, it could lead to a rocky start.
Keep in mind the following when attempting to deliver a funny introduction:
Opening: Puts a cigarette on his lips, lights a lighter, stops just before lighting the cigarette. Looks at audience, “What?”
Opening: Puts a white pair of briefs over his pants.
The reason props work so well in a talk is because in most cases the audience is not expecting anything more than just talking. So when a speaker pulls out an object that is unusual, everyone’s attention goes right to it.
It makes you wonder why that prop is being used in this particular speech.
The key word here is unusual . To grip the audience’s attention at the beginning of the speech, the prop being used should be something that the audience would never expect. Otherwise, it just becomes something that is common. And common = boring!
What Mohammed Qahtani and Darren Tay did superbly well in their talks was that they used props that nobody expected them to.
By pulling out a cigarette and lighter or a white pair of underwear, the audience can’t help but be gripped by what the speaker is about to do next. And that makes for a powerful speech opening.
Opening: “How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions?”
Opening: “The human voice. It’s the instrument we all play. It’s the most powerful sound in the world. Probably the only one that can start a war or say “I love you.” And yet many people have the experience that when they speak people don’t listen to them. Why is that? How can we speak powerfully to make change in the world?”
I use this method often. Starting off with a question is the simplest way to start your speech in a manner that immediately engages the audience.
But we should keep our questions compelling as opposed to something that is fairly obvious.
I’ve heard many speakers start their speeches with questions like “How many of us want to be successful?”
No one is going to say ‘no’ to that and frankly, I just feel silly raising my hand at such questions.
Simon Sinek and Jullian Treasure used questions in a manner that really made the audience think and make them curious to find out what the answer to that question is.
What Jullian Treasure did even better was the use of a few statements which built up to his question. This made the question even more compelling and set the theme for what the rest of his talk would be about.
So think of what question you can ask in your speech that will:
Opening: Long pause (after an absurdly long introduction of a 57-word speech title). “Be honest. You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”
The reason this speech opening stands out is because of the fact that the title itself is 57 words long. The audience was already hilariously intrigued by what was going to come next.
But what’s so gripping here is the way Aaron holds the crowd’s suspense by…doing nothing. For about 10 to 12 seconds he did nothing but stand and look at the audience. Everyone quietened down. He then broke this silence by a humorous remark that brought the audience laughing down again.
When going on to open your speech, besides focusing on building a killer opening sentence, how about just being silent?
It’s important to keep in mind that the point of having a strong opening is so that the audience’s attention is all on you and are intrigued enough to want to listen to the rest of your speech.
Silence is a great way to do that. When you get on the stage, just pause for a few seconds (about 3 to 5 seconds) and just look at the crowd. Let the audience and yourself settle in to the fact that the spotlight is now on you.
I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something about starting the speech off with a pure pause that just makes the beginning so much more powerful. It adds credibility to you as a speaker as well, making you look more comfortable and confident on stage.
If you want to know more about the power of pausing in public speaking , check out this post we wrote. It will give you a deeper insight into the importance of pausing and how you can harness it for your own speeches. You can also check out this video to know more about Pausing for Public Speaking:
Opening: “I need to make a confession at the outset here. Little over 20 years ago, I did something that I regret. Something that I’m not particularly proud of. Something that in many ways I wish no one would ever know but that here I feel kind of obliged to reveal.”
Opening: “I have a confession to make. But first I want you to make a little confession to me.”
When there are so many amazing ways to start a speech and grip an audience from the outset, why would you ever choose to begin your speech with a ‘Good morning?’.
That’s what I love about build-ups. They set the mood for something awesome that’s about to come in that the audience will feel like they just have to know about.
Instead of starting a speech as it is, see if you can add some build-up to your beginning itself. For instance, in Kelly McGonigal’s speech, she could have started off with the question of stress itself (which she eventually moves on to in her speech). It’s not a bad way to start the speech.
But by adding the statement of “I have a confession to make” and then not revealing the confession for a little bit, the audience is gripped to know what she’s about to do next and find out what indeed is her confession.
Opening: “So in college, I was a government major. Which means that I had to write a lot of papers. Now when a normal student writes a paper, they might spread the work out a little like this.”
Opening: “8 years ago, I got the worst career advice of my life.”
“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.” Steve Jobs
Storytelling is the foundation of good speeches. Starting your speech with a story is a great way to grip the audience’s attention. It makes them yearn to want to know how the rest of the story is going to pan out.
Tim Urban starts off his speech with a story dating back to his college days. His use of slides is masterful and something we all can learn from. But while his story sounds simple, it does the job of intriguing the audience to want to know more.
As soon as I heard the opening lines, I thought to myself “If normal students write their paper in a certain manner, how does Tim write his papers?”
Combine such a simple yet intriguing opening with comedic slides, and you’ve got yourself a pretty gripping speech.
Scott Dismore’s statement has a similar impact. However, just a side note, Scott Dismore actually started his speech with “Wow, what an honour.”
I would advise to not start your talk with something such as that. It’s way too common and does not do the job an opening must, which is to grip your audience and set the tone for what’s coming.
Opening: “I want to discuss with you this afternoon why you’re going to fail to have a great career.”
Opening: “You will live 7.5 minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because you watched this talk.”
Making a provocative statement creates a keen desire among the audience to want to know more about what you have to say. It immediately brings everyone into attention.
Larry Smith did just that by making his opening statement surprising, lightly humorous, and above all – fearful. These elements lead to an opening statement which creates so much curiosity among the audience that they need to know how your speech pans out.
This one time, I remember seeing a speaker start a speech with, “Last week, my best friend committed suicide.” The entire crowd was gripped. Everyone could feel the tension in the room.
They were just waiting for the speaker to continue to know where this speech will go.
That’s what a hard-hitting statement does, it intrigues your audience so much that they can’t wait to hear more! Just a tip, if you do start off with a provocative, hard-hitting statement, make sure you pause for a moment after saying it.
Silence after an impactful statement will allow your message to really sink in with the audience.
Related article: 5 Ways to Grab Your Audience’s Attention When You’re Losing it!
Opening: In a boxing stance, “Life would sometimes feel like a fight. The punches, jabs and hooks will come in the form of challenges, obstacles and failures. Yet if you stay in the ring and learn from those past fights, at the end of each round, you’ll be still standing.”
In a talk, the audience is expecting you to do just that – talk. But when you enter the stage and start putting your full body into use in a way that the audience does not expect, it grabs their attention.
Body language is critical when it comes to public speaking. Hand gestures, stage movement, facial expressions are all things that need to be paid attention to while you’re speaking on stage. But that’s not I’m talking about here.
Here, I’m referring to a unique use of the body that grips the audience, like how Ramona did. By using her body to get into a boxing stance, imitating punches, jabs and hooks with her arms while talking – that’s what got the audience’s attention.
The reason I say this is so powerful is because if you take Ramona’s speech and remove the body usage from her opening, the entire magic of the opening falls flat.
While the content is definitely strong, without those movements, she would not have captured the audience’s attention as beautifully as she did with the use of her body.
So if you have a speech opening that seems slightly dull, see if you can add some body movement to it.
If your speech starts with a story of someone running, actually act out the running. If your speech starts with a story of someone reading, actually act out the reading.
It will make your speech opening that much more impactful.
Related article: 5 Body Language Tips to Command the Stage
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So there it is! 15 speech openings from some of my favourite speeches. Hopefully, these will act as a guide for you to create your own opening which is super impactful and sets you off on the path to becoming a powerful public speaker!
But remember, while a speech opening is super important, it’s just part of an overall structure.
If you’re serious about not just creating a great speech opening but to improve your public speaking at an overall level, I would highly recommend you to check out this course: Acumen Presents: Chris Anderson on Public Speaking on Udemy. Not only does it have specific lectures on starting and ending a speech, but it also offers an in-depth guide into all the nuances of public speaking.
Being the founder of TED Talks, Chris Anderson provides numerous examples of the best TED speakers to give us a very practical way of overcoming stage fear and delivering a speech that people will remember. His course has helped me personally and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to learn public speaking.
No one is ever “done” learning public speaking. It’s a continuous process and you can always get better. Keep learning, keep conquering and keep being awesome!
Lastly, if you want to know how you should NOT open your speech, we’ve got a video for you:
Schedule a call with our expert communication coach to know if this program would be the right fit for you
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Maybe you know this: you may or must give a speech, but how do you start? Whether you’re giving a speech as an employer or to your colleagues, or you’re an external keynote speaker, the principles are always the same. Likewise, your preparation is not much different: whether it’s a keynote at a kick-off event , the festive speech at the company Christmas party , a motivational speech at a team event or even a laudatory speech at an awards ceremony – the search for the right begining should not be left to chance.
How do you get your audience’s attention so that they want to listen and can follow you easily? How do you sound interesting? In this article you will get the necessary tips for your ideal start for your next speech to inspire your audience. I have collected these speech introductions and examples in my work in the field of public speaking as a presenter and keynote speaker in front of over 5 million people.
Why is the beginning, i.e. the first few minutes of a presentation, so important? This is where the first impression is being made. Your audience intuitively decides within a few seconds whether they like the speaker and want to follow. After that, you still have up to three minutes to pick up your audience with the content of your speech.
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There’s a saying that goes, “ There’s no second chance for a first impression. ” It takes between 100 milliseconds and 7 seconds for your audience to get the same impression of you. If you as a speaker fail to make that first impression, no matter how impressive your speech, it will be very difficult to pick up your audience.
US comedian Jerry Seinfeld , one of the most famous American comedians of the 90s, said that his fame only gives him a starting bonus for the first three minutes – at the latest then he has to deliver. If you don’t enjoy the celebrity bonus in your speeches, that means you have to deliver right from the get go to win over your audience.
Before you can wow people as a speaker and give any thought to content, you need to set the stage. If you want to give a good speech and move your audience from A to B, two things are essential: you need to know where you want to go and where your audience is coming from .
If you don’t know in which direction you want to move your audience, then no amount of tips will get you there. So before you tinker with the ideal introduction, you need to be clear about what your outcome is .
What feeling do you want the audience to have when you leave the stage? What impression do you want to convey as a speaker? Even more public speaking tips you can find here.
If you want to catch a fish, you have to use a bait that tastes good to the fish, not to the fisherman . The same applies to presentations: who decides what is a top speech? That is, of course, in the eye of your audience. Therefore, it is all the more important to know who the people are, listening to your speech.
An American proverb says that your audience doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Your audience won’t pay attention to you until they see that your speech is relevant to them. As a speaker, do you bring examples and tips and answer questions in your main points that matter to the audience? Do your main ideas strike a cord?
