I love musicals so it’s not surprising that the first thought that comes to mind about effective presentation openings is , “Another opening, another show” from the musical, Kiss Me Kate. If you know the music, you know it’s bright, quick and it sets the scene–which is exactly what a good presentation opening does.

Openings–especially presentation openings–can be tricky. As the presenter, you have a lot to accomplish in the first few minutes of your speech. You need to signal that you are well-organized, you have important information for the audience, and that you won’t waste their time. You also need to get their attention immediately in order to show them that.

You see, it takes an audience about 30 seconds to decide whether or not you’re worth listening to, so it’s important to get their attention at the get-go. Even if the rest of your talk is outstanding, you’ll have a big hurdle to overcome without that strong opening.

So how do you decide what to open with? My suggestion is to decide that last. First plan the rest of your talk, and when you have that, then decide what opening will be most effective. Here again you need to consider the group because along with everything else you need to do in that first few minutes, you need to establish rapport.

Let’s say you’re talking to a service organization. The members are from different businesses. The main function of the group is to fund hospitals in third world countries. Your talk is on publicity. Your opening might be,

“When I first heard about your organization, and the outstanding work you do, I knew I wanted to give you as much help as I could with your mission. With that objective in mind, I like to discuss three key activities you can do to increase your fund-raising by 50%.”

With that opening, you show that you know who you’re talking to, you appreciate what they are doing, and now will give them some ideas about how they can be even more successful.

Other effective openings are stories that relate to your topic, surprising facts or statistics that make people sit up and pay attention. Asking a question is also effective way to begin. Sometimes what you have to say is so vital (as in an internal meeting) that you need to get right to the point as President Franklin Roosevelt when addressing Congress:

“Yesterday, December7, 1941–a date which will live in infamy–the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of Japan.”

From this example, you can see how that opening also set the tone for the remainder of the presentation.

Even though it takes only a few minutes, your opening is one of the most important parts of the presentation. When done well, it grabs the audience’s interest right away, sets the tone for your talk, and makes an excellent seque to the rest of your speech. To begin strong is vital.

Give your opening the time it deserves and you’re on your way to a great presentation.