Bold Introduction
Body and Discussion
For all entrepreneurs, this portion is for you. To gratify your needs and to enlighten you on how to start a business presentation. Here are the basics.
Always start with a concrete plan to strengthen the body of your presentation. With that, your listeners can’t easily stab your presentation.
If you are discussing in a formal setting, pick a deck with gray colors, choose dominant colors, and then combine.
To balance the whole presentation, put some icebreakers and funny idioms about your topic. Make sure it is sensible.
It helps your audience to get intact through the presentation. Try to use signal transitions, such as words or phrases that would give interconnections.
Of course, images and charts are vital. Make sure to use HD photos and reliable maps from data websites.
After the presentation, evaluate it by asking your listeners if they have any questions.
Questions like these must be considered and answered in your presentation.
Watch this live Speech <p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:271">A form of communication involving spoken language, it is used to express ideas, share information, tell stories, persuade, or entertain. Public speaking is a powerful tool used in diverse contexts, ranging from casual conversations to formal presentations.</p><br /><h2 data-sourcepos="5:1-5:27"><strong>Components of a Speech:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="7:1-10:0"> <li data-sourcepos="7:1-7:73"><strong>Content:</strong> The information, message, or story conveyed through words.</li> <li data-sourcepos="8:1-8:106"><strong>Delivery:</strong> The vocal and physical presentation, including clarity, volume, gestures, and eye contact.</li> <li data-sourcepos="9:1-10:0"><strong>Structure:</strong> The organization of the content, typically following an introduction, body, and conclusion.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="11:1-11:21"><strong>Speech in Action:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="13:1-17:0"> <li data-sourcepos="13:1-13:88"><strong>Informing:</strong> Sharing knowledge and facts, educating an audience on a specific topic.</li> <li data-sourcepos="14:1-14:119"><strong>Persuading:</strong> Advocating for a particular viewpoint, using arguments and evidence to influence thoughts or actions.</li> <li data-sourcepos="15:1-15:93"><strong>Motivating:</strong> Inspiring and energizing an audience, fostering action and positive change.</li> <li data-sourcepos="16:1-17:0"><strong>Entertaining:</strong> Engaging and delighting an audience through humor, storytelling, or creative language.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="18:1-18:32"><strong>Public Speaking and Anxiety:</strong></h2> <p data-sourcepos="20:1-20:227">Many people experience <strong>public speaking anxiety</strong>, a fear of speaking in front of an audience. While it's common, effective preparation, practice, and breathing techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and improve delivery.</p><br /><h2 data-sourcepos="22:1-22:32"><strong>Different Types of Speeches:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="24:1-28:0"> <li data-sourcepos="24:1-24:81"><strong>Informative speech:</strong> Focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.</li> <li data-sourcepos="25:1-25:102"><strong>Persuasive speech:</strong> Aims to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.</li> <li data-sourcepos="26:1-26:99"><strong>Motivational speech:</strong> Inspires and energizes the audience, building enthusiasm and commitment.</li> <li data-sourcepos="27:1-28:0"><strong>Entertaining speech:</strong> Aim to amuse and delight the audience, often using humor, storytelling, or anecdotes.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="29:1-29:33"><strong>Crafting a Compelling Speech:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="31:1-35:0"> <li data-sourcepos="31:1-31:106"><strong>Know your audience:</strong> Tailor your content and delivery to their interests, needs, and prior knowledge.</li> <li data-sourcepos="32:1-32:107"><strong>Have a clear message:</strong> Identify the main point you want to convey and structure your speech around it.</li> <li data-sourcepos="33:1-33:111"><strong>Engage your audience:</strong> Use varied vocal techniques, storytelling, and visual aids to keep them interested.</li> <li data-sourcepos="34:1-35:0"><strong>Practice, practice, practice:</strong> Rehearse your speech out loud to refine your delivery and build confidence.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="36:1-36:13"><strong>Remember:</strong></h2> <p data-sourcepos="38:1-38:281">Speech is a powerful tool for communication, connection, and influence. By understanding its elements, addressing potential anxieties, and tailoring your delivery to different contexts, you can harness the power of speech to achieve your intended goals and captivate your audience.</p> " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech or business seminar to get different hooks and other strategies to impress your listeners with your business presentation:
As your supervisor and other executives watch you presenting, stand tall and present like a boss through these points.
It organizes the presentation and connects the main points to sub-points. With that, you can have minimal effort but impactful results.
Try to begin asking the “why’s,” furthermore, enlighten them of “hows.” How to conduct, how to execute, and how to surpass their limits.
Stop introducing your presentation with your name. Always start to implore your audience with no cliché intro.
You can be ideological, symbolic, and rhetorical, and these things are not yet easy to comprehend without visuals. That’s why it is essential to develop and expand your data to make it understandable.
Suppose you want to have a good impression when presenting a business proposal to your bosses and other hotshots. Watch this video on striking tips and techniques for a presentation:
Case study presentations are more technical, unlike the other displays. It should be specific, tangible, credible, and substantial.
Also, here are the vital points to follow.
Facing new students is challenging, right? If you want to get a good impression from your class in different situations, take a look at these tips.
Tell them briefly who you are and why you are there in front of them while showing the right conduct and manners.
The material or your material must be the center of any presentation. Discuss its factuality and how tangible it is. Along with these, tell stories that may catch their interest and attention throughout the presentation.
End it with a bang! Make them think and stare at you. You can also give them riddles and some metaphorical set of words as an ending remark .
Indeed, you will gain their participation, plus you are helping your listeners to think critically.
Become a pro presenter. Download Orai and start practicing
To give more emphasis on how to start a business presentation and to help young entrepreneurs. I’ll share with you this detailed outline. I hope you tuck this with you.
Always set the stage with objectives. Since you are presenting to get clients and investment, it would help if you cleared how long it takes your business proposal.
Never underestimate the power of storytelling. Initiate your presentation with real-life stories.
Stating provoking questions can grab attention, positive or negative, is a good result. It helps you to get your listener’s ears and eyes.
This recommendation is similar to a word game, the “4-pics, One Word,” demonstrating the idea or topic with photos will be more immersing.
Visuals are one of the key points to expand a presentation. They are depicting patterns, diagrams, and trends. Lend quick analysis and predictions.
By using graphics, you can easily sustain the interest of your listeners and attract more viewers.
Master your presentation and fill loops. And on your topic. Study the weak points and establish more of the strengths of the presentation.
With that, you can derive the information smoothly. Take note of this. It is also vital on how to start a Board Meeting <p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:200">A formal gathering of a company's board of directors, where they discuss strategic matters, review financial performance, make key decisions, and oversee the organization's governance.</p><br /><h2 data-sourcepos="5:1-5:21"><strong>Key Participants:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="7:1-11:0"> <li data-sourcepos="7:1-7:102"><strong>Board members:</strong> Elected or appointed individuals responsible for guiding the company's direction.</li> <li data-sourcepos="8:1-8:94"><strong>Executives:</strong> Company leaders like the CEO, CFO, and COO, who provide updates and reports.</li> <li data-sourcepos="9:1-9:88"><strong>Secretary:</strong> Oversees logistics, records minutes, and ensures compliance with rules.</li> <li data-sourcepos="10:1-11:0"><strong>Legal counsel:</strong> Offers guidance on legal matters and ensures adherence to regulations.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="12:1-12:12"><strong>Purpose:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="14:1-19:0"> <li data-sourcepos="14:1-14:78"><strong>Strategic planning:</strong> Setting the company's long-term direction and goals.</li> <li data-sourcepos="15:1-15:81"><strong>Financial oversight:</strong> Reviewing financial reports, budgets, and investments.</li> <li data-sourcepos="16:1-16:86"><strong>Risk management:</strong> Identifying and mitigating potential risks to the organization.</li> <li data-sourcepos="17:1-17:76"><strong>Executive evaluation:</strong> Assessing the performance of company leadership.</li> <li data-sourcepos="18:1-19:0"><strong>Decision-making:</strong> Approving key initiatives, investments, and policies.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="20:1-20:11"><strong>Format:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="22:1-25:0"> <li data-sourcepos="22:1-22:43">Varies based on company size and culture.</li> <li data-sourcepos="23:1-23:91">Typically includes presentations, discussions, voting on proposals, and Q&A sessions.</li> <li data-sourcepos="24:1-25:0">It may be formal with strict agendas or more informal with brainstorming sessions.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="26:1-26:26"><strong>Public Speaking Roles:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="28:1-30:0"> <li data-sourcepos="28:1-28:125"><strong>CEO and other executives:</strong> Act as a <strong>public speaker</strong>, presenting reports, answering questions, and defending proposals.</li> <li data-sourcepos="29:1-30:0"><strong>Board members:</strong> May participate in discussions, ask questions, and occasionally propose or speak in favor of motions.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="31:1-31:39"><strong>Addressing Public Speaking Anxiety:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="33:1-36:0"> <li data-sourcepos="33:1-33:87">Many executives and board members face <strong>public speaking anxiety</strong> in these meetings.</li> <li data-sourcepos="34:1-34:93">Preparation, practicing presentations, and visualization techniques can help manage nerves.</li> <li data-sourcepos="35:1-36:0">Some companies hire <strong>public speaking coaches</strong> to offer personalized guidance and improve communication skills.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="37:1-37:248"><strong>Remember:</strong></h2> <p data-sourcepos="37:1-37:248">Effective board meetings require clear communication, active participation, and informed decision-making. By understanding the format, roles, and potential challenges, participants can contribute to a productive and impactful session.</p> " href="https://orai.com/glossary/board-meeting/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">board meeting presentation.
Put the top 10 successful corporations, traders, companies, and other information that may help you present your goal. Flash the motto of some famous entrepreneurs. Analyze or contradict it to gain more attention.
Try to spiel some business jokes as an icebreaker. Any possible facts about business that you can use — catch it!
Play videos like a Public Service Announcement (PSA), but make sure it is connected to your topic.
Learn how to start a business presentation that has movement and action for society. With that, your listeners may think your presentation is worth investing in.
Stay calm and don’t even think about drawbacks or shortcomings, especially the night before the presentation.
Make sure to pamper your body. Create also a plan B for unexpected circumstances.
In your run-through, always set a timer. It gives you a heads up if you may look rushing or too slow in explaining each slide.
Being not responsible for other people’s time is a turn-off, especially in business, where time is essential in the industry.
To present other samples wisely. Let me share some videos to rock and how to start a presentation:
Successful presentations like “How Google Works” and “Start with Why” prove the power of Clarity <p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:269">In <strong>public speaking</strong>, <strong>clarity</strong> refers to the quality of your message being readily understood and interpreted by your audience. It encompasses both the content and delivery of your speech, ensuring your message resonates and leaves a lasting impact.</p><br /><h2 data-sourcepos="5:1-5:16"><strong>Key Aspects:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="7:1-13:0"> <li data-sourcepos="7:1-7:133"><strong>Conciseness:</strong> Avoid unnecessary details, digressions, or excessive complexity. Focus on delivering the core message efficiently.</li> <li data-sourcepos="8:1-8:149"><strong>Simple language:</strong> Choose words and phrases your audience understands readily, avoiding jargon or technical terms unless you define them clearly.</li> <li data-sourcepos="9:1-9:145"><strong>Logical structure:</strong> Organize your thoughts and ideas logically, using transitions and signposts to guide your audience through your message.</li> <li data-sourcepos="10:1-10:136"><strong>Effective visuals:</strong> If using visuals, ensure they are clear, contribute to your message, and don't distract from your spoken words.</li> <li data-sourcepos="11:1-11:144"><strong>Confident delivery:</strong> Speak clearly and articulately, avoiding mumbling or rushing your words. Maintain good eye contact with your audience.</li> <li data-sourcepos="12:1-13:0"><strong>Active voice:</strong> Emphasize active voice for better flow and avoid passive constructions that can be less engaging.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="14:1-14:24"><strong>Benefits of Clarity:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="16:1-20:0"> <li data-sourcepos="16:1-16:123"><strong>Enhanced audience engagement:</strong> A clear message keeps your audience interested and helps them grasp your points easily.</li> <li data-sourcepos="17:1-17:123"><strong>Increased credibility:</strong> Clear communication projects professionalism and expertise, building trust with your audience.</li> <li data-sourcepos="18:1-18:111"><strong>Improved persuasiveness:</strong> A well-understood message is more likely to resonate and win over your audience.</li> <li data-sourcepos="19:1-20:0"><strong>Reduced confusion:</strong> Eliminating ambiguity minimizes misinterpretations and ensures your message arrives as intended.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="21:1-21:15"><strong>Challenges:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="23:1-27:0"> <li data-sourcepos="23:1-23:129"><strong>Condensing complex information:</strong> Simplifying complex topics without sacrificing crucial details requires skill and practice.</li> <li data-sourcepos="24:1-24:128"><strong>Understanding your audience:</strong> Tailoring your language and structure to resonate with a diverse audience can be challenging.</li> <li data-sourcepos="25:1-25:85"><strong>Managing nerves:</strong> Nerves can impact your delivery, making it unclear or rushed.</li> <li data-sourcepos="26:1-27:0"><strong>Avoiding jargon:</strong> Breaking technical habits and simplifying language requires constant awareness.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="28:1-28:22"><strong>Improving Clarity:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="30:1-35:0"> <li data-sourcepos="30:1-30:117"><strong>Practice and rehearse:</strong> The more you rehearse your speech, the more natural and clear your delivery will become.</li> <li data-sourcepos="31:1-31:107"><strong>Seek feedback:</strong> Share your draft speech with others and ask for feedback on clarity and comprehension.</li> <li data-sourcepos="32:1-32:161"><strong>Consider a public speaking coach:</strong> A coach can provide personalized guidance on structuring your message, simplifying language, and improving your delivery.</li> <li data-sourcepos="33:1-33:128"><strong>Join a public speaking group:</strong> Practicing in a supportive environment can help you gain confidence and refine your clarity.</li> <li data-sourcepos="34:1-35:0"><strong>Listen to effective speakers:</strong> Analyze how clear and impactful others achieve communication.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="36:1-36:250"><strong>Remember:</strong></h2> <p data-sourcepos="36:1-36:250"><strong>Clarity</strong> is a cornerstone of impactful <strong>public speaking</strong>. By honing your message, focusing on delivery, and actively seeking feedback, you can ensure your audience receives your message clearly and leaves a lasting impression.</p> " href="https://orai.com/glossary/clarity/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">clarity and simplicity. Both Schmidt and Sinek captivate audiences with straightforward messages enhanced by visuals (slides or whiteboard) that support, not overpower, their narratives. The lesson: ditch complexity, focus on your core message, and deliver it with a conviction for maximum impact.
