The emcee has just called your name. You’ve been introduced as the speaker. In your head, you hear a voice. It whispers, “First impressions count.”
You get up from your seat. Take a quick look around … and you see … the audience has shifted its attention to you. Everyone is looking at you. They watch you walk to the front of the room.
You feel a knot in your stomach. It’s getting tighter. Your heart is pounding. Inside yourself … you are a bundle of nerves.
But, outside, you’re looking cool. What people see is a speaker moving toward the front of the room with a sense of calm, a sense of confidence ….
You knew these first few moments would be key. That’s why you prepared. First impressions count.
As a speaker, you want to be at your best delivering your presentation. So does your audience.
As the audience watches you walk to the front of the room, they watch to see how you move. Your composure. How comfortable you feel in your own skin. They want to get a sense that ‘listening to you’ is going to be a good use of their time. That you know what you are doing.
And, what they see confirms exactly that … because you planned, prepared and practiced your opening in advance. You know exactly what you are going to do and what you’re going to say the moment you start speaking.
Many of us have heard that most audiences remember the beginning of a presentation, the ending of a presentation, but what happens in the middle or body of the talk … not so much.
When we look at the beginning, it’s important to understand that the beginning doesn’t start with you opening your mouth and sharing content …. The beginning for you, as the speaker, starts the moment the audience’s attention shifts to you. It’s their impression of you as you move to the front of the room ….
That impression is the first step toward building a relationship with your audience. Have them see you as poised, self-assured and in control. Your goal is to secure their attention.
And, to get your audience’s attention, you need to come across as someone who is worth paying attention to.
When you reach your speaking spot, there is no tampering with equipment, shuffling papers or fumbling to distract the audience.
Looking out at the people sitting in front of you, you know they have been silently ‘sizing’ you up, watching you as you moved toward the front of the room. Now they’re waiting to hear what you will say. What you’ll sound like. How you’ll open your speech.
You’ve planned it. Memorized it. Embodied it. Your speech opening is wrapped and imbued with your energy and enthusiasm.
Those first few moments count. You’ve crafted the beginning of your speech with care. You know it’s where your real impact starts and your relationship with your audience begins to grow.
With your first words, you grab the attention of your audience.
Once you’ve grabbed their attention, you shift that attention. Shift that attention from you onto your topic. After all, that’s the reason the audience is sitting there.
Next, you let them know the value of what you are talking about and why this topic is important to them.
As you move through the opening of your talk, you are letting your audience know why they should place their trust in you. That you are credible.
Finally, you wrap up your opening with a preview of the points you will cover in the body of your presentation. With the audience engaged, and motivated by a positive first impression, you dive into the heart of your speech.
As the speaker you know you are the one who is in control of you, and in control of your presentation. You decide how you want to show up. You decide how you want people to see you. How you want people to hear you. Then, you plan, prepare and practice. Because you know … first impressions count.
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