‘Opening amenities are often opening inanities’
-Winston Churchill
You know the drill “Tis an honour to speak….And it’s good to see Peter. I remember golfing with him last year in ….That reminds me of a story…” and after some worn out joke and polite, probably forced laughter, finally getting to the point.
Boring!!!
“I never say ‘It gives me great pleasure,’ to speak to any audience because there are only a few activities from which I derive intense pleasure and speaking is not one of them” said Churchill.
“Churchill believed that praise in the beginning of a speech comes off as flattery; the same praise in the middle of a speech comes off as sincerity” wrote James Humes’ in his expose of Churchill’s methods.
Tell a girl as she gets out of a car that she looks nice – well, chances are everyone does that and its even expected. If half way through dinner you comment on how beautifully her earrings set of her face and you will have her eating out of your hand.
It’s the same in a speech. If you can praise someone, or make a recommendation in a way that it sounds like an aside, it sounds like you mean it.
“By the way, I think we can all agree that John’s untiring effort for the Orphan charity fund is the type of dedication we’re talking about.”
“…and I am sure everyone here agrees how marvelously Mary has decorated the room this evening.”
- Opening a speech with a joke diminishes your credibility.
- Opening your speech with a joke is like dressing in a clown suit and expecting to be taken seriously.
- Opening jokes relax the speaker, not the audience.
If you need an opening joke then learn to relax.
If you must use a joke, then save it for the middle of a speech. I once heard a speaker effectively use humour to make a main point in his speech. It was not to break the ice, the jokes punch line hammered home his theme.
So let’s look at a few possible approaches.
Hit them with Power
When Churchill gave his first speech as Prime Minister Britain faced possible extermination.
“I have nothing to offer but blood, toils, tears and sweat.”
Now that’s a powerful opening.
Star with your own quotable quote.
Quote a Respected Authority
“Winston Churchill once said ….”
“Abraham Lincoln once said ….”
Make sure the quote is cut to one – at most two – sentences.
Tell a Story…
Ok not just any story. A story where a person faces a challenge bring out the juicy dilemma’s. Paint his frustration.
“The manager of our IT departments came to me this morning with this problem…’
Better yet tell a story that comes from your experience.