Effective group presentations require thorough rehearsal, clean transitions, and speaker handovers. Recap your section, introduce the next speaker, and gesture towards them to link sections and keep the audience engaged.
Ditch the podium! Move around the stage to grab attention, connect with listeners, and emphasize key points. Strategic shifts in location signal transitions, while your energy and passion come alive through purposeful movement. Make your presentation dynamic and memorable – get moving!
To master the “remaining method,” Briefly introduce the controversy, dive deep with your side (logos & pathos!), acknowledge and dissect opposing solutions, and then unveil your “remaining solution” as the superior answer. Wrap up with a strong summary and a call to action. Guide your audience, earn trust, and win them over!
Ditch the dry facts! Captivate your audience with stories. Use classic structures like the hero’s journey or jump into the action with “in media res.” Craft your narrative with a clear plot, relatable characters, and a consistent tone. Tie it all back to your key points for maximum impact. Storytelling makes presentations memorable, engaging, and impactful – go forth and win hearts (and minds)!
Hook them, hit them, fix them! Problem-solution presentations start with a clear pain point, delve deep with causes and impacts (think logic and emotions!), and then unveil your solution as the hero and its amazing benefits. Finish with a call to action – tell them what to do next! Simple, powerful, persuasive.
Forget the slides; show and tell! Demo presentations explain the “what” and “why” of your product, then dazzle with a live showcase. Highlight problem-solving and potential uses to keep them hooked. Leave them curious and wanting more with a glimpse of what your product can truly do. It’s all about interactive understanding and engagement!
Q&A isn’t just an add-on! It’s a chance to clear confusion, recap key points, and answer burning questions. Wrapping up the discussion, offering deeper dives, and inviting audience participation – it’s the perfect way to seal the deal and connect with your listeners.
Ditch the tangents and deliver on your promises! The main body is where you unpack your points. Organize it clearly, hit each topic with evidence and examples, summarize as you go, and link your ideas. Keep it focused, relevant, and audience-friendly – take notes, stay on track, and make your impact!
Hook, roadmap, and expectations – that’s your intro! Briefly introduce the topic, explain why it matters and what you’ll cover, and tell the audience how long they’re in for and if they can participate. Set the stage, guide them through, and make them feel comfortable – then dive in!
Get organized, and get remembered! Structure keeps your audience engaged and learning while boosting your Confidence <p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:305">In the context of <strong>public speaking</strong>, <strong>confidence</strong> refers to the belief in one's ability to communicate effectively and deliver one's message with clarity and impact. It encompasses various elements, including self-belief, composure, and the ability to manage one's <strong>fear of public speaking</strong>.</p><br /><h2 data-sourcepos="5:1-5:16"><strong>Key Aspects:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="7:1-12:0"> <li data-sourcepos="7:1-7:108"><strong>Self-belief:</strong> A strong conviction in your knowledge, skills, and ability to connect with your audience.</li> <li data-sourcepos="8:1-8:95"><strong>Composure:</strong> Maintaining calmness and poise under pressure, even in challenging situations.</li> <li data-sourcepos="9:1-9:100"><strong>Assertiveness:</strong> Expressing your ideas clearly and concisely, avoiding hesitation or self-doubt.</li> <li data-sourcepos="10:1-10:104"><strong>Positive self-talk:</strong> Countering negative thoughts with affirmations and focusing on your strengths.</li> <li data-sourcepos="11:1-12:0"><strong>Strong body language:</strong> Using gestures, posture, and eye contact that project confidence and professionalism.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="13:1-13:27"><strong>Benefits of Confidence:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="15:1-19:0"> <li data-sourcepos="15:1-15:99"><strong>Reduced anxiety:</strong> Feeling confident helps manage <strong>fear of public speaking</strong> and stage fright.</li> <li data-sourcepos="16:1-16:133"><strong>Engaging delivery:</strong> Confident speakers project their voices, hold eye contact, and connect with their audience more effectively.</li> <li data-sourcepos="17:1-17:137"><strong>Increased persuasiveness:</strong> A confident presentation inspires belief and motivates your audience to listen and remember your message.</li> <li data-sourcepos="18:1-19:0"><strong>Greater impact:</strong> Confidently delivered speeches leave a lasting impression and achieve desired outcomes.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="20:1-20:15"><strong>Challenges:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="22:1-26:0"> <li data-sourcepos="22:1-22:112">Overcoming <strong>fear of public speaking</strong>: Many people experience some level of anxiety when speaking publicly.</li> <li data-sourcepos="23:1-23:101"><strong>Imposter syndrome:</strong> Doubting your abilities and qualifications, even when objectively qualified.</li> <li data-sourcepos="24:1-24:92"><strong>Negative self-talk:</strong> Internalized criticism and limiting beliefs can hamper confidence.</li> <li data-sourcepos="25:1-26:0"><strong>Past negative experiences:</strong> Unsuccessful presentations or negative feedback can erode confidence.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="27:1-27:24"><strong>Building Confidence:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="29:1-36:0"> <li data-sourcepos="29:1-29:102"><strong>Practice and preparation:</strong> Thoroughly rehearse your speech to feel comfortable with the material.</li> <li data-sourcepos="30:1-30:101"><strong>Visualization:</strong> Imagine yourself delivering a successful presentation with confidence and poise.</li> <li data-sourcepos="31:1-31:100"><strong>Positive self-talk:</strong> Actively replace negative thoughts with affirmations about your abilities.</li> <li data-sourcepos="32:1-32:106"><strong>Seek feedback:</strong> Ask trusted individuals for constructive criticism and use it to improve your skills.</li> <li data-sourcepos="33:1-33:157">Consider a <strong>speaking coach</strong>: Working with a coach can provide personalized guidance and support to address specific challenges and confidence barriers.</li> <li data-sourcepos="34:1-34:114"><strong>Start small:</strong> Gradually increase the size and complexity of your speaking engagements as you gain experience.</li> <li data-sourcepos="35:1-36:0"><strong>Focus on progress:</strong> Celebrate small successes and acknowledge your improvement over time.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="37:1-37:282"><strong>Remember:</strong></h2> <p data-sourcepos="37:1-37:282"><strong>Confidence</strong> in public speaking is a journey, not a destination. By actively practicing, embracing feedback, and focusing on your strengths, you can overcome <strong>fear of public speaking</strong> and develop the <strong>confidence</strong> to deliver impactful and memorable presentations.</p> " href="https://orai.com/glossary/confidence/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">confidence and delivery. It’s a win-win for both the speaker and the listener!
To be an effective speaker or presenter, you must master how to start a presentation. Learn the basics and dynamics.
Earn persuasive skills and grasp how to start a PowerPoint presentation with the steps and tips above to disseminate the information in a free-lingual way effectively.
I hope you find this helpful; you are free to use these tips for any goals.
You can try Orai , an AI-powered Speech Coach <p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:411">A <strong>speech coach</strong> is a trained professional who provides personalized guidance and support to individuals seeking to improve their <strong>public speaking</strong> skills. Whether you aim to <strong>master public speaking</strong> for professional presentations, overcome stage fright, or simply hone your everyday communication, a <strong>speech coach</strong> can tailor their expertise to meet your needs and goals.</p><br /><h2 data-sourcepos="5:1-5:32"><strong>What Does a Speech Coach Do?</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="7:1-13:0"> <li data-sourcepos="7:1-7:124"><strong>Conduct assessments:</strong> Analyze your strengths, weaknesses, and communication style through evaluations and observations.</li> <li data-sourcepos="8:1-8:149"><strong>Develop personalized plans:</strong> Create a customized roadmap with exercises, techniques, and feedback to address your specific areas of improvement.</li> <li data-sourcepos="9:1-9:167"><strong>Offer expert instruction:</strong> We will guide you through various aspects of public speaking, including vocal control, body language, content delivery, and overcoming anxiety.</li> <li data-sourcepos="10:1-10:168"><strong>Provide practice opportunities:</strong> Facilitate mock presentations, simulations, and role-playing scenarios to refine your skills in a safe and supportive environment.</li> <li data-sourcepos="11:1-11:114"><strong>Offer constructive feedback:</strong> Identify areas for improvement and suggest strategies for achieving your goals.</li> <li data-sourcepos="12:1-13:0"><strong>Boost confidence and motivation:</strong> Encourage and support you throughout your journey, empowering you to become a confident and impactful communicator.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="14:1-14:40"><strong>Who Can Benefit from a Speech Coach?</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="16:1-20:0"> <li data-sourcepos="16:1-16:174"><strong>Professionals:</strong> Refining public speaking skills can benefit executives, entrepreneurs, salespeople, leaders, and anyone who presents in professional settings.</li> <li data-sourcepos="17:1-17:160"><strong>Students:</strong> Teachers, public speakers, debaters, and students wanting to excel in presentations or classroom settings can gain valuable skills with a coach.</li> <li data-sourcepos="18:1-18:176"><strong>Individuals who fear public speaking:</strong> Coaching can help those who experience anxiety or nervousness when speaking in public develop strategies and gain confidence.</li> <li data-sourcepos="19:1-20:0"><strong>Anyone seeking to improve communication:</strong> A coach can provide guidance to individuals seeking to enhance their communication skills for personal or professional development.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="21:1-21:28"><strong>Types of Speech Coaches:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="23:1-26:0"> <li data-sourcepos="23:1-23:110"><strong>Private coaches:</strong> Work one-on-one with individuals to provide highly personalized attention and feedback.</li> <li data-sourcepos="24:1-24:130"><strong>Group coaches:</strong> Offer workshops or classes in group settings, often at a lower cost but with less individualized attention.</li> <li data-sourcepos="25:1-26:0"><strong>Specialization coaches:</strong> Some coaches specialize in executive communication, storytelling, or presentation design.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="27:1-27:35"><strong>Finding the Right Speech Coach:</strong></h2> <ul data-sourcepos="29:1-33:0"> <li data-sourcepos="29:1-29:91"><strong>Identify your goals:</strong> What areas do you want to improve? What are your specific needs?</li> <li data-sourcepos="30:1-30:109"><strong>Research credentials and experience:</strong> Look for qualified coaches with relevant experience and expertise.</li> <li data-sourcepos="31:1-31:122"><strong>Consider availability and budget:</strong> Set a budget and explore options that fit your schedule and financial constraints.</li> <li data-sourcepos="32:1-33:0"><strong>Schedule consultations:</strong> Talk to potential coaches to assess their personality, approach, and compatibility with your needs.</li> </ul> <h2 data-sourcepos="34:1-34:418"><strong>Remember:</strong></h2> <p data-sourcepos="34:1-34:418">Investing in a <strong>speech coach</strong> can be a transformative experience, enhancing your communication skills, boosting your confidence, and empowering you to achieve your communication goals. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your journey, consider exploring the potential of working with a <strong>speech coach</strong> to unlock your full potential as a communicator and <strong>master public speaking</strong>.</p> " href="https://orai.com/glossary/speech-coach/" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">speech coach that perfectly suits your budget! They provide instant feedback on you to help with your public speaking needs. Start your free trial with Orai today!
How many words is a 5-minute speech, good attention getters for speeches with 10+ examples, quick links.
Automated page speed optimizations for fast site performance
CHICAGO AUGUST 29-30 PUBLIC SPEAKING CLASS IS ALMOST FULL! RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW
Of course, we’ve all been there as a speaker. First, we design a powerful presentation. Then, we nervously walk out onto a stage or into the front of the room. The audience stares with skepticism written all over their faces. This stoic crowd has no patience for speakers who waste their time. And their demeanor is showing that fact right now. In a timid voice, we start with a simple, “Good morning.” We get no response from the audience — no warm welcome at all. As a result, our nervousness increases dramatically.
The good news is that your speech doesn’t have to start this way. Your first words will create first impressions.
So, in this session, I’m going to give you the best way to start a successful presentation so you can win over the audience members. Below are a few of my favorite ways to start a speech that will help you capture the attention of your audience and get even the most stoic crowd to want more from you.
Here is the list of effective presentation openers.
(1) give a summary and conclusion at the beginning of a presentation..
As a speaker, you have a lot going against you. The biggest challenge is that most of the people who are in your audience would really rather be somewhere else. So starting with the conclusion gives them a reason to tune in and pay attention to the content.
TV shows and movies do this a lot. The first scene in Titanic is 90-year-old Rose wheeling onto the salvage ship. Immediately, she asked the Captain to see her painting. “Wasn’t I a dish?”
We all know the story of Titanic, but by starting 70 years into the future, we already know that somehow, Rose was going to survive the tragedy. We pay attention because we want to see how she did it.
You probably also recall Netflix series that show a quick introduction and then a flashback to an earlier time.
You can create the same effect in your presentation introduction by making your title a conclusion that you want the audience to draw. Then, lay out each main point that will help them come to that conclusion.
For instance, “My topic today is Five Ways to Get Your Executives to Increase Your Department Budget, and the items we will cover are…” Of course, this technique works best when your title is a result that your audience really wants.
This is an easy way to start a presentation. You can use a single PowerPoint presentation slide as a visual aid to capture the audience’s attention right away! (FYI, you can also use this technique at the end of a presentation.)
More details about this are in Start with a Great Title .
I taught a private presentation class for Mitsubishi once. And I could tell walking into the room that this was going to be a tough crowd. The culture of the predominately Japanese company is fairly quiet and conservative. Most often, when I introduce myself to class members, people are warm and friendly. Since I’m a guest in their office, most try to make me feel at home.
By the way, the Mitsubishi organizer did this here as well. However, as the participants came into the room, each walked in without saying a word. Each sat down, opened their laptops, and quietly began typing on their keyboards.
