Article Public Speaking Dramatise Your Opening

By Laurie Smale

People tell me time and time again that one of the biggest difficulties they face with public speaking is getting through those first couple of minutes unscathed!

Sadly for many, all they see is a merciless bunch of critics smugly sizing them up while they’re standing there shaking like a leaf.

The good news is that an effective opening can turn this awful situation completely around by putting you in control and whetting your listeners’ appetite for what’s to follow.

Surprising them with a spot of unexpected drama at the very start of your talk will set this friendly scenario up for you.

Disturb Them!

A young lady from the Pap Test Registry was about to address a rowdy group of teenage girls on the importance of pap smear tests in the fight against cervical cancer. She felt deeply about her message, but her young audience was hell-bent on giving her a hard time. She walked to the front of the room, slammed her folder down on a table, looked them in the eye, and said, “Six people in this room will be dead before they reach the age of 30!” They sat in shocked silence, apprehensive of what was to follow.

Tap Into Their Emotions

I’ll never forget the guy who began his talk by flipping a small bag of rice a couple of times in the air as if to weigh it. He gave it to a person in the front row to give an idea of its weight as well.

Then, pointing to the small bag in the palm of his hand, he said: “This was about the size of my little boy when he was born ten weeks premature. His little arms and legs would have barely hung over the edge of my hand… It broke my heart to see him so helpless, covered in all those wires and electrodes… ” This put people on the edge of their seats, eager to know more…

Get them Guessing

Drama can also be used to capture attention with a less emotional subject. I once saw a well-dressed man walk to the front of the room wearing a pair of goggles and carrying a red velvet cushion with what appeared to be a billiard ball perched in the middle of it. He gently went down on one knee, picked up a sledgehammer, and unceremoniously gave that ball an almighty whack! He took off his goggles, picked up the undamaged ball, and calmly said, “Ladies and gentlemen – ceramics, the material of the future.” He had our complete attention, and we were more than eager to learn all about it.

Lead with Uncertainty

You might not want to be so elaborate. A sheet of paper held up, containing the latest figures on the homeless, then dropped like a piece of worthless rubbish, would dramatically convey your disdain for what was on it and serve as a great opener for your alternate point of view.

Conclusion

So don’t underestimate the importance of your opening to settle you down, take the focus off you, and prime your audience to want to know more. Give it careful thought, feel comfortable with it, and deliver it with a bit more confidence than you really feel.

This will not only get you safely through that perilous ‘adrenaline barrier,’ but you’ll now find yourself in front of a receptive audience ready to listen to you. And dramatising your ideas at the start is a great way to do this.

Hope this helps.

ARTICLE // Public Speaking – Dramatise your Opening

By Laurie Smale, Author, How to take the panic out of public speaking 🎤

1. Disturb them!
2. Tap into their emotions
3. Get them guessing
4. Lead with uncertainty

These suggestions provide practical ways for you to open your public speaking presentation in an engaging way.

Read all the details at https://lauriesmale.com/blog/article-public-speaking-dramatise-your-opening

All of my practical coaching wisdom is in my three books available at https://lauriesmale.com/books

#lauriesmale #article #howtotakethepanicoutofpublicspeakingbook #presentationplanning

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