When you’re starting a presentation, challenge yourself to engage the audience from your very first words. The first minute or so when we’re speaking is the honeymoon period, when they are really ready to listen and be wowed, so you don’t want to waste it on boring introductions and thank-yous.
Ask a question, say something surprising, or tell a short story that captures the point of your message. I think of this approach as the “rocketship.” You’re not trundling along a runway, slowly building up speed to get off the ground. You’re launching right into the stratosphere and taking the audience along with you.
Now that you’ve got their attention, you can work in some of those introductory details if they’re necessary. For example, I often begin a presentation by describing a time when I really blew a talk I had to give. And the end of the story, I go on to say, “And now I run my own company that teaches people how to communicate! I’m Angie Flynn-McIver, founder of Ignite CSP.”
The introductiory details are meaningful when we take the time to make them have meaning to the audience.