I did my best to try to get them to open up. But very few of them were laughing at my jokes or smiling at me as I asked them questions. (Tough crowd.)
So, when I started the class, I knew I needed something that would help the group relate to me. I decided to go into a fairly detailed version of an experience where I totally bombed a speech. I added a lot of self-deprecating humor to the story. Afterward, the mood in the room lightened quite a bit. It was an easy way to get the audience to feel more at ease and become more relatable to them.
Stories are easy additions to any speech. For instance, if you are giving a project report, you can start with a memorable event that occurred on the project since the last meeting. Or, if you are giving a financial report where profit is up, just give a great example of something that caused profit to increase.
By doing a little research, you can often find a good (and or startling) statistic that can capture attention quickly. You can also create a good introduction by phrasing the statistic as a provocative statement.
For instance, let’s say you are giving a financial presentation where revenue for your company was up 2.5% last quarter. You might look up the statistics for your industry as a whole in the same quarter. Then, you can start your speech with that data. “The electronics industry as a whole was up 3.4% last quarter. However, our company underperformed the industry with only a 2.5% increase in revenue.”
The easiest way to find statistics about your topic is to just do a Google search [Your Topic} followed by the word “statistic”.
I’ll give some examples. I just did a Google search for “Popular Ted Talks” and came up with an article about the Top 25 Most Shared Ted Talk videos . I just pasted the names of the talks into Google with the word “statistic” added and this is what I came up with.
So, it is really easy to create compelling statistics to get your audience to think differently about your topic just as you begin to speak.
You can combine the last two tips for even more impact. Place a statistic along with a story of how you found the statistic at the beginning of your presentation. This is a great way to start your presentation. “I remember watching Jerry Seinfeld do a stand-up bit. He mentioned that the fear of public speaking was the number one fear in America. Then he looked down the list and saw that the fear of death was number five. So, you are five times more likely to rather be in the casket than up giving the eulogy at a funeral.”
The key to each of these first tips is that they increase the retention of information for your audience.
For instance, using the Summary technique, you give your audience an introduction with your presentation topic and key points. Then as you go through each point, they hear each one again. Finally, you summarize the points one more time at the end of your presentation. The audience is now more likely to remember your important points. because of this subtle repetition.
A good story will also increase retention. Stories have a way of creating visual images in the mind of the audience that is more memorable than just facts alone. A startling statistic gets the audience to think, “Is that really true?” so they pay attention more.
(4) a funny or motivational quote or one-liner..
“There are two types of speakers: Those who get nervous and those who are liars.” — Mark Twain
A powerful quote is an effective way to make a positive first impression. It also adds a little humor. You can find quotes like this for your presentations as well. Just like with statistics, you can Google your topic with the word “quotes” to get ideas.
Walt Disney once said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” But have you ever thought to realize that every single invention ever created by man was once just an idea born from someone’s need?
“In a perfect world, if your team was able to present their ideas to your customers more effectively, what would they be doing that they are not doing now?”
This technique is more challenging for a presenter. You have to be able to take whatever your audience gives you and design a killer presentation on the fly. However, if you have done good research before the meeting, you shouldn’t be surprised by the answers you get.
Keep in mind that only the best presenters use this technique. So, when you add open-ended questions to your speech, you will increase your stature as a speaker as well.
By the way, the question should be open-ended, meaning that the audience is giving you their opinions. Rhetorical questions and show of hands questions can backfire. Your audience may think you are trying to manipulate them. So, the important thing to remember is to ask a question that asks for the opinion of the audience members. That way, as they answer, everyone can be correct..
I will then follow this statement with a list of different tips that people try that don’t work really well. (Things like picturing your audience naked.)
The funny thing is that many of the people in the room will question the truthfulness of the statement the first time I say it. It is a bold claim. They don’t confront me, though. However, when I look around the room, I can see the distrust on their faces.
However, as I begin to list the crazy tips one by one, they begin to realize the truthfulness of the statement. Internally, the checklist sounds like this…
Another shocking statement I use is to foreshadow a future behavior in the speech. When I lead team activities, I often have them play a game to divide into teams. So, I might start the presentation with, “In less than 15 minutes, some of you chivalrous men who opened a door for a young lady when she came into the room will actually be chicken-winging that woman to take something from her.” Of course, when something like that actually happens, everyone erupts in laughter.
Talk radio, television news, and reality TV shows do this brilliantly.
I remember years ago watching season one of Survivor. The season winner was an eccentric guy named Richard Hatch, who was a good fisherman, so he fed the group. However, he also did things to keep the other contestants a little off their game. At the start of one of the episodes, Richard was walking along the beach buck-naked with his bottom blurred out by the producers.
I remember doing a double-take when the image came on the screen. (There are some things that you just can’t unsee.) I didn’t particularly ever want to see Hatch’s bare bum ever again. However, I had an eager want to find how the heck this happened.
Talk radio guys do this by saying, “At the bottom of the hour, we’re going to…” The technique is like a cliffhanger. Everyone wants to know how the story will end. Will Ross marry Emily, or will Rachel stop the wedding? Will Jon Snow die of his stab wounds? Ken Jennings has won 74 times in a row on Jeopardy. When will he get beaten? What is going to happen now that DEA agent Hank realizes his brother-in-law broke bad? And finally, who shot J.R.?
This is a fun technique to use when you start a presentation. And there are many different ways to do this, depending on the purpose of your presentation.
For instance, you could tell your compelling story, as I suggested earlier. However, don’t tell the ending. Stop right as you get to the climax. Then tell the ending in your conclusion. (More details about this in How to End a Speech .)
Or, the hook can be a cliffhanger or foreshadowing of something later in the presentation. “As we did this research, we uncovered a single habit that, once we change it, will generate an extra quarter of a million dollars for our company. And I will share that secret with you in my final point.”
I actually do this on my podcast as well. I might start the episode by saying something like, “In the last ten minutes of this episode, I’m going to share with you my best, overall, foolproof presentation opener.”
(Which, by the way, is right now…)
For instance, one time, just after July 4th, my kids had some leftover fireworks. I also had some decorative mailing tubes left over from a failed marketing campaign.
The next morning, I was to speak at a business breakfast. I got to the hotel meeting room before anyone else and filled a trash can with water. Then, I left the can under the presentation table at the front of the room. I stuck one of the sparklers into the top of the mailing tube and waited until my time to speak. The emcee called my name, and I waited at the back of the room. She called my name one more time, and I waited just a bit longer. When she called my name the third time, I lit the sparkler and went rushing to the front of the room.
Of course, the visual aid looked like I was holding a stick of cartoon dynamite. I pulled the trash can from under the table and threw the prop into the can where it sizzled and smoked. The whole audience was looking around like, “What the heck?” I paused and then said, “Do you want to put some sizzle into your presentations?”
Okay, it was cheesy. It was over the top. But it got the whole audience laughing. Everyone in the room remembered who I was and what I did for a living.
Whatever method that you choose to start your presentation make sure to spend time on developing your content. You don’t want to spend a ton of time creating the perfect opener and then lose the audience with a lackluster presentation afterward.
Podcasts , presentation skills
View More Posts By Category: Free Public Speaking Tips | leadership tips | Online Courses | Past Fearless Presentations ® Classes | Podcasts | presentation skills | Uncategorized
May 9, 2018 | Business Professional English , Public Speaking & Presentations
This lesson has been updated from its original version posted in 2016.
Everything you need to know to organize the main points of your introduction.
Preparing a presentation in English is hard work. You want to be sure your speech is clear, easy to understand, and well-organized. And that’s what today’s lesson will help you do.
Today we’re focusing on the body of your presentation. This is the core or focus of your presentation. This is where you give all the important key points plus the details you need to support your talk.
In the lesson, you’ll learn the best way to organize the body of your presentation and key expressions to help you.
Make sure your presentation is smooth and easy to understand.
Lesson by Annemarie
Here is a very simple way to think about the organization of your presentation.
In this example, we’ll imagine a 15-20 minute presentation with 3 Key Points:
Key Point 1:
Key Point 2:
Key Point 3:
How many key points should you have?
When you are preparing your presentation, you want to be careful about how many key points you share. You want your audience to stay focused and interested. If you have too much information, your audience may become confused or bored.
As a general rule, use:
Starting a Topic
Moving from Topic to Topic
Referring to Previous Information
Introducing Numbers, Graphs, or Charts
**Note: When possible, always use specific numbers because they are more memorable. Look at these two example sentences:
Which sentence is easier for you to remember?
Giving Examples
Rhetorical Questions*
*A rhetorical question is a question you ask but you don’t expect an answer. The purpose of the question is to make a point or get your audience to think about something. These are used often in English-speaking presentations.
“Preparing a presentation in English is hard work. You want to be sure your speech is clear, easy to understand, and well-organized. And that’s what today’s lesson will help you do.”
Get the complete Presentations in English Series:
Part 1: How to Prepare for Your Presentation in English
Part 2: How to Start with a Great Introduction in Your Presentation
Part 3: How to Organize Your Presentation in English
Part 4: How to End Your Presentation Powerfully
Please share your experience with presentations in English below.
Do you have some useful functional language you could share to help organize a presentation in English? In the lesson, I provided many phrases that are common for native speakers. I’ve love to hear from you.
You can share in the comments section below. It’s the best place to get feedback and learn from the Confident English Community.
Have a great week! ~ Annemarie
P.S. Do you know anyone who needs help with presentations in English? Please share this page with them! And if it is helpful to you, remember to like or share it. Thank you!
Follow my 3-step solution to speak English with clarity, fluency, and freedom so you can say what you want with confidence.
You'll also get my Confident English lessons delivered by email every Wednesday and occasional information about available courses. You can unsubscribe any time.
More Like This
Using alternatives to ‘I understand’ enhances your vocabulary for daily conversations and helps you communicate more effectively and confidently.
If you’ve ever struggled to translate your thoughts quickly, learn to transform how you think in English so you can speak faster in conversations.
English speakers love creating new words, and we do it regularly with word blends such as glamping, hangry, bromance, and more. Discover current popular word blends in English.
Want to use more than ‘nice’ or ‘kind’ to describe people in English? Add these personality adjectives to your vocabulary for precise, powerful descriptions.
© Copyright 2014-2024 Speak Confident English | Privacy Policy | Terms & Disclaimer | Online Class Policies
I am love the way how you address the message and ur content from initially point to terminal is very well structured and easy to grasp.Thanks Mam
Your points are really helpful and up to the point.
Looking forward to learn more advance things through this channel.
Thanks for your help I prepare for ielts test can you give a hand how to prepare properly
i am abdala hassen, i’m english teacher as a second language. thanks alot for your help the most problem that i face when teaching and presenting is that i feel difficulty joining sentences and speaking fast, so how can you help me.
best wishes
Hello Abdala,
Thank you so much for your comment!
When you say that it is difficult to join sentence and speak fast, do you mean that you want to speak more fluently? Is it difficult for you to find the words you want to say? Do you need a lot of time to think?
If you can provide more information, I would be happy to help! Best, Annemarie
Can you please help me learn how to know the meaning of English words when seeing it for the firsttime
I am Phally , Cambodia. Thanks very much for the ideas you had given. I learnt a lot from this and shared it to my colleagues at workplace . Best regards
For non-native speakers giving a presentation in English can be quite a challenge. There are just so many aspects to consider.
Firstly, the audience. Do you know them well? If so, more informal language can be used. Or are they unfamiliar to you? If this is the case, then more formal expressions should be adopted. Whether you use more formal or informal language, it is important to engage the audience through positive body language and a warm welcome. Your tone of voice and changes in intonation are additional useful tools and you might consider asking them relevant questions (real or rhetorical ).
The audience also needs to see a clear and logical structure to follow you effortlessly. Useful linking expressions, when delivered well, provide effective ‘bridges’ guiding the audience from one point to the next.
Here are 30 useful phrases for presentations in English for effective structure and linking.
Improve your confidence in spoken English with our General English course or Individual English training in our centre in London or online.
Hopefully, these phrases help you to vary your vocabulary for clear, well-structured presentations with a logical joined-up flow. The most important thing, of course, is that you are comfortable and confident in your delivery, which helps the audience feels relaxed and ready to be engaged by your subject matter. Good luck!
Rhetorical - (of a question) asked in order to produce an effect or to make a statement rather than to elicit information
Audience - spectators or listeners at a public event such as a play, film, concert, or meeting
Effectiv e - successful in producing a desired or intended result
Springboard - springboard is also something that provides an opportunity to achieve something
Handout - a document given to students or reporters that contains information about a particular subject
Q&A – an abbreviation for ‘question and answer’
Find out more about our Business and Professional 25+ courses in Canterbury and London. You can also take our English for Work & Careers . If you need to learn online, we offer Online English Courses and Skype English lessons .
Get English skills tips, offers, news, and events sent directly to your inbox
For details about how we use your information, read our Privacy Policy . You may withdraw your consent at any time by unsubscribing.
The London School of English has over 100 years of history teaching English and communication skills to adult learners. It is the joint #1 English language school in the UK according to the British Council inspections, the highest rated English language school in the world on Trustpilot, and the best value for money school according The English Language Gazette.
Our practical, individualised approach enables our clients to learn effectively and make rapid progress. Courses include General English, Individual English training, Legal English, Business and Professional English, IELTS preparation and Academic English. We also offer bespoke business solutions for staff training and assessment.
You can learn English with our expert trainers in our London centre at 15 Holland Park Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, or you can choose to study English online in groups or in individual classes. Contact us online or via phone +44 (0) 207 605 4142.
Posted: 13 February 2020
Categories:
Table of Contents
Knowing how to start a presentation is a crucial skill in today’s professional landscape.
After all, many office workers are called on to prepare a presentation at some point during their careers.
And, of course, many people are looking to share their expertise through workshops and lectures.
With that in mind, we wanted to dedicate an article to learning about the best ways to deliver an impactful presentation opening.
So, whether you’re currently struggling to come up with introductory lines for a presentation, or you have a more passive interest in this subject — you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll:
But first, let’s talk about why having a good introduction is such a crucial part of any presentation.