Tip: Try to find out as much as possible to know in advance what moves your audience and why people are here today. If you have the opportunity, use the time for successful networking and listen to their needs.
Only after you know your outcome and your audience you can focus on how to start your presentation, because now you know as a speaker in which direction your ship should sail. If you want to give a speech, you need to get your audience interested in you and your main points. For this to happen, you need the attention of your audience.
Speaker Tip: First create attention , then develop interest in your message and your main points to make it worth listening for your audience.
Now let’s look at tips and examples of how you as a speaker can inspire your audience. These tips should give you a guideline from where you can successfully transition from your chosen introduction to the main part and final part of your speech.
An elegant way to begin a speech is with a question . The goal is to engage your listener directly in your opening and generate interest. In order for the question to be effective, it must be tailored to your target audience. The question may be provocative, surprising or even make you smile, but it must be relevant.
For example, if you’re speaking to a group of retirees, a question like “Which one of you went to a disco last weekend?” would be just as out of place as asking a group of Wall street brokers “Which one of you has been involved in stocks?”. Your audience needs to feel like you know who you’re dealing with.
“Who remembers what they did last Saturday night?” was an opening I chose many years ago when giving a speech. Of course, after that, there was a story about my Saturday night that fit right in with the theme of my speech. People were immediately involved and everyone was thinking. Because just about everybody did something last Saturday and so it was relevant… even if many didn’t even remember it.
With questions that fit the topics, you are sure to get the attention of the participants. However, always pay attention to what you trigger in your audience with a question and, if requested, also provide the appropriate answer.
Another speaking tip: When you ask a question, give your audience time to respond . Whether out loud, with a show of hands, or silently, people need time for what you say to have an impact. Of course, questions can also be used during your speech.
Using the words of another person in your speech is a proven way. The art of building a good speech is to pick up your audience where they are. A pointed quote that gets to the heart of your ideas or the occasion is the basic premise for choosing someone else’s statement as your lead-in. If people are familiar with the name of the person you are quoting, it gives you added credibility as a speaker.
Very similar to a quote is using a proverb to start your speech. Again, there is often a deeper wisdom behind it. Link this to the idea of your speech and you have a great introduction.
Again, I’ll give you an example from my own experience when I was asked to give a presentation on the topic of corporate mission statements many years ago. I decided to start with a quote, but the number of quotes on this topic are manageable. However, the corporate mission statement compares very well with the soul for people, and so on this occasion I found a quote on the subject of the soul and then drew the analogy with the corporate mission statement. “Outside the box” solutions are also the speaker’s friend.
A particularly powerful way to start is to share a story or personal real life experience with your audience at the beginning of your presentation. With a personal story, you create compelling moments and build an emotional connection with your audience. However, this is also where the biggest danger lies: your story must absolutely correspond to the facts and at the same time should have a connection to the topic of the event. The audience has a good nose for it, if you serve them a “suitably made” story.
Of course, storytelling is not limited to stories you have experienced yourself. You can also draw on a current or even historical event. Important, as mentioned above, is the connection to the goal of your presentation. Also, make sure that you start right in the relevant event and do not begin with Adam and Eve. Especially extroverted people like to get into narration and then it can happen that you lose the drive to your actual presentation and your audience is no longer on the point.
One of my stage coaching clients, for example, took his audience into a situation right at the beginning of his speech when he was at the start of his first triathlon. He immediately built up a tension, because he put his audience directly into it instead of talking about preparation and planning for the triathlon. Because he also found the right tone, the speech went down great. Bonus tip for your speech: Stories absolutely need to be rehearsed and tailored to your audience and the occasion. This does not mean, as already mentioned, that you add things, but that you leave out unnecessary things. Don’t just tell from memory, but really practice.
Starting with an open loop is something like the supreme discipline. Here, you start with a story, but don’t finish telling it until the end of your speech . This type of introduction is certainly a bit unusual and, in my opinion, more suitable for experienced speakers, especially to keep the tension high.
You start with the open loop in the same way as with storytelling and take your audience along until the point where the tension is at its highest. Instead of the resolution, you lead into the topic of your speech and then come to the main part, where the content is presented with further examples. Only at the end do you pick up the ball of your introductory story again and close the open loop.
As an example, I start one of my keynote speeches with such an open loop: I take the audience on my experience at the New York City Marathon. Since my preparation for it was far from ideal due to injuries, I wasn’t sure until the start how far I would run that day. My speech started with the thoughts going through my head at the start, with my uncertainty but also anticipation. The start of the marathon was then the Open Loop, which I only resolved at the end of the speech.
A parable is a very short to short story which might not even have a plot of its own. While a parable can be told with action, as if something has actually taken place, it can also be about something hypothetical: “Imagine…” or “Suppose…”. In both cases, the point is that we want to make a connection to the content.
The purpose of parables is to pick up the audience as they enter your presentation and provide an emotional experience that immediately introduces them to the topic through your words.
The FFS introduction is particularly useful if you have facts, figures or statistics that are not familiar to your audience and are also unusual. In addition, it must of course fit your topic and possibly support your thesis. A personalized statistic works best to meet your audience’s needs.
When we were designing the outline for one of my Executive Legacy Coaching clients’ investor pitch, we made a conscious decision to start with a number that would probably come as a surprise to many listeners. To back up the pain point that his product solves, he asked the panel how much they thought that an unhappy employee costs a company per year. Starting with that number was so effective because the audience’s estimates were all substantially lower than the true number, creating an a-ha effect.
Another way to start your speech is with a look back . This variant is particularly suitable if you are to give a speech on the occasion of an anniversary or birthday. In your preparation, you should pay special attention to who is sitting in your audience: what connection do they have to the person or the company or the occasion and, above all, have they experienced the period themselves.
Some time ago, I had the privilege of being on stage at a company’s 20th anniversary. In order to give the audience as emotional an experience as possible, I first had to find out who was in the audience. Have people lived through these last 20 years, and are they likely to remember the moment from 20 years ago? Since my audience was mostly over 35 years old I assumed that was the case. Thus I dove into the world of 20 years ago: how did the world look and what moved people at the time? Immediately the people were in the emotions of the memories and from that I could then draw a bow to the company anniversary: “much has changed, but one thing has remained the same…”.
Jokes are for comedians.
There are talented joke tellers and there are those who always flub the punch line. If you feel uncomfortable in the role of the joker, don’t do it. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t spice up the introduction with a little humor. Humor arouses positive emotions and loosens the atmosphere. A humorous introduction, which also works without a joke, signals to the participants that the event will not be dry as dust and that it is worth staying for.
Bonus tip: Humor is different in different regions and works best when you approach your audience with respect and humility.
A provocative introduction is like riding on a razor blade: very dangerous. You have to have an incredible ace up your sleeve to win your audience back. As a rule, I would strongly advise you not to use provocative introductions. If your audience perceives you as an unsympathetic person, no matter how ingenious the content of your speech, it will not bring the desired success.
Some insecure speaker starts his speech with an apology for his insecurity or God knows what else. Please don’t do that. For one thing, the audience usually doesn’t notice it anyway, and for another, it immediately takes something away from your first impression. You might get sympathy for it, but in the rarest cases you will get the attention for your speech.
One of the most important tips I once received was that your audience wants you to win . That’s right, you read that correctly. Your audience wants you to be good. No one sits in the audience hoping for a boring speaker to come on now. Your audience wants you to do your job well. If you feel anxiety on the way to the stage, keep reading.
The key to a perfect introduction lies not only in the preparation for your speech, but also in the emotional preparation in the moments before public speaking. Especially if you are nervous or even feel speech anxiety , it is even more important that you, to present convincingly, are in an ideal state.
Take a deep breath just before your performance, send positive emotions to your audience and off you go. Many speakers also like to take index cards with their notes to be prepared in case of an emergency. The phrase for the introduction as well as for the conclusion I would always write in full. For the main points, keywords are enough here.
When you finally arrive on stage, at first be aware of your audience . Before you begin, start with eye contact and confident body language to radiate stage presence . Only then, when you feel the attention of your audience, you start to talk. This confidence will automatically boost your credibility.
Bonus tip: if you’re unsure about your voice, a little voice training will help.
Of course, the principles for your ideal start also apply at virtual events. So if you hold a webinar or a virtual presentation or are on stage at a hybrid event , nothing will change in the structure of your preparation. The main point in the virtual space is that you have to speak in front of the camera and this should be practiced. The specific elements of structuring your presentation stay the same.
Click on the button and send a non-binding request to Ronny to be your coach for your next keynote, speech or presentation.
In this article you have learned how to start your speech in an ideal way. Do you already have an idea which structure you like best? Remember that you always start with your outcome and your audience before you create a thread for your presentation.
The tone makes the music. Former American writer Maya Angelou summed it up this way: “Your audience won’t remember exactly what you said, but they’ll always remember how it made them feel.” Whatever the occasion, take your audience on an emotional journey.
If you feel that you still need help for your next speech or keynote , feel free to contact me or just write me an e-mail ! Together many things are easier.
Which introduction appeals to you the most? Which start to a speech have you learned about here and would like to try out for your next performance? Please leave a comment below and share this article with someone who you think will profit from it. All the best for your next speeches.
There is no second chance for a first impression . The first impression is created in the first few seconds of perception and is crucial to whether your audience perceives you as likeable or unlikeable. If you mess up the first impression, the next few minutes will be a steep uphill climb to get the audience back on your side.
First, take three deep breaths and consciously put a smile on your face. Stand up straight, shoulders back, head up and visualize your audience and your goal. The important thing here is to move as quickly as possible from an internal focus (thinking about you) to an external focus (thinking about your audience). Imagine how your audience will benefit from your speech. For even more tips, I recommend you read my blog post Persuasive presentations: 3 Steps to Your Ideal State in Front of an Audience.
Ideally, you were introduced by a presenter who has also given some interesting background information about you to the audience. However, it always makes sense to leave nothing to chance here and, on the one hand, to discuss your introduction with the presenter upfront and, on the other hand, to include the most important points in your speech. I would always start with an introduction into the topic to get the audience interested and then introduce myself. The best way to find the right introduction is to read this article.
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A rhetorical question is a common rhetorical device where a question is asked by a speaker, but no answer is expected from the audience . This distinguishes it from explicit verbal audience interaction where a speaker asks a question, and then waits for a response or calls on someone to answer it.
You are certainly aware of this technique, but are you aware that you can use a rhetorical question in at least nine different ways ? No? Read on!
This article identifies nine ways to use rhetorical questions, and provides examples throughout.
Like other speech techniques, rhetorical questions can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the needs of the speaker and the speech.
