How to Start a Speech

When you’re giving a speech, first impressions are everything. If you are a bundle of nerves, your audience will see right through and start judging you before you even present your key points. As executive communications coach Neil Gordon explains, audiences form their speakers’ opinions within the first fifteen seconds.

It means you only have a quarter of a minute to grab your audience’s attention and get them interested in what you’re about to present. Have you been struggling to find a kick-ass opener for your speech? Well, in this article you’ll learn different techniques for how to start a speech.

What Is the Best Way to Start a Speech?

An introduction of a speech should accomplish a couple of goals. It should:

• Grab your audience’s attention
• Help you foster credibility with your audience
• Prepare the audience for your main presentation

Based on our research, we found the following to be the best ways of starting a speech:

• Asking a question
• Storytelling
• Using humor
• Using quotes

Asking Questions

An easy way to kickstart your presentation is by asking a question. There are two forms of questions that are used as attention-grabbers: direct and rhetorical questions.

A direct question is one where you expect your audience to give a response. For instance, you could ask, “Put your hand up if you have ever considered backpacking in Australia” or “Who here has ever participated in the Electoral College elections? ”

By contrast, a rhetorical question is one where no actual response is required. In this case, you’re simply asking your audience to reflect on an issue.

Asking questions is an excellent presentation-starter because it enables you to engage your audience. However, be creative and strategic when deciding what questions to ask. Avoid questions that may come off as manipulative, offensive or inappropriate. Don’t ask questions such as, “What is your race or ethnicity”. Instead, tie the question to your core message.

Storytelling

As humans, we are hardwired to remember stories. From a tender age, our parents narrated tales, which were designed to shape our character and behavior. In fact, we were taught the majority of life lessons in the form of stories. This is because the folktales were captivating, entertaining and memorable.

For these reasons, stories provide a splendid opportunity to connect with your audience. Starting your speech with a story is the cornerstone of being memorable and relatable. And, it’s sure to get your audience attentive to the rest of your presentation.

That said, you should be strategic when choosing which stories to start off your speech. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

Know your audience

Before you pick any story, research and find out more about your audience. Will your audience be comprised of millenials, Gen-Zers or seniors? What about their employment status? Are the majority employed or self-employed.

Getting to know your audience is crucial as it helps you pick a story that suits them. This way, you won’t end up telling a story that is inappropriate or even offensive.

Have a purpose

Your story should also be aimed at accomplishing a particular goal. Essentially, you should be able to tie it to your core message; otherwise, there’s no need to narrate it in the first place.

Practice it on others first

If you’re not certain of how your story will be received, try it out on others first. You can enlist the help of your friend, roommate, family or colleague.

Humor

Asking questions and storytelling are all good ways to start a speech. But I find incorporating humor to be the best way to start a speech.

I say best because it helps to grab your audience’s attention almost instantly. Plus, it gets them in an anticipatory mood, which is the exact state you want your audience to be in when you’re about to propose something grand.

That said, humor is somewhat of a double-edged sword. When done right, it helps you accomplish your goal. But when done wrongly, it could break your entire presentation.

So if you’re planning to tell jokes to start a speech, ensure they meet the following criteria:

Funny

The whole point of telling a joke is to make people laugh. Unfortunately, the jokes told by a majority of speakers are almost never funny. Usually, they leave the audience rolling their eyes or groaning.

Relevant to the presentation

As in the case of storytelling, the humor you incorporate should also be relevant to your core message. Sadly, most jokes told at the beginning of a speech miss the mark. They’re simply throwaway lines that have nothing to do with the presentation.

Not offensive

Also, be mindful of your audience, and their respective beliefs. Your joke shouldn’t offend any of the individuals who will be listening to your speech.

Quotes

Don’t want to sound a cliche with your opening statement? Then starting your speech with a unique and powerful quote is the way to go. Of course, the quote has to be relevant to your core message.

When you use quotes to start a speech, you establish your credibility. The audience is able to perceive you as a speaker who is well-informed about the subject in question. Apart from demonstrating your credibility, quotes also help to reinforce your message.

How to Give a Good Speech

Know the topic by heart

The more you know about the topic you’re presenting, the less likely you are to stutter or stumble in your speech.

If you have the freedom to choose the subject, pick one that you’re familiar with. If you don’t, learn as much as you can regarding the topic you’re assigned. When researching, focus more on the areas that you’re not familiar with.

Prepare adequately

The secret to delivering a good speech is planning. When preparing this presentation, ensure you factor in every possible variable. Here are some points to consider:

• How long is your speech?
• On average, how many words can you speak per minute?
• Will your audience feel undermined if you start defining terms?
• What topic are you representing?
• Do you expect some of your audience to dispute the issue? If so, you might want to spend more time researching points that support your argument or proposal.

Make eye contact

One of the simplest things you can do to improve your speech is maintain eye contact. And by eye contact I don’t mean stealing a quick glance every once in a while. I’m referring to a sustained and purposeful eye contact.

Although it seems trivial, it has a significant impact on your speech. For one, it allows you to engage with the audience. Two, shows that you’re confident. Finally, it fosters a sense of involvement from your audience.

Wrap Up

The introduction is the most important element of your speech. If it’s not captivating and entertaining, there’s a good chance that the audience will become disinterested right from the beginning.

So, what are some good ways to start a speech? The most effective speech openers are asking questions, telling a joke, narrating a story, and using quotes. In all these instances, ensure the statement or narrative you pick is relevant to your main speech. Similarly, the content of your opening statement should not be inappropriate or offensive to your audience.