If you’ve ever had to prepare an address, you probably understand the importance of having an impactful introduction to a presentation.
If the body of a speech contains most of the information you want to share with the audience and the conclusion allows you to invite the audience to take action — the introduction is how you get them to listen to you in the first place.
In other words, a presentation is a motivated sequence — a method of persuasion with 5 distinct steps:
Even though this framework was developed in the 1930s, it’s still a useful tool for people who want to improve their presenting skills.
For more insight into the importance of starting a presentation with a bang, we turned to professional speakers and communication experts.
We put the question to Mark Beal , Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Communication, at Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. Here’s what he had to say:
“It is critically important to engage your audience immediately at the start of a presentation in a high-energy manner, or you could lose them to their mobile phone or laptop and you may never get them back.”
Speaker, author, communication skills trainer, and editorial producer at CNN, Nadia Bilchik , added:
“The beginning of your presentation is your prime real estate. It’s when your audience decides if you are worth paying attention to or not.”
So, in addition to capturing the audience’s attention , your introduction also needs to establish your authority .
Free team communication software
Try Pumble, a secure, reliable, and easy-to-use communication tool.
FREE FOREVER • UNLIMITED COMMUNICATION
Having said that, let’s talk about the specific steps you need to take before you begin presenting to make your presentation opening as memorable as it can be.
Before we tell you how to start a presentation speech, let’s take a moment to consider the best preparation practices .
Naturally, preparing the introductory lines for your presentation should take place well before the speech itself.
Even so, many novice speakers are still unaware of the different factors that should influence and inform their decisions in this regard.
Luckily, we have managed to boil the results of our extensive research down to the following 3 tips:
Having said that, let’s see what each of those tips entails.
As Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich , puts it:
“Experience has taught me that the next best thing to being truly great is to emulate the great, by feeling and action, as nearly as possible.”
With that in mind, the best thing you can do before drafting your speech is observe the way others have made theirs.
In this case, you’ll want to focus on the way professional speakers introduce themselves and the subjects of their presentations .
The goal of this exercise is to determine:
Somewhere in the middle of those categories is where you’ll find the opening lines of your presentation.
For their part, the experts we have contacted seem to agree with this tip.
Nadia Bilchik said:
“I have been speaking and training speaking skills for three decades and I still do a tremendous amount of research and customize each and every presentation. If I am speaking […] about the hybrid workplace, I will Google [the] latest statistics. I will also go onto YouTube to see what other speakers and thought leaders are saying about the subject.”
And Mark Beal mirrored her thoughts:
“I am consistently studying presentations in a quest to be a student who is always learning, evolving, transforming, and innovating my approach to presenting. I closely watch all types of presentations, from TEDx Talks to my former students who return to guest lecture in my university courses.”
According to the other authors of Communicating at Work , an introduction has 5 distinct objectives . It should:
With those goals in mind, Nadia Bilchik would even say that:
“It’s always best to have someone else introduce you and confirm your credibility.”
That puts the onus of explaining why you deserve to be there on the host of the meeting and allows you to skip that part of the introduction.
However, these 5 objectives are not a checklist you have to follow at all costs.
Depending on the circumstances surrounding your presentation, some of them will matter more than others.
Speaking of, there’s one last thing to keep in mind when crafting your presentation opening.
The audience you end up presenting to will affect everything from the way you organize your presentation to your style of delivery — and even the supporting materials you use.
Your presentation’s opening lines are no exception.
In other words, the content and style of your introduction will depend on the size of the group you’re speaking to and its demographic breakdown .
However, perhaps the most important audience attribute you’ll have to keep in mind is its willingness to listen and engage with your message .
In Business Communication: Process & Product , authors Mary Guffey and Dana Loewy have identified 4 types of audiences based on that factor:
Luckily, Guffey and Loewy have also provided some guidance for dealing with each of those kinds of audiences.
AUDIENCE TYPE | ||
---|---|---|
– Be warm and pleasant – Include humor and personal experiences – Involve the audience – Try something new | / | |
– Be confident – Use subtle gestures – Use facts, statistics, and expert opinions – Present both sides of an issue – Save time for audience questions | – Do anything showy – Use humor or rely on personal stories – Show flashy visuals | |
– Be brief — no more than 3 points – Be dynamic and entertaining – Move around and use large gestures – Fall back on humor, cartoons, colorful visuals, and interesting statistics | – Bore the audience – Darken the room – Stand motionless – Pass out handouts – Use boring visuals – Expect audience participation | |
– Be calm and controlled – Speak evenly and slowly – Stick to objective data and expert opinions | – Use personal examples and humor – Allow Q&A segments without a moderator |
It’s the day of your big presentation — time to go big or go home.
Which of the following tips would you incorporate in your presentation opening lines?
If you haven’t thought about which one of these would help you get your point across effectively — don’t worry.
We’re about to explain each of those tips and provide some illuminating examples and specific phrases you can use when starting a presentation.
One thing you need to know about starting a presentation is that your work begins the moment you set foot on that stage .
Alternatively, it begins the moment someone passes you the (literal or figurative) mic — if we’re taking into account the presentations that take place on video conferencing platforms.
In any case, you’ll want the audience to see you as someone who knows what they’re talking about . That includes:
One of the experts we spoke to, Reesa Woolf , PhD, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and executive speaking coach, would even advise you to rehearse your opener and closer to the point of being able to “deliver them with 100% eye contact.”
For what it’s worth, overpreparing also allows you to appear more confident when presenting , as you’ll be less worried about forgetting parts of your speech.
Then again, a moment of forgetfulness can also be turned into a tool for establishing a commanding presence.
Namely, staying still or being quiet for a moment can make the audience pay closer attention to you.
But, if that’s something you’d like to try, make sure the technique doesn’t clash with the type of audience you’re presenting to .
Have you ever heard a professional public speaker use one of these phrases?
The chances of a professional using these phrases are pretty slim — so why would you?
Well, there’s nothing wrong with following a traditional format to introduce yourself .
However, you’ll have to admit that the sentences we have listed above don’t pack the same punch as some of the other presentation opening lines we have included in this article.
Keynote speaker, Forbes contributor, career change consultant, and host of the Career Relaunch® podcast, Joseph Liu , recommends avoiding greetings altogether .
“While I do say hello, rather than starting with drawn-out greetings, I recommend diving right into the presentation with a hook so your audience immediately switches on to the content you’re about to present.”
Speaker, bestselling author, and award-winning accountant, Tatiana Tsoir , notes:
“People’s attention span is 20 minutes max, which is why TEDx is capped at 18 min. Also, people generally remember the beginning and the end, so make sure those are strong [and] get to the point fast.”
So, instead of wasting time on small talk, use an opener that will get your audience’s attention as quickly as possible.
💡 Pumble pro tip
Even though the examples we have listed would be considered a weak way to start a speech, some of them are ideal for starting a business meeting. If you want to know some other expressions that might come in handy in that kind of setting, check out this article:
As we have established, starting a presentation with a traditional introduction may not be the best way to get the audience’s attention.
Still, you’ll have to establish your credibility at some point — so we might as well illustrate how to do so properly.
Of course, if you’re a teacher or an educator in broader terms, you probably won’t have to prove your expertise to your audience.
However, if you’re tasked with presenting in front of neutral or hostile audiences, you’ll want to establish your qualifications as soon as possible.
If you can’t get someone else to introduce you and establish your credibility before you start your presentation, we suggest hooking the audience first and then introducing yourself right before you head into the main part of the speech.
We have come up with 3 imaginary presentation scenarios to help illustrate our points throughout this guide.
Here’s how our speakers might introduce themselves:
“Hello, everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Nick Mulder, the head of the security department. I’m here to talk to you about phishing.”
“My name is Joan Miller. As someone with over four decades of experience in marketing, I’m uniquely qualified to talk to you about how artificial intelligence is changing the future of the industry.”
“I’m Milo Green — you probably know me as being the founder of Green & Co. As someone who’s had a hand in running a successful business for over two decades, I’m here to explain how my company’s employee retention rate has never fallen below 85% in a single year.”
If these speakers started with a hook rather than an introduction, the sentences introducing the subject of their presentations would be excessive.
So far, there’s been a lot of discussion about “hooks” in this article and not many specific examples of phrases that might hook an audience — let’s change that.
The first type of hook you might want to master, especially for professional presentations, is the “promise.”
One of the experts we have spoken to, Reesa Wolf, uses that very method:
“Begin with a brief statement about the benefits of listening to [your] message. You can give an example of a company or person like them that had the issue they have and how these ideas solved it, but it still must be brief.”
In other words, start by giving them a preview of the knowledge they’ll have by the time you finish your presentation.
This method of starting a presentation is a great way to:
Ultimately, audiences are self-interested — they will listen to you if you explain what’s in it for them.
Usually, that will require you to point out a problem they are having or an opportunity they’re not taking advantage of.
To put this tip in perspective, let’s hear from our imaginary presenters:
“By the end of my talk, you’ll be able to spot phishing emails and understand the steps you need to take when you do.”
“My presentation will alleviate any worries you might have about the ways the marketing sector will need to adapt to the AI revolution.”
“During this talk, you’ll learn how your company can improve its relationship with its employees and boost its retention rate.”
One thing you should note as you are writing your presentation opening is that the first words you say will set the tone for the rest of your speech .
If offering a realistic promise to your audience suits your presentation subject — by all means, do so.
However, if you’d like to induce excitement and keep your audience’s mood elevated throughout your presentation, you might want to go for a more dramatic entrance instead.
Namely, you could start with:
Many speakers rely on these kinds of openers to establish the central theme of their presentation naturally .
After all, this method can make the speaker look more approachable and relatable , particularly if their opening line references other people (e.g. “the other day, I met someone/a coworker told me…” ).
One example of this technique comes from author, entrepreneur, and certified fraud examiner, Pamela Meyer, who famously started her TED Talk by pointing to an audience member and saying:
“Okay, now, I don’t want to alarm anybody in this room, but it’s just come to my attention that the person to your right is a liar. Also, the person to your left is a liar! Also, the person sitting in your very seat is a liar.”
The combination of starting her speech with such a shocking statement and pointing out a specific audience member makes Meyer’s TED Talk an iconic one in our books!
Now, let’s see how our imaginary speakers would apply this tip:
“1,270,883! What do you think that number signifies? If you guessed ‘the number of phishing attacks recorded in the third quarter of 2022’ — you’d be right! We have the Anti-Phishing Working Group to thank for that disturbing piece of trivia.”
“Artificial intelligence is coming for our jobs! At least, according to Chat GPT and Business Insider , people working in tech, media, law, and many other industries might want to look elsewhere for employment in the coming years.”
“When I first started my company, I did it with about 20 of my most trusted friends and advisers. I’m happy to report that all but two are still working for Green & Co. — and those two are only absent because they’ve started their own successful ventures! In any case, my wish to surround myself with high-quality people has manifested itself in the company’s high employee retention rates. Today, I’m going to tell you about how I created an environment that makes employees want to stick around.”
When in doubt, you could always start the introduction to your presentation with a quote.
As long as you don’t overuse other peoples’ words in your speeches, quotations are a completely legitimate and convenient tool for introducing the topic you’ll be discussing.
Aside from being a tried and true method of getting people’s attention without having to string together a perfect sentence on your own, quoting a particularly impressive individual is a good way to “borrow” their authority .
However, that can also be a double-edged sword , since it can also give you the individual’s notoriety. So, make sure you know whose words you’re echoing.
Of course, some people would advise you to avoid quotes altogether.
Assistant Professor of Rhetorical Communication at the State University of New York, Dr. Lee M. Pierce , cautions against starting your presentation “with quotes or long personal stories.”
Doing so might bore the audience.
Then again, Dr. Pierce also enjoys using pop culture references as openers, saying:
“By choosing a pop culture reference that most of your audience gets, you build instant rapport and have something you can use to ease them into your presentation material.”
So, perhaps there’s still a way to work a quote into your presentation, as long as it fits the mood you’re trying to establish.
If your presentation happens to be about team communication or collaboration, you may find the perfect quote to use in your introduction in one of these articles:
So, how would our three fictional speakers incorporate quotations in their opening lines? Let’s find out.
“According to Harper Reed, entrepreneur and Chief Technology Officer for Barack Obama’s re-election campaign, ‘Very smart people are often tricked by hackers, by phishing.’ So it’s not about being smart. It’s about being smarter than a hacker.’ And I’m here to help you get there.”
“Stephen Hawking once said that ‘Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately,’ he said, ‘it might also be the last, unless we know how to avoid the risks.’ I’m here to alleviate your concerns about those risks.”
“When I was developing my management style, I often referred back to one particular quote by Max DePree, founder of Herman Miller. He said, ‘The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.’ That sentiment clarified my function for me — even though I was the CEO of my company, I was primarily there to help my employees.”
If you want to make sure your audience understands what you’re talking about, you could also show the quote on the first slide of your presentation.
Using relevant, interesting statistics is another great way to introduce the topic of your presentation.
This tip could also be an excellent tool for establishing your qualifications, if you decide to share a statistic that proves the efficacy of the solution you’re presenting.
Just keep in mind that people tend to trust third-party sources more than a potentially unverifiable statistic coming from your organization’s internal research.
Let’s see how our three presenters might incorporate this tip.
“According to APWG, the number of wire transfer Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks increased by 59% in the third quarter of 2022.”
“Netflix took 3.5 years to reach a million users. Facebook took 10 months. ChatGPT, which has been dubbed the best AI chatbot ever released by New York Times, reached its first million users in only 5 days. By January 2023, over 100 million people had used the service.”
“According to the 2022 Workplace Learning Report from LinkedIn Learning, companies that enable their employees to advance internally retain employees for an average of 5.4 years. That’s nearly twice as long as companies that struggle to provide opportunities for internal mobility, where the average retention span is 2.9 years.”
And, if you wanted to go the extra mile, you could also represent the statistics you’re talking about with a visual element.
Once you start researching public speakers, you’ll find that many of them engage their audience by asking questions .
It goes back to the concept of “hooking” your audience. According to Joseph Liu:
“The best way to start a presentation is with a hook. For example, ask a question. Invite people to do something. Have your audience imagine a situation. Or, surprise them with an interesting fact.”
