Capture Your Audience’s Attention

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Finding a creative, attention-grabbing opening can be a struggle, but in the end it will be well worth the effort, for your first words can and do make a big impression on your audience (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2002). If you open with something as boring as “Hi, my name is . . .” or “Today I’m going to talk about . . . ,” your audience may conclude that there’s nothing more interesting to follow. In many cases, you’ll finalize your introduction after the bulk of your speech has been written. This is an advantage because you will be able to approach your introduction armed with your main points and supporting material—and probably a few ideas on how to make it lively! Consider the following suggestions.

Use Surprise. It is likely that while researching your topic, you came across a fact, statistic, quote, or story that truly surprised you. Chances are that such information will likewise come as a surprise to your audience. A startling statement uses unusual or unexpected information to get an audience’s attention. For example, in a speech on sleep deprivation, you might begin as follows:

Did you know that every semester, university students are legally drunk for one week straight? Yet, despite feeling drunk, they never drink a drop of alcohol. During finals week, students at the University of Oklahoma sleep an average of five hours per night. Sleep deprivation—characterized by getting five hours or less of sleep per night—can affect reaction time and mental sharpness. After being awake for seventeen hours straight, a sleep-deprived person has the reaction time and mental sharpness of someone with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05, which is considered legally drunk throughout most of Europe.

Tell a Story. As discussed in chapter 11, anecdotes can be useful illustrations for your speech. Real-world stories can be particularly effective when worked into an opening, where they can make audiences feel invested in a speaker before they even know what the thesis of the speech is. For example, Miriam thinks her audience will tune out if she simply informs them that she’s going to discuss the secret costs of credit cards. But what if she opens with a story like the following?

A few months ago, my friend Monica—not her real name—decided that she positively needed to own a pair of Jimmy Choo boots. Now, I’ll admit, these were some amazing boots: black leather, calf-high, four-inch heels. But they cost—are you sitting down?—$895. Like most of us, she didn’t have that kind of cash lying around, so she bought the boots on credit and figured that she would pay them off month by month. Despite the fact that she diligently puts $50 toward her payment each and every month, it’s going to take Monica 102 months—more than eight years—to pay for those boots. In addition, she’ll pay over $750 in interest, which is almost as much as the boots cost in the first place!

By telling a story, Miriam puts a familiar face on her subject; she’s also caught the attention of anyone who’s ever had the experience of really wanting something they couldn’t afford—which is pretty much everyone!

Start with a Quote. Leading with a quotation is a convenient and interesting speech opening. Quotes can connect you as a speaker to real people and real situations. For example, Kenneth is preparing an informative speech on Alzheimer’s disease. In his opening, he uses a quote from former president Ronald Reagan, who passed away in 2004 after a ten-year struggle with the disease:

Quotations can come from familiar sources, like Reagan, or from everyday people. Table 12.2 offers tips for using quotes wisely.

“I now begin the journey that will lead me to the sunset of my life.” That’s how Ronald Reagan, upon learning he would be afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, described the illness that would eventually rob him of the eloquence, wit, and intelligence that had defined him as an actor, a politician, and a president. I’m here today to talk about the tragedy of Alzheimer’s disease.

Ask a Question.¹ For example, when speaking about Internet safety, an engaging opening question might be “Would you leave your child in a room full of anonymous strangers? No? Then why would you allow your child to participate in online chats?” Here again, saying something startling can add to the effect: not only have you gotten your listeners’ attention by saying something provocative, but you’ve also asked them to internalize what you’ve said and to react to it. As a result, they’re likely to be more interested in and open to what you’re about to say.

Make Them Laugh. Humor is another effective way to begin your speech. Usually, humor that’s brief, that’s relevant to your topic, and that makes a point is most effective. For example, consider this opening, which makes the audience laugh but is clearly tied to the main topic of the speech on the effects of multitasking: “I find that the key to multitasking is to lower your expectations. Sure, I can do two things at once—if I do them poorly! Today, I want to talk about the hazards of multitasking.”