Impactful Openings!

The WHYs and the HOWs

"Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack. It sounds scary. Well I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D." TED TALK by RIC ELIAS 

Admit it... you want to know what happened next, don't you? 

Part of reason you want to hear more is because of the shocking subject matter (a plane crash!) but Ric Elias is also using some public speaking devices to engage you, the listener. I'm talking about mental projection, the rule of three, anecdote, onomatopoeia and even a little understatement. In six sentences he's used five devices! 

Guess what? It's easy to use those devices yourself!

But... WHY?!

What's the point in having an impactful introduction? Why can't you stand-up in front of your audience and tell them, in plain terms, what you're going to talk about. "In this speech I'm going to talk to you about...". The truth is you could, if you wanted to, but it's kind of boring, isn't it?

The best introductions ENGAGE the audience. They encourage the audience to pay attention by STIMULATING THEIR INTEREST in your subject matter. By doing these two things you're ensuring that your audience will listen and absorb what you're telling them which makes it much, much, much easier to translate your information effectively.

Sometimes it's helpful to imagine your introduction like a film trailer!

But... HOW?

There are hundreds of public speaking devices you can use to create an impactful opening! Here are our TOP TIPS for writing an IMPACTFUL OPENING!

1. MENTAL PROJECTION

This is a fantastic device for getting your audience to be ACTIVE listeners rather than PASSIVE listeners. You encourage them to think about your subject matter and thus engage mentally with your speech. There are loads of ways to employ mental projection. A really simple way is to ask your audience to "Imagine..." what you're talking about - just like Ric Elias does in his opening! Or, you could pose a question and ask them reflect on their own experiences: "Do you remember your first day at school?". 

2. ANECDOTE

An anecdote is a short story about a real incident. By opening-up and sharing a moment from your own life with your audience you humanise yourself - you stop become a 'speaker' and start becoming a 'person' who they can empathise with! This is a really effective way to build trust between you and your audience and it establishes you as an authority figure as you demonstrate personal experience of your subject matter.

3. HUMOUR

Humour won't always be appropriate and is difficult to do well... but, when you get it right it's a brilliant way to relax your audience and to put them into an open frame of mind. Laughter is a great way for your audience to feel involved, and to participate, in your speech In order to be effective it's best not to "tell jokes" but to use anecdotes, hyperbole, irony and word play to keep your the humour subtle and inoffensive. It also encourages audiences to pay attention as they're looking for the next opportunity to laugh!

4. USE OF PROPS

That's right, props aren't just for actors - they're also fantastic visual aids that public speakers can use to enhance their speech! Using a prop is a great way to surprise your audience and to help make your subject matter feel real and tangible rather than purely based on ideas. In the video at the top of this post you can see Laura eating an apple during a speech about "Keeping Healthy". By using the prop before she starts speaking it encourages her audience to ask themselves... why is she eating an apple?! So, before she's spoken a word, the audience are considering her topic. 

5. METANOIA

This is a rhetorical device whereby you "correct" yourself mid speech! You change the words you're using to enhance or better your original choice. It might sound something like...

“Dumbledore is the greatest wizard Hogwarts has ever seen - no, that the wizarding world has ever seen!”

It's an incredibly impactful device because it creates a feeling of passion, which audiences find engaging, and it allows you to seem spontaneous which helps you to appear confident and sound natural!

USEFUL LINKS

TO LISTEN...

TOASTMASTERS PODCAST about "Impactful Openings"

TO READ...

How to start a presentation effectively

TO WATCH...

Mohammed Qahtani USING A PROP

Ken Robinson USING HUMOUR

Ric Elias (from the start of this post) THE FULL SPEECH