4 WAYS TO START YOUR SPEECH

You know exactly what you wish to talk about.

You are absolutely positive that people will love your speech topic.

You have written down all the points.

But there is one little problem.

You have no idea how to start your speech.

What should you say first?

How to begin?

You cannot just jump straight to the points without an introduction.

A good speech must be well-organized.

A good speech must have an introduction.

A good speech must have a good introduction.

The introduction of speech is everything.

It has to be interesting.

Your introduction must be able to grab your audience’s attention to listen to your speech.

You know what they say about first impression.

“A good first impression can work wonders” 

-J.K. Rowling-

If your speech introduction is not engaging enough, you audience may not be interested to listen to the rest of your speech. This can be unfortunate especially when you have brilliant ideas worth sharing with others.

So how to start a speech?

1)Begin your speech with a story

Everybody loves a story. Starting your speech by telling a story can help grab your listeners’ attention.

I remember delivering a speech for a speech contest a few years ago. My speech was about how to face the reality of life. I started my speech with a real story of me when I was little girl.

Something like this, “I was seven when it happened. It was tragic. It was awful. My pet fish died!”

2)Ask questions to your audience

When you ask a question, your audience will definitely look at you and respond. They will be thinking about the answer and pay attention. Start your speech by asking a question.

Please remember that the question you are going to ask them should be related to your points and your speech topic.

For example;

“Do you want to look young forever?”

“Do you have a dream?”

“Have you ever wondered what life is all about?”

3)Start your speech with a joke

Funny things always attract attention.

Naturally, people like to laugh and be happy. You can start your speech by telling your audience about a funny incident, hilarious conversation or a simple joke. 

When you make them laugh, you will make them happy to hear the rest of your speech.

However, this may not work for every speaker. Unless you are witty and possess a great sense of humour.

4)Start your speech with some Creativity

Feel free to use your creativity. You can begin your speech with a quote, a song lyric, a poem, rhymes, a script from a movie, images, photos or props.

When I was delivering a speech about King Henry VIII of England, I started my speech with;

“Off with her head, he said. A tragedy sealed the fate of Anne Boleyn, the queen of England”

Or you can use any quote to start your speech,

For example; “A life without a dream, is not a life at all”

If you choose to use an image as an introduction, you can show it on the screen.

And you can begin your speech by showing some props to your audience. 

The key here is to be creative.

The options are endless. It is really up to you. Just do not take your introduction for granted. Find ways to make it interesting and engaging.

Most importantly, start your speech with confidence!

Written By ; Intan Salwana Anis

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