To foresee is to govern

That’s also a great motto to have on your desk when you’re planning your talk. Foresee how you are going to start when the mind is flesh to catch every word you utter, foresee what impression you are going to leave at the end when nothing else follows to erase it.

Since the days of Aristotle, books on this subject have divided the speech into three sections: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Until recently, the introduction was often, and could really afford to be as smooth as a free ride. The speaker then was as much a bearer of news as he was an entertainer. Many years ago, he often filled the niche in the community that is now occupied by newspaper, magazine, radio, television, telephone, and movies.

But conditions have changed amazingly. The world has been transformed. Inventions have accelerated life more in the last hundred years than before in all the ages since Belshazzar and Nebuchadnezzar. Automobiles, airplanes, radio, television, we move with increasing speed. And the speaker must be in keeping with the hospitable rhythm of the times.

If you are going to use an introduction, it should be as short as an advertisement. It’s about the temperament of the average modern audience. “Do you have something to say? Okay, let’s do it quickly and with very little embellishment. No oratory! Give us the facts quickly and sit down.” But do inexperienced speakers often achieve such commendable speed in their openings?

The moment you appear before the audience, you naturally, inevitably have their attention. It’s not hard to get it for the first five seconds, but it’s hard to hold for the next five minutes. So start with something interesting in your first sentence. Not the second. Not the third. You must tread your way through crooked paths, because a lot depends on you, your audience, your subject, your materials, the occasion, etc.

So pique your audience’s curiosity with your first sentence, and you’ll have their attention drawn. Curiosity can often be piqued by starting with an effect and making people eager to hear the cause.

Start with some note that goes directly to the personal interests of the audience. That is one of the best possible ways to start. It is sure to draw attention. We are very interested in things that touch us in a significant, momentary way.

Paint the big picture and frame the issue in a way that attracts attention.

The speaker can gain the immediate attention of his audience by:

has. arouse curiosity

b. Related to a human interest story

against Starting with a specific illustration

d. using display

me. asking questions

F. Opening with an eye-catching quote

gram. Show how the topic affects the vital interest of the audience

H. Starting with shocking facts

Don’t make your opening too formal. Make it seem gratuitous, causal, and investable. This can be done by referring to something that has happened or something that has just been said.