Indeed, most of the experts we have spoken to would confirm that questions are the best tool for increasing audience participation . As Nadia Bilchik would say:
“ I like to ask my audience a question. […] the key is to invite participation from the start. ”
With that in mind, there are 2 types of questions you can use, depending on the situation:
Either way, the questions should prompt the audience to start thinking about the subject of your lecture.
Our resident phishing expert might ask his audience one of the following questions:
“How do you protect your company from phishing attacks?”
“Let’s see a show of hands — how many of you know what phishing is?”
“Has anyone here fallen prey to a phishing attack?”
Joan Miller, the digital marketer we have envisioned, might ask:
“Who here is already using AI to conduct their business?”
“Will your company survive the AI revolution?”
“Would you rather incorporate AI into your marketing strategy or continue doing business as usual? Think carefully about this question — and use the link I’m about to send you to tell me your answers. By the end of my presentation, I’ll run this question by you again, and we’ll see how the results of the poll have changed.”
Lastly, our imaginary CEO might ask his audience:
“Does your company’s employee retention rate matter?”
“How are you making your company a desirable place to work?”
”Can anyone here tell me their company’s employee retention rate?”
If you sense that your audience isn’t in the mood to take in the kind of presentation you have prepared, you can prime them for it with humor.
Cracking a joke at the top of your presentation sets the scene for a lighthearted conversation and makes you appear confident (even if you’re not). Additionally, a well-placed joke can:
But, humor is an art form — and not everyone has the talent and skill to execute this tip effectively. If it doesn’t come naturally, there’s no need to force it.
When in doubt, take a page out of the comedian’s playbook and run your opening joke by a friend or, better yet, a more neutral acquaintance.
Of course, even if your joke works on them, you can’t always account for cultural or even professional differences that might prevent some people in the audience from getting it.
The 3 speakers we have imagined might use the following jokes to kick off their presentations:
“Can anyone tell me a hacker’s favorite season? Phishing season, of course! Unfortunately, in real life, phishing season is more of a year-round kind of thing.”
“Why are people so nice to AI? Because it’s self-conscious! Just kidding. For now… Actually, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that AI does seem to be gaining traction, particularly in the marketing industry. But, the good news is that I’m here to tell you how to navigate that situation.”
“Did you know that staff retention is more likely to be improved by offering better working conditions than by chaining employees to their desks? Much to think about!”
Most of these examples would pair wonderfully with a visual element — which brings us to our final tip!
Different speakers have different approaches when it comes to the visual aspects of their presentations.
Some rely on their speech to get most of the information across. Yet, others prefer to make their presentation slides a more integral part of their presentation.
We imagine Joseph Liu would sort himself into the latter group:
“I tend to keep my presentations as visual as possible, relying less on quotes and more on imagery.”
If you decide to let visuals do some of the heavy lifting for your presentation, there are several ways to incorporate them. Namely, you could:
The type of visuals you end up using will depend on the type of presentation you’re giving.
Either way, you’ll want to become familiar with different elements of visual communication (such as colors, shapes, fonts, and layouts) if you want to make your presentation truly memorable.
Visual communication is one of 4 types of communication. If you’re curious about what the other 3 types of communication are and how we use them in our everyday lives, check out the following article:
Going back to our 3 speakers, let’s see how they might incorporate visual elements into their presentation introductions.
“According to APWG, these are the most targeted industries for phishing scams in the third quarter of 2022.”
“The following demonstration of AI’s capabilities might change some of your outlooks on the future of marketing. I have shared my computer screen with you all, so let’s take a moment to see where this tech is at right now through a demonstration of the existing software.”
“Before I start my presentation, let’s look at a video showcasing the importance of having a high employee retention rate.”
You could also combine this tip with the others on our list , by saying something like:
Having concluded our list of tips, we wanted to see how the experts we have spoken to have put them into practice.
So, let’s start with the way they conceptualize and write their presentation starting lines.
Every memorable presentation starts with a written copy of everything you want to say.
According to Tatiana Tsoir:
“Developing a speech is a craft. I generally work first on who the audience is , then my core message I want them to walk away with, then the outline of the speech : how and when I introduce the main idea, and how I make a case for it and reiterate it throughout.”
Ultimately, the best time to write your presentation introduction would be once you have a clear idea of everything you want to say in the body and conclusion of your speech.
Even so, sticking to this advice won’t make you a better speaker immediately.
Instead, our experts have stressed that the only way to get better at presenting is through practice and repetition .
Take it from Tatiana:
“With public impactful speaking you don’t rise to the occasion, you fall back on training and practice.”
As you are drafting your presentation introduction, keep in mind that the audience is already waiting for you to get to the point.
When in doubt, follow Reesa Woolf’s formula for starting a presentation:
“Open with the attention-catching statement/story/quotation. Once they look at you, say your name and the parts of your experience and credentials that THEY would be most impressed by, at most 3 things about you.”
After delivering your opener and introducing yourself, you’ll want to quickly transition into the main part of your presentation.
As we have previously mentioned, many of the experts we have contacted stressed the importance of increasing audience engagement.
Knowing your audience is a big part of that equation, as Dr. Lee M. Pierce would testify:
“Presentations should take advantage of what makes them unique — having an audience. Engage them, [and] introduce yourself. Just don’t start with a question right away — that’s asking too much too soon.”
Then again, many of the experts we have spoken to have said that asking questions is a good way to invite audience participation.
For example, Nadia Bilchik would even engage her audiences on a more physical level:
“I like to ask my audience a thought-provoking question. This gets them from passive to active mode. I also always get my audience to stand up and do a breathing exercise.”
Nadia also provided us with an example of an audience interaction she might use in the introduction of her speaking engagements. For example, she might ask the audience:
“ How do you rate your ability to present information in a concise, clear, and confident manner? High, medium, or low?”
After receiving her answers by a show of hands or even an online poll, she connects the response to the topic of her presentation by stating:
“Wherever you are on the spectrum, in the next X minutes, I will share tips and techniques to ensure you have a greater impact every time you communicate to an audience of one or 100!”
That’s a textbook opener you can use to introduce the topics of your own presentation, too!
Remember, nothing is stopping you from combining the tips we have mentioned throughout this guide to create a presentation introduction that is wholly unique to you.
If you’re unsure how to do that, let’s analyze a professional speaker’s technique.
Mark Beal told us about a presentation opening he’s created for his lectures:
“I start each of my Gen Z keynote presentations by physically walking off the stage and into the audience and asking a series of Gen Z trivia questions.
For those who answer the questions directly, I reward them with a copy of my latest Gen Z book. By taking this proactive approach, I physically engage the audience immediately not from the podium but in their seats.
My presentation instantly transforms from a one-way monologue into a two-way conversation and the audience begins to learn about my topic, Gen Z, in a fun and informative way.”
Can you connect the strategies Mark has used with the tips we have discussed? Let’s list them:
When you start researching famous speakers to prepare for your presentation, try dissecting the strategies they’re using.
As you have seen above, it is crucial to conceptualize and think of your presentation’s starting lines.
To check if everything is fine, you can reach out to your colleagues via direct messages or dedicated channels and ask them for their opinions.
Your colleagues might provide some useful tips that will help you further improve your presentation in threads , just below your message or post.
As Dr Lee M. Pearce pinpoints, having the right audience for the presentation is important. Hence, we recommend scheduling a video call so your closest colleagues and invited guests can see your new presentation and its opening lines, and provide suggestions, if necessary.
Of course, Pumble also comes in handy when it comes to holding presentations — thanks to its screen sharing feature that allows you to present to the entire meeting.
Finally, Pumble has an unlimited message history , so every message or file you have sent will forever stay in your message history. That might come in handy if you ever have to work on a similar presentation in the future.
Secure, real-time communication for professionals.
Olga Milicevic is a communication researcher and author dedicated to making your professional life a bit easier. She believes that everyone should have the tools necessary to respond to their coworkers’ requests and communicate their own professional needs clearly and kindly.
START COLLABORATING
with Pumble
Learn everything you wanted to know about communication — from the first vocalization to modern-era apps.
Learn how to improve employee performance, increase productivity, and motivate your team with practical tips to propel your business to success.
Top bad communication habits: 1. Lack of communication 2. Lack of active listening 3. Not answering questions 4. Cutting people off 5. Invalidating others.
Learn how to build a top-notch knowledge base with tips for organizing, searching, and sharing information to enhance your team’s efficiency.
Learn how effective communication methods can help you manage your growing team.
Here’s what to consider when evaluating school communication tools.
Improve collaboration and cut down on emails by moving your team communication to Pumble.
Back to blog home.
By Paola Pascual on November 29, 2021
Giving professional presentations is a fundamental skill to succeed in any global business environment, regardless of your role. And the beginning of your presentation, together with the end of your presentation , might be the most important part of your speech. It can also be the most awkward part, too. In this post, you will learn an easy-to-apply yet effective framework to start your next presentation.
The reason why the beginning and the end are so important is called the Primacy and Recency Effects, which means that people remember the beginning and end best.
Also read: 21 Helpful Tips For Remarkable and Outstanding Presentation Skills
Soft start. Depending on the nature of your presentation, you may be able to do a soft start before actually kicking off your presentation. You can have some small talk with the audience before politely transitioning into your hard start. These few initial minutes will help you engage those who arrived early and allow a brief time for latecomers.
Hard start. Your hard start is your ‘official’ introduction, where you welcome everyone, introduce the people involved and the topic at hand, and transition to the body of your presentation.
Welcome everyone and thank them for attending your presentation. If you feel comfortable, use a hook or a catchy opening to capture the audience’s attention right off the bat . You can use a surprising stat, a famous quote, or a rhetorical question.
When you introduce yourself, establish credibility by describing your relevant experience, responsibilities, and accomplishments. Why should we listen to you?
Make a clear and general statement to explain what benefit the audience will gain from your presentation (this refers back to your WHAT and your WHY, which we covered in our previous lesson).
Use signposting language to tell the audience where you are going and what they can expect next. Use a segue or transition phrase to move smoothly to whatever follows without pause.
Think about your next presentation and use this framework to draft the first few minutes of your presentation and paste it in the comments. Make sure you include all the sections and employ a variety of phrases!
This article works as supporting material for our podcast episode on how to start a presentation effectively. You can read the transcript below. Make sure y ou check out all our other Talaera Talks episodes and subscri be to get new episode alerts.
Continue improving your communication skills for professional situations with our free resources . If you are serious about improving your business English skills, get in touch with Talaera . We will help you take your professional English communication skills to the next level.
For any additional information or questions, you can also reach out at [email protected] . Stay in the loop with events, offers, and business English resources: Subscribe to our newsletter .
More resources on presentation skills:
If you are learning English, including new English words and expressions will help you with effective communication. Remember to check out our other episodes on how to make small talk, how to deliver engaging presentations, how to speak English fluently, and many more: visit the podcast website . Listen to it on your favorite platform.
Intro Welcome to Talaera Talks , the business English communication podcast for non-native professionals. My name is Paola and I am co-hosting this show with Simon. In this podcast, we’re going to be covering communication advice and tips to help express yourself with confidence in English in professional settings. So we hope you enjoy the show!
0:24 Welcome to a new Talaera Bit. This is Paola and, in this episode, you will learn an effective way to start your presentation.
0:32 Now, why the start? Well, it turns out the beginning, the start of your presentation, together with the conclusion, are the most important parts of your presentation. And this is due to what’s called the Primacy and Recency effects. Don’t worry, you don’t need to remember the names. But it means that people remember the beginning and the end, best. So today, this is what we will cover –the different parts of the introduction or how to start your presentation so that everyone’s listening to you and actually wanting to hear.
1:11 Depending on the nature of your presentation, you may be able to start or to do like a soft start before actually kicking off your presentation. Here’s where you have a little bit of small talk with the audience before politely transitioning into your heart start. So these few initial minutes where you get to talk a little bit with the audience will help you engage with those who arrived early, but also allow a brief time for late commerce. So that’s a bit the first few minutes a soft start with small talk.
1:51 And then you do have the hard start, which is your official introduction. And I usually this is the part where we will focus on today. And I usually divide this hard start into four small sections, where you welcome everyone you introduce the people involved, and also the topic at hand, and then you transition to the body of your presentation. So let’s have a look at each of those four sections and make sure you pay attention to all the phrases I’m going to provide.
2:25 Alright, so we said the first section is the welcome. Here’s where you welcome everyone and thank them for attending your presentation or talk. And if you feel comfortable, you can also use a hook, which is like a catchy opening to capture the audience’s attention right off the bat. You can use like a surprising stat or a famous quote or a rhetorical question. And here are some phrases you can use for this welcome or first section: “Hi, everyone, thank you so much for joining us today and welcome to the session”, or “In the 30 minutes that it will take me to give this presentation, 7000 businesses in the US will close down”. That’s a bit like a surprising stat, right? Or like a famous quote, as I said, “Somebody once said, ‘A brand is a promise’, but what happens when that promise is broken?” So now you have the first section, the welcome.
3:25 Now you move on to the people involved. This is when you introduce yourself, or perhaps even your co hosts if there are any. And here is where you establish credibility by describing your relevant experience, your responsibilities, your accomplishments, why should we listen to you, here’s where you have to provide the evidence or reasons. And you can use phrases like just the simple ones such as, “My name is Susan and I’m part of the design team here at Globex corporation”, or something like “I was fortunate enough to be part of the team at Globex that developed the original Datatronic 2000”. Or here’s another phrase, “In my 15 years in Silicon Valley, I learned quite a bit about managing risk, and I learned the hard way”.
4:19 So you have number one, the welcome, number two, you introduce the people involved (and if there’s someone else giving the talk or co hosting with you, make sure you introduce them as well), and number three, you can introduce the topic. And here you need to make a clear and general statement to explain what benefit –and I cannot highlight this enough– the benefit that the audience will gain from your presentation. What is your presentation about and why should they listen to it? And here are some phrases: “Today I’d like to talk about…” or “The main goal of this presentation is…” or “What is I hope you’ll get from this afternoon session is a clear idea of how CRM works”. Or “By the end of this morning’s talk, you will know how to say no and feel good about it”. Whatever benefit they will get, make sure you tell them in this heart start.
