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

Oh wow. I'm so nervous.

Gosh. These lights are so bright.

Is this mic on?

Is there even a mic?

Opening a speech is so stressful.

There's nothing worse than walking on stage and not knowing

what to say or worse saying something super awkward.

Can you see my hands shaking?

Imagine you naked? Imagine you naked, imagine you naked. Imagine you naked.

Got to see clearly.

Hello, Chicago.

Oh Hous.

We're in Houston. Hello, Houston.

In

this video,

I'm going to give you the best and worst

speech openers for your next presentation pitch,

speech, or toast. (MUSIC).

Let's start with the worst ways to open.

I hear these speaking, cardinal sins all the time. Please don't open your speech by...

Never start with anything technical.

Gosh, these lights are so bright.

Is this mic on?

Is there even a mic. Friends do a tech check or show

up a little early. If you call attention to something not working,

that's all your audience will think about.

Never mention your nervousness.

Do I look as nervous as I feel?

Wow! There are so many people here.

So, I should start by saying that I am not a great public speaker,

so this should be short.

Many people think it's vulnerable or honest to start with how nervous they are.

But actually for your audience, it's distracting. Why?

The moment you mention your nerves,

you make your audience nervous and they will begin

looking for all the signs of your nervousness.

It becomes a giant nerve-wracking wave that you start from stage.

Never give a half-hearted welcome.

Thanks for having me.

Well, it's so nice to be here.

Thanks for that intro.

Do not start with a boring nicety or worse,

saying something nice but not sounding like you mean it.

I can't tell you how many times I have seen people get on stage and say,

"I'm so happy to be here,"

but look so incredibly unhappy as they say it, fake, fake, fake.

The only exception to this is if you can turn

it into a joke like the amazing Ken Robinson.

He opened his talk with a boring nicety, but then made it funny. Let's watch.

Good morning.

How are you?

It's been great, hasn't it?

It's been, I've been blown away by the whole thing. In fact, I'm leaving. (LAUGHTER).

Okay,

now that we've talked about the worst ways to start a speech.

Let's talk about the best.

Speech opener idea number one, use 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 watch how David Brooks hooks you in right at the start with his story.

So, we all have bad seasons in life. And I had one in 2013,

my marriage had just ended and I was humiliated by that failed commitment.

Who hooks you in right away? He gets right to the heart of it.

Stories help your audience feel right there with you.

Here's some fill in the blanks you can use to start

your next speech with a story. Once upon a time...

I'm here for a reason and it's an interesting story...

The best thing that ever happened to me was

Speech opener idea number two, your big idea.

I love when speakers share their big idea right upfront.

They don't make you wait for it. They dive right in.

Let's watch how Stacy Smith starts off her talk

with her big idea framed in an interesting way.

Today, I want to tell you about a pressing social issue.

Now, it's not nuclear arms, it's not immigration,

and it's not malaria.

I'm here to talk about movies.

Here's some fill in the blanks you can use to open your speech.

You're here for a reason. It's...

The single most important thing I want to share with you today is...

Today, I want to share a big idea...

Speech opener number three, a quirky one liner.

No one loves humor more than me. And I can promise you that your audience will as well.

If you dare, try to open your speech with something intriguing, very intriguing.

Humor or curiosity is a great way to start a speech on a high.

And please get creative. Think of an interesting fact about you,

your audience or your topic that can lead you into your content.

For example, when I gave my TED talk in London, I opened with my quirky one liner.

Hello, my name is Vanessa

and I am a recovering awkward person.

You can also use an interesting fact or even a question to the audience.

Try some of these fill in the blanks.

Did you know...

Do you ever worry about...?

Have you ever wondered...?

For example,

I do tons of corporate workshops and

trainings and here's some interesting factoids.

I start with that hook the audience in.

Did you know that it takes less than a second to make a first impression?

Did you know that your nonverbal communication is

12.5 times more powerful than your words?

Did you know that we are lied to 200 times a day?

Got you hooked, right.

I would love to speak to your group anytime. Call me.

You are ready for your next speech. Your next question might be.

How do I end my speech?

I have 20 top closing lines from history's greatest speakers.

Go to ScienceofPeople.com/closers to grab your free download.

Do you have powerful presentation skills?

Whether you're on a stage on a video in a boardroom or in a meeting?

I want to show you how you can share any of your ideas powerfully, confidently, and

authentically

in my new course, powerful presentations.

I'm going to give you my framework that you can use for sharing

any idea whether that's in person or online, in video or on stage.

I'll also show you some of those pesky things that are really hard in a presentation,

like where to put your hands and how to hold a mic, how to show visuals,

how to tell stories, even how to be funny.

Join me in my course,

powerful presentations at scienceofpeople.com/presentations.