Grabbing your audience’s attention from the beginning can be a tricky exercise. Here are a few tips for a powerful opening:
Start by presenting yourself to your audience with a quick elevator pitch and tell them why you are the best person to give this presentation – this will increase your credibility.
For example: “Hello, my name is John Doe, for the last few years I have delivered presentations on how to overcome the fear of public speaking, and today I am going to show you how to captivate your audience within the first 5 minutes of your presentation”.
For your posture: stand still, plant your feet on the ground. This doesn’t mean that you cannot move around but you need to show some stability.
Remember that 55% of the impact of your presentation is influenced by your body language.
Tell them what they are going to get: introduce your agenda, but don’t read it! They are adults, they can read – give them a moment if necessary.
Make eye contact to connect with your audience, talk to all of them. We tend to focus where we get the most positive feedback – talk to the whole group.
And most of all remember to Smile !
Credit photo: Nadia Queudeville