5:19 And the very last bit is the transition to the main point. Here you can use signposting language, which is what you use to tell the audience where you’re going, and what they can expect next. Something like “Alright, let’s dive right in!” Or “Shall we get the ball rolling?”, or “Great, let’s get down to it”.
5:40 So those are the different parts of the beginning of your presentation. Remember, starting with a soft start is a nice way to engage people at the beginning and allow a little bit of time for those who are late. And then with your hard start, you have the welcome (“Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us today”). Number two, you introduce the people involved, then you introduce the topic, giving them a clear benefit of your presentation. And number four, you transition to the main point. And that’s it, I hope you’re able to use all these phrases and tips and I look forward to our next episode.
And that’s all we have for you today. We hope you enjoyed it, and remember to subscribe to Talaera Talks . We’ll be back soon with more! And visit our website at https://talaera.com for more valuable content on business English. You can also request a free consultation on the best ways for you and your team to improve your communication skills. So have a great day and keep learning!
Share this with a friend:
WONDERFUL Post.thank you share..more wait .. 😉 ?
When I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new feedback are added together- checkbox and presently every time a post is added I have found four emails with the same comment. Is without question any come to remove me from that service? Thanks!
I was more than happy to find this net-site. I desired to thank you this glorious learn!! I undoubtedly loved each measure of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
I?m impressed, I have to say. Actually hardly ever do I encounter blog that?s each educative and entertaining, and get to understand, you’ve gotten hit the nail found on the head. Your concept is outstanding; the problem is something that not enough people are talking intelligently about. I’m gratified that I stumbled throughout this aspect my seek for one thing referring to this.
Good post. I be taught one thing tougher on different blogs everyday. It will without a doubt be stimulating you just read content material from multiple writers and apply a bit about store. I?d should use some with your unique content for my blog whether or not you don?t mind. Natually I?ll get a link on your net blog. With thanks sharing.
Very great post I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to mention that I have really enjoyedsurfing around your weblog posts In any case I will be subscribing to your feed and I hopeyou write again very soon!
I discovered your website web site on the search engines and check a couple of your early posts Maintain on the excellent operate I merely additional your Feed to my MSN News Reader Looking for forward to reading much more of your stuff at a later time!…
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Contact [email protected]
Made with ❤️ in New York City — Talaera © 2017–2024
Public Speaking . 8 Min. Read . By: Devon Brown
W hen it comes to giving a speech, whether you’re a public speaker or trying to pitch an idea to a boardroom, the hardest part tends to be the start of it.
So much hangs on your ability to start your speech and grab the listener’s attention immediately. If you take a few minutes to really get to the good stuff, the audience is already drifting off and thinking about other things. It really does impact your entire speech for better or worse.
If you’re struggling to come up with an effective and powerful introduction for your speech, I have 13 tips on how to start a presentation that is going to get you over that initial hurdle and grab your audience’s attention immediately.
W.I.I.F.M. stands for “What’s In It For Me?” This is, more often than not, the primary thought on your audiences mind.
They don’t care where you’re from…
They don’t care how many years you were in school…
They don’t care how many awards you’ve won.
OK, maybe I’m being a little dramatic. After all, social proof is important. But the point I’m making is that the primary thing anyone in an audience cares about how you being in front of them is going to benefit THEM .
I’m not saying that the audience is mean or shallow, I’m simply acknowledging human nature. And if we understand that what they really want to know is how you being on stage will improve their life, then that’s an opportunity to introduce yourself in a way that lets them know what’s in it for them.
So, when you’re opening your speech, as opposed to saying….
“My name is so and so and I achieved (insert big result here) in only 3 years”…
Instead say…
“My name is so and so and I achieved (insert big result here) in only 3 years, and I’m going to show you the shortcut to making it happen for yourself in less time than I did!”
See how that works?
We took your intro and we made it about what THEY’RE going to get out of it!
You know that you’re nervous before giving a speech. I don’t blame you! You’re about to talk to a large crowd. However, your audience might be a little anxious, as well. They don’t know you, and they don’t know what to expect.
A great way to get comfortable with each other more quickly is to start with an Ice Breaker.
Some example Icebreakers could include:
I think you get the idea.
The point is that ice breakers are a great way to overcome nerves and start a speech.
This opening to a speech is so frequently used that it’s almost cliché. However, there’s a reason for that. It works!
Take some time to think about the end goal of your speech.
What are you trying to convince people of?
Are you trying to sell the latest advancement in technology? If so, maybe start with a quote about the future and how bright it can be.
Or maybe your speech is about helping people get back on their feet. If this is the case, a quote about overcoming adversity is a good start.
Find a quote that resonates with that theme and goal and open your speech with a bang.
For most speeches, opening with a statistic can be very impactful.
Let’s say you’re trying to pitch an idea for a revolutionary new communication device. You might open with a statistic covering the number of emergency calls that don’t reach law enforcement fast enough. Something that naturally latches onto the audience’s emotions and shows that the topic is something they need to listen to.
A good conversation is much more than just rambling in the audience's general direction. It's a back-and-forth effort.
You can help pull the audience in by
simply asking them a question.
You can help pull the audience in by simply asking them a question. Using my previous example for statistics, maybe you’d opt to ask the audience how many times they had to call the police in the last year, and then you could go into how many people did the same thing without the call going through.
This engages the audience and makes your presentation more than just a speech. It’s a conversation; even though it’s impractical to engage everyone one-on-one.
Story is one of the most powerful tools a speaker can use. And if you’re giving a particularly emotional presentations, it can work wonders.
The best event emcees open the conversation with a personal anecdote or a story about a first-hand experience. The best wedding toasts tell stories of the bride or groom. The beast motivational speakers consistently use story to drive home a point.
Well… story does a few things.
First, it humanizes you or your topic. When you use story, you're more than just some person presenting an idea.
Next, and more importantly, story takes your listener on a journey. This “hooks” your audience and compels them to listen and be attentive.
Bottom line, story rocks!
This is a strategy often used in marketing. Every product or idea is typically designed with a particular problem in mind. Few things are just pulled out of thin air for the sole purpose of existing. The problem is called a “pain point”. This is what is causing problems in your target audience’s life. If you open by explaining the problem you’re trying to solve, you connect the audience to the conversation and show them that you know what they’re going through. This is the perfect way to present whatever it is you’re pushing as the solution.
This is another popular tip on how to start a presentation that borders on cliché but is extremely effective . You open your presentation by asking the audience to think about something. For example, imagine you’re trying to revolutionize how cities are laid out to accommodate better public transportation and walking paths. You might ask the audience to imagine being able to casually hop on an electric scooter at any point in their journey, not have to deal with cars and get to their destination twice as fast. When you ask your audience to paint a mental picture, they’re engaging more parts of their brain. This, in turn, makes them more open, receptive, and attentive.
This is one that is frequently leveraged by teachers. When students are rowdy, not paying attention, or otherwise not prepared to participate, the teacher will stand silently and make eye contact . The students expect the teacher to talk, get curious, and pay attention. You can use the same exact to ensure all eyes are on you at the start of the presentation. You draw all the attention to yourself, and you don’t have to worry about anyone not paying attention. However, it can backfire . You’re not trying to get the attention of rowdy kids. You’re trying to make an impact on people who willingly came to listen to you. So don’t go overboard with this one.
With proper planning and material acquisition, you can open your presentation with a bang just by presenting a stunning visual that highlights the topic . This grabs the audience’s attention, gives you an easy way to start talking by explaining it, and it conveys a lot of information non-verbally.
Of course, few things engage an audience more than actually showing them how something works. You can open your presentation with a demonstration if the presentation is related to a product or something similar that has a real-world counterpart you can show off.
This is harder to do with some topics, though.
When you get up on that stage, you have a whole lifetime of experiences and choices that got you to that point. In some situations, telling that story to explain why you’re so passionate about the topic at hand is powerful.
For example, there are public speakers who are former convicts. Many of their speeches open with the story of their life, the hard times that came from certain decisions, how they turned it all around, and what made them want to start giving speeches.
It’s not appropriate all the time, but it can be powerful when it is a good option!
Finally, in a world with increasingly short attention spans, opening with a video can be a great option. As long as the information depicted in the video is relevant, high-intensity, and enthusiastic, this can be a great way to instantly grab the audience’s attention, convey a lot of information, and give you an easy bridge to start speaking.
If you found these tips on how to start a presentation useful, make sure to check out the world’s most complete public speaking course and become the best public speaker in virtually any room you walk into.
If you want to know how to be the best public speaker in virtually any room you walk into, check out the world's most complete public speaking course below.
Read Next: How To Overcome The Fear Of Public Speaking– Ultimate Guide
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Devon Brown (“Duh-Von” not “Dev-in”) is a speaker, author, entrepreneur, former hip-hop dancer, and World's #1 Event Emcee. Once described as a sort-of ‘MC Hammer meets Tony Robbins’; his style is 50% education, 50% entertainment, and 100% must-experience. Be sure to connect with Devon on social media.
How to start a speech or presentation: 7 examples that hook your audience from the get-go., how to be a great emcee: 5 qualities event hosts must possess, master the art of impromptu speaking: 2 essential techniques for event hosts & public speakers, how to write a professional emcee opening script in 10 minutes: the wave framework, free gift << | >>.
Session expired
Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.
This Free Report Shows You How To Eliminate Stage Fright In Just 30 Seconds
Google Slides
How do you grab your audience’s attention the moment you step into the spotlight? The opening moments of a presentation can make or break its success.
Studies show that people will assess your credibility by observing your body language and vocal traits, forming opinions about your proficiency within half a minute. This emphasizes the importance of not only your message but also your delivery.
But how does one confidently open a presentation speech? Don’t worry we got you covered! There are many ways to build a great ‘first impression.’
In this blog, you’ll learn how to start a presentation that will impress your audience and keep them hooked till the end.
Before we deep dive into effective steps and tips on how to open a presentation, let’s first understand why is it important.
The opening of a presentation is like the gateway that sets the tone and captures the audience’s attention. It’s the first impression that can either spark curiosity or cause disinterest. Think of it as opening a novel – a compelling start keeps the reader engaged, while a dull one makes them put the book down.
For instance, a presentation on climate change could kick off with a shocking statistic about the rapid melting of polar ice caps, instantly grabbing the audience’s attention and highlighting the urgency of the topic. A presentation on cybersecurity could begin with a personal experience of a cyber attack, creating an instant connection with the audience and demonstrating your firsthand knowledge of the topic.
Furthermore, the opening gives you a chance to establish credibility. If you start your presentation with well-researched facts or an interesting question, you instantly show your expertise on the topic. You can also include some personal experiences or a story related to the topic. This gives your audience a strong reason to listen to you.
Launching your presentation with impact is the key to capturing your audience’s attention and setting the stage for success. In order to help you prepare for your winning moment, let us take you through 14 effective strategies to begin your presentation speech confidently.
Whether you’re aiming to inspire, inform, or persuade, these proven methods will help you create a compelling opening that leaves a lasting impression on your audience!
1. tell a personal anecdote.
Share an engaging and relatable personal story that establishes a connection with the topic. Like, if you are presenting on the topic of overcoming fear and obstacles, you could start with something like: “A few years ago, I faced a significant challenge that completely changed my perspective. They taught me valuable lessons about resilience and determination. Allow me to share this experience with you…”
Start your presentation with a story that people can easily relate to. It could be something that happened to you, something you read in the news, or even a conversation you had with a friend. This kind of story helps you connect with the audience on a personal level and makes them interested in what you have to say. By talking about a common experience or something that might be on their minds, you’ll grab their attention and get them ready to hear more about the topic you’re presenting.
Begin with an impactful quote that touches on the emotional aspect of your topic. If your presentation is about empathy, you could use examples from children’s moral storybooks. You can use examples from public figures. This will allow your audience to feel in a certain way and allow you to connect more with them.
Allowing your audience to engage right from the start is always a good start to a presentation. You can start with a thought-provoking question like, “ What do you think will happen in the field of marketing in the coming 10 years?”. This will allow you to open up right from the beginning and be receptive to various viewpoints. Additionally, it will also make way for further discussion on the topic.
When giving a presentation, it’s important to create the right atmosphere. Discuss the subject and include facts and figures to engage your audience. For example, if you’re talking about email marketing, you can make an opening statement like, “Did you know there are 4.2 billion email users globally?”.
Begin with a bold statement that sparks debate. For a presentation on social issues, you might say, “Today, I’m going to challenge our perceptions of equality.” This will not only pique your audience’s attention but also allow them to broaden their perspective and participate.
Ditch the boring bullet points and hook your audience from the first second with a powerful image or video. This could be a thought-provoking photo, a statistic visualized in a creative way, or a short, attention-grabbing video clip. The key is to choose something visually stunning and directly related to your presentation’s theme. A well-chosen image or video can spark emotions, create a lasting impression, and prime the audience to be receptive to your message.
Introduce a physical object or prop that symbolizes your message. For instance, for a presentation on leadership, you could hold up a captain’s hat and say, “Today, we’re setting sail on a remarkable journey where leadership becomes the guiding star, inspiring and empowering others to chart their own course and navigate through uncharted territories of success and growth.” This might come off as funny, but this sure is a good way to capture your audience’s interest.
To create anticipation and focus, it can be especially powerful to allow a brief moment of silence. This technique is particularly effective when addressing a serious or reflective topic. Taking this pause can help to build an atmosphere that encourages deep thought and engagement from the audience.
Create presentation slides with AI in Seconds in Google Slides
10M+ Installs
Works with Google Slides
10. introduce yourself concisely.
Briefly introduce yourself to establish credibility. Start with a friendly greeting and your name. If it’s relevant to your presentation, you can mention your job title or company affiliation. Then, quickly touch on one or two key qualifications that make you the right person to deliver this information. This could be past experience with the topic, specific achievements, or a relevant educational background. Keep it concise – the focus should be on grabbing attention, not reciting your resume.
