When giving a presentation, it’s important to capture your audience’s attention immediately, establish your credibility speaking about the topic quickly and convey basic understanding of the nature of what’s being discussed if you want your words to have the appropriate impact.
As public speaking is an always daunting task, it can be difficult for even the most talented executive to address their staff or their board of directors. Those for whom speaking in front of groups does not come naturally would do well to read this Business Insider piece on different strategies that can be used to give a presentation that will instantly hook an audience.
First off, you might want to start your presentation off by telling a story. You don’t need to relate the most meaningful anecdote in the world, just one that has a connection to the topic at hand and has enough twists and turns to the instantly captivating.
There is a reason the best TED Talks start with funny, heartwarming or unnerving stories. Alternately, you can begin your presentation by posing a seemingly rhetorical, ideally provocative question. Don’t go too broad or you’ll run the risk of being perceived as being corny.
This is the steam strategy utilized by pulse pounding TV dramas like Breaking Bad, which specialize in throwing the audience into oblique situations that only become clear over time.
Read the full article here: http://www.businessinsider.com/smart-ways-to-start-a-presentation-2016-6
