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By Virginia Avery
He was a student in my follow-up course on how to make
presentations - and took to heart what I said about making an
audience-grabbing opening. In the next class, he opened his
presentation by lighting - and completely burning - a $20 bill!
Yes, he grabbed us. Unfortunately, his opening
was so startling that no one remembered much else about the speech. By
contrast, too many presenters slide into a speech with "Good
morning. "Thank you for inviting me" - giving notice that
the audience can go ahead and take a mental vacation.
People remember the first 30 seconds of your
presentation. That's when their interest is highest. So come out
punching by using one of the following techniques:
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Ask a question. It can
be a rhetorical question or one that elicits a response. For
example: "You've written a great book, but will people buy
it?"
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Give a statistic that
will interest them: "The average American gains four to seven
pounds during the holidays. Today, you will learn how not to be
one of them."
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Take them back to
another time: "Fourscore and seven years ago."
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Tell a personal story.
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Use humor - not a joke,
just something to make them smile: "I've always been short,
but today I'll be brief." Whichever technique you use, be
certain your audience knows your topic and point-of-view within
the first 30 seconds.
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