How To Begin Your Presentation With Impact: A Step-by-Step Guide
Have an important presentation coming up? It’s no secret that the introduction of any speech is one of the most critical aspects. After all, it’s what will grab your audience’s attention and keep them listening.
When done correctly, the opening section of your presentation will draw your readers in and get them excited to hear what you have to say.
When done incorrectly (because, yes, there’s definitely an incorrect way to open your presentations) you risk losing your audience. And once they’re disengaged, it’s a lot tougher to bring them back.
If you want to know the secret to an engaging introduction and learn a formula to open your presentations step-by-step, you’re in the right place.
First, let’s begin by establishing what an introduction is supposed to do.
The Purpose of An Introduction
In a nutshell, the purpose of any presentation introduction is to engage the audience and to tell them what you’re going to tell them.
Your introduction should:
- Hook your audience with a strong opening statement
- Answer the question “what’s in it for them?”
- Establish your credibility as the speaker
Amongst a few other things that I’ll cover later in this post.
Ultimately, being prepared with an engaging open will give you confidence and will make it easier to focus on your connection with whoever you’re speaking to.
Now that we know what the introduction is supposed to do, let’s look at how to craft one.
Step 1: Open with a content idea
A content idea is any piece of content meant to draw in an audience. Beginning your presentation with a relevant story, experience, fact, quote, etc. will be your best bet to get them hooked right away.
Many people make the mistake of introducing themselves first or thanking the audience for being there. While those may seem like great things to do in theory, they’re boring.
I often call this way of opening a presentation the “blah-blah-blahs”. Remember, people won’t care about what you’re saying right off the bat unless it’s about them. Without drawing your audience in, they’ll begin to check out mentally (or physically – hello smartphone!) — which will make the rest of your speech a lot more challenging to recover from.
Here are some ideas for your opening line or paragraph:
Personal Experiences. Speaking from personal experience supports you being authentic. It moves you away from being overly theoretical and gets you in touch with what you really believe.
Stories. Humans have communicated through stories for centuries. We use them to make the world make sense. People will always look for stories during presentations.
Current Events. Referring to a current event will bring an immediate, relevant quality to your communication.
Facts and Statistics. Facts & statistics add credibility by giving a substantive finite quality to your speaking. If it’s shocking, even better.
Name Dropping. Referring to authorities by name and quoting them can make your assertions more credible. Mentioning celebrities automatically causes people to sit up and listen. It can add color and entertainment value to your communication.
Humor. Humor is a great way to loosen up a stiff or apprehensive audience. It’s best when it’s relevant to the occasion and subject.
Quotes. Need I say more?
These are just a few out of countless content ideas you can insert into your introductions. Whatever you decide to go with, the key is to think about what would be most engaging to your audience. What’s important and relevant to them?
If you’re looking for other content ideas, this article has some great ones.
Step 2: Tell the audience what they can expect from your presentation
Next up, let the audience know what they can expect from your presentation. List the top three things you want them to remember or take away after listening to you. As a rule of thumb, and a bonus tip here—your entire presentation should have no more than three main topics. When you have more than three, it becomes confusing and impossible for your audience to retain.
Narrow down your subject matter and focus on what’s most important to your audience. Answer these questions from your audience’s perspective, “what’s in it for me?" and "why should I care?”
Here are some ideas on how to transition from step 1 (your content idea) to step 2 (a summary of what you’ll be speaking about):
Over the next few minutes, we will explore...
Over the next few minutes, we will discover...
Over the next few minutes, we will uncover...
Over the next few minutes, I will share with you...
Step 3: Tease your call to action
Now that you’ve let your audience know what you’ll be focusing on, it’s time to insert your call to action. A call to action is what you’ll ask your audience to do once the presentation is over.
The same way that you just introduced your three topics, you’ll also want to introduce what the primary takeaway will be so that there are no surprises at the end.
Here are some ideas to transition from the last step (summary of what you’ll be speaking about) to step 3 (your call to action):
At the end of the communication, I will recommend that...
At the end of the communication, I will strongly suggest that...
Step 4: Include a sharp transition
Lastly, include a sharp transition into the main body of your speech. My personal favorite transition is, “Let’s begin”.
It’s short, to the point, and keeps things moving along without your audience getting distracted in between sections.
In Conclusion
There you have it—how to craft a strong presentation introduction step-by-step. Refer back to this blog post anytime you need an opening content idea or some transition phrases.
Remember, the best thing you can do during your introduction is hook your audience right away, answer the "what's in it for them?" question, establish your credibility, and begin building a connection. When your introduction does all of those things, you’re well on your way to an effective presentation.
If you’re looking to improve your presentation skills as a whole, you can check out our free scorecard assessment tool here.
This scorecard breaks down all of the attributes of highly effective communicators and will show you exactly where you’re at in your communication journey. It also provides you with tips that you can implement immediately based on your final score—so you can improve your public speaking skills right away. Click here to download it.
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