It is rarely necessary to ask a rhetorical question; there is nearly always another way to convey the same idea without using a question. But rhetorical questions, like other rhetorical devices, add variety and interest to a speech.
Here are nine strategies that can be fulfilled (often in combination) with a carefully crafted rhetorical question:
The most popular use of a rhetorical question is to engage your audience to think. If your entire speech is a series of statements, your audience may passively listen and absorb little. On the other hand, you can make them active participants in your speech by inviting them to think about your arguments. This is most effective if they are asked to think about an issue from a fresh perspective.
For example, suppose you are delivering a goal achievement seminar. While many people feel that external forces prevent them from realizing their goals, you might engage your audience to think about their self-defeating behaviors:
Setting goals is easy, but achieving them isn’t. How are you sabotaging yourself?
To persuade your audience, they must see you as credible . One way to build credibility is to convince your audience that you are similar to them and share their beliefs. One way to do this is by asking a rhetorical question where the answer has the audience agreeing with you, perhaps even nodding their head in agreement.
For example, suppose you are speaking at a networking event for working mothers, and you represent a local health spa:
Given how hard you work — both at the office and at home — don’t you deserve a day at the spa?
[When your audience silently answers “Yes, I do deserve that”, the effect is that they see themselves as more similar to you.]
Effective speakers know how to stir audience emotions. Rhetorical questions do this by making the audience a partner in your emotional statements . Instead of delivering one-way emotional statements, you can involve your audience more emotionally by hooking them with a rhetorical question.
For example, suppose you are at a political rally. Instead of saying:
They’ve never done anything to help us.
What have they ever done to help us?
The latter version is stronger, because it triggers an emotional response by having the audience thinking “Nothing! They’ve done nothing!”
Rhetorical questions can be used as an exclamation point on a preceding statement. While the preceding statement may be a factual statement, a rhetorical question forces your audience to think hard about it .
For example, suppose you are speaking out against gang violence in your community:
17 of our sons and daughters have already died in gang-related crime. How many will it take before we act?
Careful use of misdirection in a speech is an effective way of generating audience surprise , and this results in them being active participants. One form of misdirection is when you make a statement which leads in one direction, and then follow it up with a statement that pulls in the opposite direction.
For example, suppose you are trying to motivate your sales department:
Financial analysts in our industry predict that sales are going to be down next year. But does that prediction apply to us? [… and then you go on to show why it does not…]
In the above example, the rhetorical question followed a contrasting statement. But this pattern can be reversed with the rhetorical question preceding a contrasting statement. For example:
Why would anyone care about the polling data, when it has proven to be inaccurate in the past? The primary reason is that polling firms have been using entirely different methods this time…
Thorough audience analysis will reveal many questions that members of your audience may have. Rather than waiting to address these questions following your speech (e.g. in a Q&A session), you can address them in the body of your speech by asking the question and immediately answering it.
For example, imagine that you are speaking to a new parents’ support group:
As a new parent, you often wonder: What can I do to give my child an intellectual jump start? The answer is reading aloud to them every day.
Or, consider another example:
Why is it important to exercise our right to vote? Voting is a duty of active citizenship!
A common technique to answer a question (either one you have raised, or one coming from your audience) is to respond with a rhetorical question. This is done when the two questions (the one you were asked, and the one you responded with) have the same answer (typically, either “yes” or “no”).
For example:
Will we win the contract? Is the sky blue?
The obvious answer to the second question is “yes”, and this implies the answer to the first is also “yes”.
Do you think we should give up on our school and close it? Do pigs fly?
This time, the obvious answer to the second question is “no”, and this implies the answer to the first is also “no”.
Beware when using this technique as it can sound cliche to your audience. If you can, make the second question fresh and unique to your audience.
When speaking about a particularly complex issue, one technique that reinforces this complexity is to ask a series of questions which, if answered, would all point in different directions.
How can we stop bullying in school? Is the answer to educate the bullies? Or educate those being bullied? Do we need more supervision on playgrounds? How about stricter penalties for offenders? […]
A series of questions like this might be used in the opening of a speech, while the body of the speech might follow up on the individual questions one by one.
A series of rhetorical questions can also be used in situations where, if the questions were answered, all of the answers would point in the same direction. This technique is a variation on repetition and could be used to emphasize a point repeatedly.
Who has turned around our club and made it prosperous? Who is tireless in her devotion to this club? Who is our undisputed leader? Of course I am speaking of our club president Laurelle who we honor here today.
That’s not a rhetorical question. I really do want to hear what you think. Please add a comment to share your ideas about how to use rhetorical questions.
This is one of many public speaking articles featured on Six Minutes . Subscribe to Six Minutes for free to receive future articles.
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16 comments.
Thanks, Andrew, for this incredibly helpful article on using the rhetorical question. Already incorporated one of your suggestions in a speech I am writing.
This is really a set of useful tips. And all the articles coming in this series are useful and effective tips and inputs. Thank you for sharing all these valid points and eye openers.
Thanks Andrew – that’s a very thorough and thought-provoking look at rhetorical questions. I never realised there was so much to them!
What do you think are the *limits* of their use, though? I ask because I once attended a talk where (to my mind) the speaker *overused* rhetorical questions. From a listener’s viewpoint, that felt frustrating because it was as though the speaker repeatedly asked for dialogue, only to move on without waiting for our answers. So the talk was a monologue just *masquerading* as dialogue.
In what ways, then, might a presenter attempt to judge when they had the “right” number of rhetorical questions in their talk, compared with real questions or other techniques? I wonder if there should be at least as many real questions as rhetorical questions, to maintain balance. What do you think?
I agree that rhetorical questions can be overused, but I don’t think one can give a general rule about what the “right” number or ratio is. It depends wildly on the purpose and nature of the presentation.
For example, in his TED talk, Ken Robinson used rhetorical questions 26 times (as part of his personal speaking style), and doesn’t ask any questions where he expects a response from the audience.
It would be good if there was *some* guideline people could fall back on – if not mathematical, maybe something like “ask a couple of trusted colleagues their opinions about the rhetorical questions in your talk”. Or “keep only the rhetorical questions you’d use in a one-to-one conversation”. That second one sounds like a promising rule of thumb, but I’ll continue to think about a guideline that might work. Thanks for the Ken Robinson link – it’s really useful to consider a real example like that. Like you, the 1st time I watched Ken’s talk, I didn’t really notice all the rhetorical questions. But now I’m aware of them, they’re quite obtrusive, which to me rings alarm bells. So *if* he uses them as part of his regular style, I think someone who listened to a couple of his talks would quickly start to be distracted by them. Also, such wide use lessens their power. Anyway, thanks again for sparking this line of thought on a useful speech technique. I’m a lot more aware of the uses for rhetorical questions now!
Extremely good points and well-articulated. The use of the rhetorical question is far more powerful than most speakers realize so your article gives excellent advice.
from Paris, France
Andrew —
You have a GREAT site which I just found.
I preparing a contest speech at Toastmasters in Paris and was looking for some writing advice – and found your wonderful site. Keep up the good work. Joy,
if you ask a topic question and you prepared for the answer in speech way , it will be consider it a question and answer? like they did in pageant. they already a topic question and they prepared a answered in speech formed.
Very helpful! I’m strategically commencing a defence for gross misconduct for an employee and this will be a unique and suprising approach. My thought is to ask initially if the employee is guilty and then answer that he is but not guilty because…….here, I will commence my mitigating evidence. I will try to introduce other rhetoricals throughout…..very good, thanks!
Thank you for your help Andrew, but I have a question. If I am trying to write a persuasive speech, which one of these methods should I use? I looked through them all and found that all of them were really interesting and intriguing. Please answer soon.
With great thanks, Henry
Hi. The things which you have share about is really interesting and useful.
It is a great tool. Thanks for doing it. Edna
I’m not sure if this is another category or fits in with one of the 9 mentioned, but I use rhetorical questions to force a point.
“So Johny has a key to the house. he regularly takes food from the kitchen. He’s been a bully at school. The principle has had him in his office because he’s threatening people.
And you think it’s not reasonable that he stole money off the counter?”
What is answer of “that is good for the customer”(make it a rhetorical question)help me to understand
Thank you we looked through this in our classroom in our high school.
Do you happen to have any info on how to write one for a photography paper?
RT @geek_speaker How many ways can you use rhetorical questions in your speech? http://t.co/6dG39M4d via @6minutes — Anil Dilawri Nov 19th, 2012
Interesting > RT @geek_speaker: How many ways can you use rhetorical questions in your speech? http://t.co/fo1GfK2W via @6minutes — VizwerxGroup Nov 19th, 2012
Do you use questions in your speech? Great tip to consider: 9 ways to embrace your speech with rhetorical questions. http://t.co/jygpVr99 — Clondalkin TM D22 Nov 19th, 2012
Do you think rhetorical questions help your #speaking? http://t.co/B2nBRkJg from @6minutes — Donn King Nov 19th, 2012
How many ways can you use rhetorical questions in your speech? http://t.co/sWihtVw9 via @6minutes — Joel Heffner Nov 20th, 2012
How many ways can you use rhetorical questions in your speech? http://t.co/LYE8oMJZ via @6minutes — Desi Ivanova Dec 4th, 2012
How many ways can you use rhetorical questions in your speech http://t.co/6Wg4ufPG — Book to Speak Dec 5th, 2012
Great insights from @6Minutes: How to Use Rhetorical Questions in Your Speech http://t.co/c8mGTzZtY5 — Christopher Witt (@CPWitt) Feb 28th, 2014
How to Use Rhetorical Questions in Your Speech https://t.co/uvDe8ZWd13 by @6minutes — @patelmehulg Jan 28th, 2017
How to Use Rhetorical Questions in Your Speech https://t.co/BLwBPFPZsg by @6minutes — @tarini_kd Sep 1st, 2017
Links of the Week: Week of Nov 5-11 « Creating Communication — Nov 10th, 2012
Seriously, stay out of my room | The Suburban Crab — Jan 21st, 2013
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Imagine standing in front of an eager audience, every pair of eyes on you. You only have a moment to capture their attention with your speech, or you’ll lose them. If you begin it well, your words have the potential to get the crowd buzzing and inspire your audience to action. Yet, to do this, the beginning of a speech needs to be captivating, which is not always easy to pull off, even for experienced speakers. For this reason, it’s crucial leaders know how to start a speech, as it’s an asset used throughout their entire careers.
1. don’t wing it, 2. create an imaginary scenario, 3. use a quote, check out these quotes to get some ideas:, 4. use humor.
You can always start your speech out with a joke. Admittedly, this can be tricky to pull off since humor is subjective, but a joke can immediately put the audience at ease. Pick a joke that’s tasteful and relevant to the topic at hand. For obvious reasons, you should avoid starting with a joke if the subject of your speech is serious or sad.