Begin with a fascinating and lesser-known fact that captures attention. If you’re presenting about space exploration, start with, “The Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, is now in interstellar space, billions of miles away from Earth. This incredible spacecraft, with its golden record carrying sounds and images representing humanity, serves as a testament to our curiosity and our relentless pursuit of understanding the vast mysteries of the universe.”
Let your enthusiasm for the topic shine through! Briefly explain why this subject matters to you. Did you overcome a challenge related to it? Are you excited about its potential impact? Sharing your personal connection shows the audience you’re invested in the information and not just delivering dry facts. This will not only make you a more engaging speaker, but it can also convince the audience that the topic is worth their time and attention.
Don’t leave your audience guessing about the value of your presentation. Briefly outline the key takeaways they can expect. Mention the skills they’ll develop, the problems they’ll learn to solve, or the knowledge they’ll gain. This transparency sets expectations and gets listeners invested in what you have to share. They’ll be more engaged knowing exactly how this presentation can benefit them in the long run.
Use a quote from an unexpected or unconventional source. For a presentation on innovation or change, you might quote a famous musician like Bob Dylan: “The times they are a-changin’, and so should we.” Opening with a lighter tone will allow you to connect with your audience a little better.
15. manage expectations.
Set the stage for a smooth and successful presentation by letting your audience know upfront how long it will take. Briefly mention the approximate length – for example, “Today’s presentation will take about 15 minutes” or “I plan to cover this topic in roughly 30 minutes.” This sets expectations for their time commitment and allows them to adjust their focus accordingly. It also demonstrates respect for their busy schedules and helps you stay on track during your talk.
Use descriptive language to create a mental image related to your topic. Paint a picture with your words. If you’re discussing environmental conservation, start with, “Imagine standing in a lush rainforest, surrounded by vibrant biodiversity. The emerald leaves of tall trees rustle in the gentle breeze while the symphony of birdsong fills the air. Sunlight filters through the dense canopy, casting ethereal rays on the lush forest floor, where colorful flowers bloom, and small creatures scuttle about, adding to the tapestry of life.”
Make a reference to a current pop culture phenomenon or trending topic. For a presentation on business marketing, start with, “In the age of Instagram and TikTok, marketing is evolving at the speed of a viral video.” Additionally, you can also use videos, GIFs, and visual elements to make your references a bit more colorful and engaging.
Share a mysterious or intriguing statement that makes your audience want to know more. Suppose you’re presenting a new software or solution that has the potential to solve an important issue with a bigger ROI. In this case, you can start with something like – “In the next 15 minutes, I’ll share a secret that could change how you solve problems”.
19. start with enthusiasm.
Breathe life into your presentation from the very first word. Project enthusiasm in your voice and body language. A bright smile, confident posture, and a clear, energetic tone instantly set a positive atmosphere. This initial burst of energy grabs the audience’s attention and lets them know you’re passionate about the topic. By demonstrating your own excitement, you’ll set the stage for an engaging and informative presentation that your audience will enjoy.
Making eye contact is a powerful way to connect with your audience during a presentation. It shows confidence, sincerity, and keeps your listeners engaged. Imagine a conversation – you wouldn’t talk to someone while looking down at your shoes, presenting is similar. Make eye contact with different parts of the room throughout your talk, not just focusing on one person or area. This simple act will hold your audience’s attention and make them feel like you’re speaking directly to them.
Jokes can be a great way to break the ice, but they need to be used carefully. A funny story might make your audience smile and feel comfortable, but a bad joke can have the opposite effect. It’s better to focus on building a real connection with the people listening. You could share a funny thing that happened to you while learning about the topic, or make a lighthearted comment related to what you’ll be talking about. The most important thing is for the humor to feel natural and to support your presentation, not take away from it.
During a presentation, it’s vital to get your audience involved and encourage active participation. You can do this by asking them to raise their hands, shout out answers, or respond to a relevant prompt related to the topic you’re discussing. This helps create an interactive and inclusive environment that promotes open communication and engagement from your listeners.
Compare your topic to something unexpected. For a presentation on creativity, you might say, “Creativity is like a spark that ignites innovation. Just like striking a match sets off a chain reaction of flickering flames, creativity fuels the fire of ideas, illuminating new possibilities and propelling progress.”
1. insufficient preparation.
Often, presentations suffer because speakers haven’t prepared enough. Preparation involves paying attention to both personal and professional aspects of the presentation. Personal elements include body language, voice, and appearance. Professional aspects include researching the subject, organizing the content, and preparing visuals. So, whether your presentation lasts for five minutes, five hours, or five days, it’s important to take the time to prepare well.
Imagine this: Your presentation is about to start, but when you arrive at the venue, you realize the projector won’t work with your laptop. All the slides you spent hours creating are now useless. It’s a disaster!
To avoid such situations, make sure to familiarize yourself with the venue and equipment at least once before your presentation. This way, you can troubleshoot any technical issues beforehand and have a backup plan in case something goes wrong. While some problems may be out of your control, being prepared can help you handle them calmly and effectively.
Sometimes, speakers can get so caught up in their presentations that they forget about what their audience needs.
To start off your presentation, give your audience a heads-up about what’s coming. Let them know what topics you’ll cover first if you’ll take breaks, and when they can ask questions.
Doing this upfront helps your audience know what to expect, so they can relax and focus on your presentation.
The beginning of your presentation is a great chance to grab your audience’s attention and keep them interested. But some presenters miss this important step and jump straight into the content without getting them curious. Try to start with something interesting—a question that makes them think, a surprising fact, or something that makes them wonder. A good opening is like the key that gets your audience interested in the rest of your presentation.
When giving a presentation, it’s important to make sure the content matches your audience’s understanding.
Take time to research your audience’s background and what they hope to gain from your presentation. Avoid using too much technical language that might confuse them, but also don’t talk down to them.
Try to see things from their perspective and engage with them individually to gauge their knowledge. Tailoring your presentation based on this feedback helps build a connection with each audience member, making them more likely to pay attention.
Remember, your audience can read on their own, so don’t just read from your slides.
Challenge yourself to keep slide text to a minimum, using visuals to enhance understanding instead. This encourages discussion and shows your expertise as a presenter.
Ensuring your presentation visuals are effective is important for delivering a successful presentation.
We’ve all seen slides that don’t quite hit the mark – whether they’re too flashy, hard to read, or just too crowded. The best visuals are clear and consistent.
When picking colors, think about where you’ll be presenting. Dark backgrounds with light text are good for darker rooms, while light backgrounds with dark text work better in well-lit spaces.
Choose your images carefully. Good-quality graphics can make complex ideas clearer, but low-quality ones can make your presentation look unprofessional. Keep things simple – too much clutter can confuse your audience. And try not to go overboard with animations – they can end up being more distracting than helpful.
As mentioned earlier, you must keep it simple when it comes to text. Don’t cram too much onto your slides. Stick to three or four words per bullet point, with no more than three bullets per slide.
And don’t try to make up for it by adding more slides. Aim for 10 slides or fewer in a 30-minute presentation. Review each slide carefully and ask yourself if it really adds something important to your presentation. If not, take it out.
Even though we talk to each other every day, speaking in front of a group can be challenging and takes practice.
If nerves cause you to talk too quickly during your presentation, your audience might miss important points. Try taking a moment to collect yourself if you start speaking too fast. Take deep breaths and speak slowly and clearly.
A common mistake is standing in one spot for the entire presentation.
Some presenters prefer to stay behind a podium, but consider moving around the stage like successful speakers such as Steve Jobs did. Also, pay attention to your hand movements – they can help express your emotions. Just make sure your gestures feel natural and avoid being overly dramatic unless you’re trying to add humor.
In presentations, it’s important to maintain eye contact with your audience. It helps create a connection and keeps people engaged.
In smaller groups, try to look at each person in the eye from time to time to show that you’re paying attention and interested in what they have to say.
In bigger groups, focusing on people’s foreheads can still give the impression of engagement without feeling too intense. This way, everyone feels like you’re speaking directly to them.
1. Crafting Your Introduction
SlidesAI simplifies the process of creating your presentation introduction by turning your initial ideas or outlines into polished text. From engaging hooks to relevant statistics, SlidesAI can generate attention-grabbing content tailored to your specific topic and style.
2. Enhancing Visual Appeal
If you’re struggling to find the right images or videos for your opening, SlidesAI can help by searching the web for suitable options that match your content. These visuals can be customized further to fit your branding or presentation theme, ensuring a cohesive look.
3. Ensuring Credibility
It’s essential to maintain credibility when including statistics or facts in your introduction. SlidesAI can assist by helping you find reputable citations for any external data or research you reference. This feature adds authenticity to your content and builds trust with your audience.
4. Optimizing Slide Design
SlidesAI makes slide formatting easier, allowing you to create visually appealing presentations effortlessly. By using its auto-formatting features, you can ensure that your slides are both attractive and easy to follow. This saves time on formatting and lets you focus on your presentation’s content.
In essence, SlidesAI can be a valuable tool to streamline the presentation creation process, specifically for crafting an impactful introduction for your presentation. It can help you generate content, find visuals, and format your slides, all while saving you precious time.
Don’t settle for boring slides. Try SlidesAI now and see the difference.
What should i say when starting a presentation.
Greet your audience well when starting a presentation. Start with a warm welcome note. Then, introduce yourself, talk about the topic, and set the tone for the rest of the presentation.
Creating a presentation is quite easy and simple. You can use Google Slides for one. You can also use tools like SlidesAI to help you optimize it better. With unique features, SlidesAI integrates seamlessly with your Google Workspace. You don’t need any separate applications to run. Just download the SlidesAI extension and start creating slides on your desktop as well as on your phone.
Feeling nervous at the start of a presentation is common. Here are some tips to help you feel more relaxed:
Keep your introduction brief, around 1 to 3 minutes. This will help you grab attention and set the stage for the rest of your talk.
While knowing your opening can be helpful, it’s more important to understand the key points and deliver them naturally. This will make your presentation sound more genuine and allow you to adapt if needed.
Slides can be a good addition to your introduction, but use them sparingly. Avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information at the beginning.
Provide a clear and concise outline of what’s coming next. This will help your audience understand how the topics connect.
Of course! Humor can be a great way to connect with your audience and make your presentation more interesting. Just make sure it’s appropriate for the situation and relevant to your topic.
Don’t worry about it too much and don’t apologize excessively. Briefly acknowledge the mistake and then keep going with confidence. Most people won’t even notice minor slip-ups. Focus on delivering your message clearly and confidently.
Taking on the role of conference presenter gives teachers a chance to learn their content more deeply and improve their speaking skills.
Have you ever attended a session at a conference and wondered if you could be a presenter too? If so, what’s holding you back? Perhaps it’s nerves—although educators are professional public speakers, it can be nerve-racking to speak to a room full of adults. Or maybe you’re not sure how to get started or what to say. There are so many creative strategies, methods, lessons, and ideas happening in classrooms everywhere—consider getting out there and sharing your expertise.
I first presented at a small math conference as a new teacher as part of a summer professional development (PD) course. Obviously, I was nervous, but the nerves turned to excitement as my subsequent presentation submissions began to be accepted at larger and more renowned conferences. My excitement comes from sharing strategies and activities that worked in my classroom with fellow teachers. Now, I am eager to submit a proposal for any conference my school’s PD budget can fund (typically I am approved to attend one conference every couple of years).
At the latest conference that I attended, I presented about thinking tasks in a math classroom and asked several educators who also present at conferences to share their advice for those who may want to start on their presenter journey. No matter your title, years of experience, or previous speaking experience, you have valuable knowledge and ideas to share with other educators.
“Start small,” says Elliot Beck, a high school math teacher in Tucson, Arizona. “What is one thing you are excited or passionate about in your practice that you’d like to share? Team up with a buddy. The presenting experience is so much more fun when you are with a trusted colleague, and the workload is shared.”
Additionally, I asked educators who present to share the advantages of being a presenter.
While there are advantages to being a presenter, there are also some disadvantages.
“Our district does not always have funding, so we have had to pay out of pocket for some conferences,” says Devan Smith, a math coach in Virginia Beach, Virginia. “The cost can sometimes be difficult for public educators to fund themselves. Being away from my family for short periods of time is difficult for me, so those seeking to present will want to consider the impact on their personal lives as well.”
If you think you’re ready to step up and be a presenter, you may be wondering how to get started. Think back to a conference that you have attended and enjoyed. If you’d consider attending again, check the organization’s website for a “call for submissions.” This call usually goes out several months before the event.
Often you can present for a variety of different session types. I suggest starting with a short session in the beginning. One of my first presentations was at a roundtable discussion in which five to 10 participants gathered to hear my presentation in 15-minute rotations. It was an ideal setup for me as a new presenter.
More educators share their tips on getting started:
The next time you are thinking about attending a conference, check out the call for submissions section of their website. It takes only a small amount of time to submit a proposal. You don’t have anything to lose by submitting. You might be a bit nervous at first, but consider the impact you can make for educators and students far and wide.
Creating a well-structured ppt is crucial to effectively communicate your message and engage your audience. Like academic writing, a ppt should have a clear introduction, a detailed body, and a compelling conclusion. The introduction sets the stage by establishing the purpose and framework of your talk. The body delves into the important points, supported by data and anecdotes, while the conclusion summarizes your key messages and emphasizes their significance.
Before structuring your ppt, consider the aim, audience, and key takeaways. Determine whether your audience is knowledgeable about the topic, how much interaction you desire, and any time constraints. Understanding these factors will help you in choosing an appropriate format. For instance, if your audience is new to the topic, start with the basics and use clear visual aids. If presenting to experts, demonstrate your expertise early on.
Additionally, think about the venue and setting. Whether you’re in a small room or a large auditorium, the environment can impact your slide ppt. Consider the technical setup, the size of your audience, and the mode of delivery—whether in-person, virtual, or pre-recorded.
Finally, ensure your format and presentation flow logically. Even the best presentation format can confuse your audience if it’s disorganized. A well-organized framework helps maintain their attention and enhances their understanding. Tailor your content presentation example to the audience’s needs and the presentation’s goals, and conclude with a clear call to action, ensuring your message resonates and inspires your audience to take the next steps.
In this article, we will explore how to structure a presentation, how to write a presentation, important things in doing a presentation, how to start a presentation example, and PowerPoint samples.
