Public Speaking Tips – How to open a Speech
“10 seconds is all you have to get the audience’s attention. If you haven’t got them by then it is much harder to get their attention back.”
That is was how I started a speech on how to open speeches. Get the audience’s attention at the beginning and they will listen to the rest of your speech more intently.
“What is the best thing I can say at the beginning to make the audience listen to me?” is good question to ask yourself if you want to have a grate opening in your speech.
A good speech opening may include these 3 elements:
1) Introduction of the Topic – This is similar to the way a books has a contents section. You tell the audience what your going to say in the speech. This will give your speech good structure and make the audience listen to you.
2) A question that startles – “Who would like to make $100,000 in 90 days?” That questions grabs the audience’s attention immediately because they will want to know the answer.
3) A quotation from history – “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” – John F Kennedy. Using a quote from history can stir up your audience’s emotions because they have heard the quote before and it takes them back to when they first heard the quote.
A speech opening is a lot like a newspaper headline. Just as reader will read the headline of a newspaper to see if an article is worth reading. Your audience will listen to your opening to see if your speech is worth hearing. Just because they are in the room doesn’t mean they are listening.
Filed under: Writing & Speaking