If you’re struggling with a way to begin your speech, why not try asking a question? The question you choose can be a literal question, such as, “How many people here run their own business?” Or you can go the rhetorical route by asking a “what if” question. A “what if” question is a great way to get people thinking about possible scenarios. For example, think about a speech that started by saying, “What kind of world would it be if every leader fulfilled their full potential?” The audience would immediately begin coming up with ideas and imagining what such a world would look like.
7. shock the audience.
In another popular TED Talk, Pamela Meyer begins by making a shocking announcement : “Okay, now I don’t want to alarm anybody in this room, but it’s just come to my attention that the person to your right is a liar.” Think of what a compelling way that is to get people to put down their phones and look at the speaker. It also ties nicely into the subject of her speech, “How to Spot a Liar.” With a shocking statement, you too can capture people’s attention in just a few seconds.
9. share a story, bonus tips for starting a speech, the one thing you should not do.
If there’s a surefire way to lose your audience right at the start, it’s by simply introducing yourself. First off, in most speech settings, someone will likely have introduced you anyway, so it would be a waste of time. Secondly, most people in the audience will already know who you are and why you are there. Introducing yourself treats your audience like children and may even lead to some people zoning out immediately. Don’t dawdle or play schoolteacher with the people in front of you. Launch right into your speech with the skills discussed earlier. The results will speak for themselves.
Giving a speech is an art form that often relies on what happens at the start. Try out the above tips the next time you need to give a speech. Using assertive communication is another way to establish a connection with your audience. With the right beginning, you’ll have people following you every step of the way until you’ve finished.
Want more great quotes for starting a speech? Check out the following:
50+ Success Quotes to Inspire Leaders
Improve your practice.
Enhance your soft skills with a range of award-winning courses.
April 5, 2018 - Gini Beqiri
Rhetorical questions can be used as an effective communication tool during a speech. These questions provide you with a way of controlling the speech and thoughts of the audience.
They are especially useful in engaging the audience and persuading them to agree with you. In this article we discuss how to use rhetorical questions in a speech or presentation.
A rhetorical question can be “an effective persuasive device, subtly influencing the kind of response one wants to get from an audience” – (Edward P.J. Corbett)
A rhetorical question is a question that’s asked for effect with no answer expected. The answer may be immediately provided by the questioner or obvious.
General examples.
Rhetorical questions with obvious answers are asked about well-known facts, or the answer is suggested based on the question’s context. They are used to emphasises an idea or point:
Rhetorical questions which have no answers:
President Obama’s immigration address
Ever since the 5th century BC , orators have put their points across by asking rhetorical questions whose implied answers clearly support their point. This rhetorical passage comes from Obama’s immigration speech:
“Are we a nation that tolerates the hypocrisy of a system where workers who pick our fruit and make our beds never have a chance to get right with the law? Are we a nation that accepts the cruelty of ripping children from their parents’ arms? Or are we a nation that values families, and works to keep them together?” – Obama’s Immigration Address
William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? – Sonnet 18
If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? – The Merchant of Venice
Mighty Caesar! Dost thou lie so low? Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils, shrunk to this little measure? – Julius Caesar
Rhetorical questions are not a necessity but they can be valuable. They can be used in many different ways to:
1. engage the audience.
Ask a rhetorical question to engage the audience and pause to allow them to think of an answer. This gets the audience to actively participate rather than passively listen as they create hypotheses or resolutions.
For example: asking “Why is practicing mindfulness beneficial for reducing anxiety?” would be more effective than saying “Practicing mindfulness exercises can reduce anxiety levels because…”
Speakers may start presentations with rhetorical questions to increase the likelihood of the audience staying engaged.
Make the audience feel as though you are speaking to each member individually by using “you” and “your.”
For example: asking “Do you want to lose weight without feeling hungry?” would be more effective than asking “Does anyone here want to lost weight without feeling hungry?”
To get your audience to agree with you, ask a rhetorical question where the answer is clearly a “yes”. Once the audience begins agreeing with you they are more likely to continue agreeing. You will be familiar with this type of persuasion in casual conversation, for example, “Nice weather today, isn’t it?”
Another way to get the audience to agree with you is to show them that you’re similar. Show your listeners that you have shared experiences and that you understand their problems.
For example, “We’ve all experienced being so stressed at work that we come home and don’t feel like doing anything, haven’t we?”
Make the audience feel the same way you do about something by asking questions that trigger emotional reactions.
For example, rather than saying “X has never helped our community” ask “What has X ever done for our community?” This will trigger a strong emotional response because the audience will come to that conclusion that “X haven’t done anything.”
After a statement has been made use a rhetorical question to get the audience to think about that statement.
For example, “The amount of plastic in the ocean is rising at a considerable rate. How much damage will it take for you to help reduce this?”
Think about your topic and audience when planning your speech. Try to predict what the audience may want to ask. In your speech use the predictions as rhetorical questions and answer them.
For example, “As a dog owner you may think ‘What should I be focusing on to keep my dog healthy?’ The answer is providing your dog with the correct nutrition and therefore food.”
You could also introduce one or more rhetorical questions at the start of your speech and explain that you will answer them during your speech. For example: “In the next 20 minutes let’s explore the answers to these questions.” Asking these difficult questions and promising you will provide the answers will increase interest and attention.
Answer a question, either an audience member’s or your own, using another rhetorical question. Generally both the questions have the same answer.
For example: “Have we met the targets again this year? Is the Pope Catholic?”
Try to make the second question unique and relatable to the audience because common examples can sound cheesy.
– Increase the impact of your argument
Ask multiple rhetorical questions consecutively – each one more specific or more powerful than the previous. This way your content will have a greater impact on the listeners.
For example: “Isn’t their skin lovely? Don’t you think it looks really clear? Can you see any blemishes? Wouldn’t you like to have skin like that?”
– Show conflicting opinions
Use rhetorical questions consecutively to highlight the complexity of a topic by asking questions in which the answers provide conflicting viewpoints.
For example: “How can we reduce the crime rate in the UK? Should we rehabilitate offenders? Should criminals be punished with longer sentences? Should we create initiatives targeting at-risk children?” etc
If you start your speech with this technique, you can structure your speech or presentation around it, with each section addressing a different viewpoint.
– Show supporting opinions
You can also consecutively ask questions in which the answers provide similar viewpoints. This is similar to repetition which is used to continually highlight an important point.
For example: “Which company achieves over 90% in customer satisfaction? Which company provides one of the best employee benefits programs in the country? Which company scores highest in employee happiness and fulfilment? Of course, our company does!”
Rhetorical questions are an effective way to gain the support of the audience but ensure that you do your research beforehand. This means finding out who your audience are , such as, their general views, attitudes, age etc. With this information you can plan rhetorical questions that will be appropriate and tailored to your listeners.
Practical Media Training and Public Speaking Tips
We don’t want to break it to you, but you don’t really have all that much time. As a public speaker or presenter, you have but a scant few moments to open a speech or presentation with a powerful hook. Here, we offer 25 great ways on how to open a speech.
But first, a quick note about the two elements any speech opening should possess: it must be engaging and on message . The way you open a speech gets them in the door and your main point, or message, keeps them in their seats.
Notice that we said engaging and on message. A funny opening joke may engage the audience, but if it’s not directly related to your presentation’s main message , your audience may only remember the joke. There’s nothing funny about that.
What does it mean to be on message? First, you need one. As part of our public speaking workshops , we encourage our clients to themselves a simple question: What is the one thing, more than anything else, I want this audience to remember from my presentation six months from now? That one thing typically is your overarching message .
Some examples:
“Our nonprofit organization’s donations are surging and have more than made up for the dip in last year’s contributions.” “This program for at-risk youth is as beneficial for the overall community as it is for the actual participants. “ “My new product may look like many others, but what it delivers is unlike anything else on the shelf.”
Your messages are meaningful, but they become memorable when you frame them within the context of your open.
Just as a storefront business owner draws customers with their window display, or a publisher gets a sale because of an eye-catching book cover, your speech opening hooks your audience and keeps them in their seats.
The first few moments of your presentation are vital for its success.
For that reason, your presentation opening speech needs to be as engaging as possible. Niceties, such as introductions or thank-yous, or relevant (but uninteresting) logistical information are impediments to getting your audience immediately invested in your topic. We show you all about the three parts you should have in your presentation open here .
The opens that follow allow you to leap directly into the heart of your message and convey your main takeaway points quickly, creatively, and effectively. Your audience’s attention is precious. Give them an open that convinces them their investment of time will be worth it.
These opens, from our book 101 Ways to Open a Speech , represent a mix of styles and methods. You can open your presentation speech with a third-person anecdote or share your own story. You can be persuasive or utilize the element of surprise. Some speech openers tell a story, others frame a topic, and a couple rely on modern technology. There’s a way to open a speech that is right for you, that reflects your personality, and that serves your specific goals and topics.
1. The Common Ground Open – Is there a gap between you and the audience? Perhaps you’re a 70-something speaking to some high school students, or a conservative Republican addressing a group of left-leaning advocates. If you have any chance of succeeding in sharing your message, you’ll need to close the gap quickly. Opening with a shared story, statistic, goal, or interest, and doing so with humility and grace, is an excellent way to bring the audience closer to you and to show them they have something to gain by listening to you. Imagine that a CEO of a large investment company is about to talk finances to a group of entry-level employees at one of your many locations. Here’s how she could start:
“You may not think I know what it is like to struggle, but at your age I was scraping for pennies, working two jobs, and still barely managing to pay my rent. It got easier when I learned to make my money work as hard as I was. It’s a lesson I plan to share with you today .”
2. Descriptive Open – A school administrator is talking to teachers about a new approach to student test prep. He could say:
“With your help, we are going to implement new lessons that reduce the rate of failure by increasing students’ opportunities to experience success.”
Are you still awake? Abstract concepts like “rate of failure,” “opportunities,” and “success” don’t exactly rouse an audience. When words are vivid, messages gain power and pop. Concrete and descriptive words, as opposed to abstract concepts, put the audience in the middle of the action. This version would be better:
“No one wants to see that big red ‘F’ on a test – not a student, not a teacher, and not a parent. With our new approach, and your help, we’ll be able to hand out a lot more ‘A’s’ and ‘B’s’—and the students would have worked hard to earn them.”
