Your voice is the most important strategic tool you have. When communication is good, we make meaningful connections with our employees and clients to accomplish great things! When communication is bad, relationships break down and careers stall.
A strong leadership presence relies heavily on possessing effective communication skills. But before you can develop those skills, you must first understand what communication skills to avoid like the proverbial plague:
1. Leverage a Current Event
Most days there is a current event that is on every newspaper front page and every citizen’s mind. Think of how you can tie this event and your topic together.
For instance, if there is a headline about a political scandal (those are all-too-common), this could lead nicely into your presentation on the importance of transparency in building your brand.
You may even want to bring a newspaper with you and hold it up, reading the headline. This can act as a visual cue to get your audience to lean forward and want to hear more.
2.Refer to a Historical Event
“Dawn was breaking. The early morning light barely illuminated the rocky terrain as Benedict Arnold, Ethan Allen and Vermont’s Green Mountain Boys launched an attack on the Loyalists at Fort Ticonderoga. It was one of the most important battles of the Revolutionary War because it was the first major win for the American forces.”
Most of us fell asleep during history class. And that’s too bad because history is rife with fantastic characters and epic events. Is there a way you can bring a historical event to life to launch you into your topic? If so, this is one of the best ways to start a speech.
3. Make a Shocking Statement
Nothing grabs people’s attention like a shocking statement or shocking statistics. For example, you might say something like:
“Every American consumes roughly 130 pounds of sugar every year.”
Or…
“As much as 9 billion tons of litter end up in our oceans each year, and in a recent survey, 75% of people admitted to littering in the last 5 years.”
Or…
“In 16th century France, women could charge their husbands with impotence as a reason for divorce.”
Hitting someone right in their emotions will grab their attention, make them feel something and want to learn more.
4. Ask a Question
There is perhaps no better way to get people to instantly engage with you than to ask them a question. Let’s say you’re giving a presentation on a health/nutrition topic. You might ask the audience something like, “Show of hands how many of you had breakfast this morning?” After hands go up, you might say, “And, be honest, did your breakfast involve copious amounts of refined sugar?” At this point, much of the audience will begin laughing because they have been BUSTED. You’ve broken the ice and now have them in the palm of your hand.
When it comes to best speech introductions, asking questions works every time!
5. Say Absolutely Nothing
Most people expect that once a presenter has been introduced and taken the stage, they will immediately begin speaking. And, if we’re honest, most audience members know that they hold all the power – they realize a speaker is going to try and somehow impress them or get them hooked.
But what happens when you do the exact OPPOSITE of what people expect? They notice and pay attention.
Instead of beginning your speech immediately, take a pause. This pause could be five seconds long, or it could be 10 seconds long. But simply pause and scan the audience. You will not only get everyone’s attention, you will command the power in the room.
6. Share Something Personal
Your audience is hoping for two things: one – that you can help them in some way by sharing your knowledge and expertise, and two – that you will be a human being they connect with on a personal level.
More than knowledge, what people really want is connection. Human beings are wired for it. We crave it. By sharing something up top about yourself, you present yourself as a human being first, then an expert, in that order.
7. Offer Inspiration
And finally, your audience is also hoping to be inspired by you. The truth is, you can present a lot of facts, data and evidence about your topic, but unless you inspire people, they won’t take what you’ve shared and act on it in a meaningful way.
How do you inspire them?
Sticking with our nutrition/health topic, you may make an opening statement like, “Many of you here right now may have chronic health issues that are negatively impacting your life. But I’m about to tell you the EXACT 3 steps you can take, starting today, to dramatically improve your health and well-being. Sound good?”
Who isn’t going to listen to what comes next when you say something like this?
So inspire your audience. Let them know what you have to say will empower them to make profound changes in their life and business.
8. Tell an Engaging Story
“Once upon a time…”
Whether you’re 7-years old or 87-years-old, we all love stories and is a great way to start your speech introduction. In fact, human beings seem to be wired for them. Stories are how our ancestors learned about the world around them. Today, stories are used in profound ways. Yes, they entertain us, but they also allow us to share our ideas with one another. And isn’t that why you are up on that stage – to share ideas that can have a positive impact on the people in those seats?
So, figure out how you can open your presentation with an engaging story. It can be a personal story, a story about your business, or a story you heard on the subway in Tokyo 20 years ago. If it’s interesting, funny or touching in some way, chances are it will capture the attention of your audience.
9. Recite a Quote
Sometimes when we can’t think of the exact right words to use to grab attention, we can borrow from other people.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” –Steve Jobs
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” –Benjamin Franklin
“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” –Franklin D. Roosevelt
The above quotes instantly make us FEEL something. If you can make your audience FEEL something amazing right up top, you have a much better chance of grabbing and keeping their full attention.
These are just some of the best speech introductions you could try. You may want to try one or two out and see how they fit with your personality and your topic. You can eventually make your way through all of these icebreakers to see what works best for you.
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