Business Leaders, Want To Grab Audience Interest With Your First Words? Here’s How…

Do you find it challenging to capture a business audience’s attention right from the start?

Stories are a terrific way to begin a presentation. Professional speakers and TED talk presenters have the luxury of jumping straight into a story, but business audiences demand  more context up-front..

So, here’s a way you can hook your listeners so that they want to hear more:

Start with one orienting sentence that grabs attention and hints at the story’s value without giving away the ending.

Here are three examples:

“The day I discovered the power of storytelling started out as an epic fail.”

“I learned the how to effectively manage a crisis because of a terrorist bombing.”

“My journey to become an impactful presenter started with a humiliating experience in first grade.”

These sentences set the stage and spark curiosity, making your audience curious to hear more.

How can you create your own compelling opening?

Here are two keys:

1. Tease the listener with a benefit. Consider the examples from above:

“Discover the power of storytelling”

“Effectively manage a crisis”

“Become an impactful presenter”

      2. Describe a negative experience that was a catalyst for your discovery. For instance:

“An epic fail”

“A terrorist bombing”

“A humiliating experience in first grade”

These are vague and compelling. They tease about an intriguing story without giving away your secret too soon. This is how you keep listener attention from start-to-finish.

Follow these tips and can craft openings that grab attention and also set the stage for a the listener to go on a compelling and impactful journey with you.

What other type of compelling openings have you heard?