4. The Third-Person Anecdote Open – Stories are great ways to communicate the human condition. Therefore, choose a story or anecdote you’ve heard along the way – or pick one out of the local newspaper or online news story – and use it to reinforce your presentation’s main message. However, don’t start by saying, “I’d like to begin with a story.” Just start with the action:
“Three years ago, Walt Harris had his dream job, dream spouse, and dream home. He worked out five days a week, ate well, and mediated on weekends. Then he received a diagnosis from his doctor that changed his life. In the past three years, Walt lost his job, lost his home, and is close to facing divorce. Unfortunately, almost all of this was preventable.”
5. The Show of Hands Open – How many of you think this way to open a speech is overdone? How many of you think it could be done better? The question you pose should challenge conventional thinking, lead to a counterintuitive conclusion, or add a dose of unexpected humor. Likewise, this strategy works well if you are trying to sway the audience to reconsider previously held positions or beliefs. You must be quick on your feet to transition from the audience’s answers to the point you are trying to make:
“So, you think the sky is blue? Well, I’m going to tell you what happens on those days when it appears to be green.”
6. The Fable Open – Do you have something to preach but don’t want to sound preachy? If you lead off with a fable, or one of its literary cousins (allegories and parables), you can delve into moral lessons and insights about human behavior, all without sounding too heavy. In her book, “The Story Factor,” Annette Simmons writes that stories provide a more accessible route. A story, she says, is a “more dynamic tool of influence. Story gives people enough space to think for themselves.”
7. The Contrast Open – If speeches were boxing matches, you’d use the contrast open every time. This technique showcases the difference between diametrically opposed concepts, positions, ideas, or words. As a result, this approach is useful if you want to persuade others to change their perspective or embrace something new. Here are some of the themes that work well:
8. The Information Gap – You know you will be facing a crowd of people who are quite knowledgeable about your subject. That’s OK. As it turns out, people who know a lot about a topic are still just as interested in learning about the parts of the topic they don’t know, according to American educator and economist George Loewenstein . If you can find a kernel of knowledge that exposes the gap or looks at the topic in a different way, you’ve given your audience ample reason to stick around to the end.
9. The Unexpected Definition Open – Dictionaries obviously do their jobs and do them well. However, there are times when a word gains more power when it is redefined. Say you are a valedictorian and you want to share how much your fellow students mean to you. Here’s a start:
“The dictionary defines classmate as a member of your class, but I define you all as so much more than that. We were each other’s friends, confidants, mentors, and guides. As worthy opponents, we challenged one other on the field and in the classroom. We were each other’s keepers and cheerleaders. And, we now can define ourselves as fellow graduates.”
10. “This Day in History” Open – This day in history you learned there were 25 ways to open a speech. That is a historical fact, but not a great citation. Fortunately, there are plenty of worthy, significant, thought-provoking, and interesting events you can find – a simple online search yields thousands – to illustrate your main point.
11. The Incorrect (or Ironic) Quote – Back in 2004, Microsoft’s Bill Gates told the world, “Two years from now, spam will be solved.” Oh yeah? Hindsight is 20/20, but that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from the trove of ill-considered observations and incorrect assumptions about the future. Leading a presentation with an incorrect quote can help you transition to many powerful points, including the risks of false assumptions, the dangers of being slow to change, and the speed of evolution.
“We’re going to go on a dive to the deep sea. Anyone that’s had that lovely opportunity knows that for about two-and-a-half hours on the way down, it’s a perfectly, positively pitch-black world.”
When combined with a series of video images featuring bioluminescent sea creatures, the open transported the audience deep into the world of ocean exploration all from the comfort of their hotel meeting room.
13. The Bookend Open – Like the inseparable friends that they are, the Bookend Open must go with the Bookend Close, no ifs, ands or buts about it. Consequently, the theme, story, example, joke, theme, or fact that you offer in the open must return – in some fashion – for a visit in the end.
14. Rapid-Fire Statistics Open – A dietician wants to warn her audience about the dangers of gaining weight on a diet rich in fast food meals. She could start like this:
“Between 2013 and 2016, more than 1 in 3 American adults took a turn through the drive-thru or approached the counter to grab a fast food meal on any given day. For children and teens, a fast food diet has been associated with higher caloric intake and poor diet quality. That double whammy is a reality that more young people face, as studies have found caloric intake from fast food on the rise for children aged 2 to 18. The industry itself shows no signs of slowing. The fast food industry is a $198.9 billion business in the United States. It’s expected to grow by more than $20 billion by 2020.”
This data stacking is less about individual numbers and more about the broader point she is trying to convey. The main takeaway is this: Society’s propensity for fast food is growing and affecting the health of children and teens.
15. The Mystery Open – They fill bookshelves and dominate television listings. What are they? Those mysteries, psychological thrillers, and police procedurals readers and viewers can’t seem to get enough of. A mystery works fine for an open, too. Here’s one way to do it: Pose a single question at the start of your talk and then answer it piece by piece during your presentation – leaving the big reveal for the close.
16. The Multiple Choice – It’s better than the tests you remembered as a student or the online surveys you are asked to take. That’s because it’s your multiple-choice test and it’s the way you can draw your audience to your topic. This open is tailor-made for a talk with multiple perspectives about an issue or different solutions for the same problem. Here’s an example:
“As a company, we have several directions we can take in terms of growth and increased sales. We could a.) buy up smaller companies to diversify our portfolio of services, b.) cull some of our services and move resources to focus on only a few or, c.) we could opt to franchise. I’m going to spend some time on each and then offer the option that I think is the way for us to go.”
17. The Challenge Open – Challenges spur audiences to act or deliver on a goal. You could open a speech with a challenge if you are seeking legislative change, raising money for a project, looking to increase sales, or asking for volunteers. The main objective is motivation. The audience not only needs to buy-in to your message but take the actions to manifest it. Here’s one way to do that:
“Dreamers see possibilities where others see obstacles. I am here today to call upon my fellow dreamers to encourage those who are hesitant about the project to look past the stumbling blocks we face in the construction of this community playground and consider giving kids a chance to play.”
18. The Skeptical Audience Open – A doubting audience is a difficult audience – there is no getting around it. They may be untrusting of your ideas or against what you are proposing. Perhaps they have been disappointed in the past or are simply stuck in their ways. The more “hostile” the crowd, the faster you need to address the gap. While every open needs to be a blend of your goals and audience needs, this one requires careful consideration. Here’s the formula:
19. The Rhetorical Question Open – Do you think opening with a question engages audience members? Yes, it does. This method engages the audience from the get-go. A CEO might pose this question:
“We offer great services. We have a loyal customer base. And, we make improvements every year. So, why are we not No. 1 in our market?”
21. The Activity Open – Of all the 25 ways to open, this one triggers the most immediate engagement. Use it during training sessions and workshops when you are trying to teach a specific skill. When an audience engages in an activity right from the start, they recognize the benefits of listening to the rest of what you have to say. Make sure the activity is challenging, however. If they breeze through it, they’ll spend the rest of the workshop twiddling their thumbs.
22. The Self-Effacing Open – Remember the speaker who offered a joke, only to have that become his message? Well, in this way to open a speech, humor also must be deftly handled. Modesty and humility are the hallmarks of people who can laugh at themselves – which are both traits that can attract an audience. If you are planning to laugh at your own expense, just make sure it’s not at a cost. Stay away from jokes that question your credibility or diminish the topic of your speech. And make sure your self-deprecating humor doesn’t sound too self-pitying (“I hope, like my receding hairline, you won’t similarly retreat for the exit before I am done.”). You don’t want the audience thinking about your weaknesses or paying undue attention to them.
24. The PowerPoint Open – Ahh, the PowerPoint presentation … when used correctly it is a highly effective tool for the audience. When used incorrectly, it induces a snoozefest. Overly literal slides typically fall flat, while conceptual (and eye-catching) images make your words even more memorable. If you plan on using technology front and center, you should pick an image that captivates and intrigues, and forms a segue into the opening you want to tell. For instance, you are presenting a talk on how to create a stunning painting. You could begin with a slide that shows a big, bold, and colorful painting. You say:
“This painting is the manifestation of dozens of choices and decisions the artist made along the way from concept to completion. We only see the final product, but the real art is the way it all comes together.”
As you proceed, you show slides in reverse, moving from final product to blank canvas. Along the way, you bring the viewer through each step.
25. The Study Hall Open – Some presenters are faced with the dilemma of sharing data-heavy charts and graphs. To rely solely on PowerPoint is potentially ineffective – just too much data at once. So, take your audience back to school and to all those handouts. Edward Tufte , an expert in data visualization and a professor emeritus at Yale University, suggests using the “study hall” method. At the beginning of the session, distribute the handouts and ask the audience to read them. Following their review, you are off to the races. Your task is not to repeat what they have read but offer context and meaning. “
Back in 1973, a horse named Secretariat ran the Kentucky Derby in 1 minute and 59 seconds – breaking the two-minute mark for the first time in the then 99-year history of the race. His record still stands.
It doesn’t take a lot of time to do something great. The way you open a speech may not break any records, but it can have a long-standing effect on your audience. From the very start, you have an opportunity to influence others, establish rapport, and exhibit creativity. When done well, such effort is rewarded. Your audience not only connects with you during your talk but also remembers what you said long after your speech is done.
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January 13, 2023
Think how you typically start a business presentation, speech or talk. do you begin with any of these lines.
– Hi, my name is … and I’m here to talk about… – Before I start, I want to introduce myself… – Thank you all for coming, I’m really pleased to be here…
Why because audiences judge you within seconds . they quickly decide whether or not to listen.that’s why it’s so important to hook your audience at the start of your speech – immediately. .
How do you begin a speech or presentation? When presenting, the first few seconds of your talk are the most important.
You can win, or lose, your audience within 10 seconds. Learn how to start a presentation powerfully. Structuring an opening that grabs attention and sets the scene means the audience will be with you all the way.
And as a business leader, great communication skills are vitally important . In addition, psychologists have shown us a phenomenon known as the primacy effect . Your audience is more likely to remember the first bits of information they hear. Working with a speech writer/ public speaking coach can help you make the impact you want when you begin a speech.
Let’s review each of these presentations starts and look at examples of great starts to a speech.
Is there a short relevant anecdote that you could open with? If you can, use a local or topical angle. Your audience will then know that you have tailored your talk for them. This will help to keep things fresh for you, particularly if you are delivering the same talk or presentation several times.
Or perhaps you could keep your audience in suspense with this one simple trick:
Watch this technique in action: See how designer Danit Peleg starts a speech with a story that sets the scene.
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You could start your presentation with a question – a rhetorical question to make the audience think, or it could involve asking the audience to respond , usually by raising their hands if something applies to them.
Alternatively, you could set out the question that your presentation will address. Work with your coach to find the best technique for you. Read our article on using powerful language in your talks.