Key Takeaways
A well-structured ppt is key to delivering a clear and impactful message. If you’ve ever left a slideshow feeling inspired or informed, it’s likely because the speaker organized their content in a logical and simple way. This framework helps the audience follow along and remember the key points.
Research shows that people remember structured information 40% better than unstructured information. This means that a good ppt template framework not only benefits the audience but also helps the presenter. It keeps you calm, on topic, and prevents awkward silences.
Without a clear format, your audience might struggle to follow your slide ppt. This can lead to missed opportunities, failed communication, and even damage to your reputation. Different ppt goals require different ways. For instance, persuading an audience needs a different approach than demonstrating a product.
Consider your presentation’s purpose and your audience’s needs when deciding on a framework. If your audience is unfamiliar with the topic, provide more background information. For more experienced listeners, focus on reinforcing your primary points. By tailoring your format to your goals and audience, you’ll make a more effective and engaging slide ppt.
Creative introduction slides are vital for capturing your audience’s attention and setting the stage for what’s to come. Begin by introducing yourself and explaining your expertise in brief. This helps establish credibility and builds a connection with your audience.
Next, aim to grab your audience’s interest. You can do this by telling a story, using humor, or sharing a surprising fact. You might also comment on a current event related to your topic, ask a rhetorical question, or use a quotation. The goal is to engage your audience from the very beginning.
Once you have their attention, provide some context or background information on your topic. This helps frame your slide ppt and prepares the audience for your key message. Examples of the introduction slides for PowerPoint include clearly stating the purpose of your talk with phrases like, “Today I would like to discuss…” or “I will argue that…”. If necessary, limit the scope of your ppt to keep it focused.
Frame the skeleton of your talk to guide your audience. One good example of a PowerPoint presentation would be to say, “My slide ppt is based on three main points. First, I will discuss… Second, I will cover… Finally, I will address…”. This helps the audience follow your argument and understand the flow of a presentation.
Additionally, explain the practical details such as the length of your talk, whether you prefer questions during or after the slide ppt, and if you’ll provide handouts.
The first slides of a presentation should capture interest, provide context, clearly state your purpose, and detail the framework of your ppt. By doing this, you set the stage for a compelling and well-organized talk.
The body of your ppt is where you support your main message with clear and logical points. Each key point should be discussed in an organized manner, making sure to explain how they relate to one another and to your overall message.
Start by defining and explaining any necessary concepts and terms before using them. This ensures your audience can follow along without confusion. Use examples to illustrate your points effectively.
The body needs to fulfill the promises you made in your introduction. Clearly segment your topics and address them one by one. Organize your points in a way that makes sense for your slide ppt—whether by priority, theme, or chronology. Each point should be backed by evidence, such as data, facts, statistics, images, diagrams, stories, or quotes from experts.
Remember to provide mini summaries before moving to the next point. This helps reinforce your message and ensures your audience can follow your logic. Use verbal cues to signal transitions, like “Turning to the next point…” or “Another important consideration is…”. This keeps your ppt clear and easy to follow.
Limit the number of main points to three to five, as too many can overwhelm your audience. Use the chunking principle to group related information, making it easier to understand and remember. Always stick to your prepared topics and avoid straying off-topic.
By following these guidelines, you’ll create a coherent and engaging body for your slide ppt, helping your audience grasp and retain your key messages.
In conclusion, it’s essential to signal that you’ve reached the end of your presentation. You might say, “In conclusion,” or “I’d like to finish by…”. This lets your audience know the end is near and helps them refocus.
Summarize the salient points you covered. Remind your audience of the significance of the topic and the aims of your talk, showing how you have met these aims. For example, restate the topic and purpose, such as, “In this speech, I aimed to compare…”.
Reinforce your messages by summarizing the main points and their implications. This helps clarify the overall purpose of your talk. Highlight what you want your audience to take away or the actions you hope they will take next. A compelling story, quote, or call to action can be very effective here.
Thank your audience for their attention and invite them to comment or ask questions. This shows appreciation and encourages engagement, making your conclusion memorable and impactful.
Demonstration.
A demonstration format is perfect when you have something valuable to show, such as a new product or service. This approach is commonly used to illustrate how a product works, famously employed by Steve Jobs in his presentations.
Start by explaining why your product is valuable. What makes it stand out? Highlight the problem it solves and why it’s necessary for your audience. This establishes the product’s relevance and piques interest.
Next, move on to the demonstration. Show your product in action, emphasizing its key features and benefits. Ensure your demonstration is clear and that everything works smoothly. Point out important aspects and provide tips that can help your audience assimilate the product better. Show them the results to reinforce your points.
Keep your sample presentation outline template simple. Focus on a few crucial features rather than overwhelming your audience with too many details. This approach makes your ppt more powerful and memorable. Leave your audience with a good understanding of your product and a desire to learn more.
End with useful information that solidifies their understanding and curiosity. By demonstrating the product effectively, you support your initial claims and leave a lasting impression.
Organizing your ppt as a story can be powerful, and one popular framework is “The Hero’s Journey.” This storytelling framework, developed by Joseph Campbell and adapted by Christopher Vogler, guides the audience through an adventure, crisis, and transformation. Here’s how you can use it:
Act 1 — The Ordinary World
Start by setting the stage. Introduce your audience to a familiar world where everything seems average, but a problem is brewing beneath the surface. The goal here is to make the audience aware of an issue they hadn’t noticed before. They might be skeptical at first, but this is crucial for engaging them.
Act 2 — The Special World
Now, dive into the challenge. Present the problem that needs solving, and share your insights and tools. This is where the confrontation happens. The audience faces obstacles and setbacks, but through your guidance, they start to see glimmers of hope and new ways to tackle the issue.
Act 3 — Return to the Ordinary World
In the final act, bring the audience back to their world, transformed by the journey. They’ve gained new knowledge and skills, and they’re ready to apply these insights to their own lives. This is the resolution, where you wrap up with an unforgettable lesson that leaves the audience inspired and equipped to move forward.
Using “The Hero’s Journey” in your slide ppt not only keeps the audience engaged but also makes your message more memorable. By framing them as the hero of the story, you ensure they feel involved and invested in the outcome. This storytelling method is ideal for any ppt, whether it’s about a company’s growth, a personal story, or a broader inspirational message.
In structuring a successful ppt, clarity and organization are key. A slide ppt should start with a clear introduction that sets the stage, outlining the purpose and main points. This is followed by a detailed body where the main ideas are supported with data and anecdotes. Finally, a compelling conclusion summarizes the key messages and underscores their importance.
Understanding your audience is crucial. Tailor your presentation checklist based on their familiarity with the topic, desired level of interaction, and any time constraints. If your audience is new to the topic, use simple explanations and visual aids. For more knowledgeable audiences, establish your expertise early on. Consider the setting as well, whether it’s a small room or a large auditorium, as this can affect the delivery.
A well-structured ppt not only keeps the audience engaged but also helps them retain the information. Research indicates that structured information is remembered 40% better than unstructured information. This organization also benefits the speaker, ensuring a smooth flow and reducing the chances of awkward pauses.
In conclusion, always aim for a logical flow in your ppt. Summarize key points and end with a clear call to action. This approach ensures your message resonates with your audience and inspires them to take the next steps. A structured layout of a presentation, tailored to your audience, is a powerful tool for effective communication.
1. Why is a well-structured ppt important?
A well-structured ppt is crucial because it helps you convey your message with clarity and keeps your audience engaged. It starts with a clear introduction to set the stage, followed by a detailed body that explores your main points, and ends with a compelling conclusion. This framework ensures your audience understands and remembers your key messages.
2. How should I start structuring my presentation?
Begin by understanding your audience and their knowledge level on the topic. Tailor your content accordingly and decide on the level of interaction you want. Lay out the objective and format of your talk clearly in the introduction. This helps your audience follow along and prepares them for what’s to come.
3. What should I consider about the venue and setting?
Consider the venue size, technical setup, and mode of delivery—whether it’s in-person, virtual, or pre-recorded. Tweak the style and contents of the presentation to fit the environment to ensure effective communication with your audience.
4. How can a structured presentation benefit both the audience and the speaker?
Structured information is easier for the audience to remember—research shows they retain it 40% better. For the speaker, it reduces confusion, keeps the ppt on track, and enhances overall delivery. A clear framework ensures your message resonates and encourages action from your audience.
Unlock the full potential of your presentations with Prezentium’s AI-powered services. Whether you need a stunning overnight ppt, expert-crafted designs, or immersive training workshops, Prezentium is here to help. Our team combines business acumen, visual design, and data science to craft presentations that not only inform but inspire.
A well-structured presentation is crucial for success. At Prezentium, we understand the importance of a clear introduction, an engaging body, and a compelling conclusion. Our services ensure your ppt flows logically, keeping your audience engaged and enhancing their understanding. With Prezentium, you can tailor your content to your audience’s needs and deliver your message with confidence.
Don’t let a poorly structured presentation hold you back. Partner with Prezentium to transform your ideas into powerful presentations that resonate and drive action. Contact us today to see how we can help you achieve ppt success.
Why wait? Avail a complimentary 1-on-1 session with our presentation expert. See how other enterprise leaders are creating impactful presentations with us.
4 types of communication styles, how to make an engaging medical presentation: a comprehensive guide.
IMAGES
COMMENTS
19. "I'm honored to present to you this comprehensive look into…". 20. "Without further ado, let's get started on a journey through…". 21. "Thank you for carving time out of your day to join me for this presentation on…". 22. "It's wonderful to see such an engaged audience ready to tackle the topic of…". 23.
Learn how to start a presentation in English with a clear and concise introduction. Follow the 3-step outline: introduce yourself, state the purpose, and give a short overview of the presentation.
4. Keep it short and sweet. While it's important not to rush through the start of your presentation, keeping your opening concise is equally important. But remember, concise does not mean sacrificing substance; it simply means delivering information efficiently.
Learn how to use linking phrases to structure and signal your presentation in English. Find 52 phrases for introduction, main body, ending, listing, sequencing, and more.
Learn how to start a presentation with a bang and captivate your audience from the get-go. Discover 15 creative ways to kick off your talk, from asking a question to sharing a fact, and get tips on design, structure and delivery.
1 Make a provocative statement. "I want to discuss with you this afternoonwhy you're going to fail to have a great career." One surefire way to get your audience's attention is to make a provocative statement that creates interest and a keen desire to know more about what you have to say. The presentation above, for example, does just that by ...
Learn how to start a presentation in English with useful phrases and tips. Find out the general structure of a presentation and how to engage your audience with interactive elements.
Begin with a powerful vision statement that encapsulates the essence and ambition of your business. This could be a glimpse into the future that your company is striving to create. For example, "At the heart of our company lies a vision to revolutionize sustainable energy for generations to come."
Learn seven strategies to plan, organize and deliver a presentation in English with confidence. Find out how to know your audience, use stories and visual aids, and practice your presentation skills.
Learn how to start a presentation in English with a formula that includes welcoming your audience, capturing their attention, identifying your goal or topic, and outlining your presentation. Get tips and examples for each step and a free checklist to prepare your presentation.
Part 1: Premise, Objective, and Goal Part 2: Argument and Background InformationPart 3: Expected Result and Resolution (others.) In summary of the whole presentation, the topic leaves a remarkable ending. How to Start Business Presentation and Other Samples. For all entrepreneurs, this portion is for you.
Improve your business English skills with this advanced lesson on 37 vital phrases for presentations in English. Learn how to confidently start, summarise, a...
Here is the list of effective presentation openers. 7 Dynamic Ways to Start Your Next Presentation. Give Your Presentation Summary and Conclusion First. Start the Presentation with a Compelling Story. Use a Startling Statistic to Start a Presentation. A Funny or Motivational Quote or One-Liner. Start with an Opinion Asking Question.
Learn how to start a presentation effectively with tips and examples. Find out how to introduce yourself, your topic, its relevance, a story or a statement to capture your audience's interest.
How to Organize Information When You Present in English. Here is a very simple way to think about the organization of your presentation. In this example, we'll imagine a 15-20 minute presentation with 3 Key Points: Key Point 1: Supporting detail 1. Supporting detail 2. Supporting detail 3.
Effective - successful in producing a desired or intended result. Springboard - springboard is also something that provides an opportunity to achieve something. Handout - a document given to students or reporters that contains information about a particular subject. Q&A - an abbreviation for 'question and answer'.
Tip #5: Go for the drama. One thing you should note as you are writing your presentation opening is that the first words you say will set the tone for the rest of your speech. If offering a realistic promise to your audience suits your presentation subject — by all means, do so.
Number two, you introduce the people involved, then you introduce the topic, giving them a clear benefit of your presentation. And number four, you transition to the main point. And that's it, I hope you're able to use all these phrases and tips and I look forward to our next episode. 6:21.
Learn how to open your talk or presentation in English with stories, questions, hooks, and quotes. Find out how to engage and capture your audience's attention with a solid formula and examples.
10: Use Visuals. With proper planning and material acquisition, you can open your presentation with a bang just by presenting a stunning visual that highlights the topic. This grabs the audience's attention, gives you an easy way to start talking by explaining it, and it conveys a lot of information non-verbally.
6. Start with a Controversial Statement. Begin with a bold statement that sparks debate. For a presentation on social issues, you might say, "Today, I'm going to challenge our perceptions of equality.". This will not only pique your audience's attention but also allow them to broaden their perspective and participate.
Highlighting information during your talk. When you are giving a presentation in English, you might want to highlight a particular piece of information or something that's important. You can use phrases such as 'Let's focus on …', 'I want to highlight …', 'Pay attention to …', 'Let's look at …', 'I want to ...
Often you can present for a variety of different session types. I suggest starting with a short session in the beginning. One of my first presentations was at a roundtable discussion in which five to 10 participants gathered to hear my presentation in 15-minute rotations. It was an ideal setup for me as a new presenter.
A well-organized framework helps maintain their attention and enhances their understanding. Tailor your content presentation example to the audience's needs and the presentation's goals, and conclude with a clear call to action, ensuring your message resonates and inspires your audience to take the next steps.