This chapter will show you how to get the audience’s attention and interest right from the start and establish rapport with them.

In this chapter: 

getting attention and developing interest
establishing rapport
being credible
how not to open
being humorous
seven ways to open
tips for closing

Getting Attention And Developinginterest

When you stand in front of an audience you have five seconds to get their attention and thirty seconds to develop interest and curiosity. How you open is critical to the success of your presentation. In those opening words you must hook your audience, establish rapport, set the mood, demonstrate your credibility and introduce your topic. Yes, all this in seconds. You cannot afford to waste a moment or ‘wing’ your opening.

Your opening is your way of ‘shaking hands’ and building a relationship with your audience. They need to feel good to be meeting you and they need to know you have something useful to say. The opening is less about opening your presentation and more about opening up your audience, so they will be receptive to you and your message.

You cannot afford to make a bad entrance. Otherwise you will waste an opportunity you just won’t get again. So hook them with your first sentence. Leave it till the second or third sentence and it will be too late.

What is the likely impact of this opening?

Your opening words must be imaginative, stimulating and attention getting – like those movie posters enticing you to come in to watch the film. This can be followed by your overview – the route map for your presentation. There is no need to give lots of details at this point, just the juicy bits to excite and entice the audience. Like the film-maker, you can also use speed, action, drama, emotion and humour.

Establishing Rapport

Establish rapport with your audience. Let them know you understand how they are thinking and feeling. For example:

Being Credible

Your credibility is likely to be less to do with your academic qualifications and professional experiences and more to do with having a strong posture, quality eye contact and being enthused about your message.

What To Avoid

Apologising

You may have been asked at the last moment. It may be your first-ever presentation. Never, never, never appeal to the sympathy of your audience:

These openings are unhelpful and will undermine your credibility.

Being Humorous

One in every one hundred people is good at telling humorous stories, but ten in every one hundred think they are. If you are that one, cultivate this gift and use it. If you are not then beware – your audience may not thank you.

Seven Ways To Open

1. Emphasising The Benefits To The Audience

Talk people not subject. People buy outcomes not products.

Emphasise what your audience will gain by listening to you:

is likely to be far more appealing than:

2. Telling A Story

Stories, especially those of human interest, are generally welcomed by audiences. Make sure your stories are aligned with your objectives and key points, otherwise you risk appearing disjointed.

3. Introducing Interesting Facts

Begin with an interesting fact that relates to your material. For example:

4. Arousing Curiosity

Rhetorical questions that demand an answer in your listeners’ heads can be a good way to fire the imagination. For example:

5. Shocking Your Audience

6. Using Props

Perhaps the easiest way to hold attention is to hold something up for people to look at. For example, hold up a credit card and say:

7. Making Topical References

Making reference to a news item, a TV programme or a business issue can be useful as long as they are relevant to your topic and everyone knows what you are talking about.

Your opening words set the tone for your presentation. A shock opening might be great if your want your audience to take action but not if you want them to be relaxed and have some gentle fun. Select your opening to match your objective and remember that no two audiences will react in the same way to the same material.