Watch this technique in action: Here’s how 17 year-old Raymond Wang – winner of the 2015 Intel Science and Engineering Fair top prize – uses the question technique to start his TED talk.
This technique blends the first two approaches. You set a scene and then prompt the audience to imagine what they would do or think in those circumstances. Scenarios are an effective way of demonstrating the relevance of abstract topics to the lives of the audience.
To use this technique:
Watch this technique in action: See UPS’s Human Resource Manager, Regina Hartley, begin her presentation by setting out a scenario.
Will your audience have certain expectations about you or your talk, before you begin?
In this case, start with something unexpected – or even shocking – to make them reconsider their preconceived ideas. The way you do this needs to be relevant to avoid being gimmicky. When done well, it can be memorable, potentially humorous and even remarkable – with audience members sharing and reliving their reactions afterwards. Perhaps your presentation skills coach can help find a way for your talk to stand out?
Watch this technique in action: Our final example is Mohammed Qahtani, the winner of the 2015 Toastmasters Championship. Watch how he starts his thought provoking speech on the power of words.
Of course, most people who speak well will have worked with a coach at some point. If you need help choosing a great public speaking coach , read our guide to choosing a public speaking coach
First impressions matter. Before you start speaking, your audience will be on your side. They want to hear what you have to say and are interested in your views. You job is to meet their expectations . You can do this by seizing their interest from the beginning. If you are talking to a group about a new idea coming from your division, make sure what you say up front will be interesting to the audience .
For example “By adopting this new process, your division can save 6 hours per day” will be much more effective than “Today I’m going to tell you about a new process we have been trying in our division” . If you can show from the beginning how your audience can benefit from listening further, then your opening will work.
The point of the start of your business presentation is to create interest for the next thing you are going to say. Being slightly enigmatic is often a good approach.
For example, opening with a question such as “Do you want to know how you can save money and lose weight? I’ll show you how.” Will automatically get people on the edge of their chairs listening for the answer to your question.
You want to get to the point in your first line . Don’t be vague and imprecise; be clear and full of impact. Think of stating a news headline: your opening should be short and precise. It should summarise the story and leave you wanting to know more.
So, to summarise, if you can grab attention, set the scene and create anticipation, then your opening is going to help you start your presentation with impact.
Whether you’re pitching a new idea, presenting quarterly results, or leading a training session, how you begin your presentation sets the tone. Grabbing your audience’s attention from the start is not just desirable – it’s essential. Why?
We’ve been coaching business leaders for 15 years to create and deliver powerful talks and presentations. and we can help you too., call louise on + 44 20 7018 0922 or email [email protected], find out more and discuss presentation training for your upcoming speech or presentation. , transform your presentation skills with tailored coaching.
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Last Updated: January 12, 2024 Fact Checked
This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 396,552 times.
The best way to start a speech depends on the type and topic of the speech, your audience, and the overall tone of the event. The best way to ensure a successful speech is to grab your audience’s attention in the beginning of the speech; if you do so, they will likely stick with you to the very end. While there is no one way to capture an audience’s attention, there are several methods that may work. Choose the one that is the best fit for the event and your own personality.
How you start a speech will depend a lot on what it’s about, but you should always aim to grab your audience’s attention. You should start by introducing yourself and explaining your connection to the topic. For example, if you’re giving a wedding toast, talk about how you know the married couple. Speak in a clear, loud voice, which will encourage your audience to pay attention. Telling a joke can be a good way to break the ice and focus your audience on what you’re saying, but make sure humor is appropriate for the occasion first. Alternatively, make a startling statement about your topic. For instance, you could begin a speech about self-defense by saying, “If you’re out alone and get assaulted, the way you respond in the first few seconds can make the difference between life and death.” As you speak, look out at the audience and maintain eye contact, which will make your speech more engaging. For tips on how to prepare to deliver your speech, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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Editor’s Note: This originally appeared in a Competitive Edge video written and hosted by the late Steve Schroeder, former advisor to the Phi Beta Chapter at the College of DuPage in Illinois, where he was a professor of speech communication. It has been edited for length.
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As a leader, you know how important it is to express yourself clearly and effectively. Yet what many people do not recognize is that the art of crafting a speech is very different from other forms of communication, especially writing. In a live speech, you have only one chance for your ideas to be understood and remembered.
Luckily, there is one major similarity between writing a paper and creating a speech — the basic structural format of introduction, body, and conclusion. As we explore these components, note the elements that may differ from your writing style. They may seem cumbersome, unnecessary, even irrational, but trust me, you want to make every effort for your one chance at speechmaking to be memorable.
First, Get Their Attention
Let’s start with the introduction — the first words out of your mouth. Think about your audience for a moment. Will you have their full attention right off the bat? Do some of them secretly wish they could be somewhere else? This is why you shouldn’t start right off with a dull, dry, boring topic statement. Instead, use an attention getter — something that will not only grab their focus but will also introduce your topic.
Use a shocking or intriguing statement, a story, humor, or a thought-provoking quotation. But be careful — make sure that, whatever you use, it relates to your topic. You don’t want to throw people off with something funny or provoking that has nothing to do with your subject at hand. It will only confuse your audience and perhaps even lessen your credibility.
Once your audience knows your topic, they may not be convinced that it is something worthy of their attention. They may think, “What’s in it for me? Why should I care?” That’s why the next step in your introduction should be a topic justification . Take a sentence or two to tell the audience why they will benefit from your speech or how the information will be useful to them.
With their attention focused, now’s the time to engage in this classic strategy: Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you’ve told them. In other words, end your introduction with a preview of your main points.
Imagine this — you are in one car, your friends are in another. You are all going to the same destination. You don’t know how to get there, but your friends do, and you’re going to follow them. Then their car speeds through signals, takes turns too quickly, and you lose them — AND they are not answering their cell phones. Frustrating, huh? If you at least knew the name of the streets you were supposed to use, it would be easier to catch up with them, right?
Well, that’s what a preview does — give each one of the main points in the body of your speech a clear street name, or signpost, and let your audience know in what order you will be travelling down those streets. This way, in case the audience loses you, they have a better chance of catching up.
Next, Get Detailed
With your audience’s attention garnered and focused in your introduction, it’s time to hit them with all the nitty-gritty details in the body of your speech . But it’s not enough to just list your details haphazardly. Let’s consider both the structural and content elements around which your ideas will be framed.
Structurally, use a clear organizational format, much like the ones you have hopefully already learned in previous English composition classes. Formats like topical, categorical, spatial, chronological, comparison/contrast, and problem/solution work great in both written and oral communication.
Don’t forget to provide each main point with a clear signpost. You will use these not only in your preview, but also for another structural element — transitions. Paragraph breaks are what usually signal to a reader that the topic has changed. However, listeners can rarely “see” paragraphs; instead, you need to provide those paragraph breaks verbally.
Here’s a simple strategy — create a sentence that combines both the signpost of the main point you are leaving and the signpost of the main point you are entering. It can be as basic as, “Now that we’ve talked about (my previous main point), let’s talk about (my next main point).”
Within each of your main points, don’t just list your facts. Provide illustration that will clarify your ideas and make them more memorable. Stories or narratives are a great way to not only detail your point but draw in your audience’s focus — use comparisons to experiences that your audience has had. But perhaps the most effective form of support is personal examples. By showing a little of yourself, you will not only clarify your ideas for your audience, but you will also build goodwill with them.
Finally, End with a Bang
So, you’ve gotten through all of your details. Are you done? Not if you want to effectively impress those ideas in the minds of your audience members. That’s why you should always follow the body of your speech with a concise and memorable conclusion .
Start your conclusion with a review of main points. It’s similar to your preview, but this time, you’re doing it to help your audience remember your ideas, not just follow them. Just do the signposts — no need to re-state every piece of detail. Hopefully, if your audience can remember your main point signposts, the details of the journey will fall into place as well. Then you can “end with a bang” with what I call a lasting thought.
Many of the same devices I suggested for your attention getter can also be used here, but their use has two different goals. First (and most obviously), the lasting thought should clearly end your speech, hopefully without saying, “Uh, I’m done” or “The end.” Second, it should provide impact. Think about commercial slogans. They usually end the commercial and provide an instant image of the product.
If I say, “Just Do It,” hopefully the Nike “swoosh” pops into your brain. Craft your ending in the same concise, memorable way, and give the audience something by which to remember your speech. In fact, tying back to your attention getter not only is an effective way to end but can bring your speech full circle.
June 18, 2024.
Boston University's Metropolitan College (BU MET) in Massachusetts established a new undergraduate transfer scholarship for Phi Theta Kappa members.
May 15, 2024.
Honors in Action combines academic research, problem solving, and action-oriented service to address real-world challenges in our communities. Developed to support student engagement in Honors in Action programming, the Phi Theta Kappa Honors in Action Grant helps bridge the financial gap between ideas and action. Honors in Action grants offer chapters a chance to request…
April 12, 2024.
Allegheny College in Pennsylvania established a new transfer scholarship for Phi Theta Kappa members.
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CHICAGO (AP) — Donald Trump falsely suggested Kamala Harris had misled voters about her race as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago Wednesday in an interview that quickly turned hostile.
Watch the event in the player above.
The Republican former president wrongly claimed that Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president, had in the past only promoted her Indian heritage.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while addressing the group’s annual convention.
Live fact check: Trump at the National Association of Black Journalists conference
Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the U.S. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities, where she also pledged the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, supporting her colleagues’ legislation to strengthen voting rights and reforming policing.
Trump has leveled a wide range of criticism at Harris since she replaced President Joe Biden atop the likely Democratic ticket last week. Throughout his political career, the former president has repeatedly questioned the backgrounds of opponents who are racial minorities.
Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris’ campaign, said in a statement that “the hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power.”
“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency — while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in,” Tyler said. “Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during her briefing with reporters on Wednesday about Trump’s remarks and responded with disbelief, initially murmuring, “Wow.”
Jean-Pierre, who is Black, called what Trump said “repulsive” and said, “It’s insulting and no one has any right to tell someone who they are how they identify.”
Trump has repeatedly attacked his opponents and critics on the basis of race. He rose to prominence in Republican politics by propagating false theories that President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, was not born in the United States. “Birtherism,” as it became known, was just the start of Trump’s history of questioning the credentials and qualifications of Black politicians.
He has denied allegations of racism. And after Biden picked Harris as his running mate four years ago, a Trump campaign spokesperson then pointed to a previous Trump political donation to Harris as proof that he wasn’t racist.
“The president, as a private businessman, donated to candidates across all aisles,” the spokesperson, Katrina Pierson, told reporters. “And I’ll note that Kamala Harris is a Black woman and he donated to her campaign, so I hope we can squash this racism argument now,” Pierson said.
