Senior Vice President of Sales
I remember entering my very first public speaking contest in 2014. The hardest part was not figuring out how to fill 7 minutes. It was figuring out how to start it. As I pitched page after page into the trash, a friend sat me down and said, “Kerry, the opening needs to be a ‘grabber’.” That advise helped me finish runner-up out of over 500 contestants.
What’s a grabber? A grabber is something that will immediately hook the audience’s attention so they will stay engaged. Below are the grabbers my friend suggested to open any speech or presentation.
- A Story. Just as I did with this blog post, open your next presentation with a story. Ever since we were all kids, we’ve been told stories. Stories are universally accepted across all cultures. A couple of points on opening with a story. One point to make here. The story doesn’t have to be long and drawn out; just a quick story to get the audience’s attention. The story I opened with here is just four sentences and took about 15 seconds to read.
- A factoid. How much does an audience remember from a presentation?
- Immediately after the presentation, 50% will be remembered
- By the next day, 25% will be remembered.
- A week later, just 10% will be remembered.
So, if I were starting off a presentation on creating more powerful and memorable presentations, stating the above factoids would be an excellent way to start. It’s a powerful illustration and the audience only needs to remember three numbers, or better yet just remember that the memory recall is very low, the exact point that you’re trying to make. Sharing factoids also provides insight for the audience. When you share with your audience simple, yet valuable information, it endears them to you; they appreciate it. From there, you have them eating out of your hand.
- A question. Have you ever found yourself preparing for a big PowerPoint presentation and thought, “What is going to be my first slide?”
A question is an excellent way to open a presentation. The question can be posed in three different ways. First, it can be rhetorical, where you’re not asking for a direct answer but to simply to pondered and internally answer. Second, it can be one that elicits an answer from audience members. For example, “How many of you have every stumped your toe, raise your hand”? Lastly, it could be directed to specific people. “Joe, what’s your favorite vegetable?”
Asking a question to start the presentation gets the audience immediately engaged. If it’s a rhetorical question, they are pondering the answer. If it’s a question asking for an active response, they are being called to act. And if you are calling out specific people, well then, they’re all on the edge of their seats with anticipation they’re going to be called upon.
Pro tips:
- All three options must illustrate a point or set the theme for your presentation. For example, telling the story about my mother flushing her teeth down the toilet at the New Year’s eve party isn’t a way I’d start a PowerPoint presentation on the sales goals of my organization(unless of course we were selling dentures). It may, however, be a good way to open a presentation on “How having too much to drink can lead to embarrassing situations”.
- When you ask a question, make sure you pause to give the audience some time to think about the answer. I find only 2-3 seconds is sufficient.
- When asking questions, try to ask about how they feel or how they felt? For example, “How do you feel when you accomplish a goal?” A successful presentation is not about what you say to an audience but it’s how you make them feel.
Whether it’s a speech contest, a departmental meeting, or a sales presentation to a major client, Incorporating one of these openings will ensure it to be more memorable and powerful.
With over 75 years of combines consulting experience, FourthSquare focuses on business transformation through technology and innovation. As a full Oracle partner, we offer end-to-end services in the areas of applications, database and infrastructure.