How to Start a Speech

Summary

这段视频讲述了在演讲开场时抓住观众注意力的五种有效方式。首先,讲述一个简洁的相关故事,令人深受启发。其次,提出一些关键性问题,引起观众的好奇心和参与度。第三,引用富有影响力的名言,给人以深刻印象。第四,分享一个令人惊讶的有趣事实或统计数据,激发求知欲。最后,使用视觉演示或辅助物品,使演讲生动形象。此外,视频还提供了一些专业技巧,如合并多种开场手法,以及在准备演讲时注意潜在的开场素材。总之,这些建议有助于在演讲开场时抓住观众的注意力,为接下来的内容做好铺垫。

Takeaways

• 🔑 开场白是演讲中最重要的部分,它决定了你是否能吸引听众的注意力。
• ⚠️ 在开场白之前,要彻底检查所有技术设备,避免出现任何意外情况。同时也要坚持按计划来,不要临时添加或修改内容。
• 📖 讲故事是最有吸引力的开场方式之一,但故事必须简洁、有逻辑结构,并与演讲主题直接相关。
• ❓ 提出相关问题也是一种常见的开场方式,可以立即吸引听众,但需要问两到三个相互关联的问题。
• 💎 引用名言是另一种开场方式,但必须确保引用准确并与演讲主旨密切相关。
• 📊 分享有趣的事实或统计数据也可以吸引听众,但最好结合故事或问题的方式呈现。
• 👁️ 使用视觉效果如图像、小品或道具等来说明观点是另一种创新的开场方式。
• ✏️ 在准备演讲的过程中,要特别注意任何有潜力成为开场利器的素材。
• 🤝 不同的开场方式可以相互结合,但要确保整个开场部分简洁有力,控制在30秒到1分钟内。
• 🔮 不管采用哪种开场方式,都要确保它能自然过渡到演讲的下一部分内容。

Q & A

演讲开场的目的是什么?

演讲开场的目标是抓住听众的注意力,用精彩的开场白吸引听众的兴趣,为之后的内容做铺垫。一个好的开场白能让听众投入到演讲主题中,提高他们对整场演讲的参与度。

有哪五种常见的演讲开场方式?

五种常见的演讲开场方式包括:1)讲一个简短的故事;2)问一些让听众思考的问题;3)引用名言;4)提供一个有趣的事实或统计数据;5)使用视觉辅助工具进行演示。

讲故事作为开场的优缺点是什么?

讲故事作为开场的优点是更容易吸引听众注意力,给听众留下深刻印象。缺点是存在风险,如果故事过长或与主题无关,会适得其反。因此故事要精简、与主题相关,并遵循有始有终有教训的结构。

使用问题开场时需要注意哪些事项?

使用问题开场时,需要确保问题与演讲主题直接相关,并能吸引听众参与其中。不建议让听众大声回答,可以让他们在心里思考。提问时可以连续提出2-3个相关问题,以增强效果。

引用名言作为开场的好处是什么?

引用名人名言作为开场的好处是,这些名言往往经过了时间的考验,具有很强的说服力和影响力。但需要确保引用准确,并与演讲主题直接相关。

数据统计作为开场的技巧有哪些?

使用数据统计作为开场白时,应选择一些令人感兴趣或惊讶的数据。可以先讲一个小故事或问一个问题,营造氛围,然后再提供数据,会更有效果。同时需要确保数据的权威性和引用准确性。

使用视觉辅助工具开场的好处是什么?

使用视觉辅助工具如图像、道具、短剧等作为开场白,能让演讲更生动直观,提高听众的参与度。不过需要与演讲主题紧密相关,避免过于雷同或做作。

编写开场白时需要注意哪些要点?

编写开场白时,首先要确保与主题内容高度关联,引导听众进入主题。其次要注意简洁明了,开场白不宜过长,控制在30秒到1分钟为佳。第三,可以尝试组合使用多种开场方式,但要保持连贯性。最后,开场白要经过反复练习,确保呈现自然流畅。

在场外需要做哪些准备工作,以确保开场白顺利?

在场外需要提前检查好所有设备,确保一切正常运转。同时不要临场加入未准备好的内容,防止出现口吃或语无伦次的情况。呼吸要充分,待介绍结束后立即自信开场,给人一个专业的印象。

结合上下文,约翰·麦克斯韦引用的“一切有价值的事情都是艰难的”这句话想要表达什么?

