Engage your audience instantly with this irresistible speech opening technique

The first 10seconds of your speech are critical. During this time, your audience may be turned on... or off. They may engage or disengage. And you better believe they are making judgements - about you and your presentation. Not bad for 10 seconds worth of thought.Clearly how you start your presentation matters. But how are you opening your presentations? More importantly, does your opening engage your audience or is it putting them to sleep? In this article, I discuss one very effective technique for opening a speech. Also, I explain some guidelines for using the technique correctly. Let us begin.

The Question Opening.

Your brain, like your audience’s brains, is addicted to answers. This is what makes the technique of starting with a question so irresistible. It is almost an unfair advantage because the minute the question is posed, the brain goes to work!. This way, you get your audience to engage with you and your presentation right at the start!Why then would you not apply this principle to opening your speech?

The first 10 seconds of your speech are critical.

Compare the two openings below.

Today I am going to tell you about some processes and procedures that my team is proposing to make our workflow smoother and more efficient.

VS

Is it possible to increase efficiency while lowering cost with only a few minor process changes? (pause)

One opening has you sitting up and curious, thinking to yourself – this is going to be interesting. And the other speech makes you regret forgetting your cup of coffee in your office. Both presentations may essentially have the same content, but their openings foretell of two very different experiences for you as an audience member.That is the power of the question opening.One opening makes you engage and promises that the presentation will be interesting and maybe even inspiring. The other has placed you in a passive position and promises that the speech will be boring and snooze-inspiring.Which one would you rather listen to?

Engage this technique - Tips on proper application.

Opening with a question is one of the easier opening techniques. Unlike using quotations, or stories, it is fairly straightforward to do. However, there are a few guidelines for executing it well as well as mistakes to avoid. Read on to make sure you apply this technique like a pro.

1. Keep the question simple

This may sound obvious but I have heard a lot of speakers get this wrong. Your question should be simple to compute for the audience. They should be able to take it in and decide whether or not they know the answer fairly quickly. If your question is too complicated, you will end up confusing instead of engaging your audience

2. Keep it short.

Related to the point above, a short question is better than a long one. Partly because a long question takes longer to compute but also because it will take you longer to say! You want your opening to be concise. Having a question that runs like a sleepy marathoner will fatigue your audience quickly.Notice in the example above how short and simple the question is. In that example, the speaker chose a close-ended question. You may decide to go with an open-ended question. Either way, keep it short.

3. To answer or not to answer?

Make it clear through your body language if you want an answer or not. Especially since this is your opening line, the audience may not know if your presentation is going to be interactive or not. By leaving your intention behind the question ambiguous, you might leave the audience confused. If you know you do not want an answer, then keep a relatively closed body posture with your palms faced inward (not downward). If you want an answer and some interaction, then spread your hands wide open and encourage the audience with your eyes and maybe a smile.

4. One is enough, two is OK, three is pushing it.

Asking one well-crafted question is usually enough. But sometimes, you want to follow it up with a supporting question. You want to be careful once you enter the realm of three or more questions as you run the risk of wandering into what I call the Sales Ad Domain (SAD for short).Remember you are at the start of your presentation – you want to be giving to your audience, not taking. Unless you have a deliberate series of questions that are doing real work for you, I suggest keeping it to a maximum of two questions.A good tip is to ask a “what” question and then a “why” question. This does not mean necessarily that the questions must be worded as “what” and “why”. What I mean is that the first question should address an objective subject and the second a subjective idea. An example -What: Is it possible to increase efficiency while lowering cost with only a few minor process changes?Why: And is it worth it? I find this combination works very well when applied correctly. So if your talk lends itself to this, go ahead and use it. You will gain instant engagement.

5. Does it relate?

Obvious as this may sound, your opening question needs to relate to your content – and obviously too. I am adding this to this article because many speakers who use the question opening err on the side of being too deep and philosophical with their opening question. As a result, they fail to connect the question to their content. Maybe they do this because they want engagement a little too desperately. The flip side is that when your content fails to live up to the lofty question you opened with, the audience is left feeling confused and a little duped.

If by the end (or better still the middle) of your presentation, your audience cannot see a link to your opening question, then you need a clearer question

For example, starting a presentation on how to make butternut squash cupcakes with “what are the implications of evolution for modern life?” would be quite a leap. Even if you manage to bring it back somehow, you will probably have forced an unnatural blend leaving a bitter aftertaste in your audience’s mouth.The connection of the content to the opening question(s) must be present. The connection must be clear and decidedly non-esoteric. If by the end (or better still the middle) of your presentation, your audience cannot see a link to your opening question, then you need a clearer question – one with a stronger connection to your content.

6. Allow the space of silence – Pause.

A question (rhetorical or not) should always be followed by a pause. Ask the question then be quiet for several seconds. Remember the purpose of a question is to elicit engagement through thought first and maybe dialogue. But always thought first. If you do not allow that space of silence, the listener cannot think – hence cannot engage.

...the purpose of a question is to illicit engagement through thought

HELP! How long am I supposed to shut up for?

I am often asked how long the pause should be. My answer – long enough for you (the speaker) to start to feel a tad uncomfortable. Why? Because most audience members are used to speakers being non-stop talking heads. Therefore, they need a clear signal that you are inviting them to think about the question – that you are not just going to spit the answer at them right away. From my experience, this sweet spot is right around when the silence has lasted long enough to start getting slightly uncomfortable for you the speaker. But what do you do during the silence?

I’m not talking. Help! What do I do?

Another question I am asked often is, well, what do I do during that silence? My answer is always the same – nothing. Just be there and be present. It really is not as long a time as you think.There is a mental time lapse between the stage and the audience during silence - time seems to go by slower for you because you feel the pressure of the audience’s attention. What feels like a minute on stage is usually just a few seconds in real-time.Therefore, during the silence, just be there. It is really not as long as you think. Unless, of course, there is a gesture or action that goes with your question. In that case, do that instead. But for most situations, just be there – that’s all you need to do.

Engage your audience with questions

Remember that opening with a question can be a powerful way to draw instant engagement from your audience. Use the tips provided here to ensure you do it right and you will have your audience on the edge of their seat instead of the business end of a coffee cup.Until the next article, speak with skill.