ShmoopTube

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[Dino and Coop singing]

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Knowing how to speak is sort of like riding a bike... once you've mastered it, it's pretty [A sentence riding a bike]

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hard to forget, right?

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But put someone in front of an audience, and sometimes, blammo! [Guy looks scared and is shivering on stage]

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They get so nervous, they forget everything they know about effective communication, and

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start sounding kind of like the Swedish Chef… [Swedish Chef hat lands on the guys head]

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Her dee der der derr...

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Yup, sometimes getting started can be the hardest part.

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Luckily, there are teachers and coaches who offer classes, sessions, and even one-on-one [Someone searching for speaking coaches on the internet]

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training.... all geared towards helping people communicate ideas clearly and effectively

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to a crowd right away.

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But that sounds pretty expensive and time consuming… [Advert for $100 per lesson]

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But never fear!

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We happen to have some handy tricks up our sleeves!

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Ooooh….when will this colorful scarf end….oooooh…. …and we have some actual public speaking [Presentation Introductions book appears at the end of a long scarf pulled out of someones sleeve]

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tips, too, so without further ado, the Shmoop guide to presentation introductions! [Spinning yellow star behind the guide]

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There are three excellent ways to start a presentation, and each way will definitely

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capture your audience's attention. [Book opens to show the 3 methods]

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Method number one?

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Asking a question!

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And be sure your question has something to do with your topic…you can't just ask, "What's

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the best place to get a burger," if your presentation is on global warming! [Burger and the Earth being put on a BBQ]

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Other than that, it can be as open-ended or as specific as you like.

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If your presentation was on the Harry Potter series, you could say something specific as,

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“Who here knows who Harry Potter is?” or as open-ended as, “Who here has ever [Guy holds up a Harry Potter book]

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dreamt of being a wizard?”

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The whole point of a strong first sentence is to get your audience involved, engaged [Audience thinking about themselves in a wizard hat]

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and thinking – right out of the gates.

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Method number two?

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A bold statement!

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If you state your belief with a ton of conviction, other people will be more inclined to sit [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

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up and take notice.

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You could say something like, “Books these days are so boring,” or “The best books [Guy chucks a book away]

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are the ones that involve magic,” or even “Everyone run, there's a giant, angry tiger [Bunny appears out of a magicians hat]

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on the loose in the school gym!” [Guy waving his arms and looking scared]

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On second thought, you probably shouldn't say that last one if you want to keep your [The audiences eyes pop out and they all run away]

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audience in their chairs for the rest of your speech.

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Anyway, the whole point of making a bold statement like that is to grab your audience's attention

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and make them think "Why is the speaker saying this?”

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That way, they'll have no choice but to keep listening! [Audience listening apart from the girl at the end who is shaking in fear]

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Unless that tiger sits next to them…then they might be busy quietly freaking out… [Girl is staring at the tiger sat next to her]

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And finally, method number three: the cold hard facts.

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If you start with a fact or percentage, you'll really convince the audience that you've done

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your research and know what you're going to be talking about.

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Maybe you know the exact percentage of teens who have read the Harry Potter series in the [Girl reading a book on the couch]

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last decade, or maybe you know the number of public libraries that have closed in the

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past decade due to a shortage of Potter books... [Closed forever sign on a library]

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People loves facts.

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Seriously, a recent study showed that 82% of people love facts! [Audience with hearts in their eyes]

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…Okay, we just made that up, don't quote us.

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So there you have it – three ways to start your speech like a champ!

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Oh, and no need to use them all at the same time.

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Just choosing one would be grand!

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Though it could be fun to try and combine all three...

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“Did you know that we absolutely hate chocolate cake because it's the worst kind of cake, [Guy throws a plate of chocolate cake away]

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even though 85% of you will disagree?!”

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A question, a bold statement AND a statistic.

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All in one.

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Not bad. [Guy puts out to lunch sign on stage]

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Phew!

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We deserve a break. [Tiger walks onto the stage]

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