这句话在视频中被用作开场故事的教训部分。作者想通过自己的亲身经历——从一无所知到获得大量粉丝订阅,表达要取得成功需要付出艰苦的努力。这句名言很好地总结了作者的体会,表明坚持和奋斗对于实现梦想的重要性。

Outlines

00:00

🔔 如何以震撼开头开始演讲

本段介绍了开场的重要性,以及一些做好准备的技巧。目标是以有力的开场白吸引观众注意力,而不是磕磕绊绊。开场前要检查好所有设备,严格遵守演讲稿,避免临时添加未准备好的内容。一个好的开场会给人留下深刻印象。同时作者提供了一份免费的PDF,分享7个建议来提高演讲信心。

05:00

😀 五种吸引人的开场方式

作者介绍了五种开场方式及相应技巧: 1)讲故事 - 确保故事与演讲主题相关,简洁有条理。2)提出问题 - 提出几个相关并呼应演讲主题的问题。3)引用名言 - 引用与主题相关的经典名言。4)列举有趣的事实或数据 - 寻找吸引人的统计数据,可结合故事或问题引入。5)视觉演示 - 通过图像、短剧、示范等形式视觉化演示内容。作者也分享了几个专业技巧,如开发开场白时可结合研究过程中发现的精彩内容、组合使用多种开场方式。

10:02

🔚 结语和下载链接

作者总结了开场的关键点,如控制在1分钟之内、组合使用多种开场方式等。同时提供了一份免费PDF的下载链接,分享7个增强演讲信心的建议。他还推荐了另一个视频演示如何精彩结尾。最后呼吁观众在评论区分享开场的好点子。

Keywords

💡开场白

开场白指的是在演讲、演出或任何正式表达开始时的首部言辞。它关键在于吸引听众的注意力，并设定整个演讲的基调。在此视频脚本中，开场白被强调为重要的组成部分，用于在演讲的最初30秒内吸引听众，创建强烈的第一印象。

💡注意力抓取器

注意力抓取器是演讲中用以立即吸引听众注意力的策略或元素。视频中讨论了如何使用开场白作为一个有效的注意力抓取器，通过故事讲述、提问、引用名言、展示有趣的事实或统计数据，以及使用视觉插图等方法来实现这一点。

💡故事讲述

故事讲述在视频中被认为是一种高风险但高回报的开场方式。一个好的故事应该简洁、结构清晰，并与演讲的主要内容直接相关。故事讲述可以激发听众的兴趣，促进情感共鸣，并为演讲的其余部分奠定基础。

💡提问

提问是通过向听众提出相关问题来开始演讲的常见方式。这种方法可以创建即时的参与感和思考，帮助听众将自己的情况与演讲内容联系起来。视频强调了提问的重要性，并建议使用与演讲主题紧密相关的问题。

💡引用名言

引用名言是使用已被广泛认可且经得起时间考验的言论来开启演讲的一种方式。视频中提到，好的引用可以增强演讲的影响力，前提是确保引用内容的准确性并与演讲主题直接相关。

💡有趣的事实或统计

引入有趣的事实或统计数据是抓住听众注意力的有效方法之一。视频中指出，如果某个数据或事实能够引起演讲者自己的惊讶，那么它很可能也会吸引听众的兴趣。此类开场可以提供强有力的视角，为听众带来新知。

💡视觉插图

视觉插图包括任何形式的视觉辅助，例如幻灯片、实物展示或演示。视频中提到，使用视觉辅助作为开场可以增加信息的吸引力，帮助听众更好地理解和记忆演讲内容。这种方法要求演讲者发挥创意，以确保视觉内容与演讲主题紧密相连。

💡结构清晰

一个清晰的故事结构对于保持听众的注意力和兴趣至关重要。视频中强调，无论是故事、引用还是事实统计，都应有一个明确的开始、中间和结尾，以及一个清晰的教训或结论。这有助于确保信息的传达是有效且有组织的。

💡直接相关

无论选择哪种开场策略，都必须确保它与演讲的核心信息直接相关。视频中反复强调这一点，表明开场白和演讲主体之间的紧密联系对于确保演讲成功非常重要。这种相关性有助于维持听众的兴趣和参与度。

💡深入准备

视频中提到，成功的开场需要深入的准备和练习。这包括技术检查、故事和数据的准确性验证以及避免即兴或无关的内容。深入准备不仅能够减少开场时的不确定性，还能提升演讲者的自信心，确保演讲顺利进行。

Highlights

Before we get into the five strategies, here's some big picture prerequisite advice, to make sure your opening is effective.

The goal is to start with a bang, rather than to stumble through your opening.

First, my favorite way to open, is by telling a concise story.

A story is a high risk way to open, but it also has the highest potential rewards.

One way to contain the risks, is to make sure your story relates directly, to the rest of your presentation.

The second way to open a speech, is by asking your audience some key questions.

On the plus side, asking relevant questions can create instant engagement, because it helps listeners see themselves, in your presentation.

Third, open by sharing a powerful quotation.

