How to Start a Speech: The Best (and Worst) Speech Openers

oh wow, I'm so nervous, God, these lights are so bright. Is this microphone on? Is there even a microphone when opening a

speech

? It's so stressful that there's nothing worse than walking on stage and not knowing what to say or, even worse, saying something super awkward, can you see? my hands are shaking imagine naked imagine naked imagine naked imagine naked imagine naked I have a seat clearly hello Chicago Oh Hughes we are in Houston hello Houston in this video I will give you the

best

and

worst

opening

speech

es for your next presentation speech or toast, let's

start

with the

worst

ways to open I hear these talk about deadly sins all the time, please don't open your speech, never

start

with anything technical, God, these lights are so bright, this microphone is on, is there even a microphone? a technical review or arriving a little early if you draw attention to something that doesn't work, that's all your audience will think about, never mention your nervousness.

Do I look as nervous as I feel? There are so many people here, so I should start by saying that. I'm NOT a big public speaker, so this should be brief. Many people think it's vulnerable or honest to start with how nervous they are, but in reality to your audience it's a distraction, because the moment you mention your nerves, you make your audience nervous and they'll start watching. for all the signs of your nervousness it becomes a giant and stressful wave that you start from the stage you never give a half welcome thank you for welcoming me well it is so nice to be here thank you for that introduction do not start with a boring subtlety or worse say something nice but don't sound like you mean it.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen people go up on stage and say, "I'm so happy to be here, but I look incredibly unhappy when they say it" false false false The only exception to this is if you can turn it into a joke like the amazing Ken Robinson. He opened his talk with boring subtlety but then made it fun. Let's see. Good morning how are you? It's been great, hasn't it? It has been like that. I'm impressed by the whole thing, in fact, I'm doing well now that we've talked about the worst ways to start a speech.

Let's talk about the

best

idea to open the speech. Number one usage stories. 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, let's see how David Brooks hooks you from the beginning with his story, so we all have bad seasons in life and I had one in 2013, my marriage had just ended finish and I felt humiliated by that failed commitment. Wow, it hooks you or immediately gets right to the heart of the matter. Stories help your audience feel there with you.

Here are some movie blanks you can use to start your next speech with a Once Upon a Time story. At one point I'm here for a reason and it's an interesting story. The best thing that ever happened to me was idea number two to open the speech. Your great idea. I love when speakers share their big idea right from the beginning. They don't make you wait. If you dive right in, let's see how Stacy Smith begins her talk with his big idea framed in an interesting way. Today I want to talk to you about a pressing social issue.

Now it's not nuclear weapons, it's not immigration and it's not malaria. I'm here. to talk about movies here are some movies the blank spaces you can use to open your speech you are here for a reason it is the most important thing I want to share with you today is today I want to share a great speech opening idea number three a Quirky phrase Nobody loves humor more than I do and I can promise you that your audience will too if you dare to try starting your speech with something intriguing. Very intriguing humor or curiosity is a great way to start a speech on a high and be creative, think of an interesting fact about yourself, your audience or your topic that can lead you to your content, for example when I said my TED talk in London, I started with my peculiar phrase hello, my name is Vanessa and I am a person in recovery. awkward person you can also use an interesting fact or even a question for the audience try some of these movies the blanks did you know?

Do you ever worry? Have you ever wondered? For example, I do tons of workshops and corporate trainings and here are some interesting factoids I start with that hook for the audience Did you know that it takes less than a second to make a first impression? Did you know that your non-verbal communication is 12.5 times more powerful than your words? Did you know that they lie to us 200 times a day? The day hooked you. I'd love to talk to your group anytime. Call me. You are ready for your next speech. Your next question might be: how do I finish my speech?

I have 20 top closing lines from the greatest speakers ever. Go to the science people. .com/closers to get your free download Do you have powerful presentation skills, whether you're on a video stage in a boardroom or in a meeting? I want to show you how you can share any of your ideas powerfully, safely and authentically in my new course Powerful Presentations. I'll give you my framework that you can use to share any idea, whether in person or online, on video or on stage. I'll also show you some of those annoying things that are really difficult in a presentation. like where to put your hands and how to hold a microphone how to show images how to tell stories even how to be funny join my course powerful presentations on science'people.com slash presentations