The majority of presenters kind of sneak up on their content. They have what I call a long on-ramp. They thank people, introduce themselves, give some context around what they’ll be talking about, then finally get around to what everybody came to hear.
By now, several minutes have gone by, and the presenter has wasted the crucial time when audiences are most primed for engagement. In addition, the speaker is not really engaged yet, either. Typically, the speaker will vocally downplay and throw away this content, as they are more interested in getting to the meat of the presentation. This compounds the problem for the audience–the speaker doesn’t sound that interested, so why should they be?
So here’s a suggestion. Cut out all that introductory stuff. Pinpoint exactly what part of your presentation you’re most excited about, and begin your talk there. Plunge your audience right in the deep end! Grab their attention with a bold statement, a question, or a story that sets up your presentation.
Once you have them engaged, you can circle back to the logistics: telling them what to expect in your talk, outlining your points, etc. But do the work of making sure they care first.
