Episode #264: Opening Our Presentation (Part One)

First impressions are now down to seven seconds or less. Our opening begins from the moment we are introduced, even before we get up on stage or move to the center of the stage. We must walk briskly, confidently and elegantly to our speaking position. I remember seeing US President Biden on television, walking very swiftly to convey he was still dynamic, despite the years and the grey hair. He was trying to control a narrative about his suitability to be the US President. He understood the power of first impression. As speakers we must understand the speech starts well before the speech. What we write for the event information and what we hand over to the MC to read about us on stage, all are setting up a first impression. The conversations we have with the attendees before we speak are all building a first impression.

What we do on stage is important. If there is a logistical change over of laptops or files, try to get someone else to do that, so that you can straight into your opening. We are wasting valuable “first impression” seconds with our head down looking at the laptop screen, rather than looking at the audience. We need to be able to move straight to the center of the stage and get going with our well designed opening. We have to be able to stay the hands of the restless in the audience to not go for their smart phones and disappear into the world of the internet.

The first words out of our mouth have to grab the attention of the audience, so we must raise the vocal strength of our opening, to break through the mental distraction of our audience members. We should walk to center stage and then purposely pause slightly before we begin. This raises the anticipation level of the audience and quietens any chatting that may be going on in the background. How can we start, what should we say, how do we do it – let’s explore some techniques.

The captivating statement technique uses three methods to get the audience engaged:

1. This is where we can try to make complex subjects more easily understood by comparing two things, which have no natural connection, with each other. For example, “Launching a strategic initiative, is like driving a car. Learning to drive a car looks easy, but in fact is quite complicated. Launching this new strategic initiative looks easy on paper, but we need to expect it will require a lot of good preparation in order for it to be successful”. We open with the analogy statement and then explain the analogy to make the point clear for the audience.

2. We use this to grab attention by introducing a pattern interrupt with our audience. We provide some information which is not only new, but potentially shocking. For example, “The latest statistics are clear - we are running out of young people in Japan. If we don’t get busy planning to win the war for talent, we will go out of business”. This will get everyone’s attention. People are vaguely aware that we are seeing a decline in the population in Japan, but here we are connecting it to the very survival of the organisation.

3. Good news. This relaying of some good news will lift the positive feelings of the audience for the talk to come. We mention some industry statistics or consumer trends or R&D breakthrough news. There is always a lot of doom and gloom in business, so going the other direction is also a great way to grab attention. They are now anticipating this will be a valuable talk.

The question technique has three aspects:

1. Gain information. We can ask a real question which requires an answer by having the audience raise their hands. This gets audience involvement, which is good, but we shouldn’t overdo it.

2. Get participation. Raising hands, calling out answers, getting people to stand are all good physical actions to have the audience feel part of the talk. Again, don’t overdo it.

3. Create agreement on a need or interest. We could also ask a rhetorical question which doesn’t require an answer from the audience, because we are going to supply the answer. This allows us to get everyone engaged with their thoughts on the topic. We ask it in such a way that it is easy for the audience to agree with.

The opening has to be planned carefully. We only have one shot to make a good first impression and this is where we do that. We will continue in the next episode with other techniques we use to open our talk.

Find out how we can become better storytellers to persuade our audiences!