How to begin and end a presentation

Tell me how to begin a speech for my presentation, I’m often asked. Starting a speech is probably the most important moment in any verbal address.  Let’s face it,  just standing there with eyeballs staring back at you is daunting enough.  Find out how to handle nerves before a speech in my other article How To Manage Nerves Before A Presentation. If your audience holds the opportunity you’ve been waiting for or have worked hard to get, then you know you have to make a positive impression.  Getting it right from the beginning can make a huge difference in the outcome of your performance – it can also make you more confident to move on.

THE OPENING

People will take note and remember what they see and hear at the beginning of a speech. This is your introduction.  Some studies say that the audience will make a judgement about you and your message within the first 30 seconds after you speak.  So it’s important to use confident voice and speech to set a good impression.

Focus on an effective opening, this will take some thought.  Look for something that will spark interest in your audience, instead of “Today I’ll be talking about …”, which is the common standard opening line.  Consider using hooks related to your own experience and expertise or that of your audience.  Engaging the audience immediately through a shared or common understanding works really well if everyone is from the same industry or if the subject matter affects everyone in the room.

BEGIN YOUR SPEECH WITH A HOOK.

Try some of the following “speech hooks” that you can consider using for your opening:

A STORY

Engage them right away with a story that unfolds into the theme of your talk.  Not only will your audience be compelled to want to know more, getting them connected to you can be a positive start to any presentation.  A testimony or an inspiring story can also work well to set the stage for your talk.

A QUESTION

A question that gets most hands up in the air would be the ideal type of question.  It has to of course relate back to your topic.  Asking the audience if they have tried the nasi lemak downstairs might get you a lot of hands up, but may not be the kind of opening you would want to use for your all-important keynote introduction.

A VISUAL

An image or video that sparks interest or shock can be one that stays in the memory of your audience.  Choose your image wisely and make sure that it has some relation to what you will say next.  Also, make sure that the image is clear, large enough and is audience appropriate.  If you’re using an audio-visual material, make sure everything is hooked up before you begin so you won’t panic if the sound doesn’t come on, or vice-versa.

A STATISTIC

This must be accompanied by a bold statement or a startling revelation.  To begin a speech with figures, pie charts and graphs may result in a few people discreetly scrolling through their phones. So if you are going to start your speech with a statistic, there must be some big significance in it for the audience.

A JOKE

This can either work very well in your favour or it can leave a bad taste in the mouths of your audience.  Tread on this carefully and think it through.  It’s one thing to hear crickets in the room instead of laughter, it’s quite another thing to insult the audience without you realising it.  Avoid sexist, religious or political jokes and don’t make fun of anyone in your audience, unless you know for certain that it’ll be well received. It’s best to leave the dirty jokes at the door or when you’re having a cigarette break with people you know well.  If you feel inclined to add humour as part your intro, self-deprecating humour usually works well.  However, you can gain immediate likeability if you can be successfully funny, using industry or insider humour strategically.

THE CLOSING

Having a great opening helps to put the audience at ease and sets the tone for the presentation.  It can boost your confidence too, helping you move into the rest of your content feeling self-assured.  It is just as important to end your speech or presentation with an impact, as it is to begin your speech.  The same hooks can also be used to close on a strong and engaging note.  Always remember that your objective is to leave your audience with something memorable, preferably a positive one.

CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE ON HOW TO SOUND GOOD FOR YOUR PRESENTATION – Get tips on How to Care for your Voice for Public Speaking

For more useful tips and techniques on how to use voice and speech to improve your public speaking skills visit Vocapedia Voice and Speech Consultant