How to open a presentation: what to say and how to say it

In the moment before a presentation begins, there’s an air of anticipation. The audience waits expectantly. The way you manage the next minute will determine how the rest of the presentation goes. How do you win that minute? By mastering (1) what to say and (2) how to say it.

1. What you say

The opening is the most consequential part of your presentation, so you should spend a disproportionate amount of time working on your first few sentences and first few slides. I script my opening and rehearse it repeatedly -- because when you start strong, you boost your own confidence, and you reassure your audience that they’re in good hands. Your opening needs to:

• Convey who you are. Unless you all know each other, the audience is wondering who you are and where you’re going to take them. Give them a sense – but not more than a couple sentences. It could be a simple statement about where you come from and why the things you will say matter. For example:
  
  Thank you, Bonnie, for that introduction! I’m really delighted to do this, because I feel kinship with all of you in the audience: Ten years ago, Bonnie was my boss.  
  
  Sharing a joke or an amusing anecdote can win over an audience right at the start. But the risk is high, too. You need to be comfortable telling a joke. You need to know what your audience will be comfortable with. And you need to be prepared to move on quickly if the joke misses.
  

• Get to the point. You’ll have the full attention of the audience when you begin. Don’t squander that with informal asides, apologies for a stuffy nose, or multiple thank-yous. After a few words that convey who you are, hit the audience with an eyepopping number, a surprising assertion, or a relevant story that sets up your presentation. For example:
  
  According to the Federal Reserve, 40% of American adults don’t have the cash or savings to cover a $400 emergency expense.
  
  Or
  
  In 1939, Albert Einstein wrote secretly to President Roosevelt about atomic weapons.  After a scientific briefing, Roosevelt called in his military aide, General Pa Watson. “Pa! This requires action!”  Thus began the Manhattan Project, a sprawling collaboration…
  

• Deliver your big idea. The opening builds up to your big idea -- a single sentence that conveys your point of view and what’s at stake. The big idea is the main point you’re trying to make in your presentation. For example:
  
  Customer experience is everyone’s business.

  
  Or
  
  AI and bioengineering will change the world more than anything in human history.

Once you’ve made your bold assertion, your presentation begins in earnest!

2. How you say it

You do not need to memorize your opening – but you do want to practice it enough that you know your storyline cold, so you know what’s coming next and how you want to transition to it. You should be so comfortable with your story that you can:

• Look at your audience, not your notes. The goal of practice: to be able to put down your notes and talk directly to the audience. You can’t do that if you’re reading your presentation. If it’s a virtual event, look into the eye of your webcam, not at the thumbnails of your audience on the screen.
  

• “Be here now.”  When I start, I invoke the Buddhist admonition: Be here now. I don’t let my attention waver for a moment; I think only about what I’m saying and how it’s being seen and heard by the audience. 
  

• Go big. Your presentation presence should be larger than your everyday affect. No need to be theatrical – but more-than-usual animation in your voice and gestures tells the audience you’ve got something good for them that you’re eager to convey. The audience expects you to go big: From their perspective, you put yourself up for this, and they want you to own the moment.

These best practices will lift your entire presentation. But they’re especially important at the start, where they set you on course for a great delivery. Clear Narratives can help you create the best opening for your topic and your style, and then help you deliver it with confidence and conviction.  Let us know how we can help you: bill@clearnarratives.com.