Ways of Beginning a Speech
When you begin your presentation, you want the audience to feel interested and invested in what you have to share. The more interested you get them right off the bat, the more they are going to pay attention throughout the rest of the presentation. This can be done in a multitude of ways, but it is important to remember to keep your introduction relatively short; wordy introductions can lose your audience before you actually get to the speech itself. It is also important to remember that whatever opening line you choose, you must connect it to the content of your speech.
The Opening
There are many ways to start a speech before segueing into an introduction: beginning with a quote, statistic, personal story, or even opening with humor are all good options, but only if used correctly. So be careful, because humor is only funny when it is told right, and humor can sometimes do more harm than good. Be sure to avoid all sexual, religious, and racial topics if you open with humor. It doesn't matter if you open with a statistic, quote, or sharing a personal story; just be aware that what you choose must be directly related to the main point of the speech.
So how will you begin your speech or presentation? Will you start with a quote, statistic, personal story, a joke, or an overview?
Opening with a quotation
The use of quotations is a tried-and-true way of introducing a subject...if done correctly. Here is an example of an opening making use of a quote from Albert Einstein: "After the nuclear bombs were dropped during World War II, the leading creator of this destructive force said, 'I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. ' Albert Einstein stated this after finally seeing the bombs' full power; for he knew that he very well may have had a hand in the end of the world. "
Opening with a statistic
Startling statistics might draw the attention of your audience. The following examples concerns modern incarceration rates: "By the end of 2004, 724 out of every 100,000 U.S. residents were incarcerated. The United States of America has the highest jailing rate in the entire world. "
Opening with a personal anecdote
Sharing a personal experience is an effective, but risky, way of opening a presentation. Use this option only if it's the right fit for your audience.
If you are presenting to a group of Video Game Design students at your school on the topic of fun game play elements, you might use a personal experience like this: "A few years ago, everybody was talking about how awesome this new game was and how sweet the graphics were. So, I did what any gamer would do--drove directly to the store, picked up a copy, brought it home, and popped it into my Xbox. My excitement heightened as the game loaded and the intro sequence played. When the game started, I was absolutely astonished...at how bad the game play was. The game looked cool, but all you did was run around and hit the enemies in the head with a sword over and over again. That game was not fun; let's make a game that's fun. "
Opening with humor
Using a joke to start a presentation is often a good idea, as long as it is appropriate. Also, try to make the joke pertain to the subject you are presenting. Here is an example that you might use when doing a presentation on football: "Anyone who makes a bad call against the Detroit Lions risks ticking off their last remaining fan."
Opening with an overview
If the presentation is more formal, you may want to give a simple, structured overview of the main topics you will cover in your speech. Using an overview as an opening would be a good choice if you are unsure how your audience will react to a joke or a startling statistic.
Your overview should contain a brief introduction of your topic; an explanation of the relevance of the topic to your audience; a forecast of the organization for your presentation; and possibly some background information, if necessary.
Here is an example: "Today, I will be discussing college dropouts. I will be going over the current rate of dropouts, as well as the many common factors that affect these rates. I will also talk about the reasons to stay in college, including that college is a place where you can gain better knowledge, memorable life experiences, and the skills to earn greater pay in the future. "
If you've chosen to open with one of the other opening techniques, then an overview should always follow. While there may be rare individual speeches that do not benefit from an overview, there is no form of speech that isn't improved by this method of welcoming and preparing the audience for what follows.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech is one of the most historic and powerful speeches in history. He began with a story: "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. " With this opening, he captured his audience's attention, and the rest is history.