During this year’s Republican primary, he once referred to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, as “Nimbra.”
Later Wednesday, Trump did not repeat his criticism of Harris’ race at a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, although he called her “phony” and said she has been trying to change her image. He also repeatedly mispronounced her first name.
“If she becomes your president, our country is finished,” Trump charged.
Before he took the stage, Trump’s team displayed what appeared to be years-old news headlines describing Harris as the “first Indian-American senator” on the big screen in the arena.
Trump’s appearance Wednesday at the annual gathering of Black journalists immediately became heated, with the former president sparring with interviewer Rachel Scott of ABC News and accusing her of giving him a “very rude introduction” with a tough first question about his past criticism of Black people and Black journalists, his attack on Black prosecutors who have pursued cases against him and the dinner he had at his Florida club with a white supremacist.
“I think it’s disgraceful,” Trump said. “I came here in good spirit. I love the Black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country.”
Trump continued his attacks on Scott’s network, ABC News, which he has been arguing should not host the next presidential debate, despite his earlier agreement with the Biden campaign. He also several times described her tone and questions as “nasty,” a word he used in the past when describing women, including Hillary Clinton and Meghan the Duchess of Sussex.
The Republican also repeated his false claim that immigrants in the country illegally are “taking Black jobs.” When pushed by Scott on what constituted a “Black job,” Trump responded by saying “a Black job is anybody that has a job,” drawing groans from the room.
At one point, he said, “I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.”
The audience responded with a mix of boos and some applause.
Scott asked Trump about his pledge to pardon people convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and specifically whether he would pardon those who assaulted police officers.
Trump said, “Oh, absolutely I would,” and said, “If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.”
Scott pointed out they have been convicted and therefore are not innocent.
“Well, they were convicted by a very, very tough system,” he said.
At one point, when he was defending his supporters who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, he said, “Nothing is perfect in life.”
He compared the 2021 insurrection to the protests in Minneapolis and other cities in 2020 following the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and to more recent protests at the Capitol last week by demonstrators opposed to the war in Gaza. Trump falsely claiming that no one was arrested in those other demonstrations and that only his supporters were targeted.
As Trump made the comparison, a man in the back of the room shouted out: “Sir, have you no shame?”
The former president’s invitation to address the organization sparked an intense internal debate among NABJ that spilled online. Organizations for journalists of color typically invite presidential candidates to speak at their summer gatherings in election years.
As he campaigns for the White House a third time, Trump has sought to appear outside his traditional strongholds of support and his campaign has touted his efforts to try to win over Black Americans, who have been Democrats’ most committed voting bloc.
His campaign has emphasized his messages on the economy and immigration as part of his appeal, but some of his outreach has played on racial stereotypes, including the suggestion that African Americans would empathize with the criminal charges he has faced and his promotion of branded sneakers.
Trump and NABJ also have a tense history over his treatment of Black women journalists. In 2018, NABJ condemned Trump for repeatedly using words such as “stupid,” “loser” and “nasty” to describe Black women journalists.
The vice president is not scheduled to appear at the convention, but NABJ said in a statement posted on X that it was in conversation with her campaign to have her appear either virtually or in person for a conversation in September.
Harris addressed Trump’s comments briefly Wednesday night while speaking in Houston at a gathering of Sigma Gamma Rho, a historically Black sorority in Houston.
“It was the same old show,” she said. “The divisiveness and the disrespect.”
Harris added: “And let me just say, the American people deserve better.”
— Matt Brown and Michelle L. Price, Associated Press
Price reported from New York. Associated Press writers Aaron Morrison and Steve Peoples in New York, Gary Fields in Chicago and Will Weissert and Farnoush Amiri in Washington, Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Chris Megerian in Houston contributed to this report.
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CHICAGO — Donald Trump made a combative appearance Wednesday at a conference of Black journalists during a heated question-and-answer session that at times focused squarely on the race of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump claimed that he did not know until a few years ago that Harris, who is Indian American and Black, was Black. He then baselessly suggested that she had decided to “turn Black” only recently for political gain.
“I’ve known her a long time, indirectly,” Trump said. “And she was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I did not know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black.”
“I respect either one,” he added, “but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn and … she became Black. ... Somebody should look into that, too.”
“Is she Indian or is she Black?” he asked.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott, one of the three moderators on the National Association of Black Journalists panel, pointed out that Harris, the de-facto Democratic nominee for president, attended Howard University, a historically Black college. Trump did not directly respond.
The exchange came after Scott asked about an increasing number of Republicans saying that Harris is a “ DEI hire ,” a term referring to workplace policies promoting “diversity, equity and inclusion.” It is being used more and more by some on the right to discredit people of color with opposing political views.
Trump finally said he was “not sure” whether he thought Harris was a DEI hire.
Harris’ campaign called Trump’s showing at the NABJ event an “absolute disaster.”
“This is who he is,” a campaign spokesperson said.
Harris herself addressed the controversy Wednesday night in Houston, at an event for the historically Black sorority Sigma Gamma Rho.
"It was the same old show — the divisiveness and the disrespect," Harris said. "And let me just say the American people deserve better. The American people deserve better."
Harris was unable to attend the group’s annual convention, but the two sides are working on a time in the future to meet.
When NBC News reached out to the Trump campaign for a response to the almost immediate backlash to his comments about Harris’ race, communications director Steven Cheung replied, “Backlash from the truth?”
“These people must be deranged,” he said.
A source familiar with conversations between NABJ leadership and the Trump campaign told NBC News that part of the initial tension had to do with the idea that he felt blindsided by an NABJ partnership with PolitiFact to fact-check the exchange in real time. The source requested anonymity to speak candidly.
Trump’s team found out after opening remarks by an ABC journalist that referenced the fact check were leaked, the source said.
A member of NABJ’s leadership team told the campaign, “I don't know anything about that’’ when confronted by Trump’s team about the live fact check, the source said.
Trump’s campaign was assured that the NABJ would accommodate any requests it had, which included format, according to the source.
An NABJ spokesperson did not respond to a request seeking comment.
During the White House press briefing on Wednesday, which was happening at the same time as the NABJ event, NBC News read Trump’s comments to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and asked her to respond.
“As a person of color — as a Black woman who is in this position that is standing before you at this podium, behind this lectern — what he just said, what you just read out to me is repulsive. It’s insulting. And you know, no one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify. That is no one’s right,” she said.
A source close to Harris also said Trump’s comments were “painful.”
“It’s simply a lie and easily disproved,” this person added. “She went to Howard for Christ sake! She’s an AKA.”
While a student at Howard, Harris was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a historically Black organization.
Trump was also asked to clarify his comments during the June presidential debate, when he said immigrants were coming to the United States and taking “ Black jobs .”
“A Black job is anybody that has a job,” he said. “That’s what it is. Anybody that has — they’re taking the employment away from Black people. They’re coming in, and they’re coming in, they’re invading.”
There was a concerted effort put forward by Trump’s campaign in early 2024 to say it was going to push hard to win over more Black voters. The 12% he won in 2020 was the highest percentage earned by a Republican candidate for president in modern times, and the campaign was aiming to get around 20% in November. Recent NBC News polling had Trump at 12% with Black voters, in a survey that was taken before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Harris replaced him as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
In the days leading up to the NABJ event, there was a whirlwind of controversy from within the organization about whether Trump should have even been invited. Trump in the past has referred to a Black prosecutor as an “ animal ,” told Black Democratic members of Congress to “ go back ” to where they came from and referred to Black female journalists as “stupid,” “loser” and “nasty” — comments that in 2019 drew condemnation from NABJ.
Several of the group’s members expressed their opposition to his invitation on social media, and NABJ co-chair Karen Attiah stepped down in apparent reaction to the Trump invite.
“While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format,” Attiah, a Washington Post columnist, wrote on social media .
Tia Mitchell, the Washington correspondent for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the event’s co-chair, defended the Trump invite on social media.
“Some of yall need to take a step back and ask why you’re questioning why a group of JOURNALISTS wants to ask former and possibly future President Trump questions,” she said.
Malik Mitchell, a high school sports reporter for North Metro TV in Minnesota who attended the convention, said that he was hearing from relatives about the controversy.
“Coming into the hotel this morning, my family was sending me articles about Trump being here and already reacting,” he said. “I knew it was probably going to be a big fuss.”
He said the event is about “Black excellence” and does not think Trump “fits in that bubble.”
“It’s like if there is someone who has disrespected you on the street, and all of a sudden you’re inviting them for dinner,” he said. “That’s how I see it.”
Amya Henry, a recent graduate of Howard University who also attended, said she wanted to “see for herself” what Trump’s comments would be.
“I think it went well,” Henry said. “At first I was a little skeptical … but you know, it was just an interesting time.”
Trump did little to turn down the heat as the question-and-answer session began, responding to Scott’s question about why Black voters should trust him by calling the delivery of the question “nasty.”
“I don’t think I have ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump said.
He also said that he was invited under “false pretenses” because his Democratic opponent was not also in attendance and took several swipes at Scott and ABC News throughout the event. Trump’s feud with ABC News has been building in recent weeks because he is unhappy the network is scheduled to host the next presidential debate.
Trump directly sparred with Scott for most of the event, and at one point appeared to reach over and grab her water bottle to tighten the cap.
After the initial back-and-forth with Scott, Trump went on to defend his record with Black voters.
“I think it was a very nasty question,” Trump said. “I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.”
Scott followed up by asking about President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but Trump did not directly respond.
Trump was also asked about his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who has had a rocky rollout after new scrutiny on past comments about “childless cat ladies,” a term Vance used to question the leadership ability of people, mostly women, who choose to not have children.
Trump said that the moderators would have to “ask” Vance directly but shared his interpretation of the comments that have come to define Vance since he has become Trump’s running mate.
“What he is saying is that the family experience is an important thing, a very good thing,” Trump said.
In the same breath, he downplayed Vance’s political importance.
“Historically, the vice president in terms of the election does not have any impact,” Trump said. “You have 2-3 days where there is a lot of commotion … and then that dies down and it’s about the presidential pick.”
Vance, for his part, told reporters Wednesday evening on the tarmac at the Phoenix airport that Trump’s appearance at NABJ showed “one of the good things about him, the president doesn’t do scripted BS stuff.”
“He actually goes into hostile audiences,” Vance continued. “He answers tough questions. He pushes back against him, but he actually answers them and how nice it is to have an American leader who’s not afraid to go into hostile places and actually answer some tough questions.”
Vance went on to criticize Harris as a “chameleon,” saying she’s “flip-flopped on every issue.”