Quotations are great openings, because we can always find somebody, who said what we're trying to say, with even more impact.

Fourth, open with an interesting fact or statistic.

This works really well if you have any concrete data, that's a little bit surprising.

The fifth way to open is by using a visual illustration.

Pro tip number one is develop your opening, after you've created a draft, of the rest of the presentation.

Pro tip number two, combine openings.

All five of these openings can work in various combinations.

Transcripts

- You're going to learn how to start a speech.

We'll look at five ways to start with a bang.

We're talking about the first 30 seconds or so.

Some people call this the attention grabber,

your hook or simply your opening.

Before we get into the five strategies,

here's some big picture prerequisite advice

to make sure your opening is effective.

The goal is to start with a bang

rather than to stumble through your opening.

That means you have to start clean.

That means double check all of your technology

ahead of time, so you don't stall

while you try to figure that out

during the opening of your speech.

Also, stick to your plan.

Don't do anything off-script

or put in nervous chatter before you're opening.

Don't get distracted by a passing thought

or something somebody said to you just a minute ago.

Resist all of those last minute temptations

to add something to your opening

that you didn't prepare and practice.

These common missteps will cost you momentum and impact.

Ideally, you avoid all of those pitfalls

so it looks something like this.

Somebody introduces you.

People might clap a little bit to welcome you

and the moment those applauds stop,

you take a deep breath and you open with your hook,

exactly the way you planned it.

Be sure to download your free PDF

of these seven instant tips

to make you a more confident speaker.

That's in the description below the video

with other relevant links.

We'll look at five of the best ways to open with a bang.

You can use these as standalone openings

and I'll give you some pro tips at the end to combine them.

First, my favorite way to open

is by telling a concise story.

A story is a high risk way to open

but it also has the highest potential rewards.

So let's maximize those rewards and minimize the risks.

One way to contain the risks

is to make sure your story relates directly

to the rest of your presentation.

Now, it could be a great story

but if it doesn't relate to the heart of your message

then people will wonder why you told the story.

So find a story that fits the rest of your message.

Another risk is telling a long-winded story.

Make sure you're concise.

Aim for 30 seconds or maybe a minute, for an opening story.

Inexperienced storytellers tend to go on and on

and weave all over the place.

If you open with a long-winded story

it will kill the energy in the room.

Practice until your story is concise.

A good story also has a clear structure or logic.

Stories should have a beginning, middle, and end

and then a lesson learned.

The beginning can be one sentence

and explain the people, time, and place.

About six years ago, I started a YouTube channel

right here in this room.

The middle of the story is where the action takes place.

I had a goal, but what I didn't have

was any experience making videos.

Up 'til then I didn't even own a camera.

I knew nothing, but I started making videos every week

and I learned as I went along,

and six years later I've posted over 200 videos

and the channel now has over 400,000 subscribers.

The middle of the story

is usually where people overcome some struggle.

The endings to stories are usually pretty concise as well.

The success of the channel

has truly changed my entire life and led to opportunities

I would've never been able to enjoy otherwise.

The last part is called the lesson learned.

You could also call this the moral to the story.

This is the key insight you want your listeners to remember.

This long journey taught me what John Maxwell always says,

"Everything worthwhile in life is uphill".

If we put that whole story together

it would last about 30 seconds or so.

That simple structure will also keep you on track

so you land on the right spot at the end

and can give the rest of your speech introduction.

The best stories show some transformation or growth.

That's why stories have the highest potential reward,

as an opening.

People love stories that have that before and after quality.

The second way to open a speech

is by asking your audience some key questions.

This is a really common way to start a speech.

Some people say it's overdone

but I'll give you some tips to enhance this a bit.

On the plus side,

asking relevant questions can create instant engagement

because it helps listeners see themselves

in your presentation.

I don't recommend you ask listeners

to answer your questions out loud, right at the beginning.

That could take your presentation in the wrong direction

but ask questions that engage our minds

because that will draw us into the world

of your presentation in a mental conversation.

Questions peak our curiosity.

Now, here's some tips to enhance your questions.

First, make sure your questions

set up the main message of your presentation.

You wanna ask questions

that your speech will respond to in some satisfying way.

So let's say I was doing a presentation

on financial planning for retirement.

I might ask, "If you could retire to a dream location,

where would that be?"

That question can easily lead right to my main message

about retirement planning.

Second, enhance it more

by asking two or three connected questions

rather than a single question.

Questions usually go by a little too quickly

so ask two or three and pause briefly in between.

That will build momentum.

So I'll go back and redo the first sample question

and add two more questions with pauses.

If you could retire to a dream location

where would that be and who would be with you

and what would you be doing there together?

Each question is really concise

but when you add them together, they create more engagement.

