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Hook Them in 30 seconds
You have 30 seconds to hook your audience. ⏰ That’s it.
And you’re not going to do it by saying this: 👇🏻
*YOU*: “Good afternoon, everyone. My name is _____. Thanks for coming. I’m really happy to be here today. As you can see on this slide…”
*YOUR AUDIENCE*: 😴 💤 😴 💤 😴 💤 😴 💤
Anticipation is high at the start of any speech. Will you be funny? Will you share a personal story worth re-telling at the dinner table? Will you reveal research findings that are a bit shocking?
Before you speak, your audience wonders all this and more. That’s why you must capitalize on your *one chance* to hook your audience. Once the “attention ship” starts sinking 🛳️ …well…we’ve all seen how “Titanic” ends.
So how do you hook them at the start (introduction), so you can reel them in (the rest of your speech)? Here are a few ideas:
❇️ Make a bold but honest statement.
“At the end of 20 minutes, you’ll understand why eating one of America’s favorite foods every day is as dangerous as driving after 4 cocktails”
❇️ Share a personal story connected to your message.
“After saving money for 3 years, I finally boarded the plane for my dream trip to Tahiti. But another passenger tapped me on the shoulder and whispered something in my ear I could never have imagined. I ran so fast off that plane, I think I beat my high school track record.”
❇️ Share an interesting fact.
“Did you know that the Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, supposedly invented the sandwich so he wouldn’t have to leave his gambling table to eat? Laziness can be the mother of great inventions.”
❇️ Ask a rhetorical question.
“When was the last time you really enjoyed going to work? Are you secretly counting the days until you retire?”
There are dozens and dozens of ways to start. Whatever you say, it needs to stand out from the other 14 boring presentation intros your peers heard this week. It is worth taking the extra time to formulate something creative, because it will prime your audience to want to hear more.
What’s the best speech or presentation opener you’ve heard?
#GoToSpeaker #speaker #publicspeaking #communications #confidence