“I think he pointed out the fundamental chameleon like nature of Kamala Harris,” Vance continued. “I mean, you guys saw yesterday she was in Georgia, and she put on a southern accent for a Georgia audience.”
Asked if Vance questions whether Harris is Black, he responded, "What I question is why she presents a different posture, regardless, depending on which audience that she’s in front of, she’ll say one thing to one audience to say another thing to another audience to say something totally different to another audience."
Trump was also asked about comments he made during a Wisconsin rally in May about giving police “immunity from prosecution.”
Kadia Goba, a journalist from Semafor, questioned Trump about the issue in relation to a recent case in Illinois, where Sonya Massey, a Black woman, was shot and killed by police after she called 911. The officer, Sean Grayson, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct.
Trump seemed to backtrack and say that police should not get blanket immunity, and that the Chicago shooting did “not look good to me.”
“There is a big difference between being a bad person and making an innocent mistake,” Trump said. “But if someone made an innocent mistake, I would want to help that person.”
He went on to say there should be immunity for cops when it’s a “close call and very dangerous.”
Matt Dixon reported from Tallahassee, Fla.; Yamiche Alcindor and Michelle Garcia reported from Chicago.
Matt Dixon is a senior national politics reporter for NBC News, based in Florida.
Yamiche Alcindor is an NBC News Washington correspondent.
Michelle Garcia is the editorial director of NBCBLK
Plus, how to get kids to open up.
Questions about the future, questions about the past, questions about favorites, questions to get their imaginations going, funny and silly questions for kids, "would you rather" questions for kids, questions for little kids, questions for big kids, when to keep quiet.
It's almost like magic: The kids get dropped off at school, they stay there all day presumably doing some kind of educational or social activities, and when they get picked up and asked what they did all day, the answer is invariably something like "not much" or "don't remember." How can all those hours mysteriously disappear?
So if they know the answers, it must be the way of getting to them that has to change. The questions adults ask might just be too vague for kids to respond onto. Instead, try going small: "Details about their day are usually good starting questions," Li says, "while a broad question like, 'What did you learn today?' is not."
Li adds that once you've gotten a good response to those smaller, specific questions, you can then use those as a stepping stone to broader, open-ended ones. A good example, she says, would be asking something like, "Did you raise your hand in class today?" Then you can follow up with something like,“Tell me more about that class and what you like or dislike about it.”
"Most children say 'I don't know' when asked the wrong question or when they don't want to talk," Li says. "When it happens, try asking a series of specific questions that elicit one-word answers. The key is to get them start talking and show your interest in what they do. When you hit the right question, they will start elaborating on it. Then you can follow up with an open-ended question."
If you manage to coax them out of their shells and catch them in a chatty mood, it helps to have some open-ended questions at the ready to keep the conversation flowing. These are some of the best questions for kids to help get to know them better. Some are ones you can break out often around the dinner table, while others you can break out at any time when you feel a lull in the conversation coming on. Plus, there's never a bad time for a good "Would you rather?" conversation!
On the way home, around the table or before bed, these might get kids to open up about their days.
Often, we don't become interested in learning about our families until it's too late. These family-history questions will help kids learn more about their relatives and where they came from.
Where do they see themselves in the future? These are fun because the answers change all the time, so you can use them again and again.
It's funny the details they remember most about a trip or event — sometimes seemingly insignificant details are the ones that have the most salience. Access their memories with these questions.
Kids often have their favorite colors and books on the tip of their tongues, ready to be asked. (But do you know your answers to these questions?)
Get their creativity going into overdrive — no question is too off-the-wall!
Conversations don't always have to be so serious. Try these to get a laugh!
It's not really the answers to these questions that are interesting, but how kids justify them that show how their minds work.
Even the littlest conversationalists can get in on the fun with these icebreakers.
Bigger kids mean bigger questions — and more thoughtful answers.
"As they grow, how we handle these conversations will determine whether they will still want to talk to us," Li says. "Good conversations are those that engage them with their interest so they feel heard and understood. Bad ones are those that interrogate, judge, lecture or dismiss, making them feel unheard. Conversations like these are also good opportunities to validate their feelings and coach them on coping with emotions."
And sometimes, kids don't want to talk at all. "If nothing works, you can start talking about something you experienced that day," Li adds. "Do this only if they're interested in listening. Otherwise, it may mean that they want some quiet time." And there's nothing wrong with that.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother . She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.
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After posing your question, take a moment to let it sink in, and gauge the audience's reaction. You can also use a brief pause to give the listeners time to think about their answers before moving on with your speech. 7. Acknowledging the Occasion. When starting a speech, you can acknowledge the occasion that brought everyone together. This ...
15) Tell a Personal Story. You can start your talk with a personal story. Some of the most powerful words to capture the complete attention of the audience and make a personal connection are, "Once upon a time…". From infancy and early childhood, people love stories of any kind.
Typical Patterns for Speech Openings. Get the audience's attention-called a hook or a grabber. Establish rapport and tell the audience why you care about the topic of why you are credible to speak on the topic. Introduce the speech thesis/preview/good idea. Tell the audience why they should care about this topic.
4. Ask a survey question. Another effective method for starting your speech is to ask a question. You might ask a literal question and have the audience answer by a show of hands or calling out answers. This can encourage audience involvement and engagement in your speech. 5. Pose a problem.
It's important that your question links logically to your Destination Statement (aka your Key Message). For example, in the Kiva presentation that we use to demonstrate the use of the SpeakerMap™, the Destination Statement is "Lend $25 to a poor person.". The thrust of the presentation is that it's possible to help poor people by ...
Opening Lines of the Top 10 Greatest Speeches of All Time. #1: Socrates - "Apology". "How you, men of Athens, have been affected by my accusers. I do not know.". #2: Patrick Henry - "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death". "Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope.".
Analyze their response and tweak the joke accordingly if necessary. Starting your speech with humour means your setting the tone of your speech. It would make sense to have a few more jokes sprinkled around the rest of the speech as well as the audience might be expecting the same from you. 4. Mohammed Qahtani.
Another speaking tip: When you ask a question, give your audience time to respond. Whether out loud, with a show of hands, or silently, people need time for what you say to have an impact. Of course, questions can also be used during your speech. 2. Start your speech with a quote. Using the words of another person in your speech is a proven way ...
1. Engage the audience to think with a rhetorical question. The most popular use of a rhetorical question is to engage your audience to think. If your entire speech is a series of statements, your audience may passively listen and absorb little. On the other hand, you can make them active participants in your speech by inviting them to think ...
With those questions, the audience becomes primed to learn the answers, which the speaker readily gives them. If you pick a question at the heart of your topic, you'll draw in the crowd right from the beginning. 6. Pick a Statistic. At the start of a speech, you can also tell the audience a statistic meant to surprise them.
You could also introduce one or more rhetorical questions at the start of your speech and explain that you will answer them during your speech. For example: "In the next 20 minutes let's explore the answers to these questions." Asking these difficult questions and promising you will provide the answers will increase interest and attention. 7.
8. Use familiarity. People usually tend to be drawn by familiar information, so starting with a phrase that they can relate to will increase the odds of them continuing to listen to what you have to say. 9. Use your own strengths. It's best to start a speech in a way that comes naturally to you.
Ask a puzzling question you promise to reveal in the end. Propose a riddle. Suggest that the audience complete a mathematical equation and promise to give the answer context during the speech. 21. The Activity Open - Of all the 25 ways to open, this one triggers the most immediate engagement.
1. Quote a leader. One of the most effective ways to start a speech is using a relatable quotation from a famous leader. This can get the audience's attention instantly and give direction to the rest of the speech. Ensure that the quote is somehow relevant to your speech topic or the person you are quoting is directly relevant to what you are ...
The next time you are asked to speak, before you say anything else, determine the energy you want to bring to the presentation and give one of these questions a shot. ( Try my E.A.S.E. framework ) Once you ask the question, pause for 5 seconds to give you listeners a chance to process the question and begin mentally creating their picture.
Here's a list of steps you can use when considering how to start a speech: 1. Acknowledge the announcer. Depending on the event, you may have a host introduce you before speaking. You may also have them read your biography. Before beginning the speech, ensure you acknowledge your announcer. Thank them for the introduction and the opportunity to ...
7. Solve a problem. Problems and solutions are an excellent way to make your speech circular and coherent all the way through. You can pose a problem at the start of the speech and ask your audience to consider it as you talk. Your speech will offer a solution to the issue, which you will summarise in your conclusion.
Want public speaking results in just 4 weeks?Book a free discovery call with me to find out:http://calendly.com/communication-coach/risk-free-communication-b...
Learn how we can help - schedule a free consultation now. 2. Ask a question when you start a speech. You could start your presentation with a question - a rhetorical question to make the audience think, or it could involve asking the audience to respond, usually by raising their hands if something applies to them.. Alternatively, you could set out the question that your presentation will ...
This makes an immediate connection to the audience, whose members are all there for the sake of the same subject. 3. Tell a personal story. When you have a personal connection to the subject of your speech, a common way to start your speech would be to share a personal story that demonstrates that connection. 4.
That's why you should always follow the body of your speech with a concise and memorable conclusion. Start your conclusion with a review of main points. It's similar to your preview, but this time, you're doing it to help your audience remember your ideas, not just follow them. Just do the signposts — no need to re-state every piece of ...
Seems like the journalists complaining don't understand their jobs are to actually ask the questions," Sanders argued. "NABJ didn't platform Trump. The voters in the Republican primary did.
Donald Trump falsely suggested Kamala Harris had misled voters about her race as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago Wednesday in an ...
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, drew gasps on Wednesday when he said at the National Association of Black Journalists convention that Vice President Kamala ...
08/03/2024 Green Bay SDA Church - "Believe the Promise" Pastor Kevin Moreno
Your benefits may increase when you work: As long as you continue to work, even if you are receiving benefits, you will continue to pay Social Security taxes on your earnings. However, we will check your record every year to see whether the additional earnings you had will increase your monthly benefit. If there is an increase, we will send you ...
speech and language problems. If your child has a hearing loss, you will likely work with a speech-language pathologist (SLP). The SLP, sometimes called a speech therapist, will help your family decide the best therapy approach for your child. The therapy approach can differ depending on how much hearing problem your child has. Some SLPs
CHICAGO — Donald Trump made a combative appearance Wednesday at a conference of Black journalists during a heated question-and-answer session that at times focused squarely on the race of Vice ...
Then you can follow up with an open-ended question." If you manage to coax them out of their shells and catch them in a chatty mood, it helps to have some open-ended questions at the ready to keep ...
A week after announcing her run for president, Kamala Harris has yet to tell voters how she will address the key issues facing the nation. The vice president's platform will likely be in the ...