Third, open by sharing a powerful quotation.

Quotations are great openings

because we can always find somebody

who said what we're trying to say,

with even more impact.

And the great thing about quotations

is that they've already stood the test of time.

If it's the kind of passage that people quote

then it will likely have a positive impact

on your listeners as well.

So let's say I was doing a speech

about the importance of creating a big ambitious vision

for our lives and chasing our dreams.

A topic that I am very fond of, by the way.

I might open with a quotation like this,

a quotation I mentioned a moment ago.

The famous writer, John Maxwell, has often said,

"Everything worthwhile in life is uphill".

A couple of tips on using quotations.

Make sure the person you are quoting,

actually said or wrote those words.

I saw this quotation come out of John Maxwell's mouth myself

and I looked up later to double check it.

You don't want to get a quote wrong

or attribute it to the wrong person.

The key though, is to find a quotation that makes an impact

and relates directly to the heart of your message.

Just like all the other ways to open a speech,

the quotation should be a natural jumping off place

for whatever comes next in your introduction.

Fourth, open with an interesting fact or statistic.

This works really well if you have any concrete data

that's a little bit surprising.

As you're preparing,

you might come across a bit of information

and you say to yourself, "Whoa, I didn't know that".

If a statistic or fact grabs your attention like that

it will likely have a similar impact on your listeners.

For example, the other day I was looking up information

about getting struck by lightning

because people are always using the chances

of getting struck by lightning as a point of comparison

and the first statistic I found wasn't all that interesting.

The chances of getting struck by lightning

in any given year, is about one in a million.

So struck by lightning equals one in a million.

Makes sense.

But then I noticed another statistic that did surprise me

and here's how I might share that in a speech opening.

Would it shock you to learn

that according to the Centers for Disease Control,

adult males account for 80% of all fatal lightning strikes?

To me, that was an unexpected statistic

and I wanted to learn more.

I told that to a couple of friends

and they both said, "Really?"

The takeaway for you is that

as you're doing your preparation research,

you may find yourself surprised

or wanting to know more about what you're reading.

That's when you know you've come across a fact

or a statistic that could be a very good hook

that will make the audience want to pay attention

to the rest of your message.

The trouble with facts and statistics as an opening

is that they're quite short,

so I recommend using a question or a concise story

that leads to that interesting statistic.

In fact, you may notice

that I did exactly that a moment ago.

I told a concise story about

how I was looking into lightning strikes,

and then I also did it with a question,

"Would it surprise you to know?",

and then I gave the statistic.

Using a story or a questions

will enhance the statistic

and make it stand out even more.

And by the way, word of warning about using facts and stats.

Do your homework, cite your sources,

and verify all research and use the information fairly.

The fifth way to open is by using a visual illustration.

This is a catchall strategy.

This could be a visual image you show on a screen.

It could be a short dramatization,

skit or dialogue where you act something out.

You could do a physical demonstration or handle a prop

that illustrates a piece of your message.

You could ask your audience members to participate with you

by taking some small action,

like reaching in their pocket to take out an object

or giving them a task to do on their phones.

On the surface,

it might not seem like most speech topics

lend themselves naturally to visual illustrations,

but if you use a little creativity

you can make it work.

I recently did a talk

where I held up a king from a chess set

and I was making a point about leadership

and that enhanced the message a little bit for that moment.

I've seen speakers dress up in costumes,

do back flips, do a magic trick.

If you have any creative streak inside you,

think about how you might do something interesting

or unique that visually illustrates your message.

And now for some pro tips to enhance the rest of these.

Pro tip number one is develop your opening

after you've created a draft

of the rest of the presentation.

One reason I wait to create the introduction

is that the research and preparation process

usually provides me some great potential hooks.

So as you prepare your materials,

take note of any item that jumps out to you.

Whenever I notice a great piece of content,

I put a star next to it and label it as a potential opening.

Pro tip number two, combine openings.

Meaning use more than one of the five openings

we've talked about, combine them.

In fact, I've already done that a couple of times

in this video.

I combined a question with a statistic.

"Would it shock you to learn

that adult males account for 80%

of all fatal lightning strikes?"

That combines a stat and a question.

I told a story and I capped it off

with a quotation from John Maxwell

which is why I quoted him twice in this video.

All five of these openings can work in various combinations.

Just make sure you're still communicating concisely.

Aim for 30 seconds, maybe a minute, attention grabber total.

Remember to download the free PDF of the seven instant tips

to make you a more confident speaker.

There's a link to that and the expandable description below.

I also have another video

on how to end a speech with impact.

There's a link to that below as well

and I'd love to hear your ideas

about great ways to start a speech.

Tell me about that in the comments section below.

Until next time, thanks.

God bless, and I will see you soon.