An audience usually wants to know the background and credibility of a speaker so as to build trust and connection. Because a boring introduction can extinguish all interest in the subject, finding a model of excellence and then discovering how it can be replicated and personalised can be a good place to start.
TED Talks
Good ideas abound from the lectures and talks at the TED Conference. Writer Elizabeth Gilbert opens her talk on "Nurturing Creativity" with what she does in very short sentences before introducing an event that caused her to recalibrate her relationship with her work. Her mega-bestseller book Eat, Pray, Love [Penguin, January 30, 2007] had led to pronouncements that she was doomed to fail in creating another masterpiece.
Career analyst and former speechwriter for Al Gore, Dan Pink begins his discourse on "The Surprising Science of Motivation" by announcing at the outset that he has a confession to make. He then follows that up with a light hearted look at his dismal performance in law school which compelled him to not just tell a story, but to make a case on rethinking how businesses are run.
Founder of the Tinkering School, Gever Tulley’s welcomes his audience to his lecture with the attention grabbing title of "Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do" He admits that having no children of his own, he borrows his friends’, and so listeners should take his advice with a grain of salt. He then goes on to describe what his school is about. and warns that children do return from their summer programmes “bruised, scraped and bloody”.
Connection Between Speaker and Topic
All three styles of introduction above make the connection between speaker and topic. Their choice of background content is carefully selected to build their credibility and be relevant to the topic. As a result the self introduction forms the backdrop for the lecture and leads naturally and seamlessly into the subject matter.
Use of Humour
Appropriate humour is a valuable tool in relaxing and warming up an audience and making it feel more comfortable with the speaker. Gilbert, Pink and Tulley use their personal experiences as a suitable basis for the use of humour and comfortably relate it in such as way that matches their personality and style of delivery.
Attention Grabbing
An introductory statement is one that is unique and interesting enough to make the audience sit up and want to hear more. The doomsday pronouncement, confession and warning employed by the TED speakers pique the curiosity of the audience and heighten their emotional state sufficiently to grab and sustain their attention.
The opening seconds can make or break a presentation or speech. What is needed is an opener that makes the audience want to listen to the rest of what the speaker has to say. Telling an amusing personal story and making confessions or controversial statements are possibilities that work, whether speaking to a small group or several thousand.
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