Starting a Talk with an Introduction

Like any conversation, your talk will begin with an introduction of your topic, yourself, and your purpose.

• Start with your movement forward to the lectern. Walk with confidence and poise. Do NOT talk about your nervousness or the funny thing that happened to you on the way to your talk!
• Smile if you can muster a genuine one. If not, then don't fake it. Strive to make eye contact with your audience to give each member a "visual handshake."
• Breathe.
• Begin the words, "Thank you." or "Good afternoon," or whatever is most appropriate. Then begin with your attention getter. If your audience does not know your name, be sure to pronounce it slowly and distinctly so that everyone can understand it.

Attention Getting Devices
You'll want to gain the attention of your audience. You have just 30 seconds to make a good first impression and to convince your audience that your presentation will be worthwhile. Here are some usual suggestions for gaining attention:

• Use a rhetorical question - Ask an intriguing question that does not require a response from your audience. "What do these three things have in common..." is a good example.
• Offer a startling statistic - "Which of the following is the number one cause of death for women: cancer, heart disease, or accidents? Well, according to the American Heart Association, heart disease is number one and stroke is the third leading cause of death for women."
• Suggest a pithy statement or quotation, "According to Edwin Newman, The only difference between the pros and the novices is that the pros have trained the butterflies to fly in formation."
• Show the finished product that you plan to demonstrate to your audience.

If you are giving an informative briefing for work, you are advised to skip this step and start instead with your thesis and preview for your talk. Briefings are named this because the artful rhetorical devices are left out.

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