Before people care about your topic, they need a reason to pay attention. Open with a story, a surprising statistic, a provocative question, or an observation that makes people lean forward.
A few weeks ago, I was presenting a pitch to a client and several stakeholders when someone asked me a question that completely caught me off guard. "How do you get so comfortable speaking in front of people?" I froze, very ungracefully and blinked into the air as if someone had asked me to explain Wi-Fi. Eventually I managed to cough up something along the lines of, "You know... just be confident." Wow! Truly the Nelson Mandela of presentation advice.
The truth is, I'd never really thought about it. But after that conversation, I started paying closer attention to what makes some presentations memorable and others forgettable. One thing stood out immediately, most of us were taught to start presentations backwards. We've all sat through the same opening. "Good morning, everyone. My name is Omary … and today I'll be talking about customer service."
The speaker thinks they're being polite. The audience is wondering whether they should check their emails. The first few moments of a presentation are when people are silently deciding three things: Is this relevant to me? Is this person worth listening to? Is this going to be interesting?
Your audience doesn't need to know who you are before they care about what you have to say.
Over the years, I've found myself relying on a simple four-step formula. It works whether you're pitching a project, presenting quarterly results, speaking at a conference, or trying to convince your manager that your idea deserves an actual budget, not just prayers and a "we'll see next quarter."
Start with a hook. Before people care about your topic, they need a reason to pay attention. Open with a story, a surprising statistic, a provocative question, or an observation that makes people lean forward.
Create the transition. Connect your opening to the main point. Keep it short. A hook without a transition is just an entertaining detour.
Introduce yourself and preview the journey. Once you've earned attention, explain who you are and where you're taking people. You're no longer asking people to care because of your title. You're giving them a reason to care about your experience.
Finally, tell people what's in it for them. When people know what they'll gain, they're far more willing to invest their attention.
Of course, having a great opening is only half the battle. The bigger challenge is also using body language. In doing my research for this article I came across communication coach Dr Grace Lee, who argues that the best presenters are intentional about their presence. Nervous presenters often lock their arms, shuffle their feet, or sway unconsciously. Strong presenters are aware of their bodies and use movement intentionally.
That idea reminded me of another fascinating insight I came across while researching this column. Researchers studying TED Talks found that speakers who used a wider variety of hand gestures tended to receive more views online.
The difference is in being intentional about how your body is moving. Make sure your words, voice, and body are telling the same story.
So here's my challenge to you. At your next presentation, resist the urge to start with your title, your agenda, or your credentials, start with a hook and think in terms of helping other people understand something they didn't know before.
