Captivate every audience with a great story with a message.
You have 30 seconds to command the attention of your audience. Don’t waste it!
Certain speech openings captivate, mystify, and create an emotional bond that keeps an audience in the palm of the speaker’s hand. What would you give to learn those essential opening moves? Those great ways to bond instantly with an audience so that you never see them dozing off or wandering out of the room?
Here are three sure-fire ways to start, whether you are a sales trainer, keynote speaker, business presenter, or any business professional who speaks in front of a group or would like to. It does not matter if your audience is in a board room, Zoom meeting, training center, or There is no right or wrong way to open, and these techniques are not presented in any preferred order. The best way to start depends on your style and the purpose of your message.
In today’s fast-paced world, capturing your audience’s attention is only half the battle.
The real challenge is to make your message stick, deliver it powerfully, and convert that engagement into successful sales. That’s where I come in.
Why Memorable Messages Matter
As you know from your own experience, the average person is exposed to thousands of messages every day—ads, emails, social media updates, and the list goes on. What sets your message apart? Specificity and relatability are crucial. Instead of generic platitudes, aim for targeted messages that resonate.
To create a memorable message, focus on:
Relevance: Tie your message to the needs and pain points of your audience or prospect.
Emotion: Stir feelings; people remember what made them feel, more than what they read.
Novelty: Offer a fresh perspective or innovative solution that differentiates you. I tell my clients, “If you sound the same are everyone else, you have no advantage.”
Your ability to engage an audience is more than just a technique; it’s a disciplined approach that weaves together various elements to create a captivating experience.
Have you ever marveled at the energy that surges through a room when a speaker begins with just the right words? A room full of individuals, each one different, yet all captivated by the magic that unfolds in those first precious moments of a speech. For decades I have invested time exploring the ideas, formulas, and disciplines behind crafting the perfect presentation. The first 30 seconds of your presentation are not just a beginning; they’re a journey, an invitation, a challenge.
In my recent book with Darren LaCroix and Mark Brown, “Deliver Unforgettable Presentations,” we delve into the different techniques that you can incorporate to make your opening powerful, persuasive, and unique. The possibilities are endless, and here are some suggestions that will intrigue and engage your audience right from the start.
A Story: Share a tale of triumph, mentorship, or personal growth. Audiences love stories. Your story can be that spark that ignites their imagination and connects them with you. What is deeply personal is also universal.
Interesting Statistics or Little-Known Facts: Begin with something unexpected. “Would it amaze you to know that 90% of speakers miss the opportunity to captivate their audience in the first minute?” That’s right; a little surprise can go a long way. The true secret of using an interesting statistic or little-known fact is to add an emotion. Interest, surprise, shock, or amaze.
A Powerful Quotation: A well-chosen quote can resonate deeply with your audience. Share wisdom from someone who has influenced you and tie it to your point rather than a well-known quote. For example, from one of my presentations…” As my father pushed me out the front door for my first day of work he told me, “Patricia, in our career do not concentrate on making a lot of money. Rather work to become the type of person others want to do business with and you most likely will make a lot of money.”
A Question: Engage directly by asking something like, “How often have you struggled oh capture your audience’s attention?” Notice how often, not just have you. If the situation you mention has happened more than once, they need your advice more. Questions will help the audience reflect on their experiences and engage with your message.
A Challenge: Set a tone of aspiration by challenging your audience. “I challenge you to embrace the techniques we’ll explore to become a more compelling communicator.” A challenge is expected at the end of your presentation however you can also begin with a challenge for your audience to take action, give them information to be in a position to take action, and restate your challenge near the close.
Rehearsal is the secret sauce to a memorable presentation that will leave your audience buzzing with excitement and wanting more!
Don’t even think about skipping this crucial step – it’s the ultimate key to unlocking your full potential as a speaker.
Step 1: Embrace the Power of Rehearsals
Once you’ve fine-tuned your talk, it’s showtime! Stand up, take a deep breath, and start rehearsing like a true professional. Read your talk out loud, paying close attention to your timing and emphasis. This will help you deliver your points with passion and conviction, leaving your audience hanging on your every word.
If you do not have a complete script do have your first few lines scripted and a strong outline that you use to rehearse what you intend to say.
Step 2: Ditch the Monotone and Connect with Your Audience
Tell me what you say you want. Show me one week of your life and I will tell you if you will get it.
