The first 30 seconds

Last month, we talked about the best way to start a talk - even before you speak your first words. Which led to a great question from one of my readers:

"Can you give us some tips on how to phrase the start of the presentation? This is always a challenge for me."

First, let me tell you what NOT to say, if you can help it:

"Hello, my name is XX and today I'm going to talk to you about...".

We'll call this the 'usual start'. Although it's the most common way to begin a presentation, there are more powerful ways to do it.

The trick is to grab your audience's attention in the first 30 seconds of your presentation. When you do, you're more likely to keep their attention for the rest of it. That's 30 seconds that you do not want to waste.

Of course you do need to introduce yourself and your topic, but avoid leading with it.

Instead, catch them off guard.

In presentations, you can easily engage (and even impress) your audience simply by doing something different to what they expect to see or hear. It catches them off guard and piques their curiosity. In this case, all you need to do is ditch the usual start (which they expect) for something more interesting.

So what should you say instead?

The goal is to engage the audience right from the get-go. Below, I've listed some "starter strategies" to capture attention. You can even combine them for further impact.

1. Ask a question

2. Answer WIIFM

3. Tell a story

4. Provide context

5. Make a striking statement

6. Share a quote

7. Establish rapport

8. Incorporate humour
   

It's up to you to choose a strategy (or more) that suits your audience, subject, style and setting. Keep reading for more info and examples.

1. Ask a question

Get the audience involved with a question. When used at the very start, it's best to ask something straightforward that the audience is likely to answer:

"How many of you have heard the term Soapbox?" - show of hands
"Can anyone tell me what a Soapbox is?" - one or many answers

2. Answer WIIFM

Your audience always want to know "What's in it for me? Why should I bother listening?" Every introduction should answer this question - so consider beginning with it:

"I'm going to show you how to wow your audience and hook them in within the first 30 seconds of your talk."

Notice how that's different from: "Today I'm going to talk to you about different ways that you can start your presentation."

The first phrase includes the audience benefit (WIIFM) while the second only states the topic.

If you feel most comfortable with the usual start, then this is the best way to do it. Including WIIFM changes a dull start to an exciting one:

"Hi, my name is Asma and today I'm going to show you how to wow your audience and hook them in within the first 30 seconds of your talk."

3. Tell a story

Human beings are programmed to listen to (and remember) stories, we're wired that way. Not only do they grab attention, they can also help you get your point across. Depending on time, you can either tell a whole story, or even just a snippet which you continue later. This pro technique can add a serious wow factor.

"I want to tell you about a presentation that I bombed."

Even a short anecdote works great:

 "A few days ago, I was speaking to a colleague..." 

Admit it, you already want to know what happened!

4. Provide context

We often do this at some point in our presentation, so try opening with it. It almost resembles a mini story...therefore more engaging than the usual start.

"6 months ago we were tasked with..."
"Recently, it was brought to my attention that..."

5. Make a striking statement

Make people go 'whoa' or 'huh, that's interesting'. You can do this by sharing a fact, statistic or a statement like the one below. Email me if you're curious. 😉

"90/20/8"

6. Share a quote

Why think of the right words when you can use someone else's?! Quotes create impact - and interest.

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has occurred." - Henry Ford

7. Establish rapport

The audience is more likely to listen to you if they feel they can connect with you in some way. This really comes down to knowing your audience and finding common ground between you. Consider their work, priorities, interests, background, location, etc. A few that I've used:

"It's great to be in Ottawa today, this is where I grew up."
If presenting to an audience in another country, welcome them in their language.

8. Incorporate humour

In the words of Herbert Gardner, a stand-up comic, "Once you get people laughing, they're listening, and you can tell them almost anything." Of course, it can be tricky to incorporate humour, especially in a professional setting, but you can certainly pull it off. Remember, you don't need your audience laughing hysterically, even a smile will do the trick. To make it easier, consider how you can combine humour with another starter strategy.

Question:
"How many of you have ever sat through a boring presentation?"
This gets all hands up - and some chuckles!

Quote:
"You can't tell people everything you know because no one cares."
- Karen Friedman

WIIFM:
"I'm going to show you how to make one million dollars. Nah, I'm just kidding, but now that I've got your attention...!"
- A student in my workshop

A note about welcome and thanks

While I don't consider this a strategy per se, I do recognise that it's often the most natural (and nice) way to start a presentation. After all, it does project warmth as well as respect for your audience. It's up to you if you want to begin with this or include it later in your intro. But if you do start with it, be careful to keep it extremely brief then move quickly to a strategy listed above.

In fact, the same can be said for the usual start. If you decide to use it, then just follow up with something more engaging.

Remember, the first 30 seconds are important. So start strong!