12 KILLER SPEECH OPENERS

Yawn!… “Good afternoon. Thank you for coming to my presentation. Today I would like to talk about ….. “

How boring is the above speech opener?…And how would you feel if you were sitting in the audience?The only thing that could make this speech more boring, more dis-engaging, would be to couple it with some text-heavy slides the presenter reads to you.Here are 12 killer speech openers you can use right now to display confidence and make your speech more engaging.

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“I have a secret.”Why this works: It’s makes an irresistible promise that audience can’t ignore.

“Who likes ….. ?”Why this works: The question begs to be answered so the audience pays attention.

“Have you ever wondered why ….. ?”Why this works: Empathizes with the audience, eg. Have you ever wondered why you have to spend so much time writing your TPE reports?

“Here’s why you’re wasting your time on…” Why this works: Shocks the audience to attention with the fear they are using their time for something unnecessary.

“This is what … will look like next year. ” Why this works: Change, or the threat of change, gets attention.

“Here’s how I make my wife/husband very, very angry…”Why this works: The promise of an interesting story is irresistible.

“My massive business/meeting/presentation/social/….. mistake was ….. ”Why this works: Engagement through the implicit promise of success by avoiding failure.

“These are the 3 warning signs you need to ….. ” Why this works: Am I okay? Do I have any of the warning signs? I must listen! I must pay attention!

“I have a confession to make.”Why this works: Curiosity killed the cat and engaged the audience.

“Like you, I’m aware that our business has challenges it needs to face.”Why this works: Involves the audience, empathizes, and indicates this is not going to be a lecture.

“Please remember this keyword…”Why this works: You have opened a loop the audience can’t disengage from. They need to know why they must remember.

“This is the only time you’ll hear this from me…”Why this works: Feels like a secret or gossip. The audience will remember this line and remain alert and engaged.

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