Every day is a good time to challenge everything you do, expand your thinking, refocus your efforts, and dedicate yourself to your future. If you haven’t done this already this year, why not do it today?
Adopt thesefive practices to reach your career goals:
5 Ways to Get The Professional Life You Want
1. Take advantage of every opportunity.
Before I became a Hall of Fame keynote speaker and in-demand executive speech coach, I began my career as a 15-year-old shampoo girl in a very ritzy salon in England. As I said on 60 Minutes, “I used to work on the outside of peoples’ heads, now I work on the inside, so there’s only half an inch difference.”
How did I transition into my second exciting career? By preparing for, learning from others, and seizing every opportunity that came my way.
Building an extraordinary relationship with your audience is vital for the success of your presentation. This relationship hinges on two crucial elements: intellectual and emotional connection. While logic engages your audience’s thinking, it is emotion that motivates them to take action.
The intellectual connection stems from the content you present and the logical reasoning you employ to make your case.
When you utilize charts, statistics, and survey results, you establish an intellectual bond with your audience.
For you to establish an emotional connection, on the other hand, is relatively easier.
The most effective way to achieve this is by using “you-focused” language, creating a balanced “I-You ratio.” Pay attention to how frequently you say “I” compared to “you” or “us.”
As you may know, my brother Robert Fripp played on David Bowie’s Heroes.
In our presentations on How to Be a Hero For More Than One Day, I ask Robert questions and he gives brilliant and thoughtful answers.
PF How do we become a hero?
Robert Fripp talks about the 3 types of heroes.
RF Practice!
We practice acts of heroism. Two approaches: the extensive & the intensive approaches.
The extensive: the hero does what is possible for them – plus 10%. This gradually extends the parameters of our competence.
We begin with what is possible and move gradually towards the impossible.
The intensive: to undertake an act of quality.
A third approach is extensive-intensive: we undertake acts of quality on a regular basis.
PF What is an act of quality?
RF An act of quality follows the injunction: honor necessity, honor sufficiency.
Honor necessity is the Rule of Quality.
Honor sufficiency is the Rule of Quantity.
When we honor necessity, we do what is required of us; regardless of like and dislike, and personal interest.
When we honor sufficiency, we use the right amount of the right kind of energy necessary to do the job, to discharge the function.
We address the economy, ecology, and efficiency of the energy supply: the quality, quantity & intensity of energy needed to do the job.
The aim is to do as little as possible, and as much as is necessary.
Attention. In practice, an act of quality is governed by the quality of our attention. So, an important part of practicing acts of quality is practicing attention.
PF Why is an act of quality important?
RFBecause this is how we transform our sorry world, one small act at a time.
The first principle is: Quality is ungovernable by number.
So, a small act of quality is as big as a big act of quality.
In the Gospels, we have the Parable of The Widow’s Mite. In the World of Quantity, her donation was worthless. In the World of Quality, she gave all that she had.
The second principle is: Quality spreads.
An act of quality moves out and into the world, and has effect in ways we’ll never know. We will never see the results & repercussions of an act of quality; although we may be confident that Right Action will have Just Consequences.
When you deliver a presentation, have a conversation with senior management, or network in your professional community do you sound intelligent, powerful, polished, articulate, and confident?
To sound more intelligent:
Pace your words, speaking just a bit more slowly to allow yourself time to select the most appropriate vocabulary and to give the impression of thoughtfulness.
Robert Fripp & Patricia Fripp delivering a keynote on How to Be a Hero for More Than One Day
As you may know, my brother Robert Fripp played on David Bowie’s Heroes. In our presentations on How to Be a Hero ForMore Than One Day, I ask Robert questions and he gives brilliant and thoughtful answers.
As one ordinary hero to another, I hope you find this as thoughtful and brilliant as I do.
PF What does it mean to be a hero?
RF The hero aspires to three things:
the clarity to see what is required of them;
the courage to accept what is required of them;
the capacity to discharge what is required of them. Clarity, courage, capacity.
Three categories of heroes:
the unlikely, or occasional, hero;
the everyday, or ordinary, hero;
the superhero. The occasional (or unlikely) hero is one who responds honorably to an unlikely & unexpected event: they rise to an occasion, to a challenge, when it presents itself.
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ng this crucial step – it’s the ultimate key to unlocking